No matter what the season Victoria has some great fishing on offer!

Queenscliff is still producing the goods with quality yellowtail kingfish remaining on the bite and also the ever reliable flathead and whiting are providing entertainment for anglers. However, if you want to experience some of Victoria’s best game fishing, you need to head down to Portland during winter and join the chase for the southern bluefin tuna, it’s an experience you won’t forget.

It has been a late start to the kingfish season this year, however once they arrived there has been plenty of activity in the rip, seeing us landing the species from 2-10kg.

One method you can use to hook up one of these beauties, is by using lead lines dragging around 6-8” plastic ockies at a depth of 15m.

Also be mindful to always have a popper on standby, as this species can come up to the surface and you want to be prepared to cast a line at them, which to your delight you may find successful.

The kingfish are an elusive species and plenty of time may be needed in order to find and capture them; however it can be very rewarding when find success. We may still see them around in May especially as they made a late appearance. We are also finding the smaller kingfish ranging at about 60-70cm have moved into the bay and are a bit of fun on knife jigs.

The whiting are still going strong, averaging at 35-40cm and great entertainment on light gear. We have found that using fresh pipis and mussels are working a treat. The whiting will continue through to winter and provide many anglers with a reason to get up on the cold frosty mornings.

Flathead have been in good numbers and size in Bass Strait and they have been found in the Bay though smaller in size and coming in at around the 30cm mark.

The pinkies are still undersized in the bay, the bigger ones can be found outside the bay in Bass Strait around Barwon Heads.

As the cooler weather rolls in we will see the fishing slow down in Queenscliff, however there are always a species or two still to be found, particularly off shore.

May-July will see many anglers make their way down to Portland in search for the SBT, and it is arguably some of the best game fishing on offer in Victoria.

Good reports of tuna are coming through with plenty of tuna out there, hopefully it will be an awesome tuna season like the one we had last year.

Gone Fishing Charters will be heading down to Portland for during the months of May – July, if you have any reports in Bass Strait or Queenscliff drop us line at --e-mail address hidden--