I’m ecstatic to report that the mulloway fishing has been excellent down here. At present, the fish have just started to come into the system in schools.

It has been interesting because they’ve joined up with other schools of fish that didn’t exit the Glenelg River over winter, probably because of below average rains. Down here, nine times out of ten, large schools of mulloway enter the river between late September and early December. We’ve all tried to work out the science behind their arrival, but alas, some things will always remain a mystery.

These fish should stay in the river until May or June next year, if it’s a wet year. But if it’s like this year, dryer than average, then the little rippers will stay.

We’ve been catching fish throughout the winter that had predominately stayed in the middle reaches until mid August. After some rain they moved downstream to Taylors Straight and have pretty well moved around the bottom 2 to 10km of the river. Lures have accounted for their share, trolled slowly along the banks. I recommend the Rebel Fastrac Jointed FTJ202. They come in two sizes and I prefer the smaller type with the sky blue back and silver belly. One of the reps gave me some gold-bellied, black-backed ones to try and I noticed Alan Unwin at the Nelson Kiosk had some interesting looking Strike Pro lures. I will report on their success next issue.

Stuart, Craig and Joe Muir along with Bruce Goddard fished Taylors recently for six mulloway to 14lb. All were taken on Rebel lures. Opting to fish the unusual midday time slot on a fine winter’s day, the boys took off at 12.30pm. A short session saw three fish before a BBQ lunch at Donovan’s Landing. It was then back down to the river for a late afternoon troll and three more good fish were landed. Not a bad day out for the boys from Mortlake!

I also recommend Dan McGrath’s Aussie Attack Lures, preferably the ones with red, yellow/gold and black. Dan makes a great lure and these colours in any sort of pattern should see you with fish if they’re around. My only concern is with bigger fish. These little bream or trout lures can let you down with their smaller split rings so don’t bullock the fish. Just take your time and make sure you don’t put too much pressure on the gear.

Come October, we will predominately be using live mullet trolled slowly behind our boats. I believe that lures work best in the daylight and live mullet at night.

If you’re like me and want to get into it as quickly as possible, pre-order some livebait from Chris and Cheryl Carson at Nelson Boat and Canoe Hire. Chris will stash the bait for you so you can go fishing straight after you arrive. Contact them on (08) 8738 4048 and Chris will help you out with bait and the latest fishing reports.

Tackle is also available in Nelson from the Kiosk, Roadhouse and Boat Hire. They don’t have huge stocks, but what they do have is gear that’s relevant to this river. If you need accommodation down this way I can send you out an information pack on the district. Call (08) 8738 4011 or email me at --e-mail address hidden--

Bream have moved up the river and are in the middle of spawning. I like to see fishermen ease up on the fish during this time. I’m not saying don’t fish for them, but just release more than you keep. It is fantastic to hear of more anglers taking this approach. Digital cameras nowadays give you instantaneous proof of your capture for the brag session.