The Hopkins mouth has continued to remain closed throughout most of the month of April. Whilst this usually can mean tougher fishing, it does allow for a few different scenarios to exist.

Some areas often not deep enough normally for productive fishing can provide some exciting shallow water fishing. I have had some good sessions pink grubbing the inundated flats upstream around Jubilee Park earlier in the month. Cliff walls are also other places where vertical fished plastics and stick minnows can be more productive during higher water levels.

However, late in the month, the mouth was manually opened. Nick Murrell and I happened to be on the water the next morning and the fish were really turned on by the sudden movement of water. We caught a few 40cm plus fish (as well as missing a couple of bigger fish) along with plenty of other bream and perch around 30-36cm. The next day we returned expecting more of the same only to struggle to land three legal size fish. We discovered latter that the mouth had already closed, perhaps sending the fish off the bite? Whatever the case I’ll be doing my best to be on the water as soon as possible after the mouth opens again.

Estuary perch have been pretty consistent in the freshwater section of the Hopkins recently; in June the estuary section should also start to fire with some bigger perch. No recent mulloway captures to report but a couple of big sea mullet in the 5-6kg bracket have made life interesting for a few lucky anglers.

This month the Hopkins will be the venue for the fourth leg of the Vic Bream Tournament series on the weekend of June 19 and 20. The tournament’s entries are already full but if you’re in the area it is always worth coming down for a look at all the flash boats, watching the fish presented at the weigh in and seeing what tackle and luring techniques people have been using.

June is often a popular time for surf anglers to target salmon and Killarney has still been producing quality fish in the 2-3kg bracket. A continuation of some significant early rainfall should put us in good stead for a productive trout season. The Hopkins River has just received a stocking of 4000 brown trout up from the usual 2000 so that should provide some great fishing next season.

Southern bluefin tuna and albacore captures were just starting to become a little more consistent when some big seas at the end of the month put the lid on things.

June still should be a good month to target the tuna if conditions permit.