PORTLAND Report – 02.09.2024
Spring is here, however, the weather was horrendous last week with gale-force winds and a cold winter chill. As I cautoned in last week’s report please be very careful when planning your fishing trips. Monday the 2nd of September has winds up to 100 k/ph in some regions around Melbourne and Victoria, so don’t put yourself in unnecessary danger. From here we can expect better fishing and more pleasant conditions ahead. The water temperature is finally starting to rise offshore which will bring improved fishing.
Finally, we saw some barrels being caught outside the heads of Port Phillip Bay and Western Port. With some notable catches not too far out the rip up to 120 kilos. The usual areas around Portland and Port Fairy are still fishing well keep your eyes open for congregated gannets ( seabirds ) diving into the water, bait, seals and dolphins which usually have some sizable tuna among them. There are still plenty of schoolies but many have started heading out to deeper waters and good catches of both school and gummy sharks from 25 to 60 meters of water with the school shark being the aggressor taking just about any bait thrown their way. The snapper and reef fish are going strong with many pinkies and snapper up to 70cm, nannygai up to 50cm and big gummies up to 25kg using fresh baits mainly wrasse and ocean perch.
Offshore
The offshore fishing at Portland has been fantastic, weather permitting of course. The reefs are fishing amazing with the table fish showing up in big numbers with lots of nannygai, morwong, ocean perch and pinkie snapper. In June there was a run of big snapper up to 10kg but they seem to have gone hiding and the pinkies up to 45 cms are everywhere and hungry. The Shark fishing is insane at the moment! With boats bagging out regularly with the average school shark being 16kg and the average gummy over 12kg. It has gotten to the stage where I am using black nylon-coated steel traces for my second rod because we were getting bitten off between 7 and 10 times a trip. The best baits have been any fresh fish, I caught a big schoolie last Sunday on a combination of Ocean perch and Sargent Baker. Using the steel traces means I can decrease hook size a bit since the only reason I was using 8/0 was to try to avoid being bitten off, I am now using 6/0 and they are working great. The sharks are being caught in 45 to 100 meters of water both EAST and WEST of Lawrance Rock.
The tuna are around but have been sketchy this year in the sense that they are not frequenting an area for long or for multiple days like they have in previous years. A lot of searching is taking place to find them to get their daily catch. It seemed the school tuna were everywhere for ¾ of the year but now it’s the actual ‘tuna run’ They are also been patchy to find and when you do find them they are moving fast. Most boats searching for the barrels head East of Lawrence Rock to around the 50-meter mark before really starting to search for them. I still think west of Lawrance Rock is better after lunch until dark it seems as the day goes on the bait, birds, dolphins and some days barrels congregate between Cape Nelson and Lawrance Rock late in the arvo. Rapala Xrap Magnum, DTX red bait and skirts are still the top lures being used.
Inshore
The harbour in Portland has fired up in the last 2 weeks with some surprisingly good catches of whiting coming from the trawlers wharf and other jetties. Baits have been squid, pippi, and chicken. The whiting in the bay however have taken a hit since the netting took place off the Nth shore and will take a couple of years to recover, local whiting fisherman who has been relying on their secret sand holes for years to catch their bag of whiting are coming home with 1 or 2 and they said they have never seen it this hard to find them which is a shame but with netting now banned in the area lets hope they recover to what they once were. Some really nice squid have been caught from the Lee breakwater near dark, once they are feeding I have been told any jig will do! And they are nice size with all hoods appearing to be over 35cm. Squid have been caught here and there throughout the bay mainly in front of the water tower and along the edge of the reef near the ab farm, whiting coloured and natural jigs like pilchard work best.
Let’s get stuck into this week’s report to help get you into a few fish.
Weather Forecast Ahead
It will be another frustrating weather week ahead with very strong winds on Monday and Wednesday, from there scattered showers will settle in for the rest of the week. With heavy showers predicted on Friday and light showers over the weekend. The good news is the weekend ahead looks to have light winds and low volumes of rain. It’s been a frustrating 2-3 weeks of weather so let’s hope we get some better weather in the coming weeks. Do be careful if you plan to hit the water study met eye and always avoid going out if it’s unsafe, this week will have some days better suited to land-based fishing.
Portland and surrounding areas have notoriously large offshore swells so study the weather conditions carefully and never go out in unsafe conditions. Ensure your boat has all the relevant safety gear and test it regularly.
Weather conditions are always changing so study the weather forecast frequently before your fishing trip using tools like Meteye, Willys Weather & Windy ( links to these tools can be found in “helpful Links” ). Remember to check wind strength, wind direction, rain, and storm warnings. We have workshop refreshers that help you identify areas with low swell based on wind direction, so look at those if you’re unsure. Know the capability of your boat, kayak or jetski and never take unnecessary risks that might put you or your passengers in danger. Conditions on the water can change quickly so ensure you have all of the necessary safety equipment checked and ready. Remember to be sun smart during Summer as it’s easy to get sunburnt or dehydrated and to wear appropriate clothing in cold and wet conditions.
Water Temp
Water temperatures dropped half a 0.3 of a degree this week because of the cold weather, strong winds and excessive rain. The water temp right now hovering around 12.5 degrees. Hang in there a few more weeks as when we get to mid-September we start to see the water temperature rise rapidly and that’s when the fishing gets exciting.
Moon Phase week ahead
The new moon is scheduled for Tuesday 3rd of September so we have very slow tides this week. This can be great for bread and butter fishing like targeting squid and flathead.
TUNA REPORT
The Barrels are still being caught which is pleasing. With several fish landed this week over 100kgs out from Portland. The trend has been heading East from Lawrance Rock out to 45 and 60 meters of water. Searching for the early morning barrel action with huge bust-ups with barrels jumping clean out of the water. Then mid-morning it gets quiet, and the boats start searching around for the next big bust-up. In the afternoon after 2 pm, the action has been firing up behind Lowrance Rock itself and the schools seem to move towards Cape Nelson late in the afternoon. I observed this happening 3 days in a row and had similar reports all month. The barrels are being taken on mid-sized skirts around 7 to 9 inches with the best patterns being pilchard and mackerel. Hard body lures are also picking some up but the skirts have been the preference. I was amongst a school of jumping barrels but did not get a hook and I found out later they were being caught on smaller bait than what I was using so it pays to have a varied range of lures with clip swivels so you can quickly change up if you are amongst the fish but not getting hook ups.
The school-sized tuna have been found regularly between Julia Percy Island and the Abalone farm on the Portland Nth shore. That sounds like a lot of ground to cover but with the schoolies being found in that area most days it’s a great place to start looking for birds circling and diving and those tell-tail bait balls on the sounder. The schoolies are still chasing smaller bait so 5 and 6-inch skirts and smaller quick-trolling hard bodies will do the trick. The school-sized tuna have been hungry so once you find them a hookup won’t be far away.
Areas we have been fishing include
Barrels
- Portland – S038.24.829 | E141.25.648
- Cape Nelson – S038.25.440 | E141.37.163
- Port Fairy – S038.31.686 | E142.01.749
- Port Macdonnell – S038.08.855 | E140.42.861
Schoolies
- Port Fairy – S038.31.293 | E142.02.655
- Port Fairy – S038.24.104 | E141.59.065
- Whaler Reef – S038.20.300 | E141.37.204
- Portland Bay – S038.18.902 | E141.36.924
- Portland Harour – S038.18.691 | E141.38.634
- Wallys – S038.16.714 | E141.40.289
- Breakwall – S038.20.476 | E141.36.990
- Lawrence Rocks – S038.26.857 | E141.41.421
SNAPPER REPORT
The snapper has fired up back in the deep with some big boys amongst the pinkies. I have found keeping a variety of baits on offer to be the best way to go because you will find one bait is the hot bite for an hour or so and then something else is the preferred bait. You could easily think the fishing slowed down when in reality they have just started feeding heavily on something else and are now just tapping your baits, so it pays to keep a variety out or to keep swapping baits in the quiet periods until you find what they are hitting hard.
I find they prefer fish flesh baits like ocean perch and wrasse and fish culets like mackerel and barracouta over the usual pilchard and squid. It sounds strange but I was winding pilchards up untouched last trip while every fish bait was getting hammered. Drifting is a great way to cover ground and pick up fish but keep a keen eye on the sounder because if you get 2 or 3 good ones quickly always mark the spot to drift back past. Alternatively, you can anchor or spot lock once you find a good patch. My preferred set-up is a 30lb braid with a 60lb leader and trace. I use 5/0 circle hooks instead of 4/0 because if that big shark decides to garb your snapper bait instead of your shark bait the 5/0 gives you a bit more strength in the hook to land it.
We got a few nice snapper and gummies around here – S038.28.206 | E141.40.974
AUSTRALIAN SALMON
Australian Salmon are around in massive numbers at the moment. Typically in shallow waters between 2 and 6 meters deep. Around the Portland region, big salmon are around in good numbers. We caught some huge ones in the harbour and even off lee break wall. Surprisingly even landed a few huge ones on tuna skirts as we fished in close near Lawrence rocks escaping large offshore swells. They can be a lot of fun and will congregate in massive numbers this time of year. I will often have a light spin rod with a 4-inch soft plastic rigged and ready just incase we see a heap them surfacing or on the sounder.
Productive areas to concentrate your time on include.
- Portland Harbour
- Lawrence Rocks
- Julia Reef
- Lee Breakwall
SHARK REPORT
It has been another amazing month for gummy and school sharks. In 3 trips we landed 6 sharks and I dropped my potential PB school shark at the boat. The sharks have been recorded in all depths from 30 meters out to 80 which is a great sign because usually you need to hunt around and find what depth they are at but the moment you find some good bottom and start fishing a shark won’t be too far away. I recommend a 7/0 or 8/0 circle hook with fresh bait just pinned at one end and not buried in the bait. This will allow the hook to be pinned in the corner of the jaw and give you the best chance of landing a school shark without using a wire trace. I use a 50lb braid with a 60lb leader and trace with a single hook paternoster rig with a 7/0 or 8/0 circle hook. The reason I use a single hook for sharks is the line can tangle and get bitten or snapped when they roll so just the one hook will improve your catch rate.
Areas we have been fishing include
- Portland – S038.27.187 | E141.41.237
- Cape Nelson – S038.29.568 | E141.31.844
SQUID REPORT
The squid fishing in the bay has been really good with big Calamari being landed along the Nth shore especially off the Wally’s ramp area and around the water tower. Most people pull up and cast but I have seen a few people bag out by drifting over the kelp beds and getting squid as they cover the ground. The squid inside the harbour are a fair bit smaller at the moment than out in the bay so if you are after baits the harbour-sized squid would be perfect but if it’s a feed you want then I would recommend hitting the bay. The most common squid jigs used in these areas are whiting pattern jigs as there are usually plenty of whiting in the area but a lot of other colours work. When selecting your jig consider the light and water clarity, if it’s clear and bright then you can try bright colours and when it’s dark or a bit murky try duller and darker-looking jigs.
WHITING REPORT
After a slow month, the whiting fishing has improved around Portland with anglers targeting King George whiting once again getting decent bags. The average size may have decreased because the ones that were being caught last month were all massive with most being over 50cm and some over 55cm however the numbers have improved a lot but the size is back around the mid to high 40cm mark which the standard Portland whiting. The best method currently is using fresh chicken breast and fresh squid and using a light sinker with a whiting rig and moving from sand hole to sand hole picking up 2 or 3 before moving to the next hole. Give each hole 15 mins and when you catch a few as soon as it goes dead move to the next hole and repeat the process after a few hrs you will be getting some really nice-sized tasty whiting.
BAIT COLLECTION
There are currently great numbers of Yakkas, slimy mackerel and smaller squid in and around the harbour. It is worth spending that first hour before light using a little bit of basic berley like bread and cat food to get the yakkas and slimy mackerel around and catching a few for fresh baits. The snapper and shark have been smashing them offshore compared to other bought baits such as squid and pilchard. Fresh squid however is working great for whiting and some offshore fish like nannygai and morwong so while collecting bait have a squid jig under a float hanging out the back of the berley and you might pick 1 or 2 up as you go.
AROUND THE TRAPS
Rocklands
Rocklands is still fishing well! It seems as if one fish slows down others fire up. We were hearing about big reddies in large numbers being caught but now that has slowed up people are catching great yellowbelly and some nice cod also. The reddies were all schooled up for a couple of weeks but since they have dispersed a bit the anglers have been chasing yellowbelly and cod on spinnerbaits, plastics and stump jumpers with good results. The colour of the lure is dependent on the day so I suggest taking a good selection of lures and starting with the old rule that if the water is clear and it’s a bright day try bright colours first but if it is murky and cloudy day start with your dull coloured lures and keep swapping up until you get some hits.
Nelson
The Glenelg River is fishing a lot better after the mouth opened up recently. When the water gets high before it opens it is always extremely tough fishing. As soon as the water dropped a bit and the river slowed down there were instant reports of bream, EP and some nice mulloway caught. The reports have been more focused on the quality of fish being caught and not the quantity. A few months ago people were bagging out on 30 to 35 cm bream regularly but now they are getting 3 or 4 really nice ones around the 38 to 45 cm mark and a couple of EP and mulloway reports have been similar with 1 or 2 really good fish being caught in a trip. The Ep and Mulloway have been caught trolling hard bodies at different depths and the bream have been on vibes and plastics, I have not heard any reports on bait fishing so if you are heading to Nelson make sure you’re taking your lures and plastics.
Fitzroy
The Fitzroy River has been going off with good bream catches on lures. A good friend went for a mission in his yak last week and landed over 50 for the day between 25 and 45 cm all released. He started the morning with surface lures and they were going crazy then once they went down deeper as the sun rose he started using bent minnows and Rapalas and really started getting good hookups. The fishing off the surface was really exciting but the average fish was only in the high 20cm range but once they went deeper trolling along the edges produced some really nice fish. Natural coloured and whitebait coloured lures worked best. This was his second trip this month the first trip early in the month also yielded over 40 fish so it’s a great place to spend the morning on the yak.
Hamilton
The trout numbers in the grange have been impressive but I suppose that is to be expected after floods at stoking time 3 years running would have pushed a lot of the fingerlings over the spillway and into the creek. They have largely been caught on shallow diving hard bodies flicked in the bigger holes along the grange with some nice fish also landing on wet flies. The redfin fishing has been great in Lake Hamilton but as mentioned with the last couple of years of stocking washed into the creek the trout numbers are as low as I have seen them in the lake in years! It will not take long for them to come back now Fisheries is stoking Lake Hamilton in October and not June when flooding is most likely.
Wrapping Up
Stay safe and enjoy your fishing!! I genuinely hope these detailed reports help get you onto some cracking fish. Don’t forget to follow our podcast, tutorials, catch-of-the-month competitions & giveaways. Thanks for being a treasured FishingMad Member and don’t hesitate to reach out to me at alan@fishingmad.com.au with any questions and suggestions. Take care and good fishing, everyone.
