Goran Nedic shows off one of the mulloway he caught from the Glenelg (Picture: Paul Rahman).
With the Glenelg River, near the South Australian Border, open to the sea and tidal, Paul Rahman and Goran Nedic headed down that way for a couple of days last week. And, with a good supply of freshly caught squid they were hoping for a mulloway or two.
Well, they got that in spades with bag limit catches of fish from 90 cm to 1.05 metres; certainly, a great result. It would have been even better though had they caught the fish that stripped what Paul estimates to have been a hundred metres of line from his reel.
Hard to say just how big it was, for after coaxing it almost all the way back to the boat, it gave a final headshake and threw the hook.
Speaking of mulloway, I had many a fishing report from Alberto Ortega and his late wife Francis back in the 1990s, and several of them were of large mulloway, up to 136 cm that the pair caught from the Barwon estuary, pictures of which I used in my report.
I had a message from Alberto’s grandson Tony over the weekend. He’s been fishing with Alberto – now 90 years old – at Kalbarri in Western Australia and who sent me several photos of mulloway they caught over there.
According to Tony, their next stop is Cairns!
A good day’s catch from the Glenelg estuary near Nelson (Picture: Paul Rahman).
Paul Rahman with an impressive pair of mulloway (Picture: Goran Nedic).
Freshwater
Kevin Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club reports that Lake Tullaroop is still producing redfin and sent me a photo of one measuring 45 cm taken by club member John Gray.
And, on the weekend, Kevin – along with wife Amber – arrived at the Lake to find an angler fishing from the bank had just taken a respectable rainbow trout on Berkley Powerbait.
Most of the redfin they caught were a little on the small side, but they did finish up with five keepers.
John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that redfin continue to remain on tap, and that he and Bruno Portaro had no trouble taking their share on live minnow and 3” Berkeley pumpkinseed, split-tailed, soft plastics.
Apart from the redfin, said John, chinook salmon are the best chance being taken on various lures, preferably rigged as some depth, and on pilchards or whitebait fished just above the bottom.
John Gray of the Maryborough Angling Club with a 45 cm redfin from Lake Tullaroop (Picture: Kevin Wild).
Alberto Ortega with one of the mulloway he caught at Kalbarri in WA (Picture: Tony Ortega).
Queenscliff Boat Ramp
The upgrade of Queenscliff’s boat ramp is underway and originally included plans for a fish cleaning facility. However, because of complainants living close by, that part of the plan has been scrapped.
Unfortunately, there will always be objections to fishing infrastructure, noise, pollution, odors etcetera, but of course these objections are widespread about many activities. Items of consideration include:
- Queenscliff’s history as a fishing port.
- Our state government’s promotion of recreational fishing, the value of same being valued to Victoria at $7.1 billion in the Ernst and Young report of 2020, something easily checked.
In my view, having a modern boat ramp without a fish cleaning facility would be ludicrous. So, I urge all who share that view to write an email of support for the FCF to councilor and mayor of Queenscliff, Ross Ebbels: ross.ebbels@queenscliffe.vic.gov.au and Cc that to Anthony McGrath anthony.mcgrath@vfa.vic.gov.au of the Victorian Fisheries Authority.
Bob McPherson took this photo of two southern right whales just off the surf break at Narrawong near Portland.
Martin asks:
Geoff, I’ve noticed the council has put up “No Fishing” signs at the entrances to the Eastern Beach promenade. The lower landing where we fish has no engagement with swimmers. What’s your view?
Martin, on Sunday, I drove down to Eastern Beach but couldn’t find a parking spot along Ritchie Boulevard and found myself in a queue of cars doing likewise. Eventually, I walked down after finding a park in Eastern Beach Road, but they too were scarce.
There wasn’t a soul swimming, and the diving boards – from where I used to dive as a youngster – were barricaded off. The promenade was crowded with Sunday browsers and dog-walkers, some with multiple canines raising the obvious question of hygiene.
My opinion Martin, is that – in consideration that this structure is for swimmers – there should be reserved parking for same – should any arrive – a ban on people walking dogs along the promenade, and tolerance for people fishing from the lower deck, which was originally the pick-up and drop-off point for the Geelong water taxi many years ago.