The lure of the bay - Part 2

by Jarrod Day on 20 Dec 2012 This week, in Part two - we begin were we left off from a few months ago and discover a few more species that can be found in Port Phillip Bays waters.

Smashing Salmon:

From March until September the waters around the reef at Black Rock can erupt without notice. Small anchovies and other baitfish leap from the surface in an attempt to escape the feeding frenzy from big black back salmon feasting under the school. Unfortunately for the baitfish, hundreds of birds dive bomb from above getting in on the free banquet.

The beginning of the salmon season is quite spasmodic; the fish just appear and then disappear without warning until anglers find a regular pattern of tide changes that they feed on. This could be early morning, evening or just in the middle of the day, but when the pieces of the puzzle are put together it is not uncommon to have ten or more boats flicking into or trolling the school.

When this happens, boats are best to watch the school rather than to drive over it as the fish get spooked. Watching the school can lead to a more efficient angler by predicting in which direction the school is moving. By doing this, you can drive ahead of it and position yourself so you get more fishing time than if having to constantly motor forward keeping up with the school.

Although metal lures will work very well, salmon often jump when boat side spitting the hooks. This is where soft plastics come into their own. Being a single hook, salmon find them harder to spit out providing you have a tight line during the fight.

When salmon are busting, you’d think anything you toss at them will catch a fish. Sometimes even in a feeding frenzy they can be fussy about what they are going to eat. While winding the lure back to the boat on occasion, I have seen fish chase the plastic only to peel off and back to the school without eating it.

Most of my success on salmon has always been when attempting to 'match the hatch' with lure colours.

Most of the baitfish in the area have a typical blue back / white belly colouration which when choosing a soft plastic you can’t go past the 3' Pearl Watermelon, pearl blue, Casper clear and galaxia green colours. These are very similar in colour to that of the baitfish and even the fussiest of salmon won’t pick the difference.

Once all the technical information is out the way, let fly your arsenal into the school and hang on.

Inky Torpedos:

While the reef is a haven for salmon to heard baitfish and snapper to cruise the drop off, the weed covered rocks are a haven for those pesky eight armed critters.

There is only one thing about catching calamari I can’t stand and that is being squirted with foul tasting ink, which happens at least twice on every trip. Apart from being light entertainment for other anglers seeing you all covered in ink, calamari are exquisite on the table. With Black Rock’s extensive weed covered reef, the calamari fishing options are endless.

Usually when I’m fishing for them I flick out a small 2.5 size Yo-Zuri jigs in pink or brown colours. They are left just behind the boat to drift but must be in close to avoid snagging on the reef.

Meanwhile I flick plastics for snapper utilising two fishing methods simultaneously. A great way to get a feed of calamari while working the reef for snapper.

Although this isn’t really an art of fishing, it is however what we call 'free fish'. No hard work required, but a nice side dish with dinner after a hard days fishing.

If you want to specifically target calamari, then spend the time casting and retrieving your jigs over the reef. Once you hook one, flick out another jig near it, you’ll often hook a few in the same area.

Flicking for Frogs:

The humble flathead can’t resist a passing lure whether it be a trolled lure or soft plastic. If searching for flathead, head off towards the mussel farm in Beaumaris bay. Flicking plastics on the sand will see good numbers taking a liking to softies bumped along. For the larger fish, the rocks next to the Beaumaris boat ramp fishes very well during the autumn months. It is a very small patch of reef but the larger fish hang in close to the cliffs. Larger plastics work well and I have had best success with Berkley 4' Pumpkinseed and smelt minnows but for a guaranteed catch, thread on a gulp turtleback worm, they are dynamite.

There really isn’t much of an art to flicking for flatties, simply tie one plastic, head to the sand and make your cast. When it hits the sandy floor, vigorously hop the plastic towards you taking up the slack line. As long as the plastic is moving a hungry flathead won’t be too far away. Best of all, gulp soft plastics are very strongly scented leaving a berley trail in the water while being worked. If you favour a feed of fresh flattie tails, tie on a gulp and have a flick, you’ll have a few quality fish in no time.

There are many fishing options around the Black Rock for anglers to enjoy. Whether its fishing for monster snapper in summer or flicking soft plastics at the winter salmon schools, you’ll be amazed at what this section of reef can provide.

Best of all, you’ll barely use a drop of petrol from the time you leave the ramp to the time you get back.