Fishing Victoria Forum

Hey everyone,

I wanted to provide a quick update on the fishing at Docklands this week, we've had some stellar sessions with the fish playing super finicky. - Apologises on the low res photos, high quality ones were too large file size.

After two weeks of dirty water, Sunday 23/5/21 the water turned clear ~3m+ visability and the snapper came out to play under the warm sun. They were sitting in schools under the pontoons munching the grown and mussels while slapping the surface. They were ranging from around the 30cm mark, to 60cm+ but were super finicky and spooking easy. Few of us were casting, but I was the only one managing the bites. The difference is that I was taking two steps back behind cover and casting in with my plastics, which ment the fish couldn't see my silhouette/shadow and it allowed me to safety cast nearby and work it towards the fish without spooking. Still super tough fishing, thinking of now downsizing my fluro to 8lb as opposed to 10lb. Had a bigger pinky 60+ grab me and unfortunatly, let me under the wood walkway before spitting the plastic. Tough love!

Check out the fish under the pontoons, wild! Easy 40+ pinkies ranging in size!
Bream came out too joining the school.



Within an hour this bait school moved in and the salmon came following, they were only little trouts but they were darting inbetween the school. Super keen, tossed in a smaller 20g slug and caught/relased a handful of fish.https://youtu.be/mZSxd2Unt5Y

Loving this new combo, Daiwa TD Zero 2-5kg paired with the 21 FREAMS rocking 10lb braid, 10lb fluro.

I miss Docklands. Used to work there and go to the water morning, lunch and after work. Observed and fished all sorts of condition, from cold to hot and murky water to crystal clear I could see the bottom.

Sounds like you had a good experience fishing there.
Docklands has low water movement, and when the water is clear like that, it's when they're hard to catch. Exciting and fun to see them though. Sight fishing them can be fun and challenging at the same time.

I landed a 60cm fish in Docklands last year, and I've caught them to 84cm in the past. Around structure, you won't land one on 8lb leader, though!

bilby wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 05, 2021 12:27 pm

I landed a 60cm fish in Docklands last year, and I've caught them to 84cm in the past. Around structure, you won't land one on 8lb leader, though!

I assume its 60cm and 84cm snapper. Not bream.
Which month was it?

I used to fish docklands a lot, caught decent pinkie years ago. Then mullet, silver trev, flathead, salmon, tailor, mulloway. Surprising place.

The 60cm snapper was around August last year I think? The big 80cm+ fish my brother and I caught were a few years ago now. But the thing about that whole area is it can be unpredictable when and where the fish will turn up. My list of species landed from the area over the years is: bream (largest at 45cm), mullet (34cm), trevally (36cm), flathead (50cm), snapper (largest so far at 81cm & 84cm), tailor (35cm), mulloway (90cm - lost many bigger ones!), goatfish (32cm), estuary perch (41cm), tupong (30cm), eel (big), salmon (30cm). I've also heard of luderick being caught in Docklands, but never caught one myself, and obviously tried for kingfish when they were around, but couldn't put in enough time to track one down. A surprising place indeed.

bilby wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 05, 2021 1:26 pm

The 60cm snapper was around August last year I think? The big 80cm+ fish my brother and I caught were a few years ago now. But the thing about that whole area is it can be unpredictable when and where the fish will turn up. My list of species landed from the area over the years is: bream (largest at 45cm), mullet (34cm), trevally (36cm), flathead (50cm), snapper (largest so far at 81cm & 84cm), tailor (35cm), mulloway (90cm - lost many bigger ones!), goatfish (32cm), estuary perch (41cm), tupong (30cm), eel (big), salmon (30cm). I've also heard of luderick being caught in Docklands, but never caught one myself, and obviously tried for kingfish when they were around, but couldn't put in enough time to track one down. A surprising place indeed.

The mulloway on live mullet?
Central pier used to be my favourite. It's closed now.

Yeah I remember that kingdish craze, I saw them, but couldn't get them to bite.

Yes, live mullet, although plain old pillie works too. I saw the kingfish one night too - I threw some lures at them, but no luck.

Great place to fish, cheers for the report.