Fishing Victoria Forum

Gday all!
This coming Monday (28/5) I am heading out Surf Fishing for the first time. Saltwater Fishing/Surf Fishing is totally new to me as I have been a freshwater fisherman me whole life. Anyway I plan on arriving at the beach at around 0800am. The beach I am thinking of venturing too is Fairhaven Beach on the Great Ocean Road and staying there for about 6-7hrs Got a couple of questions for you all....

-This Monday there will be a Northly wind, so obviously the wind will be in my back, is this a good situation to be in whilst fishing from the surf or are southerly winds better?

- The reason I picked Fairhaven beach is because I know where it is, there is obviously a lot of beaches along the Great Ocean Road, is Fairhaven as good as any? Or am I better off travelling a bit further along. I'm happy to go anywhere between Anglesea-Lorne

-What species am I likely to encounter fishing at Fairhaven? From what I have read obviously Salmon, so i will bring a spin rod with several metal slugs, but what else?

- obviously it depends on the bottom wether people run a running sinker rig or paternoster, what do you all perfer and why?

Any tips/advice would be greatly appreciated!

Up the top end of fairhaven where the painkalac creek comes out there is good hole which is worth a look. I'm no gun but there is def salmon coming out of there. If the swell is up it isn't much fun though as the waves are bigger at that end of the beach.
Actually just checked out one of the surf websites (Swellnet) and they say it will be 1-2 foot which is def doable. Not great for a surf though.

I’ll probably spin 13th beach on Sunday so I’ll try and remember to let you know if I get anything

The weather looks good for some surf fishing.

You already have the right idea. Cast into and along the edges of the rips, always be looking for dark water without any sand turned up into it.

The most successful spin fisherman is going to be the one that spends the most time with a lure in the water. Cast long and wind fast to cover more ground. You cannot possibly wind a lure faster than a salmon will hit it.

Don't get too carried away with gear or lure choice, a longish rod, light reel and something shiny with a hook on it is basically the go. If you can, try and cast the heaviest lure your rod will handle, this will let you get more range and cover more ground.

In my opinion the most effective way to fish a surf beach is with a pocket full of lures, a spool of leader and a pair of pliers, walk up and down firing casts into holes and along the edges of white water until you find the fish.

Whwn startng off best.to keep it simple

Any tips on baits and rigs lads, I'll be having a 12footer out also whilst I spin the beach

Do one or the other, don’t try both at the same time. The advantage of spinning is that you are moving around and should eventually find the fish, you lose that advantage if you are stuck within 50m of your bait setup.

IMO if you want to try both walk the length of the beach spinning slugs as you go and note any gutters and holes you see, and come back to them later with the bait fishing gear.

When bait Fishing the surf I have always done well with pillies and blue bait :thumbsup:

Wear a life jacket

Kimtown wrote:Wear a life jacket

Lol....