Fishing Victoria Forum

Went fishing with a couple of mates down at Docklands from about 1:45pm to 5:30pm. Basically started on the low tide and fished the run-in until dark. Water was very brown, no visibility to speak of. There wasn't a whisper of wind either, some of the calmest conditions I've fished in for a while. In saying that I landed 8 fish (7 bream and 1 cobbler). One of the bream nudged 28.5cm and another pushed 26cm, the rest not big enough to bother measuring. My mate also landed a bream in the mid-20s. All caught on prawns fished on the bottom. We went home pretty happy since we didn't expect to catch a thing considering the time of year and the water clarity.

You did well considering the water quality etc.

Not a bad session mate.
Well done.
Cheers

The docks bream usually fire up a few days after heavy rain. They will hang around the bottom this time of the year, used to do really well on them with metal vibes teabagging the pylons after dark. My best sessions have been when the water is like coffee

eddyt wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 15, 2021 12:17 pm

The docks bream usually fire up a few days after heavy rain. They will hang around the bottom this time of the year, used to do really well on them with metal vibes teabagging the pylons after dark. My best sessions have been when the water is like coffee

This post contains a wealth of information for those who wish to find it. You need to put yourselves in Professor Julius Summner Miller mode and ask "why is it so"?

The key to it is that most of the discoloured water in flood events is fresh water. Fresh water is less dense than salt water and tends to stratify in a layer above the salt water.
In short, the water near the bottom is still salt and not as discoloured. It's what the fish prefer.

Seek out the deep water, specially around pylons or any structure under water. River and tidal currents will often scour out deeper pockets around them. The fish seek them out as the deeper water will provide them with cleaner water and offer the some extra protection from strong currents. These deep water pockets will also contain food sources for the fish.

To catch a fish then think like a fish.

I heard teabagging works really well at Webb Dock after dark too

eddyt wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 15, 2021 12:17 pm

The docks bream usually fire up a few days after heavy rain. They will hang around the bottom this time of the year, used to do really well on them with metal vibes teabagging the pylons after dark. My best sessions have been when the water is like coffee

I'm a terrible at lure fishing and have been lucky to land a few reddies on SPs but that's it. Can vibes be fished throughout the water column or do they sink to the bottom?

Charles7 wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:14 am

eddyt wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 15, 2021 12:17 pm

The docks bream usually fire up a few days after heavy rain. They will hang around the bottom this time of the year, used to do really well on them with metal vibes teabagging the pylons after dark. My best sessions have been when the water is like coffee

I'm a terrible at lure fishing and have been lucky to land a few reddies on SPs but that's it. Can vibes be fished throughout the water column or do they sink to the bottom?

They are usually heavy and sink to the bottom real quick. But that's what you want this time of year, especially with so much rain (fresh water). The salt water be down deep and that's where the fish are sitting.

Let it sink to the bottom, slow lift about 0.5-1m, and let it drop again. Pick the slack line, wait few seconds. Repeat.
Usually they take the lure on the lift or the drop.

4liters wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 15, 2021 8:51 pm

I heard teabagging works really well at Webb Dock after dark too

I see what you did here

Sebb wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:32 am

Charles7 wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:14 am

eddyt wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 15, 2021 12:17 pm

The docks bream usually fire up a few days after heavy rain. They will hang around the bottom this time of the year, used to do really well on them with metal vibes teabagging the pylons after dark. My best sessions have been when the water is like coffee

I'm a terrible at lure fishing and have been lucky to land a few reddies on SPs but that's it. Can vibes be fished throughout the water column or do they sink to the bottom?

They are usually heavy and sink to the bottom real quick. But that's what you want this time of year, especially with so much rain (fresh water). The salt water be down deep and that's where the fish are sitting.

Let it sink to the bottom, slow lift about 0.5-1m, and let it drop again. Pick the slack line, wait few seconds. Repeat.
Usually they take the lure on the lift or the drop.

Thanks for the advice Sebb, I might buy a blade or two and give this a go. Being an avid reader of your posts, I believe you've said Docklands bream are a little tricky to catch on lure so I'm curious to see how this plays out.