Victorian Fisheries Authority

Introducing…the Fisheroos! 😉 We’re pumped to share our o-fish-ial line-up ahead of tomorrow’s big Socceroos clash. 🎣⚽

Murray the cray gets the nod as goalkeeper - with those claws, not much is getting through.

Holding the back line are our tough defensive quartet: mulloway, Murray cod, kingfish and golden perch. These guys are known to hit hard!

Controlling the midfield are the hard-working playmakers: snapper, Aussie salmon and trevally. They’ll run all day, with the stamina to cover every inch of the water column.

And leading the attack are the Fisheroos’ strike trio – mako shark, Aussie bass and southern bluefin tuna. Quick and powerful, these guys are capable of lightning-fast moves. Watch out for acrobatic leaps in the goal square from our mako!

Whether you’re cheering from the lounge room or sneaking in a quick cast after full-time, tomorrow’s match is one worth getting up for. Go Socceroos! 🟢🟡

Zephyr and his dad Alastair made a lifelong memory this week while fishing offshore at Apollo Bay. Determined to land a southern bluefin tuna, they planned a trip with good friend Daniel that certainly knows how to find the big tuna!

Around 11am, Zephyr's rod went crazy and an epic battle began. The tuna's first run nearly spooled the reel, with only metres of line left before it was all gone. Thanks to some expert boat driving from Daniel and plenty of determination from Zephyr, they managed to regain line and settle in for an incredible 1.5-hour fight.

It was a proud dad moment for Alastair as Zephyr landed his very first tuna on the deck, and what a fish it was! This tuna tipped the scales at a whopping 105kg, which has since been cut into steaks, ready to be enjoyed with a simple lemon pepper seasoning. The perfect reward after an unforgettable day on the water!

To be our next Pelican’s Pick star, submit your photos to [email protected], and share your fishing story here - https://bit.ly/pelicanspick

𝐀𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭
There’s been an influx of mammoth gummy shark around Portland and anglers are getting a well-deserved feed! Fresh is always best when targeting gummies so start your trip by collecting yakkas and squid to use as bait. Closer to shore, schools of pinkies are hammering pilchards! Always remember the minimum catch size for a pinkie is 28cm.
Lorne Pier is back open and ready for business! Cooling temperatures are resulting in an aggressive bite from Aussie salmon and trevally. Both species can be found on the chew around the pylons of the pier. Pilchards and squid strips are the best bait option and can almost guarantee rod bending action!

Braving the cold along 90 Mile Beach is proving fruitful for anglers! High tide is the best time to fish at Seaspray as Aussie salmon filter into the gutters along the beach. Spinners or poppers are most productive. Golden Beach has the odd gummy biting around dusk on salmon strips.

The fishing is absolutely excellent across the Gippsland Lakes system. Good sized estuary perch are abundant and are hitting soft plastics. Donkey bream are schooling up around river mouths with quality fish over 40cm being caught regularly. There’s been increasing reports of mulloway over 60cm which is creating a lot of excitement for anglers fishing the area.

𝐀𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐲𝐬
Western Port has been producing steady whiting action along the flats, with fish responding best to baits like pipis and mussels during moving tides. There have been a few pinkies caught around channel edges and drop offs too. The best bite window is around late afternoon to mid evening.

Around Flinders, squid activity has improved with winter conditions settling in. Working the edges of w**d beds and reef edges is the key to picking up some solid squid on jigs. Fishing at dusk during calm weather windows has been the most productive time, and often producing a good feed!

The Patterson Lakes system has been producing spectacular estuary fishing this week! Bream are holding tight around structures and are inhaling soft plastics, prawns and sandworms. Pinkies having been moving in and out with the tide devouring oily pillies. The occasional flathead has been spotted along deep sandy edges.

Fishing around Mud Island has been consistent for both King George whiting and squid. Sandy patches have been a key target area with heaps of whiting schooling up. Using fresh bait such as chunks of squid, bloodworms and prawns. Kraken squid have been active at first light along w**d beds. A size 3.0 jig in fluoro colours is getting squid on the deck.

𝐈𝐧𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝
Blue Rock Lake should be on every anglers must fish list! There’s some cracking bass being reeled in at the moment, and it’s a hot spot for trout during the stream and river trout fishing closure. Cicadas and surface minnows are a sure-fire way to secure a catch! If you’re chasing trout, worms have been most effective for both browns and rainbows.

Casting swim baits at Barkers Creek Reservoir is the trick to landing a healthy looking cod. There are some deep pockets along the rock wall that are ideal for both lure and bait fishing with good catches on cheese as well. There’s plenty of redfin about that can be easily found with light-coloured soft plastics. Speaking of redfin, if you’re after a feed of these delicious fish, Wurdiboluc Reservoir contains some cracking redfin over 40cm long. 3-inch-long soft plastics hopped slowly on the bottom should do the trick to enticing a few.

Lauriston Reservoir contains an established population of golden perch that are maturing into quality specimens! It’s a great spot to launch the kayak and troll crankbaits or small bibbed lures by structure. Yabbies are the best option for bait as they best replicate the local diet for fish in the reservoir.

Lake Dartmouth is fishing extremely well for both brown and rainbow trout. Fish are holding deeper in the basin. Trolling deep diving lures over drop offs is producing top tier results! Head towards sheltered bays to baitfish with worms or mudeyes. Using a light leader in clear conditions is important to maintain a subtle presentation.

Tight lines – Mr. Percy!

Meet your Talking Trout 2026 keynote speaker – Australia’s #1 Fly Fishing Champion, Tom Jarman! 🤩

Tom’s been a competition fly fisher for 15 years and has represented Australia 7 times at the World Championships in Spain, Italy and the USA. He’s spent 13 seasons trout guiding in Australia – 6 seasons in Tassie and the last 7 in Victoria. His keynote will outline the Victorian systems he fishes at different times of the year and tips for fishing those waters. Let’s just say – you’re gonna want to take plenty of notes! 👀

We’ve got a lot more amazing speakers lined up after Tom – a mix of scientists, fishing guides, trout fishing experts and everyone shaping trout fishing in Victoria. They’ll be covering a range of topics, including trout fishing in both lakes and rivers. And if you want to make new friends and network with like-minded fishers, industry leaders and researchers, this is the place to be!

Best of all? It's completely FREE with lunch, tea and coffee all provided, and we have a new location in Ringwood. Lock it in! Saturday 1 August, George Wood Performing Arts Centre, Ringwood, 8:30am – 4pm.

To book your FREE seat and check out the full list of speakers, visit www.vfa.vic.gov.au/talktrout.

It’s Murray cray season and our Fisheries Officers have been out and about talking to lots of fishers camped by the water, pulling hoop nets from their tinny, or simply enjoying quality time by a campfire with family and friends.

Patrols have included the Goulburn River between Nagambie and Shepparton, which is a popular and productive stretch of water for crays.

Remember to:
✅Return any berried female crays to the water.
✅Only take crays in the 10-12cm slot limit.
✅ Use hoop nets in most waters, not open-top lift nets.
✅ Stick to the bag limit of 2 crays per person.

Learn more by watching this video https://youtu.be/w2SaBeh7Elc, visit www.vfa.vic.gov.au/murraycrays, or download the free Vic Fishing app for all the catch limits on Victorian species.

Arcadia's all you can eat buffet appears to be doing the trick. 🐟

As water temperatures drop, so do the appetites of our Arcadia golden perch broodstock, making peak condition before winter critical to a successful breeding season.

This year we trialled spreading our broodstock across available ponds to increase food availability and reduce ecosystem pressure.

Early checks show the trial is paying off. Every fish caught was healthy, well fed and free of injury.

Healthy fish going into winter means healthy eggs come breeding season, and more Victorian natives back where they belong: in our waterways. 🙌

The Werribee River is famous for its fantastic bream fishing, and we want to keep it that way for future generations of Victorian anglers!

Last weekend, Fisheries Officers inspected a man and woman from Deer Park as they left the Werribee River near K Road around 11.30pm.

The pair produced 20 legal size bream in a white bucket. The daily bag limit for bream in the Werribee River is 10 per person, so they’d had a productive evening session.

Officers dug a little deeper and soon discovered that one of the duo was allegedly concealing 8 more bream down their pants, hoping a big winter jacket would help hide them from view.

Fisheries Officers seized all 28 bream and the pair’s fishing gear on the spot.

The man and woman will be summoned to appear before court facing charges of exceeding the catch limit and concealing their catch.

If you see or suspect illegal fishing, report it by calling 13FISH (133474) anytime or online at www.vfa.vic.gov.au/13FISH. You can remain anonymous.

There are good things happening with native oysters in East Gippsland! Check out the video.

GLaWAC Oyster Trial June 2026 This is "GLaWAC Oyster Trial June 2026" by GLaWAC on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.