IT’S cold and miserable in East Gippsland in July, but the current run of winter bream is enough to warm the hearts of even the most frost-bitten angler.
In the wake of the very successful Southern Bream Series event held on the inlet in June, Mallacoota continues to turn it on despite the plunging temperatures.
I fished with Mallacoota-based guide “Captain” Kev Gleed over the weekend and experienced some of the best estuary vibe fishing I can recall. Over two days, a couple of mates and I boated over 110 fish, mostly bream, on metal vibes fished in around 14-17 feet (4-5m) of water.
Ben (top) and Gerry with a couple of typical Mallacoota black bream.
The bream were holed-up in tight schools in very specific locations, and they key to success was to “sound out” fish and then present lures in the hope of a bite. Not every school of fish complied, but the bream we did manage to coax into striking provided great fun on ultra-light gear.
There were heaps of winter flathead around too and, although mostly small, they provided a bit of variety in between bream bites. A handful of hefty silver trevally in the 40-50cm bracket created some excitement, hitting the lures hard and slugging it out in the depths in typical dogged trevally fashion.
As well as loads of bream and flatties the boys also latched onto some solid silver trevally. Great fun on bream gear!
The run of excellent winter fishing looks set to continue at Mallacoota over coming months, so pack your thermals and get down there!
