New Landbased Spots for Spring

[DougieK]

I don't disagree observing and understanding the conditions is a fundamental of any type of fishing situation even more so when your at the mercy of the open ocean. Sound advice and some good photos as well.

We seem to find ourselves agreeing on things more and more as time goes on. I have probably 20,000 rock fishing pics, i'll put a bunch more up if you're interested.

[rb85]

I don't disagree observing and understanding the conditions is a fundamental of any type of fishing situation even more so when your at the mercy of the open ocean. Sound advice and some good photos as well.

We seem to find ourselves agreeing on things more and more as time goes on. I have probably 20,000 rock fishing pics, i'll put a bunch more up if you're interested.

Yeah go for it mate always good to see fishing from others perspective.

[John Dory]

I’ve been wanting to get more experience rock fishing for a while. I have done it only a couple of times and only when it looked pretty safe. Only managed parrot fish and leather jackets though haha. I’ll put the above advice to good use

[DougieK]

I actually recorded some vids and made a playlist a few years back showing exactly what I was doing. Since then I've fished almost all the ledges in this one. Just getting out to them is a reward in itself and i've literally never seen another person fish any of it. These were taken before I really knew what I was trying to achieve in an LBG sense but the process hasn't really changed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpmD_i54wSQ&list=PL73hX683BCrlFOg5IY6Lclneq-sZl_CAt&index=1

[whambamsam]

This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion but rock fishing really isn't that dangerous unless you're completely unaware of what it is you're getting yourself into. I've taken my 11yo stepson rock fishing dozens of times and the risk is only really as bad as you want to make it. There are an untold number of ledges along the back beaches / otways / wilsons prom / phillip island / kilcunda that are entirely fishable in reasonable conditions and will produce -much- more interesting days fishing than pretty much anywhere else in VIC. I've fished pretty much every accesable ledge on the peninsula, as well as a couple that you can't 'really' get to.

First, get some good footwear and a life jacket. Rock boots are anywhere form 70-100 bucks and have literally saved my life a couple of times. CarlG and Adtrac tell similar stories. I've been knocked off a ledge a few years back and would have come less close to drowning if i'd been wearing a life jacket, which is 100% of the time these days.

Next, identify which ledge you're going to fish. Use the navionics app and google maps to find one that drops into 5+ metres of water within about 100m of shore. That's a good place to start targeting some bigger species.

Next pick your day and time. I suggest the second half of the run out tide. Swell under 1m and a gentle or offshore wind. Willy weather helps and windy.com is amazing for planning rock trips.

Then go and have a look at it on a nice day with very limited gear. When on a scouting run, I just carry my 9 foot salmon rod in a sling on my shoulder and a pack with a waist strap and chest strap that will stay attached to my back no matter what I'm doing. When scouting I like to have both hands free so I can take videos, scramble up and down difficult terrain, scratch my balls etc.

While you're having a look at your ledge, stop above it and watch it for a solid 20 minutes. I try to arrive halfway through the runout tide. Is it wet? Are waves rolling over it? If one does occaisionally, is it crashing into a wall behind you or just sort of washing along? If that wave knocks you over are you going to get a sore butt or is it going to drag you back in and under? Now look behind you. Is there any chance of water getting behind you and pushing you back in? What about the tide coming up a bit and cutting you off? All of these are things you need to consider BEFORE you set foot on the ledge.

So you've found a dry spot. Climb out there. Have a really solid look around it. Are there cracks? Is it uneven? Is it slippery? Which bits are safe to stand on and which bits put you at risk? Where can you stand to cast without slipping? If you do hookup, how are you going to land a fish without putting yourself at risk? Which WAY is the swell coming from? Is there weed / bommies/ snags at your feet that you need to be aware when retrieving your lure.

NOW have a few casts and see how it feels. If you hook up great, and if you don't, no problem, just remember you're here to scout the location and not necessarily land a fish.

Now go buy the biggest, tankiest reel you can (the penn spinfisher 10500V is insanely powerful for $159 odd bucks, fin or lethal 100 also a budget option) and put it on a 10-20kg 12 foot rod. Float squid strips, flesh baits or liveys if you can get them 2 metres under a float or a balloon. Spin lures while you wait with a second setup. Kingfish, sharks and big salmon on ledges are infinitely more interesting than 99% of other kinds of fishing you can do, and when you get to be in locations like these with nobody standing next to you a fish is just a bonus to what is a very enjoyable day out.

Quite a few people have told me i'm out of my mind but don't let that dissuade you from experimenting, as long as you do your research and plan your trip the risk is actually extremely limited. Staring into the deep blue completely isolated you might just find something that you didn't know you had.

A lot of your advice is pretty much spot on from what I've been reading about safety for rock fishing etc, but I think I'd be a bit hesitant to go out to some of these ledges on my own or without someone experienced. All good to have a mate there, but if he's just as fresh as I am I don't think we'll be well equipped in case something goes wrong.

Been thinking of going to the rock platforms on the east side of the marine sanctuary where the gunnery school is near flinders pier - is that a relatively "safe" spot for a beginner do you think?

[Lightningx]

Always a good decision to go with a friend while rock fishing mate.
I remember a couple of times I would have been in big trouble if it wasn’t for my mate there!

[DougieK]

A lot of your advice is pretty much spot on from what I've been reading about safety for rock fishing etc, but I think I'd be a bit hesitant to go out to some of these ledges on my own or without someone experienced. All good to have a mate there, but if he's just as fresh as I am I don't think we'll be well equipped in case something goes wrong.

Been thinking of going to the rock platforms on the east side of the marine sanctuary where the gunnery school is near flinders pier - is that a relatively "safe" spot for a beginner do you think?

If you are facing Bass Straight you are at risk, there is no other way about it. To learn a bit i'd suggest fishing the south east side of Cape Schanck on a calm day. The platform is raised out of the water and will be mostly dry, if you do get wet at worst you get wet feet. Don't go out there at high tide and pick a reasonable wind. I'll draw you a map if you want but it's the left hand side of the protrusion on the right of the sunset pic i posted above. People take 5 year olds out there, you'll be fine.