Apollo Bay Harbour advice

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Re: Apollo Bay Harbour advice

Post by Aimless » Thu Oct 10, 2019 9:41 am

Hey all,

Thought I would hijack this thread to save starting another one.

I am taking some visitors down the Ocean Road this weekend and staying a night at Apollo Bay. Well, actually Marengo but close enough. I've not fished there before so keen to get some further advice (although everything above is great!).

I'll get in Saturday lunchtime, be out for a bit and back for Saturday night and Sunday morning. So looks like I will catch the low tide Saturday evening and Sunday morning most likely. Depending how I go, may be able to hit the high tide Saturday lunch... not sure though. Wind looks mostly like E / NE at the moment.

Judging by the advice above, my best bet for the wind would be on the rock wall fishing into the marina. But at low tide that might not be ideal.

As for gear, I just have a couple of short rods and some waders if there's a decent beach. I like flicking plastics but happy to rig up whatever.

Anyone had a go at Point Bunbury / Borrow Beach / Mounts Bay?

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Re: Apollo Bay Harbour advice

Post by StarrangerAU » Thu Oct 10, 2019 10:34 am

IMHO - Harbour-side on the low tide is not worth the time and effort. You will have more success on the high tide, as there simply is far more water.

IF the swell is down, put the waders on and try throwing some metals (if your short rods can manage that) for salmon along the beach between Marango and Apollo... there is sure to be a gutter or three along that two k stretch of beach. I think you have to stay off the rocks in the south as that are is a Sanctuary (I think).

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Re: Apollo Bay Harbour advice

Post by DougieK » Thu Oct 10, 2019 12:25 pm

Inside the harbour is full of squid as well.
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Re: Apollo Bay Harbour advice

Post by hornet » Thu Oct 10, 2019 12:31 pm

DougieK wrote:
Thu Oct 10, 2019 12:25 pm
Inside the harbour is full of squid as well.
And grass whiting... good size ones !
He who has the most fishing rods WINS ! :ts:

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Re: Apollo Bay Harbour advice

Post by Aimless » Fri Oct 11, 2019 10:20 am

Thanks for the tips everyone. I think I will have a go along the Marengo beach with the low tide, don't mind getting into it if it's not too brutal out there.

Squid sounds good too... best at night? Off the jetty or from the rocks?

Looking forward to it!

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Re: Apollo Bay Harbour advice

Post by smokin_reels » Fri Oct 11, 2019 10:56 am

I have done alright on the squid on the inside of the harbour too.
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Re: Apollo Bay Harbour advice

Post by Aimless » Mon Oct 14, 2019 1:17 pm

Hey all, just a quick follow up after the weekend.

Ended up having a much longer day on the road showing my visitors around, so I only had a bit of time on Saturday around sundown to fish off the jetty. Wind was blowing inland, so I ended up casting between the boats as it wasn't possible off the end of the jetty. There were a few other guys around using chicken for bait and I think chasing squid but no luck. If I was closer to town I would have spent some of the night out there but we were a fair way down the road in Marengo and had a big day so packed it in after about 45 minutes, noone was catching. Probably would have been possible to cast from the rock wall into the marina too but it's a fair walk all the way back around and I didn't want to waste my fishing time!

Slept in on Sunday so I didn't get the waders out... whoops.

Had a small attempt in some of the flows and holes up the Cumberland river, I often camp there and like the spot a lot - have hooked an eel in the past but didn't get anything this time. I am not really set up for river fishing and have only really tried on and off the last couple of years so am a bit clueless. So a trout is still on my bucket list. All in a great place to stroll up the river though. No need to camp there (although the river side spots are bewdiful), you can just park outside and walk up.

Ended up having about an hour on the Lorne jetty. A few people were catching little fish down the end on bait, Tommys I guess but didn't see them up close. Someone said a school of Salmon came through on Friday night and people were catching 4kg+ fish.

I hooked a monster snook on a pink plastic (slightly emasculating but they always work). I got it to the jetty and had to stuff around with my drag for a second, and as I went to haul him up (it's a long way down from that jetty!) he bit through my line and nicked off with my lure and all. Bummer!

As I left I saw a guy having good luck on the mullet on the Lorne side of the jetty, right in line with the rock wall that extends out parallel on that side. He was casting right below the rocks with 4-5 little hooks, chicken as bait. Kept pulling in some nice fish and some tiddly little ones.

Time to head back, I decided to check out the Erskine river mouth as we drove out of Lorne too. Had a couple of casts just upriver of the swing bridge, nice spot although no sign of anything swimming around. My wife said she saw a sign that there's too much bacteria in the water there so don't eat anything... I had a closer look and it was just about swimming, though I suspect eating any catch would be a bit suspect too. Anyway, the real message was, time to go home!

Not a bad weekend all up, it was a thrill hooking the snook and honestly one bite is plenty more than I've had on many previous trips!

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Re: Apollo Bay Harbour advice

Post by Lightningx » Mon Oct 14, 2019 1:44 pm

Sounds like a nice weekend mate :)
That snook sounds like a beauty! I hooked a monster once down at princess pier as well and no way of being able to lift the dam thing up so just cut the line :rf:
Thanks for the report!
Cheers :tu:

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Re: Apollo Bay Harbour advice

Post by Aimless » Tue Oct 15, 2019 3:25 pm

Yep, they are pretty fun to catch! I just prefer flicking lures / plastics nowadays as it's a bit more active (although nothing wrong with sitting back with some bait). I was on Kangaroo Island in SA over Christmas and I think every second cast off Kingscote Jetty I was getting hit with a big snook. They are a bit of a pain to prepare but good eating, I think.

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