DAIWA FISHING TIPS: City Jewels – Jesse Rotin

Preparing some gear and heading down to our local waterway is something that many of us don’t do enough. Throughout every major city of Australia we are blessed with some of the most untouched and undisturbed fisheries right under on our doorsteps.

I’m always keen to head out fishing whenever I can, and this year a few mates and I have caught up for regular fishing sessions down on our local waterways. Since then the routine of catching up once a week has now turned into several nights a week, with some nights fishing right under the city lights of Melbourne catching quality fish.

This sort of fishing is accessible to anyone of any age, whether it is by car, riding a bike and even catching public transport throughout the entire day. Whilst on an afternoon session recently we decided to head to a local waterway only 15 minutes from the CBD of Melbourne to chase Redfin and Carp on lures. At first we found the fishing to be tough, but what happened next was surely a surprise and as we walked past a large pool in the creek we spotted what we thought were Barramundi. Now this is something that you do hear of from time to time but certainly nothing we have ever encountered. We began casting an array of lures, trying to entice a strike from the dormant fish with no success. Quite a few lure changes later we eventually tempted one of these unknown critters into eating one of our offerings and we were right, they were what we thought, Melbourne Barramundi!

Bream would have to be one of the most prolific urban dwelling species that can be found in every major city of Australia. Bream can be caught any time of the day even in the cover of darkness, when they become more comfortable coming out of structure and roaming the open areas. Bream aren’t the only species you can target though and if you invest some time into doing a bit of research you’ll be surprised on what could turn up right under your nose.

Mulloway, Australian Salmon, Estuary Perch, Yellowtail Kingfish, Snapper, Flathead and Trevally just to name a few are all species that can show up in an estuary system near you. If you prefer fresh water fishing; species like Australian Bass, Golden Perch, Murray Cod, Trout, Redfin, Carp and Barramundi are also a likely chance.

Gear:

• Rods from 6’6-7ft with a line rating of 1-3,     2-4 or 3-6kg
• Reels from 2000-4000 sizes spooled with       6-12lb braid
• Leaders from 4-15lb depending on the species you may be targeting
• Tackle organiser: for example I use the Daiwa Trout Shoulder Bag, in which I have an array of lures, digital camera plus a few other helpful essentials
• Polarised Sunglasses, Braid Scissors and Pliers
• Landing nets are always a helpful tool

When it comes to lures or bait, be versatile and try a range of either to work out what the fish may want. If you’re fishing Saltwater factors like Tides and Salinity can play major roles in captures of most species. When fishing Freshwater
Barometer and recent rainfall are always good indicators on what the fish may be up to, with higher water levels allowing the fish to feed on new ground.

The next time you have a few hours up your sleeve head down to your local waterway and you too could be amazed on what fish you may encounter.