Abalone Fishing, VIC

[AND1_HOTSAUCE]

Yeah i got photos alright. Ill post them some time this week.

Cheers

[Subzeroj]

Hi everyone,



I am a newbie to the forum. Just started snorkelling with my new wetsuit and other gears.. haven't really started SCUBA yet. <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':woot:' />



I have been looking around the coastal lines for abalones, but haven't had much success. I was told Cape Schanck and Diamond Bay are good areas to go, but last weekend when I went, the visibility in the water wasn't good due to the strong wind and the wave. Which direction should the wind be blowing if I want to get a good dive in Cape Schanck and Diamond Bay?? <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/oops.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':th' />



Also, are there any good spots for good size abalones for genuine snorkel diving? (i.e. within 2 to 5 metre deep). I am aware of the regulation change of reducing bag limits to 5 per each and only open 60 days, so I want to make sure that when I do go out, I go out to the right location with the right weather.



Thanks heaps! <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/xyxthumbs.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':woot:' />



Subzeroj

[Jazman]

Hi subzero, welcome to the forum.



Both the sites you mentioned (diamond bay and cape shank) are prone to heavy seas, so you really need to pick your day when diving this stretch of coastline. Remember only a few km up from diamond bay is where harold holt drowned! You want to look for several days in a row of northerly winds - an ideal scenario would be a whole week of northerly winds, then dive on the following weekend. The northerly wind blows offshore, and flattens the seas. Another thing to try and do is dive the falling or dead low tide, and try and avoid an incoming tide (when the waves increase). You should be able to find plenty of legal sized abs at either of these two spots, just remember to dive down and look under rocks, ledges etc, don't just swim along the surface and expect to find abalone out in the open.



Good luck

Jaz

[Subzeroj]

Thanks Jazman,



but apart from those two spots, are there any other spots that might be easier for diving? Or these two spots are probably the easiest spots to get into the water already?



I also saw this speargun at the diving shop I got my wetsuit.. only $30 and it's the size of my arm (about half metre long)... is that a good bargain? Just getting into diving/snorkelling, any advise is good!



Cheers

Subzeroj

[Jazman]

There are thousands of spots along the victorian coastline where you can dive for abalone, anywhere where there is a rocky coastline there will be abalone, it just depends how far you want to travel. I am not prepared to give you my personal favorite spots, hopefully you'll understand. Any of the ocean beaches (outside Port Philip Bay) are prone to heavy seas, so don't get the idea you can dive whenever you want, but if you pick your day wisely you should be able to dive in safety at the two spots you mentioned, or pretty much any other spot. The further you travel (eg/ Lorne area), the bigger and more abundant the abs will be, but with the new regulations that's probably not so much of an issue any more, you should be able to pick up five pretty much anywhere.



As for the $30 speargun - personally I would steer clear of it. That is an extremely cheap price, for a good reason I think. Have you done much snorkelling before? If not I would concentrate on practising your diving, breath hold before investing in a gun. It is tempting to jump straight in and buy all the gear, but you'll be much better prepared to spear fish if all your snorkelling skills are up to scratch first.

[rohan]

Hey Jaz man, where abouts are the abs going off around Edin - Malacuta - Narooma type way. I'm going down there soon but havent picked a spot yet. Wheres the best spearfishing spot you reckon?



...come on, you can tell me!

[Jazman]

Hi Rohan

I've never dived or spearfished that far north, the best advice I can give you is to find a patch of reefy ground that's not too deep and not too rough, and get in the water and have a crack.



Also, since Eden is in NSW, read up on your NSW fishing regulations and check whether you need a licence (I'm pretty sure you will)



Good luck

Jaz

[Jazman]

Rohan



I found out a little more about fishing for abalone in NSW - in June this year the bag limit was reduced from 10 to 2!!



[url="http://www.fisheries.nsw.gov.au/recreational/saltwater/saltwater/bag_and_size"]http://www.fisheries.nsw.gov.au/recreation...er/bag_and_size[/url]



An if you are planning to spearfish and dive for abalone in NSW you will need a NSW fishing licence.



[url="http://www.fisheries.nsw.gov.au/recreational"]http://www.fisheries.nsw.gov.au/recreational[/url]

[rohan]

[quote name='Jazman' date='Oct 6 2005, 05:26 PM']Rohan



I found out a little more about fishing for abalone in NSW - in June this year the bag limit was reduced from 10 to 2!![/quote]



what a joke. Is 8 less abs from me going to save the fishery or just wreck my sunday bbq? <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':beer' />



It wouldnt matter if I took 50 undersize tiddly wink abs compared to the thousands that the poachers nab... <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



anyways, thanks for the advice champ, I'll let ya know how we go. I'll defiinately get the nsw license too. Its easy to forget about that. It should realy be a nation wide thing anyway I reckon.

[Subzeroj]

Hey Jazman,



I heard someone saying that Cape Schanck is part of the protected marine parks that the fisheries forbidds recreational divers taking abs from in the new regulation. Is that true?



Somehow I didn't think that was the case but just wanted to confirm.