Queenscliff report - VIC

[antezupan]

yeh there is a sign at the front of the pier it has all the dates

[TeamSquid]

Hi all at Squidfish. I am new to this forum so bare with me. I met up with Colossal(old school/fishing mate) at Queenscliff pier on the 25/01 7.30pm and the whole pier on the right side was jammed with squid poles all the way to the shed. Most of them were using whiting and the majority had at least 1 or 2 inkers in the bag, nothing spectacular. I wasn't looking forward to rubbing shoulders so I decided to give my brand new Megabass 2.9 abalone tribal pink a cast on the left side which was empty. I ended up with my first inker within 20min. My mate Midgie dropped a good one at his feet on a $2 jig. Not much else was going on with the rest of the pier then just before dark I had a cast at the pylons towards the shed and got another one but as I retrieved it I realised there was another 6-8 follow it back to my feet. They were really aggressive and I ended up getting 6 of them in the next 2min before all the poles started to swing over to my side of the pier. Only 2 more got caught during that short frenzy. I ended up with 8 in total for the night which I thought was okay but the heavy drizzle seemed to scare most of the hardcores away. No scents were used but I keep some stimulate just in case fishing is tough and I keep the retrieve dead slow. The darker megabass did all the damage and Colossal's white tribal red stayed a virgin. Look forward to catching up again with you (Colossal) before Queenscliff closes, again. Jeez what a pain.

[Steve I]

I must say Ruksta that your Abalone tribal pink was the correct choice - and confirms my thoughts that darker jigs work best ( at least in my experience). After about 2 hours and lots of garlic spray, I ditched the mega bass in frustration. Does anyone know what is happening with the closure of queenscliff? Is it just a rumour or is it real? I tried to google further details but could not find anything. Will be devastated if the pier closes again.



On a final note - how have people been finding the fishing at queenscliff this season since it opened? I have found it rather slow. Would be interesting to know if anyone has done any better.







[quote name='Ruksta' timestamp='1296644912' post='21528']

Hi all at Squidfish. I am new to this forum so bare with me. I met up with Colossal(old school/fishing mate) at Queenscliff pier on the 25/01 7.30pm and the whole pier on the right side was jammed with squid poles all the way to the shed. Most of them were using whiting and the majority had at least 1 or 2 inkers in the bag, nothing spectacular. I wasn't looking forward to rubbing shoulders so I decided to give my brand new Megabass 2.9 abalone tribal pink a cast on the left side which was empty. I ended up with my first inker within 20min. My mate Midgie dropped a good one at his feet on a $2 jig. Not much else was going on with the rest of the pier then just before dark I had a cast at the pylons towards the shed and got another one but as I retrieved it I realised there was another 6-8 follow it back to my feet. They were really aggressive and I ended up getting 6 of them in the next 2min before all the poles started to swing over to my side of the pier. Only 2 more got caught during that short frenzy. I ended up with 8 in total for the night which I thought was okay but the heavy drizzle seemed to scare most of the hardcores away. No scents were used but I keep some stimulate just in case fishing is tough and I keep the retrieve dead slow. The darker megabass did all the damage and Colossal's white tribal red stayed a virgin. Look forward to catching up again with you (Colossal) before Queenscliff closes, again. Jeez what a pain.

[/quote]

[Sid]

I've personally never been to queenscliffe but people have mentioned that there are dates posted up somewhere near the pier?

Better luck next time matey

[Steve I]

Thanks for the info Sid. I'll probably have to duck down for one final session before it closes!



Hey Ruksta, you in for one last session sometime this weekend? Maybe you can wear your green mankini and scare some of the old timers and in turn get a spot on the pier.....





[quote name='Sid' timestamp='1296704390' post='21532']

I've personally never been to queenscliffe but people have mentioned that there are dates posted up somewhere near the pier?

Better luck next time matey

[/quote]

[antezupan]

when it opened to Xmas it was very productive we were catching 9 to 30 squid a session but now its slowed down heaps its only good on a south or a south west !!!!! <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blueboxbullet.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':ink' />

[mikii_v]

my dad went on friday, 8 hours for 2 squids lol



its has really died off. still no refurbishment yet...



any other places to fish tonci ?

[fishnhook]

Did he fish the pier.

[mikii_v]

yeah he did. probably with 2 poles and 1 rod. squid has gone somewhere else.



i remember last year, starting from march...squid was on fire in the eastern ppb. mornington and further south. i will go there next month and see if there's a repeat this year.



i hate the drive to the south east, too many lights, stop and go whilst Queenscliff is just accelerate and go go

[fishnhook]

They said queenscliff pier was going to be closed in feb so it must of opened up already.

[mikii_v]

It hasn't closed for refurbishment yet. Im guess end of the month so you got 1 and a half weeks left to say your farewells.

[fishnhook]

Do you know how long it will be close for.

[mikii_v]

My dad went yesterday - only caught 1 squid for the night...it has really died off !



The start of the pier is undergoing works at the moment....HOWEVER, it is just 1 side that is blocked off, you are allowed to walk around it - yay!



hopefully it stays this way and they dont block all of it.



cheers

[mikii_v]

Has anyone been going ??? Tonci ?



i went yesterday and last weekend. The pier is now blocked off, there's no gap between the gates to go through anymore. But a few people just climbed up the pier... There is a sign that says Detour and no signs saying no entry so i assume it should be alright.



Last week, i got 6 squids and 3 whiting



Yesterday 5 squids, 5 whiting, 1 fat tommy rough and an ugly port jackson shark ( off a whiting rod and rig)



The pier lights are still off so fishing conditions is a bit tough. i miss the lights...



all fishing was done from 6pm - 3am

[antezupan]

nah mate haven't been fishing since it closed so busy with work cant wait till it opens so i can start catching calamari !!!!!

[Steve I]

Where is everyone lately? Isn't anyone doing any fishing anymore?



Just thought I would give an update to all. Haven't been squidding for at least 2 months. Finally got out yesterday arvo, went to Port Arlington (it was coooolllllllllllddddddd!) Anyway, stuck it out for about 3 hours and caught 6 small squid casting my little purple and white hard body yamashita jig. Tip for anyone squidding based on what I found yesterday. (1) wear warm clothes (2) Use the smallest jigs possible (use colours to mimic the baitfish swarming arounf the piers at this time of year) (3) Cast the jig out far and let it sink to the bottom and try an keep it as close to the bottom as possible.



Went past St Leonards pier also. Very cold no squid Saw two blokes catching a few mackeral using floats. Never really have much luck at St Leonards. Does anyone fish this peir regularly. Any more updates on Queenscliff?



Has anyone had any luck anywhere else lately. I am desperate to catch a few..........

[nala]

Hey Colossal_Squid,



I have been out a few times not to Queenscliff though. Flinders and Sorento Pier a few weeks ago. Got about 15 between 3 of us at Sorento and 3 big ones at Flinders later that day. just got a Kayak and have been thinking about taking a look around the Queenscliff Pier now that it is closed (is it still closed?). Any tips on the good areas to focus on at Queenscliff pier? I don't want your super secret spot or technique of course, just a couple of tips for that location for a fellow squidder. <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



Cheers,



nala

[Steve I]

Hi Guys,



As the weather gets colder I have started hitting Port Arlington pier. I have fished it twice over the last 3 weeks. 2 weeks ago I fished on Sunday evening when we had some terrible weather. Before the rain and wind set in I caught 7 squid (mostly small) in about 2 hours. Old timer dropped a cuttlefish ( he estimated it at about 7Kgs! - and I believe hime because one of the tenticles that he retrieved was as thick as a 50c coin).



As we start moving into winter and gradually toward spring overlooked piers such as Port Arlington will start to fire. You won't get the monsters that you get at queenscliff but I tend to find that this pier fishes better than queenscliff during the colder months (probably due to it being more sheltered than the likes of Londsdale and queenscliff.



The golden rule for this time of year - fish with small jigs (I find that small baitfish imitiations with natural colours works best - look at the batifish in the water that will give you your answer). Let your jigs slowly sink to the bottom (no sinkers or added weight. Retrieve slowly and violently use your rod tip to jerk the jig around and then let it sink again. Some times it may take 3 -4 minutes to retrieve your jig using this techniques.



If you follow my tips your chances will greatly increase. On the two sessions I was there, I was the only one that caught anything. You have to work harder at this time of year but the squid are still there. Good luck and happy winter squidding!

[nala]

Well,



if you are new to this pass time or an old hand, that post, from Colossal, (above) is a rare piece of local knowledge. Thanks for the tips mate, I will be sure to take your advice. I really appreciate that kind of info indeed.



cheers,



nala

[Steve I]

Your welcome and I am happy to help - trust me even when you think the squid aren't there, there are ###### loads about and I like helping people catch more. Can't stand the old timers who look like they are going to stab you each time you pull another one up.



The other bit of advice which I have said before is to use scented sprays. If you dont want to fork out $25 bucks for a small can of EGI spray, go past your local IGA and buy a can of olive oil garlic spray. It costs $5.00 and is 4 imes bigger than the specialist squid scents. Spray it on your cloth jigs and work the depths as I previously mentioned. In my own squidding experience it works don't know how but it does. Also a good qulaity rod and reel is critical. I work my jigs like it is a soft plastic and use quality braid and 4 - 6lb fluro leader.



Trust me guys, this time of year is ideal to bag out as most of the piers are empty. Once you find your mojo that hardest part is convincing the Mrs to let you go! It is addictive.