Warrnambool Fishing Report 07/08/2026

Winter weather has certainly kept most boats close to shore over the past week, with strong winds limiting offshore opportunities. Fortunately, anglers have still enjoyed some excellent freshwater and inshore fishing, with one local trout fishery well and truly living up to the hype.

Freshwater

Local trout anglers, along with visitors from across Victoria, have enjoyed some outstanding fishing this season. While our local rivers continue to produce, one inland destination has become the standout performer over the past fortnight.

The Hopkins and Merri Rivers have both received substantial flows following recent rain. While high water can initially make conditions difficult, fishing often improves dramatically as the flow begins to ease and the water takes on that familiar dirty-brown colour. These conditions allow trout to hunt confidently, making larger-profile lures in bright colours an excellent choice for attracting attention.

The "sleeping giant" that has finally fired into life is Lake Tooliorook, near Lismore. Anglers from across Victoria and interstate have been making the trip after hearing reports of exceptional trout fishing.

Most fish landed have been in the impressive 4-5lb class, while several trout pushing 9lb have also been reported. There aren't many places where a 4lb trout is considered an average fish, but that's exactly what's happening at Tooliorook right now.

Trolling continues to be the most effective technique, with Tassie Devils producing plenty of fish when flat-lined behind either the outboard or electric motor. As the lake is relatively shallow, downriggers aren't essential, although a quality sounder is invaluable. Locating both bait and trout and repeatedly working productive areas can make all the difference.

Running a diving hardbody alongside a Tassie Devil in the spread is another proven tactic, often drawing fish up to investigate both presentations. The Daiwa Double Clutch, Smith Panish, and the ever-reliable Rapala F7 and F9 remain excellent lure choices.

Estuaries

The Hopkins River estuary has received a huge influx of freshwater, making conditions challenging for anglers. Bream and estuary perch have been holding tight to the bottom in search of the remaining saltwater, while water temperatures have dropped to around 9°C, making fish far less active.

Despite the difficult conditions, the Hopkins will host Round 4 of the Victorian Bream Classic Series on 22-23 August. Around 50 teams are expected to compete, bringing many of Australia's best tournament anglers to Warrnambool and providing a welcome boost for local businesses.

The daily weigh-ins will be held at the Warrnambool Ski Club from 2:00pm, with spectators encouraged to come along. It's a great opportunity to check out the latest tournament boats, electronics and fishing technology, while we'll also be running demonstrations and family-friendly activities throughout the event.

Further west, Nelson continues to produce consistent bream and estuary perch, particularly in the lower reaches of the Glenelg River. Local anglers Anna and Andy Cumming have enjoyed excellent success around Holloway's Creek using Hurricane Sprat 75 hardbodies in a range of colours. Fishing the cleaner water around the top of the tide has been the key, although they admitted getting a little too adventurous over a shallow sandbar that nearly claimed the boat for the night! Further upstream, anglers targeting estuary perch on pre-rigged soft plastics have also encountered some quality mulloway around the bridge and Taylor's Strait.

Saltwater

Although offshore opportunities have been limited by the weather, there has been an excellent run of pinkie snapper in the shallow reefs around Port Fairy and Killarney.

These smaller snapper are great fun on light tackle, with many anglers using heavier bream outfits to cast soft plastics. One lure that consistently performs is the 4-inch Gulp Nemesis in Nuclear Chicken, rigged on a 1/8oz to 1/4oz jighead. It's accounted for countless snapper over the years and regularly attracts whiting, squid, salmon, yakka and nannygai as well.

For bait anglers, small pilchard cubes have been far more effective than whole pilchards, preventing the smaller fish from stripping baits unnoticed. Simple single-hook paternoster rigs work extremely well, although double-hook rigs often result in multiple hook-ups when the fish are feeding aggressively.

Closer to shore, Port Fairy continues to produce quality trevally, with anglers finding success on soft plastics and small pieces of prawn. They're a fantastic sportfish and make exceptional sashimi.

If you're keen to explore somewhere different, the Barwon River near Geelong has also been producing some outstanding trevally. Oli Andrews has landed some absolute bruisers on soft plastics, with plenty of salmon also mixed into the catches.

With this weekend's weather forecast looking far from ideal, fishing reports may be a little quieter next week. If you do manage to brave the conditions and land a few fish, we'd love to see them. Send your photos through our social media pages and you'll automatically go into the draw for our Golden Fish Award, proudly supported by Daiwa Australia.

Each week we give away a Daiwa prize to our favourite capture, with every weekly winner also going into the running for our major annual prize pack valued at up to $500 in Daiwa products.

Until next week, tight lines and good luck on the water.