Thanks for sharing all your great vids Alan. You have inspired me to take my son on the tandom tomorrow at station pier for the first time. Hope to have a great morning as you did.
Thank you !!! Good luck out there. Good reports of good size pinkies and snapper around Port Melb and Altona this morning so hopefully you and your son catch a few !!
Thanks !!! Yeah you should go there its a great spot. Just like I have been saying forever that im going to give docklands a crack LOL. I think the parking and launching always concerned me there.
Thanks heaps Sam, yeah I really enjoyed fishing there and making this movie. Been fishing in open water so much recently that it was really refreshing to be casting at something and within structure. Nice also to get a couple of snapper. Have you been fishing recently over the school holidays ?
Yeah I likewise like to fish near structure. And yes, I went on a holiday to Apollo bay for a week and did a lot of surf fishing and caught some salmon and mullet. But unfortunately I couldn’t find my GoPro charger but I found it under the couch on the last day, so I didn’t get to upload. I also went to St. Helens on Sunday with my and caught at least 25 pinkies all under 26cm. But I had some relatives with me so I didn’t film.
Apollo Bay would be great. Ive been hanging to head up that way. Supposed to be lots of different options, surf, breakwall, rivers. A must do soon Im thinking. Your not alone those pinkies are almost unavoidable at the moment LOL. Looking forward to your next video !!!
Thanks Macca. My first time there in so long and loved it. Was a spur of the moment decision due to my plans being cancelled. I was very close to sending you a message that morning but didn't want to that early just incase. Will have to catch up there soon for sure. How has the fishing been there for you ??
Haha, never too early mate. I'm usually out there about 5am. It's been good, usually go home with a feed of flatties and pinkies. Has been inundated with undersized pinkies the last couple of weeks though. They seem to be taking just about anything. I'd be keen to see how you're using hardbodies for snapper, saw your article in this month's Fishing Monthly. Great read!
Glad to know someone is reading my articles !!! Yeah I have been experimenting with deep diving lures and even trolling on the kayak and managed to snag a few fish. I just dont have the stamina just yet as im generally buggerd after about 20 minutes LOL. ill make sure I message ya next time, I learned a lot fishing there on Sat and feel that id do even better on next occasion as id be a bit more prepared and learned a lot about keeping the yak in the right spot. Hope to catch up soon !!
Yeah I have seen some really nice flathead caught there. I wasn't aware of the gummies so i might give that a crack next time. I enjoyed fishing around Port Melbourne and will be back there soon for sure. So stay tuned !!
I've been meaning to get down there for ages. Planned to go out yesterday morning - the initial forecast was for gentle northerlies, then was too tired and slept in, only to wake to 50km/h squally winds. Beautiful spot though.
It sure is a great spot. The weather forecasts have been way off this past 2 weeks. I've had a couple of fishing trips cancelled due to predictions of multiple weather apps being way wrong. It sure is a nice spot and is a little sheltered there, so in the right conditions is a great choice.
Its a great spot Rick, probably not to far away for you either. Hopefully the video highlighted that this is quite different you need to target the structure as thats where the fish are hiding. Hows the start of your kayak fishing journey going?? hopefully your getting out there and catching a few fish.
Haa im soooo addicted, going to Eppalock this weekend last chance to put tinny in, its low where i am , but, i cant wait to get back on the kayak. I been catching some nice flathead, this has completely changed fishing for me, its just opened up a whole new window and im excited for alot of adventure and fun times. Love it love it love it , cheers
Thats so good to hear. !!! My experience was the same, I have a small boat too but Im continually drawn to taking the kayak out. Its a different way of fishing thats so exciting and you can launch from so many different places and go on many different and exciting adventures. Hope to see ya out there again soon.
@@fishingmad we are a local fishermen that used a traditional fishing net for catching fish, we decided to try jigging in our next fishing, when our money enough to buy gears for jigging.
Hi Franco its a great question. This footage was recorded on Saturday. Leading up to that we had quite calm conditions and no rain for a couple of days so the water clarity was nice and clear. Generally i think clearer conditions are better for fishing around structure, makes it easier for fish to spot the lures. But every day is different. Some of my best days on the water have been after heavy rain. There are so many factors at times, tides, barometer pressure, time of day, water clarity, temperature etc. Its easy to get lost in so many factors. I tend to just study the wind and tides and always prefer calm cond with nice clear waters. Hope that helps.
Thank you !!!! I put a lot of time and effort into these vids. I also try and make sure there are plenty of tips and details about the location to make it enjoyable for viewers to watch. Not just recording with no purpose. Once again thanks for the kind words, its greatly appreciated, and makes the effort all worth while.
Nice one Allan I fished there on Boxing Day but on the other side I got nothing I have just installed aLowrance ti2 9 in my boat iv only used it once looks like a good unit cheers.
Thanks for letting me know Joe. I have only fished there on one other occasion and it was really quiet. Thank you for letting me know about the sounder, I actually purchased a Lowrance elite Ti2 7 inch yesterday and will get it installed soon. How did you find the downscan and sidescan technology. I cant wait to start fiddling with it.
Gr8 Video Allan, you are an asset to the melbourne kayaking community. I've always wanted to try the poles. What put me off was parking with a trailer. How did you manage that? I see from your other comments that you carted it 30m or so. I too have a trax cart with sand wheels. Studying google maps shows The Blvd the nearest option with trailer. Is there a better option? Thanks again for taking the time to produce these informative videos.
You are very welcome, and thank you kindly for the positive comments. I try my best to make the videos and content really helpful and interesting for others. At times get some criticism for my efforts so the positive comments are really appreciated. I put off fishing Princess pier for the exact reason you mentioned. I was worried about parking especially with a trailer, ( people also have a habit of parking right behind your trailer making it impossible to get your yak back on ), and how difficult it would be to take the yak across the grass and sand. It actually was very easy. I drove all the way to the end of the Blvd then got to a round about and came back and parked about 50 meters down. From there access way really easy. Just have to pick a spot with an opening to fit the yak through as there is a little fence that runs along. Just keep an eye on the conditions before you go, but the fishing can be amazing there. I had one other trip there without the camera and also caught a couple of decent snapper and pinkies. Thanks again for your comments !!!
Last time I was there it was cold and windy and seemed to be a very strong current running through the stumps and If I got to close I was pushed into the structure and my anchor wouldn’t hold. It was a double yak, paddle, with my 10 year old son in the front and the whole thing turned into a bit of nightmare.
Wow, thats not good at all Paul. You wouldn't have been a great experience for your 10 year old. I must admit I study the wind in detail before going on any kayak trip and before picking any destination just to try and avoid situations like that. Hopefully you get another chance to get out there with your son and give it another crack in good weather conditions. Is your son still into kayak fishing ??
Yeah, i have a few mates in the same situation. Its tiring enough out there on your own without having to drag another person around aswell. Thats great that he goes out with you. My son is 7 and still some time away from coming out with me. I cant wait when he does.
Fantastic, Thanks for the sub. Im really glad your enjoying the content. There is a heap of cool fishing vids on the channel already and plenty of good ones on the way.!! Thanks again
Hey alan, just wanted to know what conditions would be the best to hit this beautiful spot in the kayak, like wind or tides, in case the stumps are out of view in high tide, or too shallow in low tide? My dad and I are thinking of going there on monday maybe. Also how deep was it at the point you were picking away at? Thanks mate for the great vid.
Thanks for your commnet, The best conditions by far is when the wind is behind your back going out to sea. The night before I picked this spot I jumped on Meteye and the wind was perfect for that location. I think thats a SE breeze. I believe the pylons are always visible even on low tide. I always try and fish the first few hours of daylight especially when thats near the peak of high tide. Ive just had a lot of luck in those particular conditions especially for snapper and larger pinkies. The spot I was fishing in was 9 meters depp, which was half way between the pier and the end of the pylons. Hope that helps. At this stage forecast is very low winds, so it should be good but keep an eye on it as it changes quickly. I went to Geelong today but stopped very early as the conditions changed
Yet another amazing video, Alan. Very inspiring indeed. Keep up the good work 👏 👍 Got a few questions for you....hahaha... 1) How far did you have to pull your kayak from the car park to the beach? (where you did your intro) 2) Are you a full time RU-vidr? 3) Do have any videos on how you installed your sounder(particularly the transducer onto your kayak)? Thanks Alan.
Firstly thank you very much for the positive comment !!! Now to answer your questions. 1. Launching at this spot was easy. There was easy parking then probably 20 meter walk on grass and paved walkway, then about 10 meters of sand to deal with. I have the hobie trax wheel cart and moving on sand is a breeze when the inflatable tyres are pumped up properly. The trax wheels are a must on sand. 2. No not a full time RU-vidr, I work a full time job, dad of 2 kids with special needs. I would love to build the channel and website to something that could become a full time job one day ( thats the dream ) that being said I do have about 110 vids released on the channel. 3. No videos yet on how I installed the sounder, but I bought a new sounder today and might use that as an opportunity to show how its installed. I hope all of that helps, again thanks for your positive comment !! Best regards Al
@@fishingmad I pray that one day your dream will come true. Amen. I've been following a RU-vidr from Malaysia (Vluq) a kayak fishing channel(since he only had 32subs) Now after about 6 months or so, he's gained up to almost 100k subs with at least 50k views on each videos he uploaded. He has since quit his job as an Engineer and now a 100% full time RU-vidr. I sincerely hope that one day you'll gain such numbers or even more as well. Honestly, I find that your videos have more contents, tips etc. I find your videos very inspiring & very educational. Just recently, I'd watched your video fishing on your boat with your daughter. It's very encouraging. I'm a father with 5 kids myself. Hopefully, I can do what you do.... that is to get at least one of my kids to join me fishing. Thanks Alan.
Wow thats an amazing story. Thank you for the best wishes. I done some pretty stressful jobs over the last 10 years so it would be a privlidge to do what I love for a living. Ill give it a good crack thats for sure. I prob just need the odd video to go viral to give the channel a massive boost, thats yet to happen. In the meantime ill keep dreaming big of other successful you tubers like the guy from Malaysia. !!! Thanks once again !!
Hi can you recommend places to fish with Nextgen 10 Kyack in port phillip bay, It is always blowing a gale South / South westerly and the swells are huge near where I am. Do the swells get big over near princess pier ?
I had a 10 foot kayak for a few years and managed to get by. The trick is knowing how to read the conditions. Here are some tips for you. For starters always visit this site before your trip www.bom.gov.au/australia/meteye/?loc=VIC_MW005 and only go out in white and light blue colours. Next learn to read the wind direction. The water will be flat when the wind is coming from behind you out to sea. Eg If I was fishing in Alton and the wind direction was heading towards st kilda then I know it will be flat out there. Also check a few wind apps such as willyweather just to ensure the wind is 10 ks and less. Anything higher and your just putting yourself at unnecessary risk. It can be frustrating waiting for the right conditions, but Port Phillip Bay is fine on a kayak if you understand the conditions. I hope that helps.
I just got myself a Hobie, love watching your videos. If you don't mind me asking how do you get your hobie around, do you have a trailer or do you put it on the roof of your car ? Just wondering for parking in port Melbourne how you go about it ?
Hi Erin, I have a trailer which makes life so easy. There is no way that I could lift a pro angler on the top of a roof. I fish a lot on my own so having a trailer was essential. There are some aids that can help get a hobie on a roof, but i still found them a little challenging. Even my old 10 foot yak which was half the weight of a pro angler was quite tricky. Some of the new hobies are a little lighter but still quite awkward to try and lift. Parking in Port Melbourne is easy there is heaps of free street parking opposite good launch areas. Launching is pretty straight forward there. Hope that helps.
Your very welcome, Port Melb parking is quite easy. Docklands can be a little tricky. Also got great spots closer such as Campbells cove, Altona or the other side such as Queenscliff, Portarlington.
@@fishingmad St. Leonard's and indented heads are our favourites along with the grammar school here in Geelong. Queenscliff we normally fish land based or in the boat. Will have to try portarlington soon. I know what you mean about the PA being so heavy but it's so stable and there is so much room in it. I just love it. Thanks so much for your advice, can't wait to see where you end up next , you've inspired us to try Daylesford :D
Yeah st leonards, indented heads and Geelong grammar Lagoon are top options. Caught some amazing fish in those spots over the years. Portarlington is an absolute ripper for squid. I agree the PA14 are unbeatable. Yes heavy, but so good on space and stability. Id never go back to anything else and use it more then my boat. Good luck with Daylesford its a beautiful spot, there are some big reddies in there among the many many small ones. Best Regards Al FishingMad
Yes have had several cracking sessions there including this one ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-q-PgDpDQ370.html and a few without footage. Now is a tough time of year there as the water temp has really dropped
Yes 100% that sounder is fine, you will notice in this video I am also using one of the entry level Lowrance hook 2 4x sounders. They are currently being superseded by the Lowrance hook reveals so check them out aswell. I soon will be upgrading to a elite T12, but the entry level ones are perfectly fine. Hope that helps.
All along the Blvd there is parking. I just park there as close as I can to the pier then walk the kayak across which generally isn't to difficult. Hope that helps.
hi alan, where do you park? is it free? is it legal to use a 6x4 trailer for my 13' kayak?im sick of loading mine on the roof racks...thanks in advance (:
Hi Salim, I just parked on the Blvd. Parking is free and I had no issues with my trailer. I unloaded used the cart to drag the kayak over about 20 meters of grass and 10 meters of sand but no issues at all with parking or launching. Hope that helps.
Yeah you must love fishing if you get up at 4.00am. Sometimes in snapper season on the boat we launch at 2.00 or 3.00 am. Crazy but we love it. At least with the kayak you can start a little later in the day.
Hi alan, amazing vid mate u r rly good at what u do. Couple questions 1. R the snapper still around in princess pier 2. what weight jig head were u using 3. what strength leader were u using (as i only have 15lb flurocarbon and 60lb mono, and want to get a cheap in between maybe 25-30 for maybe snapper soft plastics etc.) 4. is it still accessible from the boat Thanks heaps mate, ur a legend and I love it when I get a notification that u have uploaded :)
Thank you for the positive comment !!! to answer your questions, 1 yes they sure are this video was recorded on Saturday. Its been a late start to snapper season so i reckon we have another 2 months at least of them around, maybe until April depending if the water temperature remains high. 2. I generally use 1/8 jig head then move lighter or heavier depending on the conditions. Eg if a little wind or strong current ill go to 1/6 or 1/4. 3. I was using only 15 pound fluro carbon on the black rod and 18 pound on the white rod. I have always been one to use slightly lighter line and leaders and just accept the odd lost fish but more hookups. 4. This place is certainly accessible by boat, you see boats there all the time. Many of the boats launch from the warmies boat ramp, or other spots a little further st Altona or St Kilda. Many of the boats will anchor at the very end of the stumps, but just dont get to close as sometimes but the time you lift the anhor you can drift to the stumps quite quickly. Hope that helps !!
I usually use paternoster rigs, but on that occasion I was using a single size 3/0 hook and unweighted half pilchard. At one stage i put the smaller sinker I had which looked more like a splint shot size just to keep the bait down a little. It worked really well there.
Its only a very small pier now and yes it does get very crowded. There are people there fishing all hours of the day. You also see lots of undersize fish caught and kept there too. I guess thats why its so nice to be able to access it by kayak and avoid the crowds.
Was a very calm morning there were many hot air balloons between 7 and 9am. After that there were also some choppers in the sky. Hope that answers your question.
