Legend has it, 100 years ago you couldn't row a boat in the Bottom lake at Mallacoota without striking a fish with the oar. These days the stresses of modern society have taken their toll, however the fishing at Mallacoota still has that little bit of magic! Nestled in the far east of Victoria this popular holiday town is approximately half way between Sydney and Melbourne. Fishable water consists of two expansive tidal lakes linked by a waterway known as the 'Narrows' which offers good fishing for dusky flathead, black and yellowfin bream, luderick, mulloway and king george whiting all within the idyllic surrounds of the Croajingolong National Park. Having fished at Mallacoota a number of times over the years, this time I took the family to Mallacoota in a Britz Motorhome. They reckon the journey is as much fun as the destination and I'd have to agree, the sheer convenience, fun and room provided by the Motorhome was a holiday in itself. Dusky flahead at Mallacoota inlet Without question the dusky flathead put Mallacoota on the map as far as fishing is concerned. It is the icon fish everyone wants to catch and thankfully commercial netting pressure has not impacted as much on this species as it has on others. Bait anglers will be well served to locate and collect live bait when targeting the dusky flathead. Frozen baits such as white bait or pilchards may be fine for fishing the surf beaches for Australian salmon and tailor, however to achieve real success with the duskies, use live bait in the form of the juvenile (poddy) mullet. The prime place to catch poddy mullet is the nearby Betka River estuary only 3 kilometres from town. Whilst many anglers use plastic bottles or purchase clear plastic cylinder type arrangements to catch their mullet. From experience I would recommend a clear plastic container (which can also be purchased) in the shape of a casserole dish. This contraption has a 50 cm wide hole in the top and can be separated into two pieces. To complete the operation you'll need some berley to attract the mullet. Bread crumbs mixed with aniseed oil seems to work the best. Drop a handful of the berley into the chamber and place it in about 30 cm of water with approximately 10 cm clearance of the surface. Give the chamber a shake as this will form a berley cloud before walking well away and out of sight. Darren Reid with a solid dusky flathead caught on a rubber tail jig near Harrisons channel in the Bottom lake of Mallacoota inlet. It is necessary to follow these instructions fairly closely as I've seen heaps of people with the same set-up, fail to catch a single live bait by placing the dish in the wrong depth of water or by standing too close. This technique was taught to me by Wayne Grainger of Mallacoota bait and tackle and it works a treat. The mullet will eventually start to mill around and before long hover right above the chamber and start to 'boil' in the water. Give it a minute or so and then check the bait trap and hopefully you've scored at least 4 or 5 specimens which should be placed immediately into a bucket fitted with an aerator. Then repeat the procedure until you have enough for a days fishing. The dusky flathead rig is simple. You'll need a 1/0 wide gap hook (Gamatsku big mouth, chemically sharpened is best), a metre of braided line, small ball sinker and a swivel. Using 4kg monofilament for the main line, pop the ball sinker onto the line then connect the length of braid by a swivel and tie the hook onto the end of the braid. The hook is then threaded through the mullet's tail wrist and allowed to swim off the bottom above the sinker. There is usually no need to set the hook, just allow the fish to move away and then strike. The reason for using braid as a leader is to prevent the flatheads' sharp incisors located in the bottom jaw from sawing through the line. The flatties will bite throughout the day however it is necessary to move around to find feeding fish. They'll rarely pass up a panicked poddy mullet so if you've given a spot 30 minutes or so for no result move on. The bottom lake fishes best for dusky flathead from late October through to March/April. The best spots to try generally are the areas located on the edge of the weed beds or over drop offs from shallow to deep water. Some specific spots are Goodwin Sands, John Bull light, Harrison's Channel, Swimming point and the entrance to the 'Narrows'. The sand flats near the entrance offer the best opportunities for lure and fly anglers as the weed beds further up into Bottom lake restrict the use of trolled or cast artificials. The area known as Harrison's channel on the Eastern side of the Bottom Lake behind horse Island is also worth a cast. The water is clear thus prospecting with a good pair of polaroid sunglasses is the best option. Thanks to Wayne Grainger I can also add that Mr.Twister style rigs consisting of a rubber tail and lead head jig work extremely well on the local duskies. Wayne took me to his favourite flattie hole at the top of Harrison's channel and we drifted down with the wind casting into likely areas. I was rewarded with a lovely fish which took a pink and white rubber tail worked off the bottom. Dusky flathead lurk in shallow areas of sand and weed waiting to ambush their prey. Bream Mallacoota offers the unique option of targeting both the black (Southern) and yellowfin (Eastern) bream. Most Southern anglers (Victoria, South and Western Australia) are familiar with the black bream, however the yellowfin bream is a species better known to anglers from New South Wales and Queensland. In Mallacoota you get both. However they are found in quite separate areas within the lakes. The black bream prefers the top sections of the lakes while the yellowfin is found around the entrance to the ocean and off the surf beach itself. Another difference is that the black bream is basically available all year, while the yellowfin is a Summer to Autumn option. The yellowfin bream really fire at Mallacoota from January to March when the prawns usually 'run' into the system. A fresh or frozen prawn rigged on a no. 4 long shank hook and cast into the channel that leads into the surf will soon get hammered if the bream are around. The best time is mid way through the run out tide and the Eastern side (usually only accessible by boat) is best. Look for the eddies created by the tidal movement and cast into them allowing the bait weighted by a small running ball sinker to sink to the bottom. These bream average a kilo with my best fish at 1.4kg. There first run is hard and often straight out to sea, trucking with the tide, they take a bit of turning. Black bream can be best caught on bass yabbies, fresh prawn and sandworms throughout the Top Lake all year round, and in the Bottom Lake from September to December/January. Anglers targeting bream on lure should fish the Top Lake and Narrows around sunken logs and other structures, best lures are RMG Scorpion 35, Attack minnows and Rapalas. Luderick Without doubt the luderick (blackfish) is the most popular land based prey for anglers at Mallacoota. Utilizing the green cabbage weed found in hotspots such as Captains Point, the incoming tide is the best time to target the luderick which can top 2kg's. The basic rig consists of a stick float weighted by one or two split shot using a Mustad no.8 green luderick hook. You will know when the luderick are biting as Captain's Point will be covered in anglers. Recently the entrance has moved and the tidal flow has reduced making fishing at Captains Point a bit slow, another option is the Betka River, fishing off or to the side of the bridge where you can see some absolute lunkers rolling in the weed beds. Mulloway The prime spot for mulloway is the area known as the Narrows. This stretch of water connects the Bottom Lake to the Top Lake within Mallacoota inlet. Fish on a night with a full moon using fresh squid , garfish or octopus for bait. Live baits of small salmon or tailor are also prime baits for mulloway. Mulloway are available all year with the best time being Summer months. Mulloway can also be caught in the Top Lake at various times. Another spot worth a try is a deep hole on the Genoa River near Cape Horn. Land based at Coota There is good fishing available on the public jetties which are scattered around the Bottom lake. The main wharf and jetty offers silver trevally, luderick, leatherjacket, mullet, and the occasional big flathead. It is also worthwhile to get down to the wharf near dusk and throw a few lures around for the schools of tailor which move through the channel, there are some lumpy specimens amongst them, small raider or lasers lures work best.   On the Beach Mallacoota offers many good beaches for the surf angler. Australian salmon, tailor, yellowfin bream, trevally and gummy sharks are all available. A deep gutter often forms along the main beach running North from Bastion Point. Fishing the deep holes will yield the best results. Other good beaches as named by the locals, are Tip and Secret beach. Australian salmon are caught all year round with the Summer and Autumn months offering larger fish up to 3kg's and the Winter/Spring months offering good numbers. The best baits for salmon are bluebait and pipi. Yellowfin bream will take peeled prawns, however the prime bait is local beach worm. Gummy sharks should be targeted from Spring right through until Autumn. Use 10kg line and hooks ranging from 1/0 to 3/0 baited with cut pilchards or fresh squid. Offshore options Difficult offshore access is the biggest hindrance to Victoria claiming its own game fishing port in Mallacoota. The bar at the entrance is dangerous in most conditions and is only used by experienced locals and Abalone divers. There is a sand/concrete boat ramp at bastion Point, however flat conditions are needed to launch and retrieve as the swell can get dangerous. Pelagics like striped marlin and yellowfin tuna have been caught off Mallacoota. There is excellent reef fishing found at various spots like the Starbank reef some 20 km's southeast of Mallacoota which offers big snapper, morwong and yellowtail kingfish. One good days anglers get offshore around Gabo Island and troll for striped tuna, Australian salmon and bonito and target kingfish. I'll be heading back around April 2001 when sea conditions are usually calm and see If I can get amongst the action. Our Britz Our Britz vehicle was the roomy Country Club Motorhome, at 6.2 metres long and around 2.5 metres wide there was ample room for a family of four. The vehicle actually sleeps six (4 adults, 2 kids) ,but would be ideal for two couples or a group of four blokes. Creature comforts found in the Motorhome included air conditioning throughout, fridge, microwave, pressurised hot and cold water, gas stove, shower and toilet. Powered by a 4.3 diesel engine and 4 speed automatic transmission with power steering the Motorhome was surprisingly easy to drive once you got familiar with it. The dual battery set up allows the fridge, lights and water pump to operate when on the road. Check out their range of vehicles at www.britz.com Travel Guide: Mallacoota Mallacoota is 550 kilometres from Sydney and 520 kilometres from Melbourne via the Princes Highway. Take the turnoff at Genoa on the Princes Highway for the last 24 kilometres into town. Accommodation We stayed at the excellent Mallacoota Foreshore Camp Park where anglers can moor their boats right on the lakes edge. The Park is massive catering for all types of vehicles and caravans. Phone Barry & Pat Allen on 03 5158 0300 or email: camppark@vicnet.net.au Tackle & Bait Tackle, bait and local knowledge can be obtained from Mallacoota bait & tackle. Wayne Grainger operates the tackle store and his knowledge of the area's current hotspots is invaluable for the travelling angler. Ph 03 5158 0050 Boats & Charters An excellent two lane boat ramp suitable for boats up to at least 6 metres is located near the main caravan park in town. The ramp has jetties either side for ease of access and there is ample car parking. Wilderness Coast Charters 0418 553 809 Bucklands Jetty Boat Hire 03 5158 0660 Mallacoota Hire boats 0438 447 558 Conclusion Mallacoota is the fifth largest estuary system in Victoria. Good boat and land based access makes the place an ideal destination for anglers of varying tastes. The Mallacoota pub is a popular waterhole after a hard days fishing and there is plenty of activities for families with a good range of shops for a small town (pop 1,200), craft market, Summer cinema and various festivals.