Melbourne mulloway have long been thought of as an elusive, once in a lifetime capture; however the mind set is beginning to shift as more anglers take up the challenge. Justin Felix explains.

There is something remarkably endearing about Melbourne mulloway. They look good, fight hard, elude most anglers and are feasible targets on both bait and lures… not a list of claims that many southern dwelling species can boast.
The decision to target metro mulloway is not one that should be made haphazardly as the journey can be lengthy. If you suffer from an addictive nature like me, then you’re best advised to stop entertaining the thought because once you encounter one, you’ll be itching for more.
Historically speaking, encountering Melbourne’s metro mulloway has always been synonymous with night time sessions and pitching live baits, but due to advancing technology, specialised lures and sharing of angler knowledge, we have come to realise that these species don’t magically disappear once the sun comes up. In fact, they will readily eat lures during the day if presented correctly. Sure, patience and persistence will be two of your greatest assets along the way but I can assure you, you’re better placed than anglers were some 10 to 15 years ago.
METRO MARAUDERS
Melbourne’s metropolitan rivers are blessed with good populations of mulloway and the key to unlocking them very much relies on fishing the optimal tides and moon phases. As is the case with most of our piscatorial pursuits, the times during the full and new moon phases prove most productive when targeting the elusive chrome-flanked gems. Tide changes also play an important role and the hour either side of a rising or receding tide is key. Much to the dismay of many though, time of day is irrelevant and they can be caught all around the clock provided the other elements align.
When it comes to selecting a likely location, you don’t have to look much further than the rivers that feed into Port Phillip Bay. Productive locations include: Patterson River, Yarra River, Werribee River and the Maribyrnong River. All are easily accessible and within 45 minutes of the city and the best part is – you don’t even need a boat to get amongst the action.
While certain months seem to fish better than others, time of year should not be the deciding factor when it comes to choosing whether or not to target mulloway. The most important factor – other than tides and moon phase – is the presence of baitfish and when they are most active in the system you intend to fish. Follow the bait and you’re already a third of the way there.
LURING TECHNIQUES
Look Up
Mulloway are switched on characters and are experts at using their lateral lines to feel for the vibration of baitfish that, like the tide, ebb and flow from one part of the system to another. Much like barra, mulloway are opportunistic feeders and if you can resist the temptation to cast your offering straight away, spend some time observing the water you intend to fish. As well as visual cues such as baitfish scurrying on the surface, listen for ‘boofs’ on the surface. Again, similarly to barramundi, mulloway will take an unsuspecting victim from the surface and in the silence of the night, on a calm metro river, the sound of a boof is exhilarating.
Rather than opting for a surface presentation like a popper during time of visual activity, opt for a sub-surface or shallow diving hardbody instead. Mulloway seem more inclined to eat something swimming just below the water’s film, rather than something that causes a disturbance on the surface.
With such a wide range of hardbodies on the market now, it shouldn’t be too hard to find something suitable and lures in the 8 to 12 cm range will suffice. You want to imitate the local food source, which, in most Melbourne rivers is mullet. Bream, pinky snapper, juvenile salmon and garfish can also feature on the menu but mullet are a sure thing.
Another lure type that is making waves across the angling world is the bent minnow. These banana shaped lures have an uncanny ability to imitate a fleeing or injured baitfish and the mulloway hone in on them like kids on a Happy Meal at the local McDonalds. OSP make a fantastic version in four lengths and it pays to have a couple of different sizes on hand to best mimic the bait present in the system on any given day.
When presenting both shallow divers and bent minnows in open water, I like to cast in an arc formation from left to right in order to cover a large amount of water. If I’m fishing structure such as the base of a bridge or around a rockwall, I like to get as close to the structure before slowly working the lure back to the shore or boat. Mix up your retrieves too, especially when it comes to bent minnows. Impart plenty of twitches and pauses during one retrieve with the rod tip pointed to the sky, then slow it down with the rod pointed towards the water on the next. You might be surprised at what the fish respond to.
Down Low
If there are no visual cues of mulloway feeding on the surface, don’t despair as they will more than likely be lurking towards the bottom. Soft plastics are perfect in this situation and with a vast amount of baitfish imitations on the market, one shouldn’t have a problem finding something that looks like something inhabiting their local waterway. Minnows are great mullet imitators but their lack of moving appendages means anglers will need to impart a fair bit of action to get them kicking around enticingly. Your typical ‘sink, pause, hop, hop, sink, pause’ retrieve works well and again, mix up your speeds and pauses to see what the fish are responding to on any given day. If the enthusiasm starts to wane a little bit due to hours of casting and hopping, switch over to a paddletail as they can simply be slow rolled throughout the water column. The vibration put out by the tail will be felt by any nearby predator and then it’s simply a case of hold on and enjoy the ride.
If you still can’t buy a bite, turn to a bladed lure. These little pocket rockets pump out oodles of vibration in the water column and while small in stature they can hold up to battles with big bruisers like mulloway – provided they are of a reputable brand and the hooks are up to the task. When targeting bridge pylons, these little guys are certainly worth their weight in gold and if you present them in the strikezone long enough, mulloway will hit them out of frustration and anger more than anything.

BAIT OPTIONS
I’m sure you have read a thousand times before that fresh is best when it comes to using bait for mulloway and well those that have penned those words before me have been on the money. Being lazy feeders, mulloway won’t go out of their way to search out and eat an old, lifeless looking piece of bait. With such an abundance of bait in our river systems why would they? You wouldn’t pass up a melt in your mouth rib eye for an overcooked rump steak would you?
If you can’t catch your own bait for whatever reason and frozen dead baits are your only option then opt for pilchard, bluebait, Californian squid or prawns. Present them whole and as life-like as possible. This means snooded two hook rigs for the pillies and squid and a single baitholder hook for the prawn. Sand and tube worms are also a top bait, especially in the Werribee river.
Running sinker rigs are ideal when fishing for mulloway as they can play with a dead bait before eating it. A running sinker rig minimises the weight being felt on the line which will result in more spat baits. Don’t strike at the first sign of a bite; allow them to swallow the bait first before putting a bend in the rod.
Live baits are your best option when targeting river dwelling mulloway and the best live bait is one that inhabits the water you are fishing. Mullet is preferred by most mulloway chasers and it pays to stock up on a few before keeping them alive in an aerated tub. There are various rigs that can be employed when fishing a livebait but I suggest fishing the mullet under a squid float. The float will help you to see what the mullet is doing and if it begins to move in a particular direction or bop around erratically, you know he’s getting nervous. The depth of the river will dictate how far below the float you set your bait and as such an adjustable float stopper should be placed above the float.
When it comes to line choice and hook selection, don’t go overboard. Leaders should be in the 20 to 30 lb range and main lines of 20 lb should suffice. I prefer 4/0 circle hooks as the finer gauge metal penetrates the hard bony mouths better than bigger models like 6 and 7/0s. Pin the bait on a 45 degree angle in front of the dorsal fin and make sure there are no scales covering the hook point before gently lobbing it towards structure or into a known fish producing area. Check your bait every 20 minutes or so to make sure it is still alive and exerting vibrations throughout the water column.

Proof that metro mulloway will happily chase down a soft plastic lure in the middle of the day.

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
I’m sure we’ve all heard this phrase and not a truer word could be said when it comes to mulloway. Effectively speaking though, your bite window is fairly marginal and two hours at best on any given tide change. Drill down into those two hours even more and it becomes a 30 minute optimal bite window right as the ebb or flow process begins to kick in. So you will find that you are fishing short periods often rather than long periods less frequent. Stay persistent, keep a journal of your hits and misses and captures landed and look for the patterns as they will come to fruition. Lastly, enjoy these beautiful creatures and send them back into their lairs, they’re too special to only be caught once.
Justin Felix has been fishing for as long as he can remember and has an insatiable passion for writing about his forays into the sport. He lives in Chelsea, only a stone’s throw away from Port Phillip Bay, where a big concentration of his fishing is undertaken. He was recently the Managing Editor of AFN Fishing & Outdoors but has since taken over as the editor of Manspace magazine. While he enjoys all forms of fishing, he loves the challenge of chasing big fish from the shore.