Tucked away in the south eastern corner of South Australia and mainly running through neighbouring Victoria is the magical Glenelg River – a place that Simon Cardone can’t recommend highly enough.

My first trip to the Glenelg River was back in 2009. I had wanted to go there ever since I read about it being a legendary mulloway and bream fishery. It wasn’t until I caught the lure fishing bug and purchased my own tinny that I seriously considered a trip due to the proximity from home. I needed no further persuasion to head across after meeting Mount Gambier local Leon Megaw at a Lower Murray Lure Fishing Club competition. Leon and I hit it off straight away and plans were laid for me to get down for a fish.
As it happens I was blown away by the grade of fishing on offer and it was one of those few times a place actually lived up to its reputation. It would take several lifetimes to fish every nook and cranny of this amazing waterway, yet each time I return, I look forward to exploring new water. In saying that though, it can sometimes be hard to go past the old haunts when you know they produce so well.
The Glenelg River starts in the Grampians and meanders all the way down to the historic town of Nelson on the Victorian coast. This journey is over 350 km, with approximately 90 km being navigable by boat. The river briefly winds its way into South Australia for approximately 3.5 km between Dry Creek and Chapman’s Landing, with the small town of Donovans sandwiched in between the two.

The resident black bream of the upper Glenelg River are much darker in colour than their sea-run brethren.

GETTING THERE
If travelling from Adelaide, Nelson is approximately 470 km by road (via the Dukes Highway) and only 37 km from Mt Gambier. I thoroughly recommend taking the Princess highway if coming across from Adelaide and while it is slightly longer than going via the Dukes highway, the drive through the Coorong is spectacular. You can also choose to break up the trip by stopping at one or more of the limestone coastal towns which make fantastic holiday/fishing destinations in their own right. For those coming from the east, Nelson is 410 km from Melbourne and just 68 km from Portland.
ACCOMMODATION AND FACILITIES
As with any trip to a new location, a little bit of planning can mean the difference between an enjoyable stay and plenty of fish or coming home with your tail between your legs.
Accommodation options are many and varied, ranging from camping in the Lower Glenelg and Glenelg National Parks right through to luxury holiday homes in and around Nelson. Always book ahead as the region is a very popular destination, especially around peak holiday periods. There are also several fishing tournaments held on the river so expect an increase in boat traffic when these events roll into town. With that in mind, there are eight good boat ramps between the estuary at Nelson and Sapling creek upstream, so there is always somewhere to get away from the crowds. If you don’t want to bring your own boat but still want to get on the water, you can hire motor boats, canoes and kayaks from Nelson. The town also has a great pub (an excellent place to find out what’s biting and where), takeaway food, fuel and ice. I have provided some useful links at the end of this article to help with your research and planning.
TARGET SPECIES
There are many species of fish which frequent the estuarine reaches of the Glenelg River but by far the most popular targets include mulloway, bream and estuary perch. All three species will take a wide range of lures and baits, and the good news is, quality fish can be caught both land based and from a boat.
Fish behaviour changes according to the seasons as you would expect, but all three species are easy enough to catch year-round in the Glenelg River.
Bait can either be purchased in Nelson or caught if you put in the time. For big bream, live crabs are the standout while mulloway are privy to a live mullet or two. Estuary perch however are an extremely rare capture on bait. In fact, it wasn’t until people started targeting bream on lures that it was revealed how good the fishing for estuary perch was in the Glenelg River.
Casting a variety of hardbodied lures, especially suspending minnows, should see you hooking into a bream in no time and I highly recommend the Ecogear SX40 range. Colour choice is a personal thing, but I favour natural presentations. These come into their own, especially on the shallow sand flats.
When targeting harsh structure, I recommend small soft plastics rigged on an appropriately weighted jighead. Fishing plastics is not only deadly but also easier on the wallet – some of these hardbodied bream lures aren’t cheap. Gulp turtleback worms rigged on Nitro jigheads are a favourite of mine.
Deeper water is best fished with small metal blades, such as Strike Pro Cyber vibes or similar offerings from Damiki and Ecogear. I favour metallic bronze and gold colours but throw a range of shades and see what’s working on the day.
Where there is bream you will often find perch, thus all of the above lure types will work. Be warned though, an angry estuary perch is like a bream on steroids. EPs are generally much bigger than the bream you will encounter and by far the dirtier fighter of the two. Heavier leaders and a lot of luck are often required to stop one of these brutes. Perch can also be targeted with surface lures during periods of low light, so getting on the water before dawn or fishing into the evening can provide explosive surface action with boofs aplenty. Where there are snags and overhanging trees there will more often than not be perch, so spending a few hours of your trip prospecting for likely areas will see you better rewarded.
The average size of the bream and perch you are likely to encounter would be in the 32 to 35 cm range however it’s not uncommon to encounter bream above 45 cm and perch above 50 centimetres. We have caught them to 50 and 55 cm respectively so the trophy fish are there.
Even more good news for the lure caster is that school mulloway will often be a welcome by catch when targeting bream and perch. Again, some luck is required to land one on the lighter gear, but it can be done. Dedicated mulloway fishermen favour trolling live baits or jointed minnows in the Glenelg River. This enables you to cover a lot of ground and then once fish are located you can concentrate your efforts in that particular area. Upsizing your leaders, soft plastics and blades will also get you among the mulloway when they are on if casting is your preferred method. Average size of the mulloway caught would be in the 10 to 12 lb range with the odd monster up to 40 lb caught by those in the know, with the greater numbers of this species being caught in the cooler months.

Wild Dog Bend, Glenelg River National Park.

THE GEAR
On trips to this area I basically only use two outfits. A 2 to 4 kg stick with a 2000 sized spin reel spooled with 6 lb braid and a 4 to 8 kg stick matched to a 3000 sized reel loaded with 15 lb braid. If you have the luxury of owning two of each outfit you could have a hardbody lure rigged up on one and a soft plastic on the other to ensure you can switch lure types quickly depending on the fishing scenario that you find yourself in.
WHERE TO START?
For the first time visitor it can be daunting when deciding what areas to target because of the vast amount of available fishy looking water. The best advice I can give you is to cover a lot of ground until you locate active fish. Don’t flog an area to foam if the fish are shut down. Move on and come back later if so desired. Most of the Glenelg River (apart from two designated ski zones) has a speed limit of 4 or 8 knots, so if time is at a premium, it may pay to take the boat out and launch again somewhere else to save time. For example, I like to launch at Nelson and hit the estuary at first light until it becomes too crowded, then pull the boat out and re-deploy upstream at Pritchard’s landing for another session.
I can’t wait to get back down there again this winter to catch up with good mates and maybe even achieve some new PBs – it’s just that sort of place. Hopefully I have roused your interest enough to turn those day dreams into concrete plans. Get out there and enjoy it.

Simon Cardone lives on the Fleurieu Peninsula south of Adelaide with his wife and two young children. A self-confessed lure fishing nut, Simon loves nothing better than hooking up the tinny and heading for destinations far and wide to chase Murray Cod and Golden Perch in the fresh, or Estuary Perch, Bream, Mulloway, Snapper and King George Whiting in the salt. Simon is co-owner of Tuckertime Lures and can be contacted at simon@tuckertimelures.com.au

50cm of hard body crunching Estuary Perch for Leon Megaw. A JD Depthmaster was the lure of choice on this occasion.