East Gippsland Sportfishing
Your East Gippsland Fishing Guide: Chris Jordan
Check Out Chris' Podcast Interview Here!
Every southern estuary angler should experience the majesty of the East Gippsland environment with its myriad of watercourses ranging from lagoons, tidal lakes and estuaries to freshwater rivers nestled amid stunning natural scenery. The estuary fishing in this part of Southern Australia can only be described as exceptional. Trophy yellowfin and black bream, oversized dusky flathead and quality estuary perch, tailor and salmon ensure plenty of action for the light spin or fly angler. There’s always somewhere productive to fish too, regardless of the weather. And there’s no better East Gippsland fishing guide to take you there.
East Gippsland Sportfishing is perfectly placed to introduce you to the best fishing the region has to offer. Your guide Chris Jordan will ensure that your time on the water isn’t just about catching fish, but that you take away a deep appreciation of the fish and their environment – along with knowledge and skills that will permanently improve your fishing results.
Set foot upon Chris’ comfortable fishing boat in the knowledge his generous sharing of things he’s learned from decades on the water will accelerate your fishing education to new levels. And that when you step off the boat you’ll have the deep satisfaction of more fishing runs on the board – whether you’re new to light spin and fly fishing or have a few seasons under the belt.
East Gippsland Sportfishing Opportunities
Lake Tyer's Nowa Nowa Boat Ramp (Attribution: jjron)
Lake Tyers
This is a stunning piece of water, much of which is nestled between heavily forested hills where you’ll hear the many calls of the lyrebirds and possibly catch glimpses of wombats, echidna’s or perhaps a powerful owl.
But we’re here for the fishing, of course, and this system has an enviable reputation for producing some of the largest dusky flathead anywhere in the country. If a magical metre flathead is on your bucket list then you could do much worse than focus your efforts on this system, casting soft plastics or even surface lures.
If the flathead aren’t playing, or other species are more your thing, then Chris will introduce you to the lure eating bream, perch and trevally…… of perhaps the oversized tailor that actively hunt in parts of Lake Tyers.
Sydenam Inlet Sunset, Bemm River (Attribution Jason Lewis)
Bemm River
There’s a good reason why so many tournaments have been played out in this system as the chances of tangling with trophy bream don’t come much better than when you’re flicking lures around the Bemm River. It’s important to stay on your toes and not become too distracted by the stunning scenery and tranquility……. The latter can be shattered by the sudden mayhem of a large bream pinned on light gear!
Chris knows this system like the back of his hand, from the channels and flats of Sydenham Inlet right up into the quiet headwaters he’s perfectly placed to be your Bemm River fishing guide. Depending on the time of year and conditions he may put you onto schooling fish in deeper water, mudding fish on flats, or snag dwelling bruisers in the upper reaches.
Mallacoota Inlet (Attribution: ElPhantomero)
Mallacoota
You'd be hard-pressed to find a more visually stunning fishing destination than Mallacoota Inlet - couple that with exceptional fishing opportunities and you're set for an extremely memorable trip.
Like the Bemm River, Mallacoota Inlet, with its top and bottom lake separated by “The Narrows” is a bream tournament organizers' little slice of heaven. But bream aside, plenty of other species can get involved in the fracas once you start throwing lures, including monster flathead, estuary perch, bass, King George Whiting and trevally.
Depending on conditions, Chris will show you how to fish the shallow weed beds and flats with topwater lures, how to work the depths with all manner of offerings and how to extract fish from the plentiful hard structure that provides cover for the lunkers. You simply won’t find a better fishing guide for Mallacoota estuary fishing.
Your Guide and his boat
The comfortable fishing boat you''ll be casting from.
Chris is an estuary lure fishing enthusiast who’s spent decades fishing the East Gippsland estuary systems of Lake Tyers, Bemm River and Mallacoota. He knows the waterways intimately and the fish on a first-names basis – and he values and practices sustainable fishing.
It really doesn’t matter whether you’re a total newbie on the estuary fishing scene or perhaps you have plenty of runs on the board but are eager for an awesome day out and the opportunity to learn how another angler approaches his fishing. Chris caters to both, patiently teaching the fundamentals or simply putting his clients in close range to the fish, depending on skill levels and desires.
You’ll fish from a 4.8 metre 2021 Polycraft Brumby centre console, with ample space and a front casting deck. The 80hp Honda 4 stroke outboard gets her to fishing spots safely and efficiently, whilst the Jarvis Walker Geo Spot bow mounted electric motor ensures stealth when getting close to drop offs and snags for that perfect cast angle.
What’s provided
- High quality light spin tackle (on a “replace if lost or broken” basis).
- Squidgies, Berkley, ZMan and Munroes soft plastic lures, Daiwa, Bassday, OSP and Atomic Hard Body Lures.
- Sunscreen, hand sanitiser and bottled water.
- Snacks, soft drinks and (on full day tours) a light lunch.
What to bring
- Sun protective clothing and eyewear
- Clothing appropriate to the conditions
- Appropriate footwear (no bare feet)
- Food, snacks & drinks that are not included in a package
- Camera and spare batteries (USB charging ports are on board)
Tour Options
East Gippsland Sportfishing can offer half day, full day and multiday trips to Lake Tyers, Bemm River and Mallacoota for up to 3 people, depending on the time you have available and your preferences. Through our networks we can assist with booking your accommodation and transfers and can tailor your fishing tours to your precise requirements.
Patrick Brennan
I had the opportunity to fish with Chris on the Bemm River system. I have always wanted to fish this system but heard it was very shallow and difficult to navigate. Chris’s business was a great opportunity for me to overcome these challenges. As soon as I met Chris I could tell he was committed to providing a professional service. As for the fishing, we hooked into bream within the first few minutes of starting and caught a steady stream of nice fish until we opted for a change of scenery and had a ball catching scores of salmon on surface lures down near the entrance. A lack of professional guides in this region astounds me and I am very pleased to see Chris fill this gap. I’m sure you’ll have a ball and learn plenty on a day out with him. All the best Chris.
Patrick Brennan