The Warmies…hot fishing action by David Halliwell

It has to be said that the only thing warm about the Warmies is the water coming out of the power station. While standing on the rock wall fishing, the wind can blow through you like the Queen of the Netherlands dredger through protest boats on Port Phillip Bay. That said, for the land-based angler, the fishing can be hot. And the species you could encounter include anything from the humble bream through to sizeable mulloway.

Growing up in the southeastern suburbs, I had often heard about the Warmies but I never made the trip to the other side of the Yarra to check it out for myself. I've no excuse these days: I now call Newport home, with the Warmies literally on my doorstep.

If you feel most at home in the solitude of a mountain trout stream, as I used to, then you may find the Warmies a bit out of your comfort zone. It is a popular place with anglers, so try not to be too disappointed if little Johnny casts across you and the three fishers beside you: we all have to learn somewhere. Despite this, the fish don't seem to mind. Perseverance and patience will catch you a lot of fish at the Warmies, but there are also a couple of other things that will help you along.

WHERE IS IT?

The Warmies is located on the western side of the West Gate Bridge on the Yarra River at Newport. It was formed as the outlet for the Newport power station, and the boat ramp at the Warmies is one of the better ones in the northern part of the Bay.

If you're too young to drive, the closest train station is Newport, and from there it takes about 20 minutes by foot down North Road. If you're in the car, there's limited car parking at the boat ramp, but plenty of parking nearby along the river.

SPECIES

There are lots of species on offer at the Warmies, including salmon, tailor, mulloway, snapper, flathead, mullet, bream and trevally. Like all sceptical anglers, I like to base my fishing experiences on what I have actually caught, or seen caught.

With almost all of my fishing at the Warmies involving soft plastics, hardbodied lures or fly over a fairly intense 12 months of fishing, by far the most common catches for me have been salmon and tailor. I have also caught some nice bream and flathead, and had a couple of break-offs, which may have been mulloway. There are lots of small bream on offer, with the odd bigger one. Bait fishers