Michael Evans with one of the trophy size rainbow trout that he and his companions caught at Twizel in New Zealand last week.
Triple hook-up: Trevor Holmes, Michael Evans and Ben Young with a three-way catch from the Twizel Canals in New Zealand
Freshwater
With the promise of great fishing, local anglers Trevor Holmes, Ben Young and Michael Evans hired the services of professional fishing guide Graham Edridge to fish for rainbow trout in the Twizel Canals on New Zealand’s South Island.
Their catch of sixty fish over three and half days included some truly huge specimens; the biggest of which measured just over a meter in length, 85 cm in girth and weighed an amazing 14.5 kg, and – as were some of the others – truly a fish of a lifetime.
Close to home. John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that Stephen Hill of Camperdown took a brown trout of 4.76 kg while trolling a bibbed minnow and Declan Betts caught another of 4.5 kg casting a Daiwa Double Clutch minnow.
Also successful was James Reid of Altona who caught three brown trout to 1.5 kg down rigging a Tassie Devil, as well as a good catch of redfin to 1.3 kg on scrubworms and soft plastics.
Nearby Lake Bullen Merri has been producing chinook salmon, and among the successful anglers were Ken Carman of Camperdown who caught several fish from the bank to 2 kg, and Doran Do caught several to 2.8 kg while bait fishing above the bottom.
Following his friend Simon Williamson’s capture of 50 cm redfin from Stony Creek Reservoir along the Geelong Ballan Road, Justin Burns went to pick up his dues from the same water, catching another redfin of 47 cm just on dark.
Justin also fished Hepburn Lagoon, which is along the Daylesford Clunes Road, to find the lake full and shallow around the margins. Never the less he persisted casting a Daiwa bibbed minnow and eventually caught a brown trout approaching a kilogram.
New Zealand fishing guide Graham Eldridge with a 12.9 kg rainbow from the Twizel Canals.
Justin Burns displays the 47 cm redfin he caught at Stony Creek Reservoir.
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
Taking a run over to one of his preferred locations along the west side of the Wilson Spit, it wasn’t long before Andrew Johnson located some promising signals on the sounder and anchored over them, but had no response from below; not initially anyway.
That was around 12.30 on Friday afternoon and about halfway through the ebb tide, but it wasn’t until the low tide change at about 3.50 pm that the dinner bell rang; first to the tune of a 6.3 kg snapper, which was then followed by another of 5.5 kg.
On Saturday morning, Murray Scott and Scott Teesdale fished at the end of the rock wall in Lonsdale Bight at Queenscliff for squid. They caught their bag limits, and what beauties they were: Few were less than a kilogram and the two biggest weighed in 3.2 and 3.5 kg.
Simon Agius and Aaron Habgood with another of their tuna from Port MacDonnell.
Kevin Debono, Simon Agius, Mossy, and Aaron Habgood with one of the tuna they caught at Port MacDonnell recently.
Offshore
With a break in the weather last week, Aaron Habgood of Reds Fishing Adventures and Lee Rayner headed out into 40 metres of water off Barwon Heads where they picked up several good size snapper and a good catch of squid in just a couple of hours.
Aaron had recently returned from Port MacDonnell, just over the border in South Australia, where he fish for two days with his friends “Mossy,” Kevin Debono, and Simon Agius. Needless to say they did well there catching a tuna each day; one of 110 kg and another of 134 kg from 60 and 100 metres of water respectively.
Andrew Johnson with one of the snapper he caught in Corio Bay last Friday.
Aaron Habgood with one of the snapper he caught offshore from Barwon Heads (Picture: Lee Rayner).
Lee Rayner and Aaron Habgood with a sample of the snapper they caught off Barwon Heads.
Damien asks:
Geoff, I would really like to catch a snapper, but only have a small boat; is there anywhere in the inner harbour where I could try with some expectation of success?
Damien, in a southerly, you could launch a small boat from Limeburner’s Point and anchor up in front of the Geelong Yacht Club’s outer retaining wall; snapper have been caught there at this time of year, particularly of an evening.
With a northerly, or nor-westerly you may launch a small boat from the Foreshore Road ramp in Corio, just past the refinery. On finding 7 metres of water out in front of the refinery, you would have a good chance.
Or, in windier conditions, you could follow the clearly marked channel, offshore from the Foreshore Road Ramp, toward the Grammar School Lagoon and anchor up just out from the tree line past the bluff. Here, you may find at least 7 metres of water close in to shore; another good spot.