Nicholas and Ivan Jovic with the ill-fated mako shark (Picture: Brad Andrews).
Offshore
Brad Andrews, along with Ivan and Nicholas Jovic, took a run out wide from off Port Fairy at the weekend, hopeful of finding a mako shark.
They encountered two as it turned out, each about 50 or 60kg that showed up after a short berleying session, the more eager of the two being presented with a short-fin pike – or snook as we are now supposed to call them – for bait, on which it pounced.
Despite feeling fish’s weight after a firm strike, Brad’s hook pulled free. The bait was presented once more, and again it was taken with alacrity, but, in an almost comedic twist, the line broke, leaving the mako seemingly unperturbed and still showing interest.
Another outfit was baited, and for the third time, this most eager of the two makos – despite trailing a wire trace and line – attacked the bait again, the result being that both lines became entangled, which resulted in the mako being caught by default.
Kelvin McLean shows the quality of whiting to be caught from Corio Bay with these two 44cm specimens taken off Clifton Springs on Saturday night (Picture: Chris Stamalos
Corio Bay Bellarine Peninsula
Andrew Phillips made yet another early morning start off Point Henry over the weekend, this time with Colin Radley who’d covered some distance for the opportunity to catch the good size whiting on offer from here.
Neither was disappointed, for – while anchored in about 4.5 meters of water on the ebb tide – they were soon into whiting around the 35cm mark, their final tally including some bigger fish to 43cm and three flathead from 50 to 55cm.
The evening also fished well for Chris Stamalos and Kelvin McLean after their session in 5 metres of water off Clifton Springs on Saturday night yielded 24 fish to 44cm on mussel and pipi.
Chris Stamalos and Kelvin McLean’s whiting catch from Clifton Springs on Saturday night (Picture: Chris Stamalos).
Mike Windsor of Clifton Springs Boat Hire reports that gummy shark have proved an attraction, and among those to catch them were Bernadette and Kyi Notting who took four keepers near the channel junction off Curlewis using pilchards for bait.
And as expected, Andrew Johnson and Dennis O’Brien found the whiting off Curlewis once more taking bag limit catches, along with three flathead around the 50 cm mark.
Mike mentions that the Clifton Springs jetty continues to be an attraction with Melbourne anglers Ivan and Mini justifying their journey with a catch of 26 garfish and 3 mullet using sprat (commercially sold as silverfish), for bait.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head reports that flathead are the main chance from the deeper water, but whiting have been turning up in client’s bags, along with the ongoing complaint that small pinkie snapper have been stealing their baits.
Justin Latter and the 3.9 kg crayfish he caught using Scuba gear off Collendina on Sunday.
Scuba catch
Justin Latter sent in a picture of he and the 3.9kg southern rock lobster (crayfish) he caught using scuba gear off Collendina on Sunday while on an outing with Steve Keown and Matt Tattersall.
Justin also mentions that his father and mentor, Brian, who taught him love and respect for the ocean – and obviously how to catch large crayfish – turned 80 on Saturday.
Freshwater
John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that good size brown trout are still on offer with Tim Beusmans and his friend Graziano Ligorio, picking up several to 1.7 kg and a rainbow trout of 2.4 kg, on Tassie Devils down-rigged at 7.5 metres.
Also successful on the Lake was George Gillies of Winchelsea who almost certainly broke a record for the number of redfin caught from the lake by an angler, with scrubworms among his most productive baits.
Size limits
Since Victorian regulations only allow Murray cod from 55 to 75cm to be kept, Don Shearer of the Geelong and District Angling Club, who caught a magnificent cod of 1.3 metres during the club’s weekend competition at Lake Mulwala, dipped out on a prize because it had to be returned to the water. The winner of the competition was Ken Hunter who presented a cod of 2.1kg to the weigh-master.
Roger asks:
Geoff, what’s to be done in respect of the present population of pinkie snapper in the bay? Their constant attack on our whiting baits is beyond frustrating.
Roger, there is no remedy for whiting fishermen who use soft baits like pipis and mussels, and using small strips of squid for bait is not much help either.
Fortunately the pinkies are not evenly distributed and finding an area that’s free of them is the only answer when seeking whiting.