Kevin Wild with the 51.5cm rainbow trout he caught on Sunday evening from Talbot Reservoir (Picture: Amber Wild).
Freshwater
Last week I mentioned that Kevin and Amber Wild visited Talbot Reservoir, which is about halfway between Ballarat and Avoca. That was after fellow Maryborough Angling Club member Neil Perry caught both a brown and rainbow trout from here the previous week.
On that occasion they missed out, but returning on Saturday, Amber was rewarded with a 51cm brown trout that took a mudeye fished from the bank; one of three bites they had.
Returning on Sunday afternoon in the rain, Kevin evened the score with a 51.5cm rainbow trout that took a gudgeon.
Michael Redpath and his grandson Jaxon, who will be 4 next month, with a good size snapper from Corio Bay (Picture: Liffy Jennings).
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
Making an early start on Corio Bay in literally freezing conditions on Saturday morning were Jason Treloar and Harley Griffiths.
Soaking their baits offshore from the Mountain View Quarries at Avalon – and hopeful of catching a snapper as they’ve been in recent months, but without success – their patience finally paid off.
The sun had barely peeped over the horizon when one of their rods doubled over, the reel singing to the tune of a 7.5kg snapper that fancied the strip of squid that Jason had on for bait. They also took several small gummy shark that they returned to grow larger.
We’ve featured Michael Redpath now and then over the years, and he’s guided quite a few hopefuls toward making good catches. His Partner Libby just sent me a picture of Mick and his latest pupil, grandson Jaxon, who will be 4 next month, with a good size snapper from the bay. No weight was mentioned but it looks to be at least 7kg.
Ahmed and his brother Mac caught these whiting off St Leonards on Friday (Picture: Rod Ludlow).
Portland
Down Portland way, Bob McPherson reports that large tuna are still about offshore but despite having good weather last week, there were very few boats out, a vastly different situation to what we have seen in previous years.
Across the South Australian border at Port MacDonnell, it has been a different story, and among those to take them here over the past week included Daniel Ortisi and Noel Galea who fished on Tuesday and Wednesday. They hooked three barrels, two of which they landed, the smaller weighing 84kg and the larger 104kg.
Prospects
With the flowering of spring, and hopefully better weather than we’ve experienced of late, the fishing should also improve, so with reports fewer than usual this week, I’ve included a couple of prospects:
With winds from the northerly quarter in the offing, either of the two Portarlington Breakwaters should be worth a look for anyone hoping for a snapper, particularly if the water remains discoloured. Of course the St Leonards Pier still has a loyal band of followers; those athletic enough to climb down and subdue fish from the rocks below.
A fish that some of we more senior anglers used to catch in spring – but which receive little attention nowadays – is snook, which we used to call pike back then. We caught them up to 3 kg on bibbed minnow-type lures from the North Shore rocks, particularly when low tides provided access at either dawn or dusk, which were certainly the most productive times to fish for them.
In more recent years, the fishing platforms installed below the Esplanade, and just south of Lascelles wharf – which was done with the goodwill and cooperation of the North Shore residents group, Incitec Pivot and the Geelong City Council – now provide all-tide access to this area.
Col asks:
Geoff; are the snapper presently in Corio Bay – and caught by some lucky anglers – newly arrived fish, or are they resident?
Col, the increase in snapper activity within Corio Bay, as the water temperature begins to rise in late August/early September, almost certainly involves fish that have been resident in the bay throughout winter.
A long-standing belief, and one that is probably correct, is that snapper enter Port Phillip Bay when the Bay’s internal temperature is equal to that outside The Heads. At present, the temperature in southern Port Phillip is around 10.5 degrees Celsius, which is two and a half degrees cooler that the water outside, but it is presently around 12 degrees within Corio Bay’s inner harbour. You can check the bay’s water temperature readings at http://www.baywx.com.au/temps.html