Tony of the St Albans Angling Club with a 6.5 kg chinook salmon from Lake Purrumbete (Picture: John Clements).
Kevin Wild with another Murray cod from Lake Mulwala (Picture: Amber Wild).
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
On the water before daybreak on the weekend, Darcy Scott anchored up in around 8 metres of water near the Nine Foot Bank off Avalon, hoping for a snapper.
All was quiet until the tide began running off at around 6.20. That was when the alarm bells began to ring, first with a snapper of 3 kg, following by half a dozen legal size pinkies to a kilogram or so, all caught on squid.
Mike Windsor of Clifton Springs Boat Hire reports that whiting have been the main species sought and that Craig and Jackson Issa’s catch off Curlewis also included a respectable number of good size flathead with pipis and squid the preferred baits.
Andrew Johnson and wife Jenny also fished for whiting over the weekend, their biggest problem was to escape the hordes of small, but mostly just-legal-size whiting, so moving from spot to spot became the order of the day.
However, late in the morning’s outgoing tide, they picked up a couple of much bigger fish in 4.5 metres of water off The Dell, so they stayed, eventually catching a dozen fish to 37 cm in all. That was until the bite stopped on low slack water just after midday.
Anticipating a renewed bite with the incoming tide from around 1.00 pm they stayed on, but – as well laid plans often fail in fishing – they were forced to retreat as an almost gale force southerly squalled up, the nearby southern shore providing insufficient shelter.
Andrew’s son Daniel, and companion Joel Trezise, were rigged and ready for a soft plastics fishing exercise as they had last week, only this time they tried off Leopold.
Hoping for some good size pinkies they persisted, but the underweights were so thick, and so vicious, they demolished the remainder of their soft plastics in short order.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire reports that last week’s strong easterly winds and heavy rain resulted in the water becoming heavily discoloured, something which virtually shut the squid fishery down.
Whiting and pinkie snapper, some of the latter up to a kilogram, have been on offer though said Rod, along with flathead being taken on the drift out in the deeper water.
Amber Wild with a sample of the weekend’s Murray cod catch at Lake Mulwala (Picture: Kevin Wild).
Offshore
With a break in the weather on Friday evening, Simon Werner, along with Terry Begg and his son Bryce, launched off Barwon Heads in pursuit of those tuna schooled up in 30-40 metres of water off Port Phillip Heads.
They caught three as it turned out, one apiece, with young Bryce catching the biggest at 20 kg. All were caught trolling 15 cm rubber occys.
Bob McPherson’s and Lachie Wombell’s mixed catch of fish off Portland (Picture: Bob McPherson).
Portland
Down Portland way, Bob McPherson reports that tuna up to possibly 20 kg are schooled up within three kilometres of the boat harbour enabling access for many anglers, who – understandably – may be reluctant to travel long distances from the ramp.
Freshwater
Kevin and Amber Wild, both members of the Maryborough Angling Club, travelled to Lake Mulwala, via Yarrawonga in the pouring rain on Friday, where they experienced good fishing for cod of various sizes over the weekend.
They were a bit skittish about taking lures said Kevin, but baiting up with cheese and chicken certainly did the trick.
John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park sent me a photo of 6.5 kg chinook salmon taken by Tony of the St Albans Angling Club and another of Melbourne angler Kevin Brabazon with a 2.7 kg rainbow trout that was taken on a pilchard fillet.
Kevin Brabazon with his 3.7 kg chinook salmon (Picture: John Clements).
Ollie asks:
Geoff, I’d like to have a go at the tuna currently being caught off Port Phillip Heads, but I am wary of going out through The Rip: Any suggestions?
Ollie, most of those seeking tuna there launch from either the Ocean Grove, or the Sheepwash Boat Ramps, both within the Barwon Estuary.
My advice, for safety sake, would be to make an arrangement to follow someone out who is familiar with this area, rather than by trial, and possibly error.
Also, it is advisable to avoid either leaving or re-entering the estuary on very low tides, such as those predicted during the middle of each day over the forthcoming weekend because there is a very real risk of running aground.