Roger Lewry with a sample from his last week’s catch at Queenscliff.
Paul Rahman with one of the large squid he and wife Selin caught off Clifton Springs on Sunday.
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
Fishing for whiting near Coles Beacon (off the mouth of Swan Bay at Queenscliff) on Wednesday afternoon, Roger Lewry found the fishing slow, as many others have lately, and only caught four whiting.
However, he did catch a quite a few legal-size pinkie snapper and a flathead weighing 2.2 kg.
Making an early start on Wednesday morning, Andrew Phillips and Tony Greck were greeted with calm seas, clear water, and floating weed off Point Richards, not the most ideal fishing situation.
And, the overwhelming presence of leatherjackets and grass whiting taking their baits wasn’t encouraging either.
Paul Rahman with the 46 cm King George whiting he caught from Corio Bay on Thursday.
Olivia Kettner 11, with a 2 kg chinook salmon from Lake Purrumbete (Picture: John Clements).
The pair made several moves but there wasn’t much on offer; not until a breeze came up ruffling the water, something that changed their fortunes for the better with bag-limit catches of whiting, the biggest measuring 42 cm.
Others to do well on the whiting included Dennis O’Brien and Peter Dawson who took bag-limit catches from the same area, also on Wednesday. And, on Sunday, Andrew Johnson and wife Jenny fished here as well, but leatherjackets were continually taking their baits.
Moving in shallower was initially promising, that was until the wind changed to the south, and blowing quite strongly for a while, before settling down, allowing a resumption of a near bag-limit catch of fish to 41 cm.
One of the blue whales Bob McPherson photographed off Portland on Friday.
On Thursday evening Paul and Selin Rahman headed over to Point Wilson where they had no trouble taking whiting to 35 cm, but no really big ones: Well, not until sunset when that all changed with a run much bigger fish, the biggest measuring 46 cm.
On Sunday, the pair also did very well on the squid off Clifton Springs taking 14, all really good size fish with the biggest weighing 2 kg.
Mike Windsor of Clifton Springs Boat Hire reports there are whiting to be caught off Curlewis as well with John Huismann, and his sons, taking 26 some 300 metres out from the red shed.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire also reports that clients have been taking good catches of both squid and whiting, some within 100 metres or so of his shed, while flathead continue to be taken in good numbers on the drift from the deeper water.
Tory and Jacob Ardiri with the tuna they caught offshore from Barwon Heads.
Offshore
Heading off Barwon Heads on Saturday, Kane Ardiri was hoping to find a tuna each for son Tory and nephew Jacob, the first course of action being to locate them, either feeding at the surface or at some depth using the sounder.
Michael Goldby with an XOS gemfish taken out wide from Portland (Picture: Bob McPherson).
The second was to berley them up with
pilchards, and – having got their interest – put one over the side on a hook; a subterfuge that had eventually had the desired effect with two tuna in the boat.
Kevin Wild with the 1.05 metre Murray cod he caught from Lake Mulwala (Picture: Amber Wild).
Freshwater
Kevin and Amber Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club have just returned from Lake Mulwala having caught a number of Murray Cod that included one of 1.05 metres. It was the third cod over a metre that the pair caught and released over the past three months.
Tony Missen from Airport West with a 3.2 kg brown trout from Lake Purrumbete (Picture: John Clements).
Mind you, other club members also did
well with Glen (Boof) Lorenzo taking a 96 cm cod from the Murray at Murrabit, and other members doing well on redfin at Tullaroop Reservoir and on yellowbelly at Cairn Curran Reservoir.
John Clements of Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that redfin are still plentiful with John Ireland from South Australia getting his share on live minnow.
Brown trout have been a little scarce said John, but Jason Bongart from Ballan picked up a nice one of 2.75 kg while fishing mudeyes under a float.
John also reports that chinook salmon are still on offer and sent in a photo of Olivia Kettner with one around the 2 kg mark.
Michael Goldby with a cucumber fish taken out wide from Portland (Picture: Bob McPherson).
Michael Goldby with a school shark taken out wide from Portland (Picture: Bob McPherson).
Portland
With calm weather on Good Friday, Bob McPherson, along with Michael Goldby and Ben Malcolm, headed out toward the Continental shelf, coming across a pod of blue whales feeding on krill in 160 metres that Bob stopped to photograph.
Michael Goldby and Ben Malcom with a sample of the blue-eye trevalla they caught out wide from Portland (Picture: Bob McPherson).
They finished up in 500 metres of water where they did a job on the blue-eye trevalla they were seeking, along with a by-catch of gemfish, school shark and even the unusual cucumber fish; Paraulopus nigripinnus for anyone wanting to look it up.