A great catch of redfin from Lake Purrumbete by John Clements, Rex Hunt and Jeremy Richardson (Picture: John Clements).
Rex Hunt congratulates 11-year-old Jack Driscoll of Moonambel, Victoria who caught this good size rainbow trout from the new VFA fishing jetty at Lake Purrumbete (Picture: John Clements).
Freshwater
Kevin Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club reports that Tullaroop Reservoir continues to produce good catches of redfin, some in the 40-45 cm range.
Kevin fished here on Friday evening with Greg Hicks from Bendigo taking fish of that size on soft plastics and bobbers. And then, heading out with wife Amber over the weekend, demonstrated similar cause and effect to what was experienced on Friday.
John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that once again that there is no shortage of redfin in the lake, with he, Rex Hunt and Jeremy Richardson managing to cover the cleaning table with them.
Chinook salmon are also on the go as demonstrated by Jeremy Richards of Colac who took a bag limit catch of fish to 2 kg from the lake fishing cut pilchards just above the bottom.
Brown and rainbow trout are still on offer as well said John, with 11-year-old Jack Driscoll of Moonambel turning a few heads when he caught a buck rainbow trout of possibly 2 kg from the new VFA fishing jetty.
Rhiannon Atkinson of VFA announced that their remaining tiger trout are to be released into Lakes Bullen Merri and Purrumbete this week.
Today, 2000 will be released into Lake Bullen Merri at 1.00 pm, and on Thursday, another 1200 will be released into Lake Purrumbete, also at 1.00 pm. The remainder are then to be released into Lake Bullen Merri at approximately 2.00 pm.
Should you wish to attend any of these stockings, please let Rhiannon know so she can coordinate with their drivers and communicate any changes on the day: 0407 987 016, rhiannon.atkinson@vfa.vic.gov.au
Amber Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club with a quality redfin from Tullaroop Reservoir (Picture Kevin Wild).
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
It was lean pickings on the whiting for our regular correspondents, with very few good size fish among the usual throwbacks. That is not to say that others may have taken good catches.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire again reports that flathead saved the day for his clients with squid and whiting absent. However, Rod mentions that good catches of squid have reportedly been made at Queenscliff, along with silver trevally in harbour.
There were albacore aplenty taken on the Portland wide grounds as this photo shows (Picture: Bob McPherson).
Lachie Wombell with a sample of the blue eye trevally he and Bob McPherson caught over the wide grounds off Portland on Sunday (Picture: Bob McPherson).
Portland
With fair weather on Sunday, Bob McPherson and Lachie Wombell headed out to the wide grounds off Portland where, bottom bouncing, they had no trouble catching blue eye trevalla, interspersed with pink ling some other varieties.
Mind you, there were plenty of others out as well with numerous bottom fish – including Tasmanian trumpeter, being taken in around 130 metres of water – along with albacore, which were taken a little further out.
This mixed bag of fish, that included a Tasmanian trumpeter, was reportedly taken in 130 metres of water off Portland (Picture: Bob McPherson).
Upstate
Jamie Behrens, who was known for his ability to catch estuary perch, mulloway and a good many other species from the Barwon estuary, has lived in Bli Bli Queensland on the Maroochy River for some time now, and looks forward to the winter mulloway run.
Last week he took fifteen-year-old Bryce Bartleson for a nocturnal introduction to the gentle art of live baiting with mullet. Turns out Bryce was a quick learner and opened his account with a 19 kg mulloway.
Jamie says that, fishing in a snaggy part of the river, he suspends his live baits under a balloon, some distance above the bottom. However, pickings had been lean until he took Bryce out to find mullet jumping, mulloway on the attack, and pelicans well and truly in the mix; the rest now history.
Bryce Bartleson with a 19 kg mulloway from the Maroochy River in Queensland (Picture: Jamie Behrens).
Colin asks:
I was fascinated to hear of luderick being caught from the Barwon River estuary in your column of July 6. Having been a luderick fisherman in NSW I felt that love affair was over. Can you direct me on the local approach?
Colin, fishing from a dinghy, my companions and I have caught a good many luderick from the Barwon estuary, mainly during winter, usually on sandworm but sometimes on freshly shucked (not frozen), abalone gut.
Others have caught them on the traditional green weed that you can collect from the Geelong waterfront, with the recognised fishing technique employing the traditional weighted blackfish float and attendant paraphernalia you’d be familiar with.
We fished on the bottom with a single No 4 hook, on a paternoster rig in about 3 metres of water, usually between the end of Sheepwash Road and the Sheepwash boat ramp.
A high tide beginning to run off toward evening seemed to be best, but they can be caught at other times as well; either on the last of the incoming tide, or the first of the outgoing, a sequence beginning from the time of high water at Port Phillip Heads.