Mark Stewart with a sample of his snapper catch off Clifton Springs on Melbourne Cup Day.
Colleen Howard with the 90 cm snapper she caught off Clifton Springs in Friday night’s fog (Picture: Ray Robertson).
Corio Bay Bellarine Peninsula
Sounding up a school of snapper off Clifton Springs on Cup Day afternoon, Mark Stewart hooked his first fish within minutes of putting his lines out.
While playing that one, two more rods buckled over, reels growling, and – as he reached for his landing net – his fourth rod joined the fray. One escaped, but with three fish – one at 83 cm and the other two at 75 cm apiece – he’d boated a bag limit catch with scarcely time to catch his breath.
Naturally, others caught snapper as well including Colleen Howard who was fishing with partner Ray Robertson off Clifton Springs. They were out near the shipping channel during Friday evening’s fairly dense fog.
Colleen caught their only fish, a snapper that stretched the tape out to 90 cm. It took a yakka (yellowtail scad) at around 8.30 pm, an hour or so before the low tide change.
Mike Windsor of Clifton Springs Boat Hire reports that snapper of various sizes have been caught near the channel junction off Curlewis, just out from the No 18 marker where Dylan Spark and Kysan Notting were both successful using squid for bait.
Chris Stamalos with a sample of his trevally catch from the Barwon estuary (Picture: Daniel Stamalos).
Also fishing out here were Andrew and Tim Johnson who’s best of four fish weighed 4 kg.
Whiting aficionados Dennis O’Brien and Pete Dawson initially found their quarry elusive, catching only a couple of fish for their trouble.
However, after a series of moves they hit a purple patch just east of the Portarlington mussel farm where they topped off their individual bag limits, their biggest – among several pearlers – stretched the tape out to 45 cm.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head also reports an influx of really good size whiting with some clients taking bag limit catches; a first for the season.
Simon Werner has again been successful while wading the shallows off Beacon Point, Clifton Springs, taking flathead on soft plastics; the biggest on his most recent trip measured 55 cm.
Michael Giotas, Nick Karavasamis and Matt Magri with the thresher shark they caught off Barwon Heads.
Offshore
Fishing offshore from Barwon Heads in around 40 metres of water, Matt Magri, Marcus Magri, Michael Giotas and Nick Karavasarmis, were hopeful of catching a gummy shark or two, but barber perch were taking their baits.
So, they put one of these little tackers on for bait and found themselves in a 45-minute battle with what turned out to be a thresher shark of about 70 kg, and of which they sent in a photo.
Barwon estuary
With the tide beginning to run in around 10.00 am on Sunday, Chris and Daniel Stamalos, who had anchored just upstream from the Barwon Heads Bridge, began catching, any number of large mullet and silver trevally as the water began to clear.
Also included in their catch were legal size Australian salmon, whiting and tailor; enough to keep them in fresh fish for some time.
Kevin Wild with the 46 cm yellowbelly he caught from Lake Hume last week (Picture: Amber Wild).
Freshwater
Frank Benvenuto fished Melton Reservoir – on Melton’s southern boundary, and which has been stocked with a variety of native fish – from his kayak last week.
Frank caught more than 15 fish for the afternoon including 5 yellowbelly, 10 redfin and an estuary perch. Most were caught on a Z-man 3.5” grub in watermelon red.
Fishing nearby was Frank’s friend Chris who caught a 40 cm Australian bass out in 5 metres of water while slowly working a 55mm, Cutting-Edge Tomahawk bibbed-minnow in the tiger-prawn pattern.
Fishing Lake Elingamite, up Cobden way from his new Kayak, Jack Passe spent three hours without even a bite, but come 5.30 pm, that all changed.
He caught 3 rainbow trout, all around 750 grams (that were released, along with a redfin) and another rainbow of 1.7 kg. All were caught on mudeyes fished with a bubble float rig.
Frank Benvenuto’s friend Chris with the 40 cm Australian Bass he caught from Melton Reservoir.
Jack Passe with a rainbow trout from Lake Elingamite.
We haven’t heard much from Lake Tooliorook near Lismore of late, but local source, Geoff Campbell, reports that rainbow trout to just over a kilogram have been caught recently, along with the occasional brown. So, here is yet another potentially productive water.
John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports good fishing from the lake with a wide variety being caught from redfin to trophy size brown trout, Donna Kniese picking up two of the latter – each weighing 3.6 kg – using mudeyes for bait.
Tiger and cheetah trout, mostly around the 2 kg mark, are also on the bucket list and among those to catch one of the latter was Michael Johnstone who also caught a 3.5 kg brown trout. These too were taken on mudeyes.
Chinook salmon are also on offer, with some – presumably from the 2019 fingerling release – topping the 3 kg mark.
Among those to take bag limit catches of chinook were Garry Ridgeway, Hansi and Marti Bluml, and Bill Montgomery.
Michael Johnstone with a 2 kg cheetah trout that he caught from his kayak using mudeyes for bait.
Frank Benvenuto with one of the yellowbelly he caught from Melton Reservoir.
Also in the mix were Lindsay and Gordon Robinson, who – along with their catches of chinook salmon, which were taken on pilchard fillets suspended just above the bottom – also caught two brown trout, each weighing 3 kg, and a 1.5 kg tiger trout. These were taken on mudeyes fished under floats.
Kevin and Amber Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club fished Lake Hume last week. They caught any number of redfin, keeping 20, along with a 46 cm yellowbelly.
These were taken using the generous supply of small yabbies and shrimp that they took up with them.