Simon Werner with a sample of the warehou catch off Ocean Grove (Picture: Rod Lawn).
Adamas deckhand, Simon Werner, reports that on a morning charter in 30 metres of water off Ocean Grove last week, their clients took an excellent catch of warehou (snotty trevalla), some well over the 3 kilogram mark, which put a smile on everyone’s faces.
Unfortunately, an afternoon charter to the same area, was greeted by a seal that snatched every single fish from their client’s lines, just for the sport of it. Moving proved to be of no help because they would find the seal waiting for them as they anchored up for a repeat performance, and there was nothing they could do about it.
Tuna are present along our coast from Gippsland to Port MacDonnell over the South Australian border, and it was here that Melbourne angler Daniel Curmi caught a magnificent 121 kg specimen last week.
Daniel doesn’t say what method he used, but with redbait boiling at the surface when under attack from the tuna, anglers have been quick to take advantage with dipnets, scooping them up and returning them as live baits.
Daniel Curmi with a 121 kg tuna that he caught off Port MacDonnell, SA (Picture: Cranbourne fishing World).
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
Early last week, Andrew Phillips, along with Mark and Tina Sesar, headed down from St Leonards to the mouth of Swan Bay where they hoped for a good catch of whiting.
But there wasn’t much doing, and they wondered whether the numerous bottlenose dolphins milling around in the area, both adults and calves, may be spooking them.
So, they moved several times hoping to find an active patch of fish, going as far out as Coles Beacon, but their sum total of only six whiting, the biggest measuring 43 cm, after several moves persuaded them to break out the squid jigs and move into the shallows.
A good move as it turned out, for even with the tide running out, the water remained clear, and with no dolphins to worry about, they took bag limit catches of squid, including some big ones over the kilogram mark.
Heading down to Curlewis where they’d previously taken good catches of whiting, Andrew Johnson and Dennis O’Brien anchored up in around 4.5 metres of water, but there was nothing doing there.
So, they made several moves, eventually finding an active patch of whiting in around 5 metres of water off Leopold from which they managed take a hard-earned catch of 26, all good size fish, the biggest measuring 43 cm.
Jack Kelly, with Denim and Byron Hansford of Ocean Grove with some nice redfin from 32 to 42cm, all taken on scrubworms from Lake Purrumbete (Picture: John Clements).
Greg Hicks with a 49 cm redfin from Tullaroop Reservoir (Picture: Kevin Wild).
Freshwater
Taking a run out to Wurdiboluc Reservoir, Simon Werner found the surface alive with fish, mainly rainbow trout around the 600-gram mark, and of which he caught two while fishing from the rock wall using mudeyes for bait under a float.
John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that redfin remain on offer and have attracted anglers, including Ray Edwards and Ray Willis, from as far away as Shepparton.
Good size chinook salmon have also been on offer said John, both from Lakes Purrumbete and nearby Bullen Merri where Maz Stolowski caught quite a few, along with both rainbow and tiger trout while trolling lures.
Maryborough Angling Club member Kevin Wild reports fishing Tullaroop Reservoir last week, first with John Gray and later on with Greg Hinks. The bulk of their catch was redfin of which Greg caught one measuring 49 cm, while John’s catch included a 65 cm brown trout.
Kevin also mentions that club member Greg Streets from Stawell, has been catching any number of good size redfin from Lake Fyans in the Grampians.
John Gray with a 65 cm brown trout from Tullaroop Reservoir (Picture: Kevin Wild).
Kevin Wild with a sample of the redfin to be caught from Tullaroop Reservoir.
Stuart asks:
Geoff, where are the winter snapper? We used to catch plenty of them in years gone by, but this year I haven’t even caught one. Do you have an explanation?
Stuart, I suggest that at least some snapper will find their way down into Corio Bay each year after missing the turn toward Port Phillip Heads, in some years more than others. However, as you well know, they can be difficult to catch, particularly in years like this when water temperatures drop sharply in autumn or winter, something which seems to send them into semi hibernation.
I believe that with an increase in water temperatures, perhaps midway through next month, we will see an increase in their activity as we’ve seen in years past.