Alexia Kurten with the 4.1 and 2.7 kg chinook salmon that she and husband Gustavo caught trolling lures on Lake Bullen Merri on Friday evening.
Freshwater
Gustavo Kurten and wife Alexia, took a run out to Lake Bullen Merri on Friday evening, and trolling Daiwa Double-Clutch bibbed minnows around the margins, caught a 4.1 kg brown trout and a 2.7 kg chinook salmon, both after sunset.
What was interesting said Gus, was the number of minnow that became impaled on their lures’ treble hooks, something which goes to show how much feed there is in that water.
Rob Thornton with a 3 kg tiger trout from Lake Bullen Merri.
A Werribee River bass, one of a good many Frank Benvenuto took from the Werribee River last week; this one took a Jackall Micro-Tappy.
Rob Thornton and Alan Fennell also had a great day’s fishing on Lake Bullen Merri last week where their catch included a couple of tiger trout, one of which went 3kg, a couple of rainbows and a chinook salmon.
However, an attempt to catch redfin from nearby Lake Purrumbete proved less successful. However, some operators, like Michael Evans of Victorian Inland Charters, have been doing alright on the reddies.
Frank Benvenuto spends quite a bit of time fishing the Werribee River where his favourite target is the prolific Australian bass population, where – over six days of fishing last week – he caught 24.
These ranged in size from 35 to 48.5 cm and were all taken on lures, mainly Jackall Micro-Tappys and Pompadours. However, Frank also says he has had a great deal of success on 90 cm whopper-ploppers.
Max Slater 14, with one of the squid that he and father Neil caught off Queenscliff on Saturday (Picture: Neil Slater).
Victorian Inland Charters clients Mick and Shell, with their catch of eighty-odd redfin from Lake Purrumbete early last week (Picture: Michael Evans).
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
Andrew Phillips and Tony Greck hadn’t long anchored up at one of their favorite snapper spots on Friday morning, when Andrew’s bait of silver whiting tempted a 7.1 kg snapper.
That was around 5.30 am, and the first of four fish they caught, the others all being in the 2.5 kg range.
After that though, the snapper bite shut down and they had to contend with rays and other unwanted species that had moved in on their baits.
After locating a promising signal on the sounder east of the Wilson Spit, Darcy and Murray Scott soon had three good size snapper aboard before the bite shut down, indicating the presence of a threat to their safety.
Next thing, one of their reels began to unwind at a pace that clearly showed something a lot bigger than a snapper had taken the bait, and with almost all of the line gone, the protagonist – a shark of probably 2.5 metres in length – leapt from the surface before breaking free.
That episode must have – understandably – spooked the shark, for the snapper were soon back on the bite.
Local boat hire services are hoping for good weather come the Christmas break, with good fishing dependent on the weather.
Mike Windsor of Clifton Springs Boat Hire reports that local anglers, Peter and Des, had taken good catches of whiting to 40 cm lately, while – down at Indented Head – Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire also reported good results on both whiting and squid.
Neil Slater and 14-year-old son Max fished for squid off Cottage by the Sea at Queenscliff just before the slack water at The Heads on Saturday. Both caught some nice squid but Max’s managed the biggest on his pink jig.
George Vlahogiannis caught these pinkie snapper, the biggest 43 cm, from the Mordialloc Pier using rock cod fillets for bait.
Offshore
Jae Peters reports braving the inclement weather we had early last week and – having reached 40 metres of water following bird activity off Barwon Heads – found himself surrounded by juvenile bluefin tuna.
Getting a hook-up was no problem said Jae, but it was tough work in rough conditions, so – having taken his fish – returned to Barwon Heads.
At Portland, with a break in the weather on Saturday, Bob McPherson and Lachie Wombell headed out wide hoping for some deep-sea edibles.
Not in vain as it turned out for, in around 500 metres of water, they had no problem taking the respective bag limits of blue-eye trevalla, at one stage with an audience of pilot whales checking them out.
Tasmanian angler Damon Sherriff with his 100th snapper this year: It was taken of Bridport in northern Tasmania on freshly caught squid; he’d already released 95.
Out of state snapper
We are having a great snapper season in Victoria, and they are plentiful elsewhere it would seem.
In Tasmania, Damon Sherriff has caught 100 snapper so far this season, mainly off Bridport in northern Tasmania, 95 of which were released, and there have been some big ones, two nudging the 9 kg mark, among them.
One can only assume they are prolific in South Australia as well. And it’s something of a puzzle that bans on snapper fishing in that state, that have already been in place for three years, have now been extended until July 26, 2026 because their populations are – allegedly – struggling: Extraordinary!
Swainston’s Fishes of Australia by Roger Swainston.
Book Review
Reference books to fish and fishing, I have many, from Lance Wedlick’s “What Fish is That?” in the1960s, to CSIRO’s Shark and Rays of Australia by Stevens and Last. Most used to date is Sea Fishes of Southern Australia by Barry Hutchins and Roger Swainston, of which I have two copies.
The illustrator of the latter, and to a substantial extent, Sharks and Rays, Roger Swainston’s illustrations are beyond photographic, something amply portrayed in his most recent publication: “Swainston’s Fishes of Australia,” both a comprehensive illustrated reference and superb work of art.
Swainston’s Fishes of Australia is priced at $85.00: Inquiries and purchases may be made at http://www.anima.net.au/