Candace Mimms with a freshly caught Portland tuna (Picture: Michael Bealham).
Offshore
Spending a few days at Portland last week, Michael Bealham and Candace Mimms first tried for kingfish, which were reportedly on, but they caught juveniles only, possibly due to the prevailing dodge-tides, said Michael.
However, bluefin tuna in the 10-15 kg range were about, and although trolling lures was initially unsuccessful, putting a strip of squid on the hook of each lure got immediate strikes and proved their key to bag limit catches.
While they hooked no large or barrel-size tuna, which are due anytime now, and anticipating their forthcoming presence, Candace has intensified her gym workouts in preparation for such an encounter.
Closer to home, Simon Werner was fishing for whiting in a usually productive spot in 6 metres of water off Collendina, but without success, and the reason probably had something to do with a shoal of kingfish to metre or so in length that took absolutely no interest in any offering he made.
Coincidentally, he had a charter that afternoon, his clients being scientists seeking kingfish. However, none could be found, not even where Simon spied them earlier in the day.
Barwon Estuary
On Sunday, Chris Stamalos and his brother Daniel, fished the Barwon River estuary just downstream from the Sheepwash. The tide was still running out on their arrival so they awaited the tide change that occurred around 1.00 pm.
Generally speaking, one’s catch during the incoming tide is usually something of a lottery, but in this case whiting were on the bite and they finished up with their respective bag limits, the biggest nudging 40 cm.
Fishing on until 6.00 pm or so, their final catch also included silver trevally, mullet, and Australian salmon to a kilogram.
Freshwater
Travelling down to Camperdown, Garry Ridgeway and companion Geoff Clay, first fished Lake Purrumbete, but all they could catch there with their deep-baiting technique were small chinook from a recent yearling release.
Their first try at Lake Bullen Merri on Thursday afternoon didn’t produce much either.
However, a discussion with neighboring visitors, Barry and Rita Grimley, and their son Michael, revealed that they had fared much better on Bullen Merri the day previous, taking several chinook salmon to 2.5 kg toward evening while downrigging with pink Tassie Devils
This prompted another Bullen Merri visit by the pair, on evening this time with their timing making all the difference: The bite started at around 6.45 pm and continued until they’d taken their respective bag limit catches before dark.
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
Andrew Johnson and wife Jenny tried for whiting off McAdams Lane on Wednesday where, initially at least, the fishing was slow. Never-the-less they persisted, finishing up with 20 whiting from 34 to 40 cm.
Also included in their catch were four good-size flathead to 45 cm.
Making an early start off Avalon early last week, Jason Treloar anchored up in one of his favourite spots out from the Point Lillias aquaculture sites where it didn’t take him very long to open his account on the snapper.
He picked up one of about 4 kg right on daybreak, then – with scarcely time to admire his catch – the bend in his other rod put him on notice that a second and final fish was to make up a matching pair.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire reports that on Sunday at least, whiting were still on the go between Grassy Point and The Governors, and while there were some small fish among them, several bags of keepers, the biggest around 40 cm, were taken.
Flathead have been taken on the drift said Rod, both in the deeper water where they are more numerous but small, and closer in where they are larger in size but far less plentiful.
Karen says:
Geoff, on reading your report of February 14, I was shocked that you don’t support catch and release. If we keep all of the fish we catch there won’t be any left for our children.
Karen, commercial trawl fisheries alone, particularly those operated by multinational fish-harvesting conglomerates, take mega-tonnes of fish and discard an even greater by-catch. By comparison, the combined recreational anglers’ catch is insignificant: No fishery anywhere has ever been threatened by recreational fishing.