Michael Bealham with a couple of nice snapper from Corio Bay (Picture: Candace Mimms).
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
Trolling lures between Limeburners Point and Eastern Beach after an 11.00 am start, Michael Bealham and Candace Mimms first order of business was to catch some fresh fish, salmon, and pike on this occasion, for snapper bait.
With fresh bait now onboard, they headed east into the outer harbour to find some reds in their usual manner of prospecting in 6-8 metres of water with the sounder ticking over, and at 1.00 pm, they anchored on a good readout.
By 4.30 pm they’d caught eight decent size snapper, four of which they released before heading back to the ramp, again with the sounder running, but resisting the temptation to drop onto other promising readings.
Logan 3, and Vivi Hunt 4, with one of the southern calamari they caught at Queenscliff (Picture: Taylor Hunt).
Queenscliff
After finishing work and picking up his son and daughter – three-year-old Logan and four-year-old Vivi from daycare early last week – Taylor Hunt’s next mission was to break out the crew’s ration of fish and chips before heading out off Queenscliff, hopefully to catch some squid.
Well, they found a good patch off the Shortlands Bluff/Bell Reef area and soon had the succulent cephalopods queuing up for a range of different coloured jigs from 2 to 3.5 inches before finishing in the fish box.
Taking a run down to Curlewis on Wednesday morning, Andrew Johnson was hoping to catch a few whiting, but – initially at least – there was very little doing, persuading him to keep on the move.
And it was in around 4.5 metres of water that he eventually found the fish he was after, taking 18 good size whiting before the bite eventually petered out as the tide slackened off.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head report that whiting are the main species being caught at present, but squid, which are generally on song, are very quiet. Apart from that said Rod, there are pinkie snapper to be caught out near the Prince George Light.
David Fitzallen and Kevin Wild with a sample of their redfin catch from Tullaroop Reservoir (Picture: Stephen Eales).
David Fitzallen and Kevin Wild with a sample of their redfin catch from Tullaroop Reservoir (Picture: Stephen Eales).
Freshwater
Kevin Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club reports that Tullaroop Reservoir is producing good catches of redfin and there are some big ones among them.
He, Stephen Eales, and David Fitzallen spent a morning session out here last week using soft plastics and vibes and took 80 redfin to 45 cm.
In the afternoon, Stephen decided to take his son Mason 5, out on the Reservoir, and exercise that initially showed plenty of promise, but then the wind came up sending them back to the ramp.
Kevin also reports that Don and Robert Rayner fished nearby Cairn Curran Reservoir taking several nice yellowbelly on small yabbies.
Lake Mulwala
Fishing Bundalong on Lake Mulwala, John Clements and several companions had no trouble catching Murray cod ranging in size from 73 to 95 cm, all being caught on bardi grubs.
The Lake Mulwala Fishing Classic was also held at Mulwala the weekend and attended by some 2000 anglers. A good many Murray cod were caught and released including two of 1.03 metres and another 1.01 metres.
Garry Ridgeway with a couple of the flathead he caught at Lake Tyers (68 cm) and Lakes Entrance (81 cm).
Lakes Entrance
Garry Ridgeway and wife Renater spent the weekend at Lake Entrance, not specifically as a fishing trip, but a fishing rod found its way aboard and was put to good use, first at nearby Lake Tyers where Garry caught and released a flathead of 61 cm, but an even bigger catch was in the offing.
Casting a soft plastic in the vicinity of the bridge over Lake Entrance’s North Arm, he initially thought he might be snagged. However, this snag went on the move and turned out to be an 81 cm flathead that was also released, 55 cm being the largest dusky flathead permitted in Victoria.
Garry actually finished up catching four good size flathead but was only able to keep one of 51 cm. Those he released measured 61, 68 and 81 cm.
Vale Arie De Wit: 18/08/49-30/11/23
A regular contributor to my fishing column from the 1990s until well into the 2000s, Arie – like quite a few others of similar ilk – has now shuffled off this mortal coil as expressed by Shakespeare’s Hamlet while reflecting on life, death, and the human condition.
Harry asks:
Geoff, I’ve just retired and bought a new boat to go fishing. However, while searching for information regarding distance restrictions from wharves, I came across – in a Notice to Mariners (attached) – a 1400 metre restriction around the Point Wilson Pier, which excludes some great fishing grounds.
How many recreational anglers would be aware of this since it is not advertised through normally read channels such as your articles?
If this is allowed to slip through, how long will it be before such exclusions become permanent?
Harry, I rang the port authority to confirm the current notice to Mariners advises that the exclusion zone mentioned was effective from 0600, November 30 until 2000 (8.00 pm) Monday December 23 and was put into effect during the transfer of a potentially volatile cargo from ship to shore.
At a meeting, along with other Bay users, at the Point Wilson facility in June 2006, I was informed that – due to the nature of such cargos being shipped to this destination, the movements of such ships will not be published in the media for security reasons – the only warnings of these extended areas of restriction being enacted, would be a red flag flying from the pier along with flashing lights on the yellow buoys marking the perimeter.
And, if the only notification of such extensions to the restricted area around Point Wilson is via Notices to Mariners, that would exclude 90% of Bay users.
Since transgressing such restrictions is easily done and carries the risk of being fined, we need a better deal than what is currently in place.