Mark Sesar with an elephant fish taken offshore from Clifton Springs (Picture: Andrew Phillips).
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
Making an early start off Clifton Springs last week, Andrew Phillips and Tony Greck had snapper on their mind, and by 5.00 am were at anchor on the north, or Point Wilson side of the Wilson Spit Channel with the high tide running off.
Within half an hour, they’d caught the first of three snapper, a nice fish of about 3.5 kg, and followed that with two more, each around the 4.5 kg mark right on sunrise.
After that though, apart from undersize pinkie snapper picking at their baits of squid and silver whiting, there wasn’t much doing, so they took a run down to Point Richards where they replenished their supply of squid, both for bait and for the table.
Their success on the snapper prompted another trip on Saturday afternoon, this time with Mark Sesar. Unfortuntely there wasn’t much doing on the day shift, but Mark’s bait did tempt a 3.5 kg elephant fish.
On Friday, Andrew Johnston and Dennis O’Brien fished for whiting in difficult conditions, having to contend with strong winds, rain and fish that were too small for their liking.
Never the less they stuck it out, and on evening, they struck a purple patch of bigger fish in around 4 metres of water just east of Hermsley Road Curlewis and took 30 beautiful fish to 41 cm.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head reports that squid have been his clients most sought after species. These have ranged in size from the larger fish we have come to expect at this time of year down to pea-dodgers barely larger than average squid jig.
Whiting have been scarce around the peninsula though said Rod, with the best fishing in the evening. And, that was when Jeff Richards and Chris Hateley picked up their bigger fish on Friday.
Fishing in the Coles Channel in front of the St Leonards Yacht Club since mid day initially provided little encouragement. However, they stuck it out, and by 6.00 pm their catch included a dozen fish in the 40 cm range.
Jeff, who lives down that way, also reports that land based anglers fishing from both the pier at St Leonards and from the two breakwaters at Portarlington have caught pinkie snapper from legal size to approximately 1.5 kg.
Freshwater
Kevin Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club reports that he and wife Amber have had no problem catching modest size yellowbelly and cod amongst the timbered areas of Cairn Curran Reservoir, none of which would have broken any records.
However, fellow club member Trevor Perry – who was fishing from the bank at Cairn Curran – took yellowbelly to 43 cm and a 60 cm cod: All fish mentioned in these reports were taken on worms.
Kevin also mentions that local anglers have caught good size yellowbelly from the Loddon River below the Cairn Curran spillway.
John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that god size brown trout remain on offer and Among those to catch them was Geelong angler Kevin Hunter whose best brown weighed 2.3 kg. Kevin also took chinook salmon to 1.3 kg.
Also successful on the Lake was Mike Georgio, also from Geelong who caught several brown trout to 3 kg fishing mudeyes suspended beneath a float.
Jack asks:
Geoff, I have heard that circle hooks are best for big fish. But I can’t see how they can possibly work. Can you explain please how they work and how to bait up with them please?
Jack, circle hooks are designed to trap the jaw hinge of the fish in the gap between the point and the shank of the hook. For this to happen it is important that this gap not be blocked with bait or the hook can’t take hold.
When using strips of squid, they may be impaled at one end only, or – should a more secure attachment be required, for example when casting out from a land based location – the strip may be bound to the hook and trace using bait elastic, or even a couple of small cable ties. Whole baitfish like pilchards may be attached in the same manner.
And, In South Africa, where this system of securing a bait originated, a toothpick is sometimes used to impale the bait, through the eye of the hook, aligning it at a right angles to the bait.