Rylan Hogan of Leopold with his brown trout from Lake Purrumbete.
Freshwater
John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports brown trout are on offer and that 10 year old Rylan Hogan of Leopold, who was fishing on Lake Purrumbete with his father Shane, caught one weighing 2.9 kg.
Others to catch them included Glenn Rigby of Mildura with a 57 cm brown that weighed 2.3 kg, and Michael Houlihan of Warrnambool with another of 58 cm. Both were clients of Michael Evans, skipper of Victorian Inland Charters.
And, as we’ve come to expect, redfin remain the main catch from the lake with Geelong anglers Jeff and Les Broughton taking their share of fish to 600 grams or so. However, a Mr Jolly, also from Geelong, weighed in a reddie at 1 kg.
Kevin and Amber Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club report that Tullaroop Reservoir is still producing good size redfin, and that’s no secret with other club members, including Ken Hinks and Don and Robert Rayner picking them up as well.
Most have been caught on Storm micro jigs, ice jigs, and on small yabbies.
Kevin also mentions that club members became involved with the release of 50,000 Murray cod in Laanecoorie Reservoir, and another 50,000 into Cairn Curran Reservoir, which augurs well for good fishing in the future.
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
Mike Windsor of Clifton Springs Boat Hire reports that there are whiting to be caught, but the hoards of undersize pinkie snapper can make fishing for them hard labour.
Never the less, some – including Jim Anglei and George Ili – were rewarded with reasonable catches of whiting just south of the mussel farm off Clifton Springs.
Also fishing in much the same area was Peter Sierakowski whose catch included several flathead, including a beauty measuring 62 cm, and 2 kg snapper.
Andrew Johnson and Dennis O’Brien spent a good deal of Sunday afternoon after whiting, just inshore from the Portarlington mussel farm.
Well, they finished up with 20 fish to 37 cm, but would have caught more had their baits not proved so attractive to the multitudes of undersize pinkie snapper.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire reports that patchy weather put a dampener on fishing for much of last week, but whiting are about with clients bringing in some good catches.
Squid have been scarce lately though said Rod, although their numbers improved over the weekend. But once again it was flathead that saved the day for many with most being caught on the drift along the edge of the Prince George Bank.
S.A. introduces a snapper lottery
The backlash against South Australia’s three year ban on snapper fishing (from November 2019 until February 2023) has prompted the S.A. government to introduce a limited snapper fishery.
Access to snapper fishing south east of Kangaroo Island is being allocated through a lottery that closes on January 19. However, both Gulf St Vincent and Spencer Gulf, and the remainder of South Australia, will remain closed.
In all, 606 anglers – who must reside in specified South Australian post codes – will be chosen to take 3030 snapper for an estimated 6000 kg, all of which are to be specially tagged: Mind you, that figure of 6000 kg works out to be less than 2 kg a fish; less than a third the average size of a South Oz snapper.
Tourists will have to rely on the government’s allocation of a further 3788 tags to licensed charter boat operators – 49 tags each – for an expected catch of 7500 kg as part of this trial. A further revision to the ban includes an allowable commercial catch of 60,750 kg of snapper, along with an as yet undisclosed quota for Aboriginal fishers.
Paul asks:
Geoff, every fishing magazine I look though promotes the use of some lure or other. Most of the fishing I am involved with relies on the use of bait: Am I missing something?
Paul, most fish are caught on bait as you have observed, and which is self evident in almost every fishing situation encountered except for some obvious and notable exceptions.
What you have to realize is that fishing publications rely heavily on advertising, and – I dare say – encourage fishing writers that use the products advertised.