Mariah Pearson, 10, with a rainbow trout that she caught from St Augustine’s dam (Picture: Marcus Pearson).
Among those to take advantage were Marcus Pearson and his 10 year old daughter Mariah who not only caught several of the newly released rainbow trout using corn kernels for bait, but found herself engaged with a much bigger fish that was clearly no rainbow trout.
I t turned out to be a 6.25 kg European carp, one of two she caught, demonstrating a great degree of angling skill.
Friday’s rainbow trout liberation (Picture: Victorian Fishing Authority).
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
Fishing around Eastern Beach and the Geelong Yacht Club, were soft plastic specialists Paul Mayer and Shane Marriot. Using Munroe’s soft plastic grubs, they initially, caught and released some really good size pinkie snapper to 55 cm.
Following that, they moved in around a nearby rock structure where they used the same approach to catch and release some good size bream, the biggest at 45 cm.
From all accounts, catches of snotty trevally from Cunningham Pier have declined, but on Friday afternoon, Andrew Phillips and Mark Sesar picked up a promising reading in around 8 metres of water off Western Beach.
They soon had a good bite going, and within 90 minutes or so and fishing mid-water, had taken 40 fish to just shy of 400 grams, with undersize pinkie snapper taking any baits fished too deep.
Whiting remain the main attraction in the outer harbour though, and earlier in the week, Andrew – who was fishing with Tony Greck off the Pelican Shores Caravan Park at Leopold from around 7.00 am – reports that they had to make several moves to find them.
Catch and release: Paul Mayer with one of the snapper he caught near the Geelong Yacht Club (Picture: Shane Marriot).
Although scattered, and somewhat smaller than the fish they’d taken on previous trips, they caught a couple around the 40 cm mark, finishing up with their respective bag limit catches by 11 am.
Also onto the whiting were Derrick Hargreaves and Col Simmons, who – after making several moves – found a good patch in 5 metres of water off Curlewis. Using pipis for bait they soon had a good bite going finished up with a respectable catch of whiting.
Fishing off the Portarlington Breakwater over the weekend were Simon Werner, Rod Butcher, and Rod’s mate Pete. The snapper were something of a non-event being too small, but they did take a respectable catch of whiting, the biggest around 36 cm.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head also reports one of his friends caught 16 whiting from the breakwater on evening, and the good news is that his boating clientele have been picking them up as well.
Flathead have also been a dependable catch said Rod, that’s provided the weather allows for fishing on the drift in the deeper water, but squid have been scarce.
Paul Mayer with one of the bream that he and Shane Marriot caught in Corio Bay.
Freshwater
Kevin Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club reports that Tullaroop Reservoir continues to produce redfin and last week, he and wife Amber got amongst some goodies bouncing a soft plastics along the bottom, and with bobbers.
Kevin has a video clip on his facebook page should you want to see the action: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.wild.167
Kevin also mentions that fellow club member Graham Collicoat caught seven nice yellowbelly, from 45 to 55 cm, fishing worms alongside the submerged timber in Cairn Curran Reservoir via Newstead.
John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that nearby Lake Bullen Merri has been producing rainbow trout and chinook salmon, both to anglers fishing from boats, and from the bank.
Mark Malone and Tim Beusmans were successful trolling lures, while successful bank fishermen have included Stan Owen, who’s caught several rainbow trout to 1.5 kg on Berkley Powerbait, along with numerous newly released chinook salmon.
Mariah Pearson 10, with the 6.25 kg European carp she caught from St Augustine’s Water Hole (Picture: Marcus Pearson).
Portland
Down Portland way, Bob McPherson reports that tuna to more than 130 kg have been taken by anglers, that have included Kevin Agius and one or two other, who – after locating bait balls on their sounders – break the pilchards out into a berley stream, one of which is on a hook and with the proverbial string attached.
Reece asks:
Geoff, I notice you use the spelling Wurdiboluc for the reservoir there, but Barwon Water’s spelling is Wurdee Boluc, which is correct?
Reece, this is a question I’ve had several times over the years, and of which I’ve done some research. Wurdiboluc is the correct name for this rural locality and infrastructure: Wikipedia reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wurdiboluc,_Victoria
Historically speaking though, at least one newspaper advertisement from the 1860s referred to the “Reeves Telegraph Hotel” at Wurdiboluc, as the “Wurdee Boluc Hotel,” (a misspelling): Why anybody would revive that misspelling in this day and age is puzzling.