Dean Hall with a good snapper sample off Leopold.
Andrew Johnson with a sample of the snapper he caught off Point Richards (Picture: Pete Dawson).
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
An early start off Point Richards on Wednesday paid off for Andrew Johnson and Dennis O’Brien, their first snapper coming aboard around 5.10 am.
That was just north of the Point Richards channel where they caught five big fish including one of 7 kg and a couple around the 5 kg mark, all before sunrise,
They stayed until 8.00 am or so, but with no more action from the snapper, they moved in shallower and began drifting for squid, successfully as it turned out for they finished up with fourteen; some for the table and some for bait.
Andrew’s return trip on the snapper, this time with Daniel and Joel Trezise, yielded a similar result, with – on this occasion – one fish being taken on a soft plastic.
A sample of Andrew Curry’s redfin, caught on the fly.
Fishing Corio Bay’s outer harbour on Wednesday evening Paul Rahman and Darien Roach didn’t have long to wait for their first snapper either.
They each caught their respective bag limits of fish over 40 cm – the biggest around the 5.5 kg mark – and a good many smaller fish as well.
Mike Windsor of Clifton Springs Boat Hire reports that while snapper are the main attraction, whiting are also about with Dennis O’Brien picking up a bag limit catch in 4.8 metres off Portarlington.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire also mentions that clients are catching whiting, and there are some in the 40 cm range, making for great fishing.
Murray and Darcy Scott have done well on the squid at Queenscliff, especially in the Lonsdale Bight, and a 5.00 pm start last week, along with Trent Budinski, yielded the trios bag limit catches by 6.30.
So, with daylight on their side, they headed north to the Swan Island grass beds, and – with the tide now running off – they caught a total of sixty whiting that greeted the scales for a verdict of 20 kg.
But that wasn’t the end of their fishing adventures, for on Wednesday afternoon, Darcy took another run out to the Lonsdale Bight with Trent Budinski, Allie Gebert and her friend Sarah Ashton who put another 40 of the succulent cephalopods in the cooler.
And, the story you might have heard that Trent Budinski caught a snapper on a squid jig is true, it weighed 4.5 kg and engulfed a prawn-style squid jig on a paternoster rig in front of Queenscliff’s Cottage by the Sea.
Darien Roach and Paul Rahman with a sample of their snapper catch.
Dennis O’Brien with a sample of the snapper he caught off Point Richards (Picture: Pete Dawson).
Barwon estuary
Simon Werner and Jake Callahan fished the outgoing tide in the Barwon estuary on Saturday to find all manner of fish plentiful including salmon, one of which Simon put out live for a mulloway. It was in fact taken by another salmon that weighed 2 kg.
They also caught a 47 cm flathead and numerous King George whiting.
Also fishing the Barwon estuary on Saturday were Chris and Daniel Stamalos who added silver trevally to their mixed bag of fish, similar to those caught by Simon and Jake.
Mick Burns of Swan Hill with a 3.3 kg brown trout from Lake Purrumbete (Picture: John Clements).
Trent Budinski with the snapper that scoffed his squid jig (Picture: Darcy Scott).
Freshwater
Kevin Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club reports that yellowbelly to 43 cm are still being caught on worms and yabbies among the timbered areas of Cairn Curran Reservoir; Don Rayner and Brian Rivett of Ballarat have done well on these.
However, I have been aware of yellowbelly in excess of 60 cm coming from this water, some detail of which Kevin was able to fill me in on.
Turns out that that these, while less plentiful than the smaller fish, have been taken on lures trolled along what is known as the Main Bank, and in the vicinity of the Cairn Curran Yacht Club.
Among those to catch them was Kurt Watts, who’s best yellowbelly to date measured 63 cm and was taken on a lure known as a “Feral Cat,” purple in colour.
John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that, while some good fish were taken over the weekend, the fishing had been slower than usual with the near full moon.
Those to do well, included Swan Hill angler Mick Burns whose catch included a 3.3 kg brown trout taken on a mudeye, and fly-fisher Andrew Curry of East Bentleigh who took a good catch of redfin to just on 40 cm, fly fishing from his inflatable.
Lachie Wombell and George Geriege with a good sample of blue eye trevalla taken off Portland (Picture: Bob McPherson).
Lachie Wombell with a good sample of blue eye trevalla taken off Portland (Picture: Bob McPherson).
Portland
With a break in the weather on Saturday, Lachie Wombell, George Geriege and Bob McPherson headed out to the edge of the Continental shelf, where – in just on 500 metres of water – they fished on the drift for blue-eye trevalla.
Successfully as it turned out, for they took near bag-limit catches of fish to 8 kg or so before heading back in.