Jamie Malone with the thresher shark he caught off Port Fairy (Picture: Richardson Marine).
Chris Soleman with the 154 kg bluefin tuna he caught offshore from Port Fairy (Picture: Richardson Marine).
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
An early start last Monday, to the east of the Nine Foot Bank off Avalon, paid off for Andrew Phillips and Tony Greck, who – after mooching around for a while with the sounder going – got a promising signal.
That was shortly after 4.00 am, and it wasn’t long before they’d caught the first of several snapper to 5.2 kg and others below the 40 cm mark. That was before the banjo sharks and eagle rays moved in on their baits persuading them to leave at around 7.30 am.
After Christmas celebrations, and with good weather on Saturday, Andrew – along with Mark and Tina Sesar – headed out to the same area from around 7.00 pm, again from Clifton Springs where there were plenty of other folk with the same idea.
While the fishing was a bit slower than it was earlier in the week, they still caught six snapper, the biggest weighing 3.7 kg, and Tina pulled the hook on a much bigger fish before they returned to the ramp in calm moonlit conditions at around 11.00 pm.
Chris Stamalos with a sample of his and his brother Daniel’s catch off Point Richards.
Murray and Linda Stewart have also caught snapper from Corio Bay lately, and using a good quality sounder, as they do, have had little trouble finding them.
However, finding fish on the sounder can be frustrating when they won’t bite, something that Murray showed me with photographs he took of his sounder screen that was lit up with what were obviously good size snapper, which – on that occasion – wouldn’t bite.
Mike Windsor of Clifton Springs Boat Hire reports that, in addition to snapper, gummy shark have been on offer with Chris and Daniel Stamalos picking up one of 4.5 kg off Point Richards, along with a 3.2 kg snapper and a couple of flathead just on a kilogram. Joel & Ray Helou also caught a couple of gummies last week.
Whiting are still being caught said Mike, with Dennis O’Brien eventually picking up a bag limit catch of nice fish in 6.7 metres of water off Hermsley Road, Curlewis after making several moves to avoid the smaller fish which are plentiful at present.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head also reports that whiting are present in good numbers, along with squid, but of course you may need to find them first.
And gummy shark are about here as well, said Rod, with client Anthony picking up a couple around 5 kg while drifting for flathead in the deeper water.
Linda Stewart with a sample of the snapper that she and husband Murray have taken from Corio Bay lately (Picture: Murray Stewart).
Murray Stewart sent me this picture of his sounder screen; snapper a plenty, but showing no interest in any bait offered.
Off the Beach
Fishing the late afternoon high tides from Bancoora Beach early last week, Tony Ingram and Col Simmons were in business with Australian salmon to 800 grams or so, both on bait, and during a lure casting session with 60 gram Gillies Pilchards.
With the tide running off on evening, they sacrificed a couple of salmon fillets for bait in the hope of catching a good size pinkie snapper or two, as they had the previous week at RAAFs, but a modest gummy shark, and some unwanted species that were released, was their only return.
Portland and Port Fairy
Taking advantage of any break in the weather, Bob McPherson and Lachie Wombell have been fishing Cape Nelson where their catches have included some really good size King George whiting. Interesting though was the number of silver whiting that they also caught.
Fishing offshore from nearby Port Fairy, Chris Soleman and a companion were seeking tuna, and with mainly small fish around at this time of year, were surprised by an XOS specimen that eventually greeted the scales for a verdict of 154 kg.
While trying out his new, Suzuki-powered Anglapro dedicated fishing craft, also off Port Fairy, Jamie Malone also got more than he bargained with a good size thresher shark. We don’t know what it weighed, but – hooked in the tail – it reportedly put up a great fight.
Lachie Wombell with a sample of the King George whiting that he and Bob McPherson have been catching from Cape Nelson (Picture: Bob McPherson).
A sample of the silver whiting taken by Bob McPherson and Lachie Wombell at Cape Nelson last week (Picture: Bob McPherson).
Freshwater
John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that some respectable chinook salmon have been taken from the lake including one fish of 4.3 kg weighed in by Travis from Camperdown.
John reports that redfin are being taken from the lake in good numbers with the bigger fish approaching a kilogram. Among those to catch these were Frank Frok of Carlton and Mick and Sammy Giles of Bannockburn.