Darcy Scott with a kingfish from Port Phillip Heads (Picture: Murray Scott).
Offshore
Tuna remain the main attraction off Port Phillip Heads where on Sunday morning, Justin Burns and Simon Williams plucked four fish, each around the 20 kg mark, while trolling lures in around 30 metres of water.
Naturally, a good many others caught them as well including Paul Worsteling of Cranbourne Tackle World who headed out with the IFISH TV crew, ready for action:
They weren’t disappointed either, catching four tuna, also around the 20 kg mark.
They also caught several kingfish and good size Australian salmon they describe as a by-catch that fell to the variety of skirted and deep-running lures they were trolling.
Simon Williams with one of the tuna he and Justin Burns caught outside Port Phillip Heads on Sunday morning (Picture: Justin Burns).
Also successful on the kingfish at Port Phillip Heads last week was Matt Cini of Reel Time Charters and his clients. They also bagged a small mako shark that took an unhealthy interest in one of the kingfish being brought alongside.
Fishing near the wreck of the Orungal off Barwon Heads, Simon Werner and Jake Callahan were after the large whiting this area is noted for and got off to a good start taking four beauties from 38 to 42 cm. That was before the undersize pinkies moved in on their baits.
Matt Cini of Reel Time Charters (Left), and his clients (Right) with a good sample of kingfish form Port Phillip Heads (Picture: Cranbourne Fishing World).
Matt Cini of Reel Time Charters with a mako shark that had its eye on one of their kingfish (Picture: Reel Time Charters).
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
Mike Windsor of Clifton Springs Boat Hire reports that on Sunday, client Dylan Lewis, who fished offshore from the prominent red shed off Curlewis, caught whiting to 40 cm and flathead to 42 cm and several Australian salmon using squid for bait.
Earlier in the week, Graeme Gittens also did well on the flathead. He also caught a small seven-gilled shark, which was returned along with an undersize gummy shark.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head reports that squid were the main chance in the latter part of the week, along with the occasional legal size pinkie snapper.
With whiting on their mind, Andrew Johnson and Dennis O’Brien headed out off Clifton Springs where they were welcomed by a multitude of small, but legal-size fish that really didn’t make the grade.
They did catch a large flathead though, the first of five approaching the 50 cm mark that they caught during their day’s fishing.
They were after whiting though, and eventually found a better class of fish in 4.5 metres of water off Curlewis from which they took 32 fish to 40 cm, and – with squid jigs suspended over the side – they also took six of those: A tidy catch as it turned out, only curtailed when the wind squalled up from the south east sending them back to the ramp.
Speaking of whiting, Darcy Scott and workmate Scott Smart, headed down to Queenscliff on Friday evening to fish the Swan Island grass beds; a productive exercise as it turned out, for each took bag limit catches of whiting.
Todd Broughton with a tiger trout from Lake Purrumbete (Picture: John Clements).
Jason Eastman of Ballarat with his catch of redfin from Lake Purrumbete (Picture: John Clements).
Following their success, Darcy was on the job again before dawn on Sunday morning, this time with father Murray, and again they were well and truly into the whiting, taking bag limit catches along with several squid and a yellowtail scad.
Then, with the day still young, kingfish were now on their mind, so they headed out toward The Rip having kept two of the squid, the yellowtail scad, and even a couple of whiting, as live-bait.
Having begun their drift in 30 metres of water, the scad was first over the side and quickly demolished. It was followed by one of the whiting which resulted in a solid hook-up on a 7 kg kingfish that rounded their day out nicely.
Jason Gray with one of his yellowbelly from Taylors Lake, Horsham (Picture: Amber Wild).
Jason Gray with his 71 cm cod from Taylors Lake, Horsham (Picture: Amber Wild).
Freshwater
John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that exceptional catches of redfin to 800 grams or so were taken from the lake by Jason Eastman of Ballarat and Jacinta Kelly of Drysdale: Three species of trout were taken as well.
Todd Broughton of Geelong took a 2.6 kg Tiger trout and a 3.6 kg brown trout, while Wayne Kettner, also of Geelong, took a 2.5 kg rainbow trout.
Kevin Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club reports that the club visited Taylors Lake near Horsham which has been fishing well of late, and they weren’t disappointed.
Leonie Jones took the largest fish, an 87 cm Murray cod, which was followed by a 79 cm cod taken by Jason Gray. These were taken of chicken and cheese cocktail baits. The largest yellowbelly measured 41 cm and was taken by Rob Rayner.
Wayne Kettner of Geelong with a 2.5 kg rainbow trout from Lake Purrumbete (Picture: John Clements).
Todd Broughton with a 3.6 kg brown trout from Lake Purrumbete (Picture: John Clements).
Wave Attenuator
Andrew Ross, Coordinator of Central Geelong and Waterfront confirms that, as from this coming Saturday – and in compliance with Government funding – recreational fishing and public access will be permitted from the new wave attenuator.
This structure, which extends from Geelong’s Waterfront, is adjacent to, and managed by the Royal Geelong Yacht Club, will be open to the public from 6.00 am until 10.00 pm.
Any questions can be directed to RGYC. (03) 5229 3705, info@rgyc.com.au