Martinus de Lange with the tailor he caught from the Swan Bay jetty.
Swan Bay
Historically, we’ve seen a good many tailor in Queenscliff’s Swan Bay, and they’d often take baits intended for the large flathead this water sometimes produces. We’ve even caught them from the jetty when they’d round up bait-fish there toward evening, but they’ve apparently been absent for some years now.
However, on Saturday evening, Martinus de Lange caught one from the jetty on a fish fillet with which he was hoping to catch a snapper in the driving easterly that had discoloured the water, but – apart from the tailor – there were only small pinkies on offer.
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
Making an early start off Point Richards in overcast conditions last Tuesday, Andrew Phillips and Tony Greck were looking forward to some great whiting fishing, but – apart from a nice flathead, several of which they eventually caught – there wasn’t much doing until the outgoing tide picked up around 7.00 am.
They’d already made several moves, but eventually found the action they’d sought just east of the mussel farm, and using pipis for bait, they finished up with their respective bag limit catches, several of which were around 38 cm with one beauty of 44 cm: Their biggest flathead measured 52 cm.
Fishing off Curlewis on Friday, Andrew and Jenny Johnson were also into the whiting but with a strong easterly setting in, their trip was cut short after taking only 12 good size fish.
Fishing off the entrance to Swan Bay near Coles Beacon on Wednesday, Jeff Richards and Chris Hateley picked up 23 whiting on the ebb tide.
Waiting out slack water, they expected the incoming tide to trigger another productive session. Not on this occasion however, and with toadies becoming an increasing menace, they called it quits.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head reports that clients had good fishing despite the indifferent weather with squid, whiting and a good many flathead making an appearance.
Joseph Ardiri with his tuna taken offshore from Barwon Heads.
Offshore
While tuna are still plentiful offshore from Port Phillip and Barwon Heads, they can be somewhat finicky when it comes to taking lures, and last Thursday afternoon was one of those times when Kane Ardiri, Phil Fisher and Joseph Ardiri found them so.
Never the less they persisted and Joseph eventually picked one up around the 20 kg mark.
The fishing was almost certainly better on Thursday morning when Daniel Gallop, who – after making an early start – found fish mid-water on his sounder, and caught five on deep-running lures, keeping his bag limit of two, each around the 20 kg mark.
Kevin Wild sent this before and after shot of the redfin that he and wife Amber caught from the Hume Weir.
Freshwater
Kevin and Amber Wild, both members of the Maryborough Angling Club, report staying on at Lake Mulwala after the “Cod Nationals” the weekend previous, catching and releasing some 4-5 Murray cod a day on spinnerbaits.
But after getting the drumbeats from fellow club members, Ken and Faye Hinks, that Hume Weir was firing, they collected a quantity of Murray shrimp from Mulwala, and – keeping them alive for bait – that was their next destination.
And well worth the trip as it turned out, for they caught 75 redfin.
Kevin also mentions that club members Stephen Eales and John Gray have both reportedly taken good catches of redfin from Tullaroop Reservoir, which has been in slumber-mode for some time.
And, in addition to that, Kevin mentions a VFA release of 47,000 golden perch (yellowbelly) into this water, adding even more variety.
From all reports, redfin are the main species on offer at Lake Purrumbete, with Steve O’Keefe from Geelong among the successful anglers taking a dozen using live minnow for bait.
Sammy asks:
Geoff, I hear the mulloway are on the bite in the Barwon estuary; do you have any tips on catching them?
Sammy, to say that the mulloway are on the bite is an exaggeration, but some have recently been caught from the Sheepwash.
Baits used have included live mullet, or small but legal-size Australian salmon, squid – preferably freshly caught rather than frozen – and bait-size portions cut from fillets of freshly caught fish.
Anglers skilled in the art of fishing with soft plastics have also caught quite a few, particularly throughout the duration of either tide change, the low tide change in particular.