Greg Street with his 92 cm prize winning Murray Cod at Go Nagambie’s fishing competition.
Freshwater
Maryborough Angling Club members, Kevin and Amber Wild, participated in Go-Fish Nagambie, a competition that attracted numerous entries at $160.00 a pop.
And, no-wonder, given the prize-money on offer that included $80,000 for the largest Murray cod, and more besides.
Fortunately, the Goulburn River proved productive for most anglers including Kevin and Amber, for although they didn’t get to claim any of the prize money, they caught any number of yellowbelly, and Amber caught a 78 cm Murray cod.
Greg Street was the only club member to get a sniff of the prize money, coming in at tenth place with a 92 cm Murray cod.
Closer to home, Kevin reports that club member Stephen Eales, who ventured out on Lake Tullaroop with son Mason 3, and daughters Lily 5 and Amelia 7, found redfin really on the go.
The highlight of the day was when Mason got into difficulty with a fish despite a good deal of coaching from dad.
But, considering it turned out to be the catch of the day, a 51 cm redfin that would have probably weighed 2.5 kg, it was no wonder the lad was struggling.
On Lake Purrumbete, John Clements reports that redfin remain the main catch with John Hewitt of Port Fairy getting the job done with scrubworms while Ken Carman of Camperdown picked up his share on live minnow.
Amber Wild with her 78 cm Murray cod on the Goulburn River at Nagambie.
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
Andrew Johnson, like most of my other informants, have complained about the incessant winds we’ve been having of late, never the less – on Friday afternoon – they tried for whiting off Point Richards.
The fish, though plentiful were small, mostly well below their self-imposed limit somewhere in the low 30 cm range, and were returned.
By now though the wind was gusting to more than 25 knots from the south, something that would have sent most packing, but they headed to Curlewis, where – despite the atrocious conditions – they caught 30 beautiful fish to 41 cm before heading back before the tide fell uncomfortably low.
Early last week, Mark Richards tried his luck in Stingaree Bay and had a respectable tally of 14 whiting to 40 cm before a seal showed up, shutting the bite down completely.
On Thursday, Andrew Phillips and Tony Greck headed out off Swan Island at Queenscliff after the squid, and they did very well with respectable tallies while the wind remained in the west. But, as we’ve come to expect of late, the wind came howling in from the south east, shutting down the show.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head reports that on the days that weather allows access, whiting have been caught in good numbers anywhere from Grassy Point near Portarlington, to the Governor reefs at Indented Head.
They’ve currently been the main chance said Rod, who also managed to sneak out himself for a respectable bag of fish to 40 cm.
Andrew Ketelaar with a 4.6 kg Australian Salmon taken at Kilcunda in South Gippsland.
Off the beach
With high tides on evening last week, Tony Ingram and Col Simmons fished Thirteenth Beach near the 40W car park, as they did the fortnight previous. However, I mistakenly wrote 50W on that occasion; sorry for any confusion.
A lure-casting exercise revealed the presence of Australian salmon to 500 grams or so that had moved in on the rising tide. And, baiting with cut pilchards produced a fish or two of almost twice that size.
And that trend continued, with even larger fish making an appearance as the rising tide peaked on dark, the biggest of these nudging 2 kg.
Andrew Ketelaar of Narre Warren spends some time fishing from the beach at Kilcunda in South Gippsland where he too catches some big salmon.
Last week he caught a beauty of 4.6 kg at the tide change while walking the beach and looking for likely gutters, and the schools of salmon that have moved within casting range from the deeper water.
Finley O’Keefe with his 90 kg striped marlin from Bermagui.
Upstate
Steve O’Keefe, along with his son Finley and friend Brett Bravo, headed up to Bermagui in NSW hoping to find a marlin for Finley, and – on one of the days weather allowed access – Finley caught a striped marlin of 90 kg.
The prize catch took a slimy mackerel fished as a live bait, an offering also tempting a couple of good size shark – one a mako of perhaps 150 kg that bit through the leader – and a large whaler shark that was released alongside.
Damon Sherriff with yet another snapper taken just outside the entrance of the Bridport harbour in Tasmania; this one weighed 5.5 kg.
Tassie snapper
Damon Sherriff made yet another early morning snapper fishing trip off Bridport on Sunday, and – after a 3.00 am start – he didn’t have to wait very long before he caught his first fish, one of a double hook-up.
He finished up with a bag limit catch of snapper ranging in size from 3.5 to 5.5 kg; all taken on fresh calamari.