Chris Stamalos with the snapper and gummy shark he caught offshore from Barwon Heads on Sunday (Victorian Inland Charters).
Chris Stamalos with the 5 kg cuttlefish he caught off Barwon Heads on Saturday (Victorian Inland Charters).
Offshore
With good weather on Sunday, Chris Stamalos was among several to head out from Barwon Heads, and with the exceptionally low tides late last week and over the weekend, it was a bumpy ride over some of the shallow sand bars.
Eventually, at anchor in 30 metres of water, Chris was soon in business with a sevengilled shark of possibly 30 kg. Fortunately, there weren’t too many of those about. Next cab off the rank was a 9 kg gummy shark followed by a 4 kg snapper, and then a 5 kg cuttlefish that was hooked in the tentacle.
Simon Werner, of Adamas Charters reports that, fishing in much the same area, his clients also took snapper to 4 kg, along with both gummy and school shark to 15 kg.
Victorian Inland Charters client Jacob with another nice redfin (Victorian Inland Charters).
Victorian Inland Charters client Jacob with another nice redfin (Victorian Inland Charters).
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
On Saturday morning, Andrew Phillips and Tony Greck launched at St Leonards, and on the last of the outgoing tide, headed out into around 19 metres of water, hopeful of catching a gummy shark or two. However, first up was a sevengilled shark of around 60 kg that they released, and that was followed by an 8 kg gummy shark that they kept.
All they caught after that though were flathead of various sizes, not really what they were after. So, they decided to head in toward Coles Beacon off the entrance of Swan Bay to fish for whiting.
Initially there wasn’t much doing, but when the incoming tide picked up mid-afternoon, the whiting came on the bite and by late evening, they’d topped off their bag limit catches with some bigger fish, one stretching the tape out to 43 cm.
Early on Friday morning, Andrew Johnson headed out off Curlewis, and by 6.30 am was at anchor in 5 metres of water from where he took a bag limit catch of whiting, the smallest he kept measured 35 cm, the largest 41.
With time on his hands, Andrew pulled the anchor, and – fishing on the drift in around 3 metres of water – picked up a half dozen nice squid.
Just as well there are imminent plans to excavate the Clifton Springs harbour entrance said Andrew, because – with the exceptionally low morning tides toward the end of last week, and over the weekend – he just made it back through the harbour entrance, and that was half an hour or so before low tide. Three larger craft weren’t so lucky, running aground, their owners having to wait out the tide to get back in.
Fortunately, we won’t be seeing any more really low tides until mid-June. They’re predicted to occur mid-afternoon on the 13th and 14th.
Amber Wild with the 72 cm Murray cod she caught during the Maryborough Angling Club outing on Lake Mulwala last week.
Off the Beach
Fishing last week’s morning low tides from the beach at Ocean Grove, Stanley Owen and Tony Ingram were initially plagued by large crabs taking their baits of squid, and – as confirmation – brought several to the beach still hanging on to what was left of their baits.
But as the tide eventually began coming in, the crabs seemed to go into hiding, heralding the first of several good bites that produced a couple of pinkie snapper and a small mulloway. And by the time the incoming tide forced their retreat, they’d added a couple of snapper nudging the 40 cm mark.
Kevin Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club with the 120 cm Murray cod he caught from Lake Mulwala last week (Picture: Amber Wild).
Kevin Wild with the 82 cm cod he caught during the Maryborough Angling Club outing on Lake Mulwala last week (Picture: Amber Wild).
Freshwater
Kevin and Amber Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club spent a few days at Yarrawonga on Lake Mulwala, trolling lures mainly, with Percy the Perch (an articulated rubber bodied lure), and Old Mate deep-running bibbed minnows, with one of which, Kevin plucked a 120 cm Murray Cod, his biggest to date.
They also did well during the Maryborough Angling Club’s outing on Lake Mulwala during their stay that produced a total of 20 fish that were caught and released; Kevin with an 82 cm cod and Amber, another of 72 cm.
Last Tuesday, Michael Evans of Victorian Inland Charters was joined by clients Mick and Steve from Horsham, both keen to go out onto Lake Purrumbete despite the stiff breeze and occasional passing shower.
Redfin were on the bite from the get-go, mainly in the usual size range, but Mick picked up a beauty of 44 cm and 1.4 kg. Altogether they probably would have caught over a hundred, keeping 60 for themselves, their families, and friends.
On Friday, client Steve, along with his two boys Jacob and Steve, were also in a redfin session; they too brought home a catch worth skiting over.