Trent Schiller with an 83 cm mulloway that he caught from the Hopkins River estuary at Warrnambool.
Warrnambool
Mulloway are presently on offer from the Hopkins River after dark according to Trent Schiller, who – well rugged up against the cold – had success during last week’s moonlit nights when he predicted (correctly it would seem), they would be out hunting.
Trent’s biggest fish measured 83 cm and took a Daiwa, 106 mm Bait Junkie, fished on a slow retrieve at the ski run near the Warrnambool boat ramp. It put up a good fight said Trent, taking several good runs on the light tackle he was using before he was able to land it.
Ray Millman with one of the salmon he caught from the beach at Eastern View.
Off the beach
With rough seas over the past couple of weeks, dedicated beach fisherman, Ray Millman, has fished instead from various structures including the Lorne Pier from which he caught any number of Australian salmon, including a couple around the 3 kg mark, on his surf spinning outfit.
Last week though, Ray was confronted with a strong northerly blowing right in his face, making fishing difficult, but for most of the West Coast, it was blowing offshore. So, he decamped from the pier in search of some beach fishing opportunities.
Prepared to return fishless, his last port of call was Eastern View where his very first cast with a 42-gram Savage Gear Sea-Missile produced a salmon of possibly 2 kg. More followed, making his eventual journey back to his vehicle, with a dozen or so salmon problematic, for the combined weight of his catch snapped the strap on his carry bag.
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
Andrew Johnson made a 7.00 am start off Curlewis on Tuesday to catch the incoming tide, and hopefully some whiting, but initially there wasn’t much doing.
As sometimes is the case, it took a few moves to find them, and eventually, in 4 metres of water, he caught 15 fish from 35 to 42 cm.
Early last week, Andrew Phillips, along with Mark and Tina Sesar, headed down toward the entrance of Swan Bay where they caught their respective bag limit catches of squid, including one that weighed at 1.2 kg.
That was on the last of the incoming tide, which – by early afternoon – had begun to ebb. So, they anchored up out near Coles Beacon on the whiting, again taking their respective bag limit catches, their biggest measuring 43 cm.
Making a daybreak start on Sunday to catch the ebb tide, Steve O’Keefe and Anna McLean fished in the Lonsdale Bight, down toward the prominent rock wall.
All up they caught 36 whiting, and what beauties they were with two measuring 47 cm apiece.
Michael Goldby with a pink ling taken offshore from Portland (Picture: Bob McPherson).
Michael Goldby with a ghost cod taken offshore from Portland (Picture: Bob McPherson).
Offshore
With a break in the weather on Saturday, Bob McPherson, Michael Goldby and Lachie Wombell headed out to the wide grounds off Portland, and – fishing on the drift in around 500 metres of water – caught a variety of fish that included ghost cod, pink ling, coral perch, school shark and several others.
Closer to home, Kevin McLoughlin and Marcus Pearson fished in 30 metres of water off Torquay where their catch included an 18 kg gummy shark that they released.
Carn Taylor with the 38.65 kg hapuka he caught out wide from Port MacDonnell, SA.
South Oz
Talking big fish, Port MacDonnell cray fisherman Carn Taylor, just over the border in South Australia, also enjoys recreational fishing. And, picking a break in the weather last week, he caught a 38.65 kg hapuka while bottom-bouncing in the deeper water.
Mind you, that’s not the first time we’ve given Carn a mention: Back on the June full moon in 2015, he caught a 154.7 kg broadbill on 37 kg tackle while fishing with Clint Wilson and Mark Day on a night-long game fishing escapade.
Freshwater
With the full moon on Tuesday, Jack Paasse and brother Anton fished Lake Bullen Merri after nightfall. However, the fishing was slow with just a couple of small chinook salmon that took live minnow suspended beneath floats, and a tiger trout of about 1 kg that Anton caught.
Not wanting to waste his supply of live minnow that took him some time to catch, on Friday, Jack launched his kayak at Lake Purrumbete where he had more action, catching six tiger trout, the biggest a brightly coloured specimen of about 2.3 kg, another of 1.5 kg, and four smaller ones.
All were caught on minnow suspended a metre or so beneath the surface on a bubble float rig and released; an impressive fishery on which Jack congratulates Fisheries Victoria.
Boating information night
On Tuesday evening 28/06/22, The Geelong and District Angling Club at 9 Yuille Street, Geelong West, are holding a boating information night from 7.30 pm with a presentation by charter boat skipper and marine consultant, Kelvin Bertacchini.
This will include a flare demonstration from 8.00 pm, and an inflatable life jacket inspection; so, bring yours along. And bring a pen to complete inspection sheets, which will be supplied.
Kelvin is also prepared to answer attendee’s questions on any aspects of boating or fishing they may care to ask.