Tony Ortega with his 71 cm brown trout from the Goulburn with father Albert and Grandad Alberto in the background.
A sample of the fish taken by the Ortega family from the Goulburn River/
Fishing the Goulburn River near Thornton last week were the Ortega family; Tony, his wife Anastasia, mother Pili, father Albert and 3-year-old daughter Celina.
Also present was Tony’s grandfather Alberto, 93 this year, who – along with his late wife, Francis – would be well known to fishing column readers through the 1980s and 90s with their local snapper and mulloway catches, often in the dead of winter.
They caught 9 fish from the Goulburn altogether, both browns and rainbows, but Tony scooped the pool with a magnificent 71 cm wild brown trout, and of which he sent in a photo.
Also fishing the Goulburn, a little further upstream at Eildon, were Maryborough Angling Club members Kevin Wild and John Gray whose best fish was a rainbow trout of 3.2 kg.
Kevin also reports that both Cairn Curran and Tullaroop Reservoirs are presently full, with Cairn Curran producing plenty of yellowbelly, one of 52 cm being taken by John Gray whilst fishing from the bank using worms for bait.
Fishing somewhat closer to home on Friday, Simon Werner tried his luck from the rock wall at Wurdiboluc Reservoir where he caught three rainbow trout, each around the 800-gram mark, and two redfin, each around 650 grams.
One of the trout was caught on a mudeye suspended under a float, his other fish were caught on a Pegron Tiger lure.
Kevin Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club with a 3.2 kg rainbow trout from the Goulburn River at Eildon.
Mark Wilde also a member of the Maryborough Angling Club with a 1.5 kg brown trout from Lake Fyans.
Fishing Lake Bullen Merri last week were Garry Ridgeway and Lindsay Robinson, but initially there wasn’t much doing, and the baits they had out attracted only the most tentative of bites.
However, for whatever reason, from 3.30 pm the bite was on, with the pair soon taking their legal bag limit catches of chinook salmon to a kilogram.
And, interestingly, in conversation with other anglers back at the temporary launching facility – most of whom were trolling lures – found that they too had similar results with nothing doing until around mid to late afternoon.
From all accounts, nearby Lake Purrumbete has also been productive with large brown trout on offer along with chinook salmon and other species of trout. However, redfin – the mainstay for most anglers – have been skittish, and somewhat of a challenge of late.
Mick Zsargo with what could be a tusk fish.
Mick Zsargo with what looks like a saddle-tail snapper.
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
Andrew Johnson and Pete Dawson braved very ordinary conditions on Wednesday morning last week, initially anchoring up off Leopold’s “The Sands” caravan park, but with the strengthening nor-easter, they decided to pull the pick and call it a day.
On the way back to the ramp though, the wind eased off, so they anchored up off Curlewis, and in 5 metres of water there was no shortage of whiting, but most, although legal size, were smaller than they’d have liked.
They persisted though, and – although most of the fish they caught were returned – they finished with 18 good size keepers.
Launching from Clifton Springs on Saturday morning, despite the inclement weather, and with a good supply of pipis and squid for bait, Jason Treloar and Harley Griffiths were after whiting, also finding a good patch off Curlewis.
They too had to contend with a number of smaller fish, but finished up with 24 good ones that included some approaching the 40 cm mark.
John Gray’s 52 cm yellowbelly from Cairn Curran Reservoir.
Abe asks:
Geoff, my brothers and I are going to Portland for the tuna and albacore. We will be fully fuelled up in a 6 metre boat but we don’t know where to find them. Can you help?
Abe, to the very best of my knowledge, most of the tuna have been taken to the south west of Portland. I have no recent reports of albacore but they could well be out there.
Having left the harbour and safely rounded Lawrence Rock, the large rocky outcrop several kilometres offshore, my advice is to take a compass bearing of 210 degrees to the south of south west and keep a watch out for bird activity, which is a good indication of tuna.
On that same heading, and depending on the weather, it could take you an hour or so to find productive water for albacore, that’s should they be present. However, bluefin are often encountered closer in, particularly of an early morning when feeding close in off Capes Nelson and Bridgewater.
Another sample of George Vlahogiannis’ bream catch from the Patterson River.
Patterson River
George Vlahogiannis has sent in more reports and photographs of the bream he’s caught from a pontoon on the Patterson River using maggots for bait. His biggest so far measured 41 cm.
A mixed bag aboard Darwin’s Outback Charters (Picture Mick Zsargo).
Upstate
On a visit to Darwin, NT, last week, Geelong Angler Mick Zsargo took a trip offshore with Outback Fishing Charters and proudly sent me pictures of the fish he caught.
Not sure of the species, but a tusk fish and a saddle tail snapper might be close to a couple he’s displayed. Anyway, that’s about where my knowledge of Darwin’s local saltwater fish ends.