Michael Bealham with yet another snapper in the 7 kg range taken offshore from Point Wilson (Picture Candace Mimms).
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
Corio Bay’s successful snapper anglers include Michael Bealham who put in daylight sessions with companion Candace Mimms, and various night time vigils with John Wesolowski, Daniel Grant and Mark Kirby.
All took snapper to 7 kg or so, mainly off Point Wilson where, unfortunately, sharks and rays became a nuisance after dark, moving in on their baits.
On the water at 6.00 am on Saturday, Andrew Phillips and Mark Sesar were after the whiting, and anchored up in 6.7 metres of water off Point Richards, they were soon into a good bite catching 20, the biggest measuring 46 cm, along with several pinkie snapper to 800 grams or so.
But then, a shoal of Australian salmon moved in, taking every one of their baits, and that was the end of the whiting fishing. So, they changed over to 12-gram metal lures and made the most of the salmon bite.
Mike Windsor of Clifton Springs Boat Hire reports good fishing off The Springs, and among the successful anglers was Hamish Hodgson whose catch on Saturday included a nice snapper measuring 69 cm.
He caught that in 9.5 metres of water just off the mussel farm. And, prior to that, several squid offshore from Beacon Point.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head reports that inclement weather has been the stumbling block to excellent fishing on the few days weather permits.
Whiting have been the most sought-after fish, with clients returning with respectable catches of whiting to 40 odd centimetres, anywhere from Grassy Point, Portarlington, south to the Governor Reefs.
Michael Evans with a 62 cm chinook salmon from Lake Bullen Merri.
From the beach
Last Tuesday evening, Ray Millman and Kalon Stavris had to contend with a lot of weed while fishing just north of the Torquay boat ramp, but it cleared on the rising tide and they caught half a dozen legal size pinkie snapper.
Kalon caught a 6 kg gummy shark later in the night, but all was quiet after that until Ray hooked something large at around 1.30 am that took off at a rate of knots, eventually pulling free of the hook.
Kalon left after that but Ray stayed on, all he caught after that though was a very large Whitley skate that he returned.
Archie Tyler 10, from Birchip with a Lake Purrumbete redfin.
Denley Tyler 8, also from Birchip with one of his redfin.
Freshwater
Fishing Wurdiboluc Reservoir on Sunday, Andrew Ketelaar had a good day on the redfin, catching some beauties to 45 cm while casting a Nories Wasabi spoon around the weed margins.
With Thursday morning free, Michael Evans of Victorian Inland Charters, called up his mate Kenny Rogers, and they headed out onto Lake Bullen Merri, where they caught chinook salmon to 55 cm trolling various lures.
Des Coffey 9, another member of the Birchip crew with another redfin.
Stephen Eales with a nice Murray cod from Lake Mulwala.
As the morning wore on, the fish went a bit coy, so they dropped soft plastics over the side, but again, to little avail. Then Michael tried adding some “Dizzy Scent” to the mix; a good move, for that produced two more salmon, the biggest measuring 62 cm, and a rainbow trout.
John Clements of Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that, as usual, redfin have been on the bite.
Among those to catch them was Jarryd Tyler, along with sons Archie 10 and Denley 8, and their friend Des Coffey 9; all from Birchip. They were soon well and truly into the redfin using Shimano, Bio-Tough, soft plastics.
Maryborough Angling Club members Kevin Wild and Stephen Eales spent a couple of days fishing Lake Mulwala last week, catching and releasing 42 Murray cod using chicken for bait, their biggest fish measuring 74 cm.
On their return, the pair fished from the bank of Tullaroop Reservoir where they caught a number of redfin, this water being still closed to boating because of the water running over the spillway.
Kevin also reports that club member Ian Morse fished the Loddon River below Laanecoorie Weir, where – using yabbies for bait – he caught two Murray cod of 59 and 61 cm.
Kevin Wild with one of the Murray Cod he caught from Lake Mulwala.
Andrew Ketelaar with one of the redfin he caught from Wurdiboluc Reservoir on Sunday.
Warrnambool
Recent improvements to Warrnambool’s Lady Bay boat ramp include a grooved concrete surface to provide more traction, along with upgraded mooring jetties with secure tying-off points when launching and retrieving.
Dredging, and other measures are also being undertaken to a provide safe passage to and from the ramp with additional revetment to provide protection to the ramp from wave action.