Adrian Cole with a sample of the snapper that he and Mark Sesar caught in the shelter of Point Henry last Wednesday, that won a bronze medal in the Victorian Police and Emergency Services Games (Picture: Mark Sesar).
The Games
The Victorian Police and Emergency Services Games began last week and continued until yesterday in venues across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria, including Geelong.
The astonishing range of competitive activities included fishing challenges in both salt and fresh water, and in which fishing column contributors Mark Sesar and Adrian Cole had auspicious success on the snapper.
The pair were on the water well before daybreak, but with a brisk sou-wester, they stayed in the shelter of Point Henry rather that venturing further out into the outer harbour where they’d last killed the pig, so to speak.
But as it turned out, that was far enough.
With buckling rods and yelping reels, it was clear they were onto a hot snapper bite, soon reaching their legal bag limits of three snapper each, returning one accidental capture as they retrieved their lines, enough to score them a bronze medallion in their section.
And, speaking of snapper, an early start off Avalon paid off for Andrew Phillips and Tony Greck on Sunday morning.
They caught their first snapper at 5.30 am, and by 8.15 had taken their respective bag limit catches of three fish each from 3.5 to 6.5 kg using silver whiting and squid for bait.
Anglers Rodney, Vinnie and Aaron with yet another of the tuna taken off Portland last week (Picture: Portland Bait and Tackle).
Bellarine Peninsula
Whiting still on the go as Garry Ridgeway could attest after venturing out off Clifton Springs last Tuesday morning.
He had no trouble taking his bag limit of twenty good size fish using mussels and squid for bait after first, unsuccessfully, trying for squid. But hanging a baited stem jig over the side while fishing for whiting finally did tempt a large squid.
Andrew Johnson and Dennis O’Brien were also after the whiting on Tuesday, and after making several moves, found a good patch in 4 metres of water off Curlewis where they took bag limit catches of fish to 43 cm.
They also caught a couple of large squid that had followed a hooked pinkie snapper back to the boat where each in turn was presented with a jig.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head reports that squid and whiting are still a going concern off Indented Head where one client described a close call for a squid he was bringing in, when – what he assumed was a large gummy shark – came snapping at its proverbial heels.
David Jurisic with one of the bluefin tuna he and Beau Barron caught of Barwon Heads last week.
Drew Francis and Matthew Taylor with a couple of nice tuna they caught off Portland (Picture: Portland Bait and Tackle).
Offshore
Bluefin tuna have been testing the patience of anglers off Port Phillip Heads where locating them has been far less of a challenge than making a catch.
However, David Jurisic and Beau Barron were up to the challenge after encountering a school of bluefin in 29 meters off Barwon Heads after traversing The Rip in good weather and on low slack water, early last week.
Deploying an Australian-made “Bangers” spreader bar with multiple teasers in the wake, ahead of a spread of 5.5-inch (14 cm) lures of his own design in the “king brown” coloration – now available under the Bass Strait label – strikes came thick and fast, each taking bag limit catches of bluefin to 20 kg.
And there could be some bigger fish on the way if catches off Portland are any guide.
According to Ben at Portland Bait and Tackle – who’s recently weighed several bluefin tuna to 145 kg for successful anglers, not to mention those being caught and released – the Portland tuna fishery continues to justify the considerable investment already made on boating facilities down that way.
Luke Lugg with a 6.3 kg chinook salmon caught from Lake Purrumbete at the weekend (Picture: David Jurisic).
David Jurisic with a brown trout (left) and a tiger trout from Lake Purrumbete.
Freshwater
Fishing Lake Purrumbete over the weekend were David Jurisic, Beau Barron and Luke Lugg. Included in their mixed bag of chinook salmon, rainbow, tiger and brown trout, was a chinook salmon that weighed 6.3 kg.
Most were taken on Tassie Devils, including the largest chinook salmon; another example of how successful the most recent fingerling trial has been in producing these trophy-size fish. Hopefully, this procedure will continue.
Leonie Jones and Greg Streets with a couple of redfin from Lake Lonsdale.
Kevin Wild with a nice redfin from Lake Lonsdale.
Kevin Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club reports that he, Ken Hinks, and a number of other club members, fished Lake Lonsdale near Stawell at the weekend, and – trolling various lures including beetle-spins – all took good catches of redfin.