Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
Taking another run to the southern end of the Wilson Spit from Clifton Springs, Chris Stamalos – whose catch we featured last week – picked up yet another snapper of 5 kg, this time just on dusk, again on a fillet from an Australian salmon he caught from the Barwon estuary.
And, after making a 5.00 am start on Sunday, Andrew Phillips, along with Mark and Tina Sesar, picked up the signal they were looking for in seven metres or water while prowling one of their usual haunts off Avalon’s Mountain View Quarries.
They were snapper alright, and by 8.00 am they’d each taken their respective bag limits of fish from 3 to 6.5 kg, releasing two others that became hooked before they could retrieve the rest of their lines.
Stuart Scott’s coral trout from Corio Bay.
Surprise capture
Launching at Avalon last week, Stuart Scott’s attention was drawn to a disturbance on the water’s surface some 200 metres out from the ramp.
Motoring over, he could see it was caused by a fish flapping at the surface, but nothing like he’d ever seen in the bay before, in fact it looked like a coral trout, a tropical species decidedly out of place in our waters.
Having subdued the fish and alerted marine research staff at VFA, the fish was indeed identified as a coral trout, an in-depth examination of same now being undertaken, purportedly at the Melbourne Museum.
On Thursday morning, Andrew Johnson and Dennis O’Brien fished off Curlewis hopeful of a good whiting catch, but initially there wasn’t much doing.
However, once the tide began coming in, they didn’t have very long to wait before they came on the bite, and – anchored up in five metres of water – they soon took their respective bag limit catches of really good size fish.
Mike Windsor of Clifton Springs Boat Hire reports that with mild weather, the ramp has been busy with good catches of whiting and garfish being taken just offshore, and there’s squid to be caught off The Dell.
Flathead too have been a drawcard said Mike, with Brandon, Bowie Kee, and their family, taking 24 on Sunday, along with a gummy shark.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head reports that the mild weather encouraged family-based outings rather than serious fishermen.
Nevertheless, modest catches of squid and whiting were taken, and – as has been the case within Corio Bay – garfish were also a welcome presence.
Simon Werner, along with son Jayden and friend Terry Begg, fished on the drift off Indented Head, and – although the action was a little slower than they would have liked – they caught 22 squid of varying sizes.
Alex Smith with a one of the kingfish she caught from Adamas Charters (Picture: Rodney Lawn).
Archie Tyler with a kingfish that he caught from Adamas Charters (Picture: Rodney Lawn).
Offshore
On deck duties aboard Adamas Charters on Thursday, Simon Werner had a berley trail going on the drift in 40-55 metres of water off Ocean Grove that attracted a school of kingfish.
The appropriate baits and rigs were prepared for clients who caught several from 65 to 90 cm; an unexpected but welcome catch.
One of the rainbow trout Frank Benvenuto caught from Wurdiboluc Reservoir.
Amber Wild with a catfish she caught from Lake Tchum (Picture: Kevin Wild).
Freshwater
Early on Thursday morning, Frank Benvenuto made the trip to Wurdiboluc Reservoir, investing a couple of hours casting a pink, Strike-Pro Bob’n Spoon. And not in vain as it turned out, for he caught two pan-size rainbow trout.
Kevin Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club reports that on the club’s outing to Lake Tchum, some two hours north on the Birchip Wycheproof Road, the main species caught was catfish, the biggest measuring 54 cm. Two other species on offer, in modest sizes, were rainbow trout and redfin.
However, club members Darren Watts and Greg Street, on separate trips, fished Lake Lonsdale just up past Stawell, renowned of late for its catches of large redfin. And it didn’t disappoint, producing a number of fish over the 40 cm mark.
John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that redfin remain on offer in 10 to12 metres of water with scrubworms a preferred bait. Some though, have taken good size trout and chinook salmon.
These have included Coby Lesko with a 3 kg tiger trout, Kurt Klimkait with a chinook salmon of similar size, while Tony Spiteri of the Altona Angling Club took a 2.4 kg brown trout at some depth using a downrigger.