Otis Robinson 10, with the 63 cm flathead he caught from the Ozone Road Jetty, Barwon Heads.
Barwon Heads
Fishing from the Ozone Road Jetty at Barwon Heads last week were Adam Robinson, his ten-year-old son Otis, and Otis’ grandfather Colin Nankervis.
And although there were quite a few other people fishing, there wasn’t much doing, not initially anyway.
But Otis soon attracted quite a bit of attention, hooking something obviously larger than usual on a pipi. And, when Adam saw that the protagonist was a big flathead, he leaped off the jetty to grab it, making sure it didn’t escape.
As far as I know it wasn’t weighed, but at 63 cm, I guess it would have been close to 2 kg.
Terry Rayson with his silver trevally from the Point Lonsdale Pier.
Point Lonsdale
There were several of us fishing on the Point Lonsdale Pier last Monday night when somebody asked the question as to what had happened to the vast shoals of silver trevally that used to turn up around the pier after dark.
Some suggestions were made as to the time of year when that happened, when one of our number, Terry, had a bite and did in fact catch a silver trevally of possibly 800 grams.
Well, it was the only one caught, but maybe a harbinger of things to come seeing it was just over a week into the new year.
Stephen Goodfellow with one of the gummy shark he caught offshore from Clifton Springs.
Tayla Goodfellow 15, with a 42 cm whiting taken off Clifton Springs (Picture: Stephen Goodfellow).
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
Stephen Goodfellow and fifteen-year-old daughter Tayla have put in several trips off Clifton Springs lately catching quite a few whiting, with Stephen admitting that Tayla caught more than he with her biggest measuring 42 cm.
Stephen admits that on their most recent whiting trip, it was blowing a gale, so strong that they were pulling anchor in only 2.5 metres of water. Needless to say, they were soon on their way back to the ramp with just six fish.
However, when blessed with good weather, the pair have headed out into deeper water, where – on the four occasions that they managed to do so – they caught a total of six gummy shark, the biggest possibly 7 kg.
Making a pre-dawn start off Avalon on Thursday morning, Stan Owen’s, and Jason Treloar’s target was snapper, four of which they caught – from 3 to 4.5 kg – before the bite shut down shortly after sunrise.
Fortunately, they had a second string to their bow on this occasion; a bag of pipis. So, with the snapper stowed below deck, they moved into around 4.5 metres of water where they tried for whiting, catching a dozen nice fish before the ebb tide slackened off at around 8.30.
Well, I suppose they could have stayed until the flood tide kicked in, but by then the breeze had picked up. So, with a mixed bag of snapper and whiting that most would have been glad to catch, they headed back in.
Mike Windsor of Clifton Springs Boat Hire reports that with an improvement in the weather, a good many boats have been out with whiting the main species sought along with an occasional by-catch of garfish, but small pinkie snapper have been a nuisance.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head also reports that whiting have been the main catch along with a by-catch of garfish, but squid – although present – can be hard to find. Anglers fishing on the drift have also taken flathead, said Rod.
Bob Meeuwissen from Mount Waverley with a 70cm, 3.7kg, chinook salmon he caught from Lake Purrumbete.
Freshwater
At the weekend, Paul Raduka, and his nine-year-old son Oscar, gathered up some garden worms and headed down to the Barwon River at Breakwater to see if the lad could catch something.
Well, expectations were well and truly met as Oscar pulled in two good size eels and lost and even larger one. Following that, he also managed to catch a European carp and two estuary perch.
John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that Darren Phillips from Heywood and his mate “Garfish” got a nice bag of reddies on minnow and scrubworms and sent in a photo.
John also sent in a picture of Bob Meeuwissen from Mount Waverley with a 70cm, 3.7kg, chinook salmon, also taken from the lake, and is – almost certainly – yet another success story from the release of fingerling chinook – rather than yearlings – into the lake.
Bob says it put up a good fight taking six powerful runs on 3.6 kg tackle.
Please send your reports to geoffw10@optusnet.com.au, on messenger, or by phone, 03 5248 1307.