Jim Gillians with the gummy shark he caught from the beach at Collendina, early on Saturday morning.
From the beach
Making a 2.00 am start from the beach at Collendina on Saturday to fish the incoming tide that was due to peak at around 5.00 am, Jim Gillians was hoping for a decent gummy shark or perhaps a snapper.
Initially, all he caught though were great lumps of seaweed on almost every cast.
However, his patience did eventually pay off when he caught a large gummy shark on an Australian salmon fillet that he had on for bait. He didn’t weigh it, but you can see from the photo that it was a beauty.
Early last week, Ray Millman caught up with his friend David Coman at Rosebud on the Mornington Peninsula, initially in a social setting.
But Ray doesn’t go very far without the appropriate fishing tackle, so the pair decided to fish nearby Gunnamatta Beach, hopefully to catch some salmon.
That was around mid-day near the top of the tide, which is considered by regulars, of whom there were a good many present, the best tide to fish, but there was little doing.
Their next visit, at Ray’s urging, was the following morning before daybreak on the low tide, hopefully with more of the beach exposed, providing easier access to the deeper water.
Rays first cast on dawn’s first light with his ever dependable 42-gram Sea Missile, produced the first of a dozen salmon to 2.2 kg that they caught on this occasion, and while having the beach to themselves.
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
Fishing for whiting from Corio Bay’s outer harbour early last week, Gordon and Carol Williams were out off Point Richards to fish the afternoon’s incoming tide, but the whiting bite was a little on the slow side.
After making a couple of moves though, they found a better patch of fish in around four metres of water inshore from the mussel farm. And it was from here they eventually took their respective bag limits of good size whiting, returning a number of small but legal-size fish.
Also included in their catch were several good size garfish that were tempted by the mussels they were using for bait.
Eli McLoughlin 4, with the carp he caught from St Augustine’s water hole at the weekend (Picture: Kevin McLoughlin).
Freshwater
Making an early morning start at Wurdiboluc Reservoir last week, Scott Hamilton and Wes Brewer first put in an energetic lure fishing session but with nothing to show for it.
So, a mudeye was deployed under a float on one rod, while changing from soft plastics to a metal spoon put Scott on the board with a couple of decent redfin.
However, Wes caught the fish of the day, a 50 cm brown trout that took the mudeye.
Simon and Jayden Werner fished Lake Bullen Merri last week, and – selecting several places around the lake – pulled their boat up to fish from the bank.
They caught one tiger trout on a lure, but the rest of their fish; three more tiger trout to 2 kg, two rainbow trout and two chinook salmon, were caught on pilchard fillets.
John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that the lake has been fishing well for a variety of fish, and among the successful anglers was Mario from Caroline Springs.
Mario’s catch from the lake included three chinook salmon, each around 1.5 kg, and a brown trout of 2 kg. All being caught while fishing pilchard fillets a metre or so above the bottom.
Kevin McLoughlin and son Eli 4, headed down to St Augustine’s water hole hoping for a rainbow trout. No luck there, but the lad did catch a fair-sized carp.
Martinus asks:
Geoff, I note the current fishing regulations prohibit the targeting of skates, stingrays, and allied species from any pier or breakwater, or within 400 meters of same.
The rays are an unavoidable capture from said areas, particularly when using large baits intended for snapper. So, is this just another draconian rule?
Martinus, the problem is in the wording. I don’t know anybody who targets the “flat chaps,” as they are sometimes referred to, and as you say, those caught are invariably accidental captures.
Far better, in my opinion at least, it would have been better to urge anglers who make such accidental captures to return them unharmed whenever possible.