Ray Millman with one of the salmon he caught from the beach at Jan Juc.
From the beach
Ray Millman first tried his luck from the beach at Jan Juc last Monday morning, but his only reward was one small salmon before the amount of weed, coming in with the tide made lure-fishing too difficult.
Heading for greener pastures on Tuesday, he visited Moggs Creek early in the morning on the low tide, but with the heavy groundswell it was also virtually unfishable.
Not being one to admit defeat, he returned to Jan Juc around midday to find conditions had ameliorated somewhat, and it took only a few casts with his 42-gram Savage Sea Missile to begin catching salmon from one to 1.5 kg.
However, an angler fishing nearby caught the fish of the day using blue bait.
Initially, his line went slack, which he seemed to ignore, but Ray saw the salmon he’d hooked leap from the water and yelled a warning; the result being the capture of a fish clearly well over 2 kg.
Ash Rawlings with yet another brown trout from the Merri River at Warrnambool.
Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula
With last week’s northerlies, Stan Owen and Jason Treloar made an early start off Avalon hopeful of finding a good patch of whiting, but initially there wasn’t much doing.
However, with the incoming tide kicking in late morning their fortunes improved even if sea conditions were far from pleasant, with some good size whiting drumming the bottom of the fish box.
They probably would have finished with bag limit catches had not the strengthening breeze made further fishing just a bit too challenging.
John Gray of the Maryborough Angling Club with a sample of his redfin catch from Tullaroop Reservoir.
Freshwater
Ash Rawlings, whom we featured last week with a brown trout from Warrnambool’s Merri River, reports that although river is rising, both the water clarity, and fishing, remain good and sent in yet another picture of a nice brown trout from here.
Kevin Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club reports that the only realistic fishing option locally is on Tullaroop Reservoir where good size redfin are still on offer.
There have been some good size browns sighted as well, but it’s the redfin that have attracted most attention with John Gray taking several good size specimens on Baltic Bobbers over the weekend.
VFA fish stocking coordinator Rhiannon Atkinson advises that the release of 3600 tiger trout – ranging in size from 100 to 150 grams – into Lake Purrumbete is scheduled for 3.00 pm next Thursday, August 1.
Should you wish to attend this stocking please let Rhiannon know, either by mobile 0407 987 016 or email rhiannon.atkinson@vfa.vic.gov.au for any updates.
Also, please be aware that the water level in Lake Purrumbete is lower than one might expect, so Rhiannon suggests that this may be an impediment to the customary distribution of these fish by volunteers from boats at various locations around the lake.
Fishing Lake Bullen Merri last week in less than comfortable conditions were Scott Hamilton and Wes Brewer whose opening gambit was trolling lures.
That produced nothing of interest, so they anchored in around 12 metres and began a generous berley trail. And fishing with pilchard fillets suspended just above the bottom, they began catching chinook salmon.
At first, they were a bit on the small side, but then Wes caught the fish of the trip, a 47 cm chinook salmon that they estimated at possibly 2 kg.
Also fishing Lake Bullen Merri last week was Simon Werner who found slim pickings, catching a 1.5 kg tiger trout on a pilchard fillet, and missing another.
Tim Johnson with Saturday’s threadfin salmon from the Fitzroy River in Queensland (Picture Andrew Johnson).
Upstate
An escapee from Geelong’s chilly weather, whiting aficionado Andrew Johnson, headed up to his son Tim’s place at Yeppoon in Queensland.
And on Saturday, the pair took a 45-minute run across to the Fitzroy River upstream from Rockhampton where gathering bait with a cast net turned out to be an arduous process.
However, they got three mullet, one of which Tim baited up live and was taken by a threadfin salmon that eventually measured 1.2 metres after putting up a terrific fight.
The other two mullet were also taken but – unfortunately – Andrew pulled the hook on each of those, there being no guarantees in fishing.
Please send your reports to occytrapper@gmail.com or by phone to 03 5248 1307.