Andrew Byrne with a trophy size brown trout from Lake Purrumbete (Picture: Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park).
Damian Coter with a 5 kg brown trout from Lake Purrumbete (Picture: Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park).
Freshwater
John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park at Camperdown, reports that the lake is still producing trophy size brown trout with Damian Coter and Andrew Byrne individually picking up fish – one of which was just on 5 kg – on lures fished on downriggers.
Naturally, there were a good many smaller fish taken as well – mainly rainbow trout – by anglers like Phillip Tirotta from Warrnambool who picked up fish to 1.5 kg using mudeyes for bait.
Although Lake Bullen Merri has accumulated a surface layer of blue-green algae, it’s still producing chinook salmon, said John, with Kane Broughton – who was staying up that way with his family – catching one of 3.7 kg at the weekend using a fillet of pilchard suspended just above the bottom.
Redfin as still going strong, said John, with Uri of St Albans Angling Club getting his fair share to 1.4 kg using scrubworms for bait.
A little farther afield, Steven Hill of Camperdown, and his companion Ron Webb, visited Lake Tooliorook last week, taking a mixed bag of rainbow and brown trout to 3.12 kg, on lures.
Linda Stewart with a couple of nice pinkies from Corio Bay (Picture: Murray Stewart).
Corio Bay and the Bellarine Peninsula
Mike Windsor of Clifton Springs Boat Hire, reports that there are plenty of good size pinkie snapper about during daylight hours, and among those to catch them on Sunday morning were Murray Stewart and wife Linda.
After launching at Clifton Springs, they anchored up in around 7 metres of water off the Pelican Shores caravan park at Leopold, and as it turned out, their baits of silver whiting were taken by good size pinkies before they’d even reached the bottom.
The thing is, with the improbable size restriction on pinkie snapper at 40 cm, they had their bag limit catches in no time and left them biting.
Andrew Johnson and Dennis O’Brien made yet another trip off Clifton Springs for whiting, trying an area in around 7 metres of water where they’d caught them previously.
However, although the fishing was slow, they caught a dozen really good size fish to 42 cm by 2.00 pm. But then the wind came up from the south-east at around 20 knots, which persuaded them to head back in.
Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head reports that whiting catches are on the improve, so much so that even folk fishing with whitebait for flathead have been picking up some good size specimens with fish over 40 cm by no means rare. However, the best bait by far said Rod is mussel, which is readily available from various sources at Portarlington.
Kelvin Maclean and Chris Stamalos with one of the gummy shark they caught offshore from Barwon Heads on Sunday.
Barwon estuary
Fishing the Sheepwash from his boat on Wednesday, Simon Werner found catching mullet and small, but legal size, salmon no problem. So, with the tide still trickling in, he broke out the heavier tackle and put one of those on for live bait. A good move as it turned out, for it wasn’t long before he caught a mulloway measuring 86 cm.
With a result like that, it was worth a replay, so on Friday; Simon initiated the process once more, this time catching a mulloway that measured 94 cm.
Offshore
Making an early start on Sunday, Chris Stamalos and Kelvin Maclean were hoping for something decent after anchoring in 31 metres of water off Barwon Heads on Sunday morning.
Their first sign of action came at 7.30 when one of their rods wrapped over; reel screaming to the tune of a 16 kg gummy shark. After that, they caught several slimy mackerel and a couple of large southern calamari, both of which provided first class bait; arguably resulting in their second good run at around 9.00 am, which resulted in the capture of a 22 kg gummy shark.
Ahmed asks:
Geoff, you always seem to have fishing reports from the same people: I see hundreds of people out fishing, so why do you keep mentioning the same ones?
Ahmed, I too see hundreds of people out fishing but suggest that most simply enjoy a day on the water and rarely catch fish. Among those who do, some take care to remain anonymous. However, I welcome well articulated fishing reports and quality photos from those who can provide same; including your good self.