Geoff Wilson’s Fishing Knots And Rigs

Kevin Wild and Amber Stone with one of the Murray Cod they caught from Lake Mulwala on Saturday.

Freshwater

Kevin Wild of Maryborough, and his partner Amber Stone, made yet another trip to Lake Mulwala, where – fishing in the vicinity of Yarrawonga – they caught about 30 Murray Cod, all of which were released, approximately half being of legal size; the biggest measured 66 cm and all were caught on chicken.

On Saturday, Justin Burns commenced fishing just upstream from the Moorabool Street Bridge at around 10 am, hoping to catch a carp or two: He caught four as it turned out, all in less than three hours using corn kernels for bait; the biggest was about 4.5 kg.

Fishing Lake Bolac along the Glenelg Highway recently, Ben Dallimore and Jason Treloar caught several rainbow trout to 2 kg or from the rocks near the boat ramp using Berkley Powerbait.

Fishing the north end of Lake Bolac on Saturday were Trevor Holmes of Victorian Fishing Charters, Ben Young and Alan Greig. However, it was Alan who scooped the pool with three rainbow trout to just over 2 kg, all being caught on Berkley Powerbait.

After we expressed the dangers of launching boats at Lake Elingamite near Cobden, Michael Reichler tried his luck there with a small dinghy last week, but was soon dissuaded:

First, by the fact that he was able to bury the length of PVC tube he brought with him to a depth of 12 feet (3.65 metres) into the mud at the end of the ramp – something indicating a potentially lethal trap for anyone venturing here – and second, by a local farmer who’d recently towed approximately 30 boat trailers up and over the rear of the ramp with a tractor, naturally with ensuing damage to the trailers.

However, Michael was able to provide a fishing report from Lake Tooliorook – which is along the Hamilton Highway near Lismore – where his friends Ned Evans and Luke Bisinella spent a highly productive time fishing from the jetty there.

Using Berkley Powerbait, they caught six female rainbow trout, all around the 2 kg mark, and one male rainbow trout of 2.5 kg.

Alan Grieg with two of the rainbow trout he caught from Lake Bolac on Saturday (Picture: Victorian Inland Charters).

Corio Bay

On Friday, Andrew Johnson and Dennis O’Brien anchored up in 6.7 metres over one their usually productive marks for whiting off Leopold.

They were in business right away, but on small, legal-size fish that they returned. However, an occasional much larger fish peaked their interest so they stayed on. A good move as it turned out for more bigger fish were on the way, and – among their respective bag limit catches of keepers – were six fish, each measuring 42 cm.

Michael Goldby with a sample of the blue-eye trevalla that he, Lachie Wombell and Bob McPherson caught on Saturday (Picture: Bob McPherson).

Portland

Bob McPherson of Portland reports that he, Michael Goldby and Lachie Wombell took advantage of a recent break in the weather and headed out into almost 500 metres of water where they caught a number of blue eye trevalla and a hefty school shark.

Lachie Wombell with the hefty school shark he caught offshore from Portland on Saturday (Picture: Bob McPherson).

Glenelg River

As I’ve mentioned before Matt Cini of Reel Time Charters, has caught – and continues to catch – mulloway from the Glenelg River estuary, and as recently as last week, he caught several. Respectable fish certainly, but not as big as the 26.5 kg specimen that Ron Fox caught on Saturday evening; the second big mulloway to be caught from here recently.

Ron Fox with the 26.5 kg mulloway he caught from the Glenelg River in Western Victoria on Saturday evening (Picture: Courtesy of Spot On Fishing Tackle, Mount Gambier).

Ollie asks

You mentioned using beachworms for bait in your Q & A last week. I recently saw a YouTube clip on catching beachworms by dragging a baited stocking around in the shore break, then extracting any worms that pop their heads up with a pair of pliers. Can you catch beach worms like that locally?

I’ve gathered beachworms locally with a yabby pump at low tide, their residence being betrayed by a squiggle on the sand resembling a piece of spaghetti. You need to cover that squiggle with the mouth of your pump and pull up the plunger, while – at the same time – trying avoid driving the pump down into the harder sand, which usually cuts the worm in two; something that happens all too often

Lachie Wombell with a prime Portland whiting taken off Cape Grant

Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula

With our ever-present windy weather, many anglers have been fishing land based: Among them, Mark Sesar and wife Tina who tried their luck from the Limeburners Point breakwater on Saturday morning.

Wasting no time in getting a berley trail going, they eventually attracted a shoal of garfish, and – using pieces of prawn for bait – they caught a dozen or so before the bite shut down in the early afternoon.

Lure casting enthusiasts like Jason Treloar have also taken Australian salmon from the same location recently, but he says this can be a hit or miss affair with their appearance being less than predictable.

As far as whiting reports from the outer harbour go, it’s been lean pickings. Even those prepared to follow the rules of whiting fishing have not taken very many fish.

Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head reports that while flathead have been plentiful, squid have become scarce and whiting are practically non-existent: I have in fact, only one whiting report this week:

On Sunday afternoon Murray and Darcy Scott, tried their luck just offshore from “Cottage by the Sea” at Queenscliff. Initially, things were looking up with four beautiful whiting around the 45 cm mark as the tide began coming in at around 3.20 pm; but that was their lot for the trip.

Freshwater

John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that while Lake Purrumbete has been quiet of late, possibly due to a lack of talent on the water, nearby Lake Bullen Merri has had a dedicated band of followers.

While no individuals were identified, several anglers have been successful here, both from boats and while fishing land based. Chinook salmon and rainbow trout to a kilogram have been the main catch, while one angler caught a 2 kg brown trout while trolling a bibbed lure.

John also mentions, that despite a number of anglers recently attempting to launch boats on Lake Elingamite near Cobden, it is an exercise fraught with hazard.

The current low water levels have, all too easily, allowed the wheels of boat trailers to drop over the end of the ramp, and – since the deep and treacherous mud beyond the ramp precludes any leverage from this quarter – outside assistance must be summoned, usually from the local farming community.

On the beach

Surf fishing enthusiast Tony Ingram took advantage of Saturday evening’s high tide from Jan Juc where Australian salmon to a kilogram and better where on offer, both on baits of cut pilchard and metal lures. Hopeful of catching a gummy shark, he stayed until after dark but his only reward was a large skate.

Portland

Down Portland way, Bob McPherson reports that a number of boats were out over the weekend seeking tuna, unfortunately though, all reports were negative.

However, unlike local beak whiting fishing close to home, good size whiting have been on offer with some prime fish coming in from Portland’s north shore and around to Cape Grant.

Raul asks:

Geoff, I’ve heard that luderick may be caught from the Barwon River estuary, can you give me any guidance as to the approach, bait, and time of year to fish for them?

Pumped: Steve Arthey with the120.4 kg tuna he caught offshore from Cape Otway on Friday.

Offshore

Having just taken delivery of a used, 19 foot, Haines Hunter, Steve Arthey – along with friends Jack Harris and Nathan Forrester – took it for a run off Apollo Bay on Friday.

Hopeful of catching a tuna, they put out a spread of lures that included a small pink skirt, which – at around 11.30 pm – was engulfed in a massive strike as they traversed the west side of “Big Reef,” some 38 km offshore from Cape Otway.

It took Steve some two and a half hours to subdue the 120.4 kg tuna he’d hooked, which was found to be encumbered with a commercial long-line hook that had obviously been in its mouth for some time and trailing about 20 cm of trace.

Another point of interest was that, on cleaning the catch, it was found to have been feeding on redbait (Emmelichthys nitidus), which may explain its preference for the small pink lure, rather than any of the larger offerings in the spread.

Jarvis Doody 12, with a brown trout from Lake Toolondo (Picture: Victorian Inland Charters).

Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula

Australian salmon are about, but not always easy to find. However, Justin Burns picked up a good reading on his sounder between Cunningham Pier and Yarra Street on Friday, and – dropping a Berkley Nemesis soft plastic down to the bottom – came up tight on a salmon; others followed.

There are squid to be caught on both sides of the Corio Bay outer harbour with Neil Slater picking up a respectable catch in four metres of water off Avalon on Saturday, while on Friday, Andrew Johnson and Dennis O’Brien picked up another half a dozen off Clifton Springs that included a couple approaching 2 kg.

Following their squid capture, Andrew and Dennis tried for the whiting, but initially, the fish they caught – while probably legal size – were all returned. That all changed as the sun went down though, with an additional catch of fifteen fish around the 38 cm mark.

Lachlan Doody with a 46 cm redfin from Lake Toolondo (Picture: Victorian Inland Charters).

Freshwater

Lachlan Doody, and his son, Jarvis 12 – both dedicated cod anglers from Mildura – fished Lake Toolondo with Trevor Holmes of Victorian Inland Charters last week.

A successful trip as it turned out, for young Jarvis caught his first ever trout, and Lachlan, the biggest of several redfin at 46 cm.

Making a freezing daybreak start on Lake Fyans near Stawell last week, Kevin Wild and partner Amber Stone caught a dozen redfin to 40 cm, first trolling Fish Arrows, then casting soft plastics.

John Clements of Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that fishing on the lake has been quiet, but Warren Stanford picked up a nice brown of 2.7 kg, while Maz Stolowski picked up several chinook salmon from Lake Bullen Merri.

Tom Mizzi with a nice bag of winter whiting he and father Daniel caught off Portland. They ended up with 32 in 2 hours (Picture Bob McPherson).

Portland

Down Portland way, Bob McPherson reports that offshore anglers are still catching tuna, mostly juveniles, but Paul Skinner, Steve Nicolazzo and Ed Sommer were among those to take bigger fish with one of 111 kg (gilled and gutted), that they caught in 80 metres of water.

Ollie asks:

Geoff, articles I’ve read on estuary fishing, variously refer to the gathering of “clickers” or “nippers” for bait. I gather these are some kind of shrimp; but do these names refer to the same creature or, are these separate species?

Johnathan Feeney with the mullet he caught from the Ocean Grove boat ramp pontoon on Saturday.

On Saturday afternoon, a handful of folk fishing into the face of gale force westerlies from the Ocean Grove boat ramp pontoons caught my eye. Braving the weather, I walked out to find that mullet were the catch of the day; one of which Johnathan Feeney obligingly plucked out, during my brief visit, for the benefit of my camera.

Freshwater

Even reliable contributors like John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park have had very little input from all but the very keenest of anglers last week, one of whom was Lachlan Curry who guided his Kayak into sheltered waters on Purrumbete to be rewarded with five rainbow trout to 2.2 kg, all being caught on Berkley Powerbait.

Apart from that said John, most of the action has come from the dedicated band of land-based anglers fishing Lake Bullen Merri, who – usually of an evening – continue to catch rainbow trout and chinook salmon.

Just sampling: The typical signature of large snapper just mouthing baits during winter (Picture: Murray Scott).

Prospects

With less than the usual number of reports coming in over the past week and weekend and a week of school holidays in the offing – along with the promise of improved weather – I feel a review of some prospects is in order.

Portarlington

Both the Portarlington Pier, the breakwater extending from it, and the secondary breakwater that extends from the northern end of Fisher Street have been a boon to anglers throughout the year:

Legal size Australian salmon have been caught from the pier, particularly during the afternoons, both by anglers casting metal lures and those fishing with bait.

Both breakwaters have produced legal size pinkie snapper, some weighing in at a kilogram or more, along with the occasional reasonable whiting.

Sesar took this photo of the St Leonards boat ramp. It’s covered in sand at the moment, possibly due to the weather. Let’s hope it’s soon restored, particularly with the forecast improvement in the weather.

Barwon estuary

This week’s mid-morning incoming and high tides, hold promise of mullet and silver trevally, along with an occasional legal size Australian salmon. And, for the more adventurous, the incoming tides on evening are well worth trying with the chance of catching a mulloway.

Glenelg River

Speaking of mulloway, Matt Cini of Reel Time Charters – whom we’ve mentioned lately in relation to his clients captures southern bluefin off Portland, and other species as well– demonstrated yet another string to his bow with the weather wiping out virtually all offshore fishing throughout last week, and over the weekend.

Mind you, it wasn’t all calm and serene on the Glenelg River at Nelson either, with lightning, thunder, and gale force winds ripping across Taylors Strait as night fell. But undeterred, Matt stuck it out, catching his bag limit of mulloway to 88 cm and releasing several others before calling it quits.

The Glenelg River has long been famous for mulloway, but it had been some time since we’d seen a truly big one caught here. However, an article by Anthony Brady in the June 30 edition of the Warrnambool Standard, described the capture of a 31 kg mulloway by Nelson angler Neil Humphries. Neil was using the tried and true method of slow-trolling a live mullet behind his dinghy after dark when he hooked the big fish.

So, a trip to Nelson may be worth your while. You may take your own boat, or – what would probably be more convenient for some –hire one from Nelson Boat hire; phone 08 8738 4048.

Bob McPherson took this photo of a southern Right Whale and he calf off Dutton Way.

Murray asks:

Geoff, I’ve tried for snapper on the bay a time or two of late, and – while I seem to be picking fish up on the sounder – an occasional firm and steady pull on the line is the only response I’ve had. On checking the baits, there are clear indications that something has been sampling them: Snapper do you think?

Murray, from the photo you’ve sent me there is no doubt the culprits are snapper. However, with cooling water temperatures, snapper – particularly those that have been wintering in the bay for some time – become difficult to catch, often just sampling anything edible without the usual aggression displayed in the warmer months.

I use the word “often” because there are times – even at this time of year with bay temperatures often below 10 degrees Celsius – they do feed aggressively, but for much shorter periods of time than are experienced in warmer water temperatures.

Trevor Holmes with his 12.2 kg Tekapo rainbow trout.

Colossal trout are to be caught from the Twizel and Tekapo canals on New Zealand’s South Island – no secret there – their size being attributed to easy pickings on the feed overflow from salmon farms within these same waters.

Naturally, these locations have attracted anglers from far and wide, including Geelong, and from where – under the expert guidance of Graham Edridge – local anglers Trevor Holmes, Michael Evans and Bjorn Mair have just returned with numerous photos of the fish they caught.

Arriving at Tekapo last Tuesday on dark, they began fishing immediately, continuing thus for the next couple of days for a total of 44 fish, some over 10 kg; the highlight being Trevor’s 12.2 kg rainbow that led him on a merry dance for over an hour before it was released to fight another day.

Bjorn Mair with his Tekapo rainbow trout of 10 kg.

Bellarine Peninsula/Corio Bay

Whiting have been somewhat scarce off Clifton Springs by all accounts, and among those to miss out were gun anglers Andrew Johnson and Dennis O’Brien: On Friday they were beaten by the weather, which turned sour, but on Sunday it was a different story:

With almost perfect conditions they tried once more, again without success, but breaking out the squid jigs proved a good move that resulted in the capture of a dozen of these tasty cephalopods.

Also fishing for squid off The Springs on Sunday was Darcy Scott who had no trouble picking up ten in fairly short order before deciding that trying for a snapper that evening, particularly with freshly caught bait, might be a good move.

As it turned out, he got a promising reading just after dark while scanning one of his favourite areas off the Mountain View Quarries, but there was no immediate response. Eventually though, he caught two gummy sharks, each around the 5 kg mark, and an elephant fish of the same size: A good feed of fish certainly, but no snapper.

Michael Evans with a somewhat deformed rainbow trout from Tekapo that he caught after dark following their arrival.

Freshwater

Kevin Wild of Maryborough took a run out to Lake Tullaroop on Sunday where his friend Trevor Perry, who was fishing nearby, caught a brown trout measuring 60 cm.

Although there were fish rising more or less everywhere in the calm water, most were out of casting range; a difficulty that wasn’t encountered by several fly fishermen who’d caught several from a daybreak rise near the bank that morning.

In Western Victoria, John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that good size brown trout are still on offer at Lake Purrumbete with Charlie Farrugia of Oaklands Junction catching one of 2.3 kg on a bibbed, minnow-type lure.

Rainbow trout in a variety of sizes have also been caught, said John, with Trevor Brown – along with several others several others – catching fish to a kilogram or so on mudeyes fished beneath a float.

Michael Behrens with two mulloway, caught by him and his father Jamie, from the Maroochy River near Bli Bli on Saturday. One weighed 11kg and the other 12.5kg. Michael caught another that was weighed at 15.5 kg, then tagged and released.

Jamie Behrens with yet another mulloway from the Maroochy River.

Portland

Bob McPherson reports that while tuna are still present offshore, most are juveniles: But on Wednesday, Bruce Robertson, Colin McLoughlin and Adrian Jenkins caught one of 120 kg from 65 metres of water south of Lawrence Rock. The lure used was a small purple Jet-head, undoubtedly more suited to the smaller fish most anglers currently expect to catch.

However, more big fish have been caught since, on Saturday in particular when several tuna to 114 kg were taken, the most productive area being in around 50 metres of water off Cape Bridgewater

Bob McPherson photographed this southern right whale near the Lee Breakwater at Portland recently.

Matt Harris and Bailey Metch with another tuna of 101.5 kg aboard Red Hot Charters (Picture: Bob McPherson).

Conrad asks:

Geoff, do you know if anything is to be done about the state of the boat ramp and associated pontoons at Lake Bullen Merri? They have been storm-damaged to the extent they are beyond any measure of safe use.

Conrad, among others, I wrote to Jaala Pulford, State Member for Western Victoria, over this matter and can now quote the following portion of a June 28 media release:

“Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford today announced up to $15,000 through the Labor Government’s Target One Million plan to repair the storm-damaged boat ramp at Lake Bullen Merri.

The Lake Bullen Merri South Beach Foreshore Committee of Management will oversee the repairs to ensure the ramp remains safe and open for recreational anglers.

The funding is on top of $10,000 already provided for the development of a new boat launching facility to cater for growing use.”

Trevor Holmes with his 12.2 kg Tekapo rainbow trout.

Colossal trout are to be caught from the Twizel and Tekapo canals on New Zealand’s South Island – no secret there – their size being attributed to easy pickings on the feed overflow from salmon farms within these same waters.

Naturally, these locations have attracted anglers from far and wide, including Geelong, and from where – under the expert guidance of Graham Edridge – local anglers Trevor Holmes, Michael Evans and Bjorn Mair have just returned with numerous photos of the fish they caught.

Arriving at Tekapo last Tuesday on dark, they began fishing immediately, continuing thus for the next couple of days for a total of 44 fish, some over 10 kg; the highlight being Trevor’s 12.2 kg rainbow that led him on a merry dance for over an hour before it was released to fight another day.

Bjorn Mair with his Tekapo rainbow trout of 10 kg.

Bellarine Peninsula/Corio Bay

Whiting have been somewhat scarce off Clifton Springs by all accounts, and among those to miss out were gun anglers Andrew Johnson and Dennis O’Brien: On Friday they were beaten by the weather, which turned sour, but on Sunday it was a different story:

With almost perfect conditions they tried once more, again without success, but breaking out the squid jigs proved a good move that resulted in the capture of a dozen of these tasty cephalopods.

Also fishing for squid off The Springs on Sunday was Darcy Scott who had no trouble picking up ten in fairly short order before deciding that trying for a snapper that evening, particularly with freshly caught bait, might be a good move.

As it turned out, he got a promising reading just after dark while scanning one of his favourite areas off the Mountain View Quarries, but there was no immediate response. Eventually though, he caught two gummy sharks, each around the 5 kg mark, and an elephant fish of the same size: A good feed of fish certainly, but no snapper.

Michael Evans with a somewhat deformed rainbow trout from Tekapo that he caught after dark following their arrival.

Freshwater

Kevin Wild of Maryborough took a run out to Lake Tullaroop on Sunday where his friend Trevor Perry, who was fishing nearby, caught a brown trout measuring 60 cm.

Although there were fish rising more or less everywhere in the calm water, most were out of casting range; a difficulty that wasn’t encountered by several fly fishermen who’d caught several from a daybreak rise near the bank that morning.

In Western Victoria, John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that good size brown trout are still on offer at Lake Purrumbete with Charlie Farrugia of Oaklands Junction catching one of 2.3 kg on a bibbed, minnow-type lure.

Rainbow trout in a variety of sizes have also been caught, said John, with Trevor Brown – along with several others several others – catching fish to a kilogram or so on mudeyes fished beneath a float.

Michael Behrens with two mulloway, caught by him and his father Jamie, from the Maroochy River near Bli Bli on Saturday. One weighed 11kg and the other 12.5kg. Michael caught another that was weighed at 15.5 kg, then tagged and released.

Jamie Behrens with yet another mulloway from the Maroochy River.

Portland

Bob McPherson reports that while tuna are still present offshore, most are juveniles: But on Wednesday, Bruce Robertson, Colin McLoughlin and Adrian Jenkins caught one of 120 kg from 65 metres of water south of Lawrence Rock. The lure used was a small purple Jet-head, undoubtedly more suited to the smaller fish most anglers currently expect to catch.

However, more big fish have been caught since, on Saturday in particular when several tuna to 114 kg were taken, the most productive area being in around 50 metres of water off Cape Bridgewater

Bob McPherson photographed this southern right whale near the Lee Breakwater at Portland recently.

Matt Harris and Bailey Metch with another tuna of 101.5 kg aboard Red Hot Charters (Picture: Bob McPherson).

Conrad asks:

Geoff, do you know if anything is to be done about the state of the boat ramp and associated pontoons at Lake Bullen Merri? They have been storm-damaged to the extent they are beyond any measure of safe use.

Conrad, among others, I wrote to Jaala Pulford, State Member for Western Victoria, over this matter and can now quote the following portion of a June 28 media release:

“Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford today announced up to $15,000 through the Labor Government’s Target One Million plan to repair the storm-damaged boat ramp at Lake Bullen Merri.

The Lake Bullen Merri South Beach Foreshore Committee of Management will oversee the repairs to ensure the ramp remains safe and open for recreational anglers.

The funding is on top of $10,000 already provided for the development of a new boat launching facility to cater for growing use.”

Grazio Dalli with the 250 kg mako shark he caught offshore from Portland on Sunday (Picture: Jason Debrincat).

Big mako shark

With tuna off Portland, Grazio Dalli, along with friends Jeremy Greed, Aaron Caruana, Chris Muscat, Geoffrey Buttigieg and Jason Debrincat, made a booking for Sunday with Reel Time Charters.

A triple tuna hook-up off Cape Bridgewater warranted a second pass that revealed two mako shark over the bait ball; one clearly over 200 kg and well worth catching.

Substituting the lure for a suitably baited 10/0 hook, Grazio, was soon into a prolonged battle for 90 minutes or so to bring the big mako alongside, after which it was brought back to Portland, greeting the scales for a verdict of 250 kg.

Zac Pritchard of Ballarat with a brown trout and redfin he caught from Lake Toolondo (Picture: Victorian Inland Charters.

Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula

Mike Windsor of Clifton Springs Boat Hire reports that flathead continue to keep anglers occupied. Both off The Springs and across the Bay at Point Wilson where Graeme Gittens and Charlie Grech caught 22, on pilchards and whitebait, the biggest of which measured 45 cm.

Mike also reports that squid are plentiful and you don’t need to go far offshore to catch them as Chris O’Toole, Cash Sunderland and Lenny Burnham could relate after taking 17 just off the boat harbour, the biggest measuring 60 cm.

Whiting are present as well, said Mike with specialist like Andrew Johnson and Denis O’ Brien taking their share, as was the case on Friday afternoon when they first caught some good size squid off The Springs.

Then, working their way down past Curlewis, they caught plenty of whiting around the 29 to 30 odd cm mark that were returned. But, they eventually hit a patch of bigger fish off The Sands caravan park at Leopold, taking 17 keepers from 35 to 40 cm.

Although Jeff Richards of Indented Head reports not having done much fishing lately, his neighbour, Rena Raftopoulos, caught 20 legal size salmon from the Portarlington Pier on Friday afternoon on an old silver wobbler, and with a good many others doing likewise.

Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head reports that while little had changed last week with squid and flathead the main catch from the few boats he had out, he found time to take a stroll along the Portarlington Pier and both breakwaters.

Here, while salmon were the main catch from the pier, several of the anglers fishing from either breakwater had taken pinkie snapper with the larger specimens, he suggests, being up to 1.5 kg; well worth the effort of making a visit I would say.

Grazio Dalli ( bottom left), his companions, and the crew of Reel Time Fishing Charters (Picture: Chris Hawli).

Upstate mulloway

At this time of year, erstwhile Barwon Heads resident and angler extraordinaire, Jamie Behrens – now of Bli Bli in Queensland – sends me photos of the mulloway he catches from the Maroochy River. So far this year he has caught seven up to 20 kg, but is looking forward to July, which he sys is the best month.

Turning the conversation back to comparing the Maroochy River with the Barwon, and whether he still had to put up the large number of stingrays that mulloway fishermen have to put up with taking their baits down here, he suggested the number of bull sharks up that way are the main problem, and that’s probably why stingrays are absent.

Bruce Robertson, Colin McLoughlin and Adrian Jenkins with the 120 kg tuna they caught in 65 metres of water south of Lawrence Rock on Wednesday. Lure was a small purple Jet-head (Picture: Bob McPherson).

Ray asks:

Geoff, I currently live at Werribee but am soon moving to Geelong. My two boys are very keen anglers and we’ve discussed catching Australian salmon and silver trevally in particular. I have a boat but need some guidance as to the most productive areas to fish for these species. Can you help?

Ray, Australian salmon have been a recent presence off the Geelong Waterfront and Limeburner’s Point where many have been caught on lures. However, with the advantage of having a boat, you can be on the lookout for circling sea birds that betray their presence more or less anywhere on the bay, particularly in relatively calm conditions.

When seeking silver trevally, you do need to approach structures like the outside wall of Geelong Yacht Club or the old tug jetty at Rippleside, which is at the bottom of Liverpool and Walker Streets, where the use of berley is advantageous.

You could also try among the boat moorings from Eastern and Western Beaches with some expectation of success.

Tim Beusmans with yet another trophy size brown trout from Lake Purrumbete. It weighed 4.45 kg and was taken on a trolled Tassie Devil (Picture: Chris Farrugia).

Apologies to column readers for its absence over the past two weeks while I was in the care of Geelong excellent medical professionals. However, I’m now back on deck.

While wintry weather has discouraged most anglers, the hardy souls fishing our beaches have been blessed with some great catches of Australian salmon, a species well represented at this time of year, regardless of the weather.

These include fish to 4.5 kg taken by Michael Levett and partner Christine Kemp at Johanna Beach (which is north west of Cape Otway) early last week, along with stories of other – perhaps even larger fish – that got away.

Beaches closer to home, including Jan Juc and Bancoora also produced salmon for the hardy souls braving last week’s appalling weather. The high tides during the middle of the day reportedly the most productive.

Kevin Wild and his partner Amber Stone (pictured), picked up five Murray Cod from a recent visit to Lake Mulwala; this one measured 93 cm.

Ben Butcher from Ballarat with a 45 cm redfin that he caught from Lake Toolondo on Saturday evening (Picture: Victorian Inland Charters).

Clifton Springs jetty upgrade

As part of the State Government’s $46 million commitment to have a million anglers fishing in our state by 2020, a $320,000 investment was announced by State Premier Daniel Andrews at Clifton Springs over the weekend to extend the fishing jetty, which was part of an earlier funding plan. This upgrade is expected to be finished by October.

Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head found last week’s weather a stumbling block, but prior to that, he reports cleaning some many dozens of flathead for clients, something which took him well into last Sunday evening.

James Tenaglia and Anthony Dobran of Taylors Lakes with one of their recent catches made from Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head (Picture: Rod Ludlow).

From left, John Hall, Wayne Rigg and Chris Rigg with their catch from Lake Toolondo after Tuesday’s storm (Picture: Victorian Inland Charters).

Freshwater

John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that just prior to last week’s bad weather that thinned out even the most dedicated anglers, Lake Purrumbete was fishing well with trophy size brown trout on offer.

Among those to catch them was Tim Beusmans whose biggest brown trout weighed 4.45 kg and was caught while trolling a Tassie Devil along the surface: A remarkable looking male, it was accompanied by the capture of a 3.4 kg female.

Redfin have also been on offer said John, with George Gillies of Winchelsea taking fish to 1.2 kg on soft plastics.

Despite the bad weather, John mentions that land based anglers fishing nearby Lake Bullen Merri of an evening, and using pilchards for bait – have caught any amount of chinook salmon to a kilogram or so.

Kevin Wild of Maryborough reports on a recent visit to Lake Mulwala with partner Amber Stone where their catch included five Murray cod, the biggest measuring 93 cm.

Kevin also reports that anglers fishing from the bank at Tullaroop Reservoir – which is between Maryborough and the Cairn Curran Reservoir – have been consistently catching both brown and rainbow trout; the larger fish taken being around the 3 kg mark.

I am anxiously awaiting the result of Kevin’s planned fishing trip to this destination

Trevor Holmes of Victorian Inland Charters reports that redfin, and the occasional brown trout have been on offer at Lake Toolondo with John Hall, Wayne and Chris Rigg taking a good sample of each after Tuesday’s storm.

On Saturday evening, clients Ben Butcher and Zac Pritchard from Ballarat also did well, their combined catch including a 50 cm brown trout and a 45 cm Redfin. These were taken on OSP bent minnows, Stump-jumpers, and Rapala XPs.

Christina Kemp with one of the large Australian salmon taken by her and partner Michael Levett from Johanna Beach last week. (Picture: Michael Levett).

Bob McPherson of Portland photographed this close encounter between a whiting fisherman and a large whale just offshore from Danger Point.

Roland asks:

Geoff, with no boat, I am at a loss to know what to fish for land based in Corio Bay. While I’d settle for more of less anything, I would really like to catch one of those big snapper that turn up at this time of year. Can you provide any guidance?

Roland, catching snapper during the winter is a challenge, and fishing for them – whether from a boat or land based – usually requires considerable time and effort.

Should you be prepared to fish into the night – or very early in the morning – from the Geelong Waterfront, or from the platforms beside Lascelles Wharf at North Shore, you have a chance.

Likewise, you may be successful from the small jetty at the Grammar School lagoon, as I have on occasion, particularly during the first three hours of the incoming tide when this occurs either before, or just on daybreak.

Australian salmon have been plentiful around the Geelong Waterfront in recent times, and – should you be a proficient lure caster – it’s well worth looking for them between Cunningham Pier and the breakwaters at Limeburner’s Point boat ramp. Birds wheeling overhead are a good indication of their presence.

Garfish are also present, and an early morning start from any of the structures within Corio Bay’s inner harbour provides the best chance of a good catch.

Damir Lukesic with the 9.5 kg snapper he caught from Corio Bay on Saturday morning.

Offshore

Taking advantage of calm weather on Saturday evening, Chris Stamalos was off to a good start with a 3.6 kg snapper right off the bat.

Using salmon fillets for bait, he didn’t have long to wait for a second strike that peeled metres of line from his reel; the protagonist being a 16 kg school shark.

By then it was dark, but the action continued with two massive runs that ended in disappointment; his 80 lb monofilament trace having been bitten through: A reminder perhaps to use wire traces after dark.

Eventually retrieving his anchor at 9.00 pm, Chris was startled by a mako shark in the 80-100 kg range that leapt clear of the surface within metres of his boat, and not just once either; an amazing occurrence to be sure, and all the more scary after dark.

Fishing much the same area from 10.00 am on Saturday were Keith Fry, Steve Grey and Gary Mayr. They also opened their account with a couple of snapper to just over 3 kg, but a heavy berleying session brought in a host of seven-gilled sharks, three of which – each around the 30-40 kg mark – they kept. They also caught an 8 kg gummy shark and a 9.3 kg school shark.

Off course with good weather over the weekend there were a good many folk fishing offshore including Kevin McLoughlin and Paul Carwson who were out in 30 metres of water off Anglesea, hopeful of catching a gummy shark.

They caught two as it turned out, one of 20 kg that they kept, and another slightly smaller that they released.

Bob McPherson Photographed this southern right whale at Portland.

Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula

Historically, we’ve had a run of snapper in Corio Bay’s inner harbour during late autumn and winter, and those prepared to fish during the cold nights are sometimes well rewarded.

Damir Lukesic braved the pre-dawn chill on Saturday morning, and using fresh squid for bait, caught two: The first of 6 kg at 5.20 am, followed by another of 9.5 kg an hour later. Damir stayed until after daybreak but there was nothing else on offer.

Mike Windsor of Clifton Springs Boat Hire reports that it’s hard to go past local knowledge as Clifton Springs residents Nicko, Burkey and Mims caught several flathead and squid just off the boat ramp.

Whiting have been on offer lately and among those to take reasonable catches were Ross Francis and Ken Smedley. They fished along the southern edge of the mussel farm using pipis for bait.

Headed in the opposite direction off Curlewis, Andrew Johnson and Steve Leumont, initially couldn’t raise couldn’t raise a scale. Never the less they persisted and eventually found the whiting in 4 metres of water off Leopold, and what beauties they were: Their largest half dozen or so being in the 40 cm range.

Freshwater

John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that good size brown trout are still on offer with Jason Castles of Sunbury picking one up while trolling a Tassie Devil.

John also mentions that rainbow trout and chinook salmon to a kilogram or so have also been caught from Purrumbete, as they have from Nearby Lake Bullen Merri.

Rainbow trout on both lakes have either fallen for mudeyes fished beneath a float or on lures, while suspending a pilchard fillet just above the bottom has been the best approach for chinook.

Redfin are still the main catch from Purrumbete though said John and there are some good ones among them with George Gillies of Winchelsea taking a good catch of fish to 1.2 kg.

Portland

Down Portland way, Bob McPherson reports that bluefin tuna are still in offer, but you need to go a good deal further out to find them than has previously been the case. In fact most of the action has come from around 400 metres of water to the south west.

Colin asks:

Declan Betts with the 6.22 kg brown trout that he caught from Lake Purrumbete on Friday (Picture: Courtesy of Victorian Fisheries Authority).

Freshwater

John Clements of Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that trophy size brown trout are still on offer at Lake Purrumbete, and on Friday, Declan Betts of Colac – who was fishing with Taylor Hunt and Anthony Forster of the Victorian Fisheries Authority, caught one that weighed 6.22 kg. It was by far biggest off five brown trout they caught that day.

Kevin Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club reports that 36 members fished Lake Mulwala over the weekend where – possibly due to the lower water levels – Murray cod were plentiful with Ken Hinks taking the biggest at 84 cm on his favourite lure, “Percy the perch.”

Biggest cod taken by lady member, Vicky Hall, measured 77.5 cm, and the largest golden perch was taken by Danny Miller. It measured 58 cm.

Wurdiboluc stocking

Cassie Milner of Barwon Water announced that the Victorian Fisheries Authority released 16,000 fingerling rainbow trout into the Wurdiboluc Reservoir last month as part of the Victorian Government’s $46 million state-wide plan (enshrined in legislation) to enable more Victorians to go fishing more often. A further release of 10,000 brown trout into this water is planned for later in the year.

Rod Lawn of Adamas Charters and crew, release a large bluefin tuna offshore from Portland.

Corio Bay Bellarine Peninsula

Years ago, anglers fished with Rangoon cane poles for warehou (snotty trevalla) from Cunningham, and of course, Yarra Street Piers. Often times the sides of each pier would be lined with poles angled at 30 degrees or so out from the pylons and tethered to the pier at the base.

With a few snotties turning up over the past week or so, we’ve seen some of those poles resurrected and back in use for this purpose. More’s the pity you can’t get them know; their fibreglass equivalents cost a fortune and their telescopic configuration makes them difficult to use in the accustomed way.

The influx of Australian salmon off the Waterfront have also been a boon to anglers, some catching them land based from various structures including the Limeburners Point breakwaters.

Mike Windsor of Clifton Springs Boat Hire reports that the boat ramp and other facilities at Clifton Springs attract anglers from far and wide. Among them last week, were Peter and Grant Rodgers from Maryborough who took 20 flathead to 40 cm and five whiting.

Whiting have been a bit scarce though said Mike, but on Friday Andrew Johnson tried off Curlewis where he found fishing less than comfortable with a north-west wind against the tide, along with passing rain squalls; but he caught ten keepers. However, at 3.00 pm, he found himself directly in the path of a deluge and headed back to the boat ramp.

Queenscliff

On Saturday morning, Joash Belousoff, along with his father Paul and friends Matthew and Hudson Taylor, began fishing for whiting off Queenscliff but without much luck. However, after making several moves they located a patch near the West Channel Pile off St Leonards where they caught 20 whiting, 11 flathead and six squid.

Matt Cini of Reeltime Charters with a 111 kg tuna from Portland (Picture: Bob McPherson).

Portland

Tuna have been on offer from Portland, and – should you be able to get past the small ones – there are some barrels among them.

Reeltime Charter skipper Matt Cini has been among those to locate several fish better than 100 kg for his clients. Others have done likewise, including Rod Lawn of Adamas Charters, whose clients – Aeger Kingma, Greg Jones,Terry Mathers, Matt Sayers and Jarod Friedbolder – caught a barrel of probably 120 kg on Friday, from 50 metres of water, and released it unharmed.

Christine asks:

Geoff, I envy the folk you regularly feature in your column with freshly caught fish. I, like most others, have to rely on the fishmonger for fresh fish; but how can we tell if it’s really fresh?

Filleted fish are a challenge though: Local saltwater fish like flathead, snapper and whiting should exhibit as a slightly translucent white with no sign of any yellow or brownish tinge, while fresh salmon or trout may vary from pale to deep pink.