Geoff’s Fishing Report

 

Cliff Rossack with one of the tuna that he and Taylor Hunt caught off Barwon Heads last week (Picture: Taylor Hunt).

Fishing legend, Cliff Rossack, is still – figuratively speaking – on the job at 85 years of age, nowadays with rod and reel.

 

With a break in the weather last Tuesday, he and fisheries manager Taylor Hunt, headed out off Barwon Heads, and in around 50 metres of water, came across big schools of slimy mackerel and other baitfish; all being harassed by seals, dolphins, and – most interestingly – tuna.

 

Casting surface poppers, stick-baits and soft plastics into the melee, they caught three tuna in the 15-20 kg range before returning from a great day’s fishing.

 

Maryborough Angling Club members Ken Hinks and Kevin Wild with a sample of their redfin catch from Lake Lonsdale.

 

Ken Hinks with one of his redfin from Lake Lonsdale.

Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula

Last Tuesday, Michael Bealham took a run over to Point Wilson and was back at the St Helens Ramp some two and a half hours later with three snapper, the biggest weighing 7.5 kg, and releasing another.

 

Naturally, Candace Mimms, Michael’s oft-times fishing partner, wanted some of that action. So. on their next trip, Candace again contributed to their snapper tally.

 

Historically speaking, catching whiting has been a challenge toward the full moon, one assumption being that during this phase, they probably feed at night rather than during the day.

 

Because of this, Garry Ridgeway’s advice to friends coming down from the Western District after the whiting was to avoid the early start they’d planned last week, and instead, to come down later and fish into the evening.

 

As it turned out though, both parties began fishing early, but those making the longer return journey left earlier with only a handful of fish, the same as Garry had by then, but he fished on into the evening and left with a full bag.

 

However, some do well regardless, like Andrew Johnson and wife Jenny who dropped onto a good whiting bite off Clifton Springs that yielded 30 odd whiting to 42 cm right off the bat, one morning early last week.

 

But, as usual, that bite didn’t last, so they kept on the move until Andrew eventually dropped the pick at his old favourite “Jack Rabbit” mark off McAdams Lane.

 

And it was here – in five metres of water – using cocktail baits of pipi and squid, that they topped off their respective bag limit catches.

 

Corio Bay’s inner harbour is worth a look as well with Mark Richards and a companion catching 37 whiting over a patch of broken ground in Stingaree Bay on Wednesday evening.

 

Andrew Phillips and Mark Sesar picked up 16 squid to a kilogram or so just off the mouth of Swan Bay early last week, and with the incoming tide imminent, they moved out a little deeper to try for whiting.

 

With the tide coming in on dusk, the whiting made their presence known, along with the unwelcome presence of bait-thieving, yellowtail scad.

 

Fortunately, the scad dispersed as night fell, but the whiting bite continued, the bigger fish coming on after dark, including some whoppers to 44 cm.

 

Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head reports that the dismal weather over Easter proved an obstacle for most.

 

However, there are fish to be caught, with Simon Werner and Michael Dean catching five flathead to 50 cm while drifting Indented Head’s shallows on Saturday, using soft plastics.

 

Jesse Baron with his wobbegong from Torquay’s Cosy Corner.

Off the Beach

Encounters with wobbegong (carpet shark), are rare from local beaches, but last week, Jesse Baron caught one that he estimated at 50 kg from Torquay’s Cosy Corner, a noted spot for whiting.

 

And they were Jesse’s quarry, his belief being that the wobby had homed in on a whiting he’d hooked, becoming “hoist of its own petard” so to speak.

John Clements’ and Jeremy Richardson’s catch of redfin from Lake Purrumbete (Picture: John Clements).

 

Kevin Wild with another redfin from Lake Lonsdale.

Freshwater

Kevin Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club, and fellow Club member Ken Hinks, were well rewarded for making yet another trip to Lake Lonsdale, near Stawell over Easter.

 

Using soft plastics and Profishent rubber vibes, they caught 20 redfin from around 1.4 to 1.8 kg, and many others in one of the most hectic fishing sessions either can remember.

 

Redfin too were the main catch at Lake Purrumbete where John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park, along with Daniel Kelly and Richard Thorpe on one occasion, and Jeremy Richardson on another, took any amount of redfin from 10 metres of water using scrubworms for bait.

 

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Geoff’s Fishing Report

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Geoff’s Fishing Report

 

Maryborough Angling Club member Kevin Wild with his competition-winning, 42 cm redfin from Tullaroop Reservoir (Picture: Amber Wild).

Freshwater

Kevin Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club reports that the club held a competition on Tullaroop Reservoir over the weekend that he won with a 42 cm redfin caught on a small yabby. Placegetters included Alan Poole, John Rivett, and junior angler Mason Eales, all with redfin.

 

As a matter of interest, the fishing had been slow on Tullaroop, said Kevin. Something he put down to receding water levels because of significant water releases into the Loddon River. However, now that the water levels are again stable, the fish – the redfin anyway – are back on the bite.

 

And, as is often the case, club members have  been covering quite a bit of ground of late with Greg Street and Ray Martin, first fishing Lake Fyans where they drew a blank, and then nearby Lake Lonsdale where they picked up good bags of redfin while trolling small lures.

Michael Evans with Wednesday evening’s catch of two redfin of 42 and 44 cm from Wurdiboluc Reservoir (Picture: Michael Evans).

Club member Mark Greenwood had something of a disappointment when he hooked a large Murray cod on a spinnerbait cast from Loddon riverbank just downstream from Cairn Curran Reservoir.

He would have released it anyway, but to have it shake free beside the bank, then swim away, wasn’t quite the same.

 

Michael Evans of Victorian Inland Charters spends his spare time fishing when not finding fish for his clients, and one his favourite locations is Wurdiboluc Reservoir, where he’s visited several times over the past two weeks taking redfin on each occasion.

 

They were plentiful in the shallower/weedy margins said Michael, mostly in the 25 to 35 cm range, some smaller, but were all eager to take pretty much any shape or colour spoon-type lure presented.

 

However, there were enough bigger fish to hold his interest, and on one occasion, when fishing into evening’s last light, he picked up two beauties on consecutive casts with a Wasabi metal spoon: One measuring 44 cm, the other, 42.

 

Mason Eales with his prize-winning. redfin catch in the junior section at Tullaroop Reservoir (Picture: Stephen Eales).

Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula

Making an early start just east of the Wilson Spit early last week, Jason Treloar anchored up in around 8 metres of water where it didn’t take him very long to open his account on the snapper.

 

He picked up one of about 4 kg right on daybreak, then – while removing the hook from his catch – his other rod put him on notice that a second fish of similar size to the first, would soon be added to his tally.

There appeared to be no more snapper on offer, but he did pick up a nice flathead around the kilogram mark. All was quiet after that until he spied some surface activity on the way back to the ramp.

 

Putting a couple of lures out, he was soon into a shoal of salmon to 600 grams or so that held his attention for a while before heading back to the ramp.

 

On Wednesday morning, Andrew Johnson and Dennis O’Brien headed out off Curlewis after the whiting, and – using strips of squid and mussels for bait in five metres of water – picked up a bag limit catch of good size fish, the biggest measuring 43 cm.

 

Making an early start to catch the last of the outgoing tide on Thursday morning, Gordon and Carrol Williams were also after whiting, heading out off Point Richards where they’d done well previously.

 

They found the whiting alright but had to move on occasion when pinkie snapper moved in on their baits, but they eventually picked up 30 nice whiting, and – as usual – there were a couple at 40 cm or better.

 

Fishing just east of the Point Richards mussel farm on Sunday evening, also for whiting, were Mark Sesar, Adrian Cole and Andrew Phillips.

Although they caught whiting throughout their stay, the bite was sometimes interrupted by pinkie snapper. However, the grand finale began an hour before sunset when a much larger class of whiting moved in, displacing the pinkies and topping off their bag limit catches of whiting to 45 cm.

 

Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head reports that squid have been back on song after a period of apparent disinterest, with clients taking good numbers.

 

Whiting too have been present said Rod, with some being taken by anglers drifting for flathead.

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Geoff’s Fishing Report

Jason Scott with the kingfish he caught from Griffin’s Gully Jetty at Western Beach.

 

Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula

Jason Scott was amazed to see kingfish in the 60-65 cm range cruising around the piles of Griffin’s Gully Jetty at Western Beach last week and decided to try his luck at catching one.

 

Arriving at the jetty early on Friday morning, he saw no kingfish, not initially anyway, but there were a good many garfish, several of which he caught with the idea of using one for bait.

 

He cast out a dead one, which was followed by several kingfish but not taken.

 

Hooking one on as a live bait was a different story altogether; it was snapped up in short order, the kingfish soon finishing on the deck, an event that had him call his nephew Ben who also caught a legal-size kingfish with the same approach.

 

Early last week, Andrew Phillips and Mark Sesar headed out off Point Richards hoping to catch some whiting.

 

And anchoring up in a previously productive spot, just east of the mussel farm in around 6.5 metres of water, they were onto a good whiting bite. And despite some inroads by pinkie snapper, they finished up with bag limit catches of whiting, the biggest measuring 43 cm, by 7.00 pm.

 

Andrew Johnson and Dennis O’Brien also headed out after the whiting on Friday morning’s incoming tide. It was slow going at first, but eventually, after making several moves, they came across a really-good patch of fish in 5.5 metres of water, just east of the Point Richards mussel farm, taking their respective bags of fish.

 

Mike Windsor of Clifton Springs Boat Hire reports that among those to catch whiting were brothers Patrick and Richard Assli who found a good patch of fish to 40 cm offshore from the red shed at Curlewis.

 

Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head also reports that whiting are on the go down that way as well, and have been caught more or less anywhere between Grassy Point and the Governor Reefs.

 

Simon Werner and Michael Dean put in an evening from the Portarlington breakwater over the weekend, taking three snapper, each around the 45 cm mark and a number of legal size pinkies.

 

Simon also performed a wading session, casting soft plastics at Indented Head on Thursday morning’s high tide, picking up two nice flathead of 48 and 52 cm.

 

Jim Gillians with the hefty wobbegong he caught off Fisherman’s Beach, Torquay.

Off the beach

Fishing off Fisherman’s Beach, Torquay on Saturday night were Jim Gillians and Ben Malouf, and casting out with generous baits they were hoping to catch a bronze whaler or some other variety of edible shark.

 

Initially, there didn’t seem to be much doing, but at 11.00 pm, and three hours into the outgoing tide, Jim hooked up. Not to a bronze whaler, but a fair size wobbegong that’s now destined for table fare.

 

Maryborough Angling Club member Tony Savage with a 60 cm yellowbelly taken from Lake Eildon off Paradise Point.

 

Bendigo angler Derrick Blow got a surprise to find one of the cod he’d caught at the Lake Mulwala Cod Nationals had all but swallowed another Murray Cod about a third the size of one he’d caught.

Barwon Estuary

Chris Stamalos, and his mate Rob, fished the Barwon estuary upstream from the bridge on Sunday evening anticipating good fishing on the incoming tide, and they weren’t disappointed.

 

Using pipis and squid for bait, they caught 30 whiting altogether, two of which made 40 cm, along with several Australian salmon.

 

Jordan Matthews with a nice bass from the Werribee River (Picture: Frank Benvenuto).

 

Clint Tinsey with a 42 cm Australian Bass that he caught on a surface lure from the Werribee River (Picture: Frank Benvenuto).

Freshwater

Frank Benvenuto has been fishing just upstream from the Werribee River Weir of late and continues to catch bass on a variety of lures including Strike Pro Bass Beetles and Jackall Pompadours.

 

He’s also been encouraging others like Melton angler Clint Tinsey, who – after a number of attempts – caught a 42 cm bass retrieving an imitation cicada lure along the surface, and Jordan Matthews who’s done similarly well using Whopper Ploppers and Jackall Junior Pompadours.

 

Kevin and Amber Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club fished the Cod Nationals at Lake Mulwala last week but didn’t break into the winner’s circle, which in turn was dominated by Derrick and Kayde Blow from Bendigo who weighed in cod, the biggest 80 cm, on most days.

 

In fact Derrick got something of a surprize to find one of the cod he’d caught had all but swallowed another Murray cod about one quarter the size of the one that had taken his lure.

 

Kevin also points out that among club members to cover a bit of ground last week was Tony Savage who fished Eildon Lake, taking yellowbelly to 60 cm offshore from Paradise Point at Jamieson.

 

John Clements of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that the lake is fishing well and producing both chinook salmon and all varieties of trout.

 

However, redfin are still the main drawcard, said John, and among those to catch them last week was Darren Campbell of Lismore who caught any amount on scrubworms.

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Geoff’s Fishing Report

Kevin McLoughlin, Paul Carson and Marcus Pearson with the mako shark they caught off Apollo Bay.

Offshore

Fishing on the drift in around 40 metres of water off Apollo Bay, Kevin McLoughlin, Marcus Pearson, and Paul Carson were catching flathead, and as usual, had a berley trail going.

 

And nosing up the berley trail came a mako shark that soon had them switching out the light tackle for something more heavy duty, baited with a mackerel rather than a sprat, and which wasn’t refused.

 

Well, most of us know what to expect with a mako’s powerful fight and arial displays, and this one – that they estimated at 100 kg – was no exception.

 

Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula

Making an early start on Sunday morning, Andrew Phillips and Tony Greck anchored up in 8.5 metres of water off Point Wilson where they caught their first snapper, a nice fish of 5.5 kg at around 4.30 am.

 

By 6.00 am, they’d caught two more, each around 3.5 kg. However, with nothing doing after that, they headed across the bay to Point Richards hopeful of catching a few whiting.

 

After initially finding a good whiting bite, they had to contend with pinkie snapper taking their baits and kept on the move to re-engage with the whiting. They finished with 30 fish to 43 cm before the south easterly, that had been gathering in strength all morning, had them heading for home.

 

On Friday morning, Dennis O’Brien and Andrew Johnson headed out off Clifton Springs where their first drop produced four nice whiting.

 

But from then on, hordes of undersize pinkies moved in on their baits, initiating a series of moves, hopefully to separate the whiting from the pinkies.

 

And in five metres of water, within close proximity to the nearby mussel farm, they managed that, enabling bag limit catches of whiting that included several fish over the 40 cm mark.

 

Mike Windsor of Clifton Springs Boat Hire reports whiting have been taken in good numbers with Leopold and Curlewis being stand-out areas, and squid have been caught off The Dell.

 

Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head reports that while fishing was a little slower than usual last week, at least some of his clients brought home the goods.

 

Jeff Richards and Chris Hateley headed out off Indented Head around 12.30 on Sunday, first to catch a few squid before trying for whiting on one of Jeff’s big fish marks just inshore from the Prince George Pile.

 

While the fishing was slow with just half a dozen whiting, the size of their fish was at least up to expectations with all fish over the 40 cm mark; the biggest measured 46 cm.

 

Chris Stamalos’ catch (mainly whiting), from the Barwon estuary.

Barwon estuary

Fishing the Barwon estuary, between the Sheepwash and the Bridge on Sunday, Chris Stamalos arrived around mid-day and waited for the tide to begin coming in.

 

Chris finished up at around 5.00 pm with a bag limit catch of whiting, the biggest around 38 cm, several good size silver trevally, Australian salmon to 700 grams or so, and some good size mullet.

 

Freshwater

Temporarily abandoning the bountiful catches of whiting and snapper from Corio Bay, Stewart Veitch made an exploratory trip to Lismore’s Lake Tooliorook following rumours that there were fish on offer.

 

Fishing land-based and using the “Magic Bait,” he’d ordered, Stewart didn’t have long to wait for his first fish, a rainbow trout nudging 2 kg, the biggest of several he caught, almost guaranteeing his return.

 

John Clements of Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park reports that the lake’s redfin have attracted anglers from near and far.

 

They included Sandra and Dave Theobald of Swan Hill who used worms for bait, Jacinta Kelly and Tom Hogan from Drysdale, and Darren Campbell from Lismore, who – along with Jeremy Richardson from Colac – took a mixed bag of fish, mainly redfin, on small Stump-jumpers.

 

Cornelius asks:

Geoff, you mentioned Talbot Reservoir last week. My search for that water indicates it is in Narrandera, NSW. Is there such a water in Victoria?

 

Cornelius, you have discovered Narrandera’s Lake Talbot Water Park in NSW. What you were looking for was Talbot Reservoir, which is just off the Clunes/Evansford Road about 1 km from Evansford. It’s 30 km south of Maryborough, and going via Ballarat, about 130 km north-west of Geelong.

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Geoff’s Fishing Report

Candace Mimms with a freshly caught Portland tuna (Picture: Michael Bealham).

 

Offshore

Spending a few days at Portland last week, Michael Bealham and Candace Mimms first tried for kingfish, which were reportedly on, but they caught juveniles only, possibly due to the prevailing dodge-tides, said Michael.

 

However, bluefin tuna in the 10-15 kg range were about, and although trolling lures was initially unsuccessful, putting a strip of squid on the hook of each lure got immediate strikes and proved their key to bag limit catches.

 

While they hooked no large or barrel-size tuna, which are due anytime now, and anticipating their forthcoming presence, Candace has intensified her gym workouts in preparation for such an encounter.

 

Closer to home, Simon Werner was fishing for whiting in a usually productive spot in 6 metres of water off Collendina, but without success, and the reason probably had something to do with a shoal of kingfish to metre or so in length that took absolutely no interest in any offering he made.

 

Coincidentally, he had a charter that afternoon, his clients being scientists seeking kingfish. However, none could be found, not even where Simon spied them earlier in the day.

 

Barwon Estuary

On Sunday, Chris Stamalos and his brother Daniel, fished the Barwon River estuary just downstream from the Sheepwash. The tide was still running out on their arrival so they awaited the tide change that occurred around 1.00 pm.

 

Generally speaking, one’s catch during the incoming tide is usually something of a lottery, but in this case whiting were on the bite and they finished up with their respective bag limits, the biggest nudging 40 cm.

 

Fishing on until 6.00 pm or so, their final catch also included silver trevally, mullet, and Australian salmon to a kilogram.

 

Freshwater

Travelling down to Camperdown, Garry Ridgeway and companion Geoff Clay, first fished Lake Purrumbete, but all they could catch there with their deep-baiting technique were small chinook from a recent yearling release.

 

Their first try at Lake Bullen Merri on Thursday afternoon didn’t produce much either.

 

However, a discussion with neighboring visitors, Barry and Rita Grimley, and their son Michael, revealed that they had fared much better on Bullen Merri the day previous, taking several chinook salmon to 2.5 kg toward evening while downrigging with pink Tassie Devils

 

This prompted another Bullen Merri visit by the pair, on evening this time with their timing making all the difference: The bite started at around 6.45 pm and continued until they’d taken their respective bag limit catches before dark.

 

Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula

Andrew Johnson and wife Jenny tried for whiting off McAdams Lane on Wednesday where, initially at least, the fishing was slow. Never-the-less they persisted, finishing up with 20 whiting from 34 to 40 cm.

 

Also included in their catch were four good-size flathead to 45 cm.

 

Making an early start off Avalon early last week, Jason Treloar anchored up in one of his favourite spots out from the Point Lillias aquaculture sites where it didn’t take him very long to open his account on the snapper.

 

He picked up one of about 4 kg right on daybreak, then – with scarcely time to admire his catch – the bend in his other rod put him on notice that a second and final fish was to make up a matching pair.

 

Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire reports that on Sunday at least, whiting were still on the go between Grassy Point and The Governors, and while there were some small fish among them, several bags of keepers, the biggest around 40 cm, were taken.

 

Flathead have been taken on the drift said Rod, both in the deeper water where they are more numerous but small, and closer in where they are larger in size but far less plentiful.

 

Karen says:

Geoff, on reading your report of February 14, I was shocked that you don’t support catch and release. If we keep all of the fish we catch there won’t be any left for our children.

 

Karen, commercial trawl fisheries alone, particularly those operated by multinational fish-harvesting conglomerates, take mega-tonnes of fish and discard an even greater by-catch. By comparison, the combined recreational anglers’ catch is insignificant: No fishery anywhere has ever been threatened by recreational fishing.

 

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Geoff’s Fishing Report

Al Castro and Jim Gillians with a sample of their bronze whaler catch from Fisherman’s Beach at Torquay (Picture: Carter Ryan).

Off the Beach

On Saturday evening, Jim Gillians, Al Castro and Carter Ryan arrived at Fisherman’s Beach Torquay and set up some serious tackle, hopeful of catching a shark or two.

 

They hooked six as it turned out, all were tempted with generous baits of tuna and squid in an action-packed session that began following the 11.00 pm high tide change, and lasted until around 2.00 am.

 

They released two of the four bronze whalers that they beached, keeping the other two that were in the most manageable size range for transporting, and for prime flake.

 

Fishing an evening high tide from Jan Juc earlier last week, Tony Ingram and Col Simmons had no trouble catching several salmon. Most were a little on the small side, and – as usual – they sacrificed some for bait as the tide began running off toward dark, hoping for a gummy shark or two.

 

First contender would have been around the 6 kg mark, followed by another slightly smaller. However, after being wiped out from what was obviously a fair size shark, and with nothing doing after that, they called it a night.

 

Kevin Wild with his redfin catch, and a sack full of yabbies from Tullaroop Reservoir.

Maryborough Angling Club member Mark Wilde with a 63 cm brown trout from Lake Purrumbete.

 

Freshwater

Kevin Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club reports that Tullaroop Reservoir continues to produce good catches of both redfin and yabbies and has sent me pictures of some of his remarkable catches from here. And last week, he and club member Stephen Eales made a promotional video of the great fishing to be found here.

 

Kevin also reports that on Friday, he and 20 odd club members made the trip to Camperdown’s Lake Purrumbete where redfin were the main catch with soft plastics and live minnow both being effective.

 

The largest redfin, which measured 39 cm was taken by club member “Patty” while club member Mark Wilde (no relation to Kevin) took the largest brown trout measuring 63 cm.

 

Maryborough Angling Club member “Patty,” with a 39 cm redfin from Lake Purrumbete.

 

Frank Benvenuto’s 50 cm bass from the Werribee River.

Werribee River Bass

Fishing above the Werribee River weir, over several evenings last week, Frank Benvenuto, as usual, had no trouble catching several bass up to 40 cm, all of which he released.

 

The big surprise though, was a 50 cm whopper that fell to a D-Style Reserve Minnow, which – unlike most of the lures Frank has used of late – runs along the surface.

 

Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula

After a break with his family in Queensland, Andrew Johnson and his long-time fishing partner, Dennis O’Brien headed out off Clifton Springs last week after the whiting.

 

Things were a little slow to begin with, but after making several moves, they found a good patch of fish in around 7 metres of water off McAdams Lane. And it was here that they took their respective bag limit catches of quality fish, the biggest stretching the tape out to 44 cm.

 

Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head reports that whiting were the most abundant catch last week, and there were some good ones among them, the biggest measuring 43 cm.

 

However, squid have been slow said Rod with clients reporting numerous sightings of these succulent cephalopods, but which – of late anyway – have been somewhat reluctant play ball.

 

With good weather early last week, Harley Griffiths and Stan Owen made an early start off St Leonards, heading out into 20 metres of water to catch the morning high tide change, hopeful of catching a snapper or two.

 

They caught three as it turned out, all nice fish around the 5 kg mark, and they probably would have caught more had it not been for a shark, possibly a bronze whaler, stealing their next fish and shutting the bite down.

 

Offshore

Tuna are about offshore, but not that easy to catch as Adamas deckhand Simon Werner can attest. But on the way out through Port Phillip Heads to do some bottom fishing on Saturday, clients had a double hook-up.

 

They caught one tuna of about 15 kg, dropping the other which appeared to be around the same size.

 

On the other hand, said Simon, Australian salmon to 2 kg or so are abundant in The Rip, and – for most of the time anyway – are eager to take lures and provide good fishing, particularly for clients on charter.

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Geoff’s Fishing Report

 

Peter Agius with the 6.12 kg chinook salmon that he caught from Lake Purrumbete on Saturday (Picture: Dave Thompson).

Crater Lakes Chinook

Fishing on the east side of Lake Purrumbete with friend Dave Thompson on Saturday, Peter Agius hooked something clearly larger than usual while downrigging a black Rapala XR8 on 3 kg line at a depth of 25 metres.

 

After a brief pause to measure it at 77 cm, weigh it, and have a photograph taken by Dave, Peter released the 6.12 kg chinook salmon, hopefully to grow even larger.

 

Recent captures of these large chinook salmon prioritize their release as fingerlings as a recent, and hopefully, ongoing trial has clearly shown.

 

It is now demonstrably clear that on-growing these fish in the hatchery to be released as “yearlings,” which had become common practice, deprives them of their full growth potential and their status as a premier game fish.

 

Mark Sesar and Andrew Phillips with a sample of Saturday morning’s snapper catch from Corio Bay (Picture: Adrian Cole).

Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula

Making an early start off Avalon’s Mountain View Quarries on Saturday, Adrian Cole, Mark Sesar and Andrew Phillips were hoping for a snapper or two, and after half an hour or so, picked up their first fish at around 5.00 am.

 

They caught five altogether, ranging in size from 4.5 to 5.6 kg in a hectic bite, but by 7.00 am, it became clear the show was over.

 

Well prepared for such eventualities, they headed into shallower water, hopeful of catching a few whiting, which they did in spades, taking 20 beautiful fish to 41 cm, along with several good sized garfish.

 

But that only lasted until a really strong south-westerly came up, and – like most others – had them heading back to the boat ramp.

 

After their mixed success on the whiting off Curlewis the week previous, Gordon and Carol Williams broke new ground on Saturday morning, heading down to Point Richards where they found action aplenty just off the eastern edge of the mussel farm.

 

However, arguably on their way to bag limit catches of decent fish, some around the 40 cm mark, the gathering south-westerly had them too heading back to the ramp, joining an ever-growing queue retrieving their boats.

 

Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head reports that there were some good catches of whiting made last week: Client James and his companion, managed bag limit catches of whiting using mussels for bait, and followed that up with a lure trolling session that produced several snook.

 

Squid have also been on offer said Rod, and – while they may take a bit of finding – some good catches have been made.

Rita Polgar with her tuna catch taken offshore from Barwon Heads (Picture: Tib Polgar).

Offshore

Braving the elements on Saturday, Tib and Rita Polgar headed offshore from Barwon Heads in search of tuna, which have been a little hard to tempt of late.

 

However, they found a school of fish in around 35 metres of water off Barwon Heads and managed to catch two, each around the 15 kg mark.

 

Freshwater

Kevin Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club fished Tullaroop Reservoir on several occasions last week, taking both redfin and yabbies each time.

 

The redfin have been fairly close to shore, in only 2-3 metres of water and most have been caught on soft plastics. The yabbies, on the other hand. have been out in 7-8 metres of water.

 

Werribee River Bass

With several questions regarding Frank Benvenuto’s bass fishing techniques on the Werribee River, he tells me the bass are widespread and will probably be on the go until perhaps late April.

 

Frank says Monroe’s soft plastic, 2.75 inch paddle tail in the glass monkey coloration, coupled with a1/20th of an ounce jig-head, fished on a slow retrieve out-fishes just about anything else. So, there you go.

 

Jeremy says:

Geoff, after watching fishing DVD’s and television programs, and even reading your column, I sometimes feel guilty about taking fish home to eat, so strongly is catch and release being pushed these days.

 

Jeremy, I write about what people do in fishing, whether it’s catch and release or catching fish to feed the family. I don’t hold, nor do I promote any fishing ideologies, and that includes catch and release.

 

I know that some folk release just about everything they catch, and provided the catch is bought alongside quickly, giving it the very best chance of survival – hopefully with the hook removed – I see nothing wrong with it.

 

Other folk catch fish to eat. They target specific fish and take responsibility for gutting, filleting, and preparing those freshly caught fish for the table and I fully support their right to do so.

 

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Geoff’s Fishing Report

Grazio Dalli with the bronze whaler he caught from the Point Lonsdale Pier in the early hours of Saturday morning.

 

From the pier

Fishing from the Point Lonsdale Pier on Friday night, Grazio Dalli was hoping to catch a shark, and after sending his line out using a paravane, had a strike at midnight that completely smashed the bonito he had on for bait.

 

Staying on into the early morning hours, he baited up once again, and at around 1.00 am, he had a screaming run. That was just after some other guys arrived on the pier whom Grazio got to know as Tarek, Bekir and Furkan.

 

All proved to be willing helpers but were defeated when a large swell came through, and somehow aided the shark, a bronze whaler of about 2 metres in length to escape beside the pier; but Grazio was not to be defeated.

 

His third bait was taken at around 3.00 am on the outgoing tide, and this time there was no mistake, Grazio – aided by his newfound companions – landed the shark, a bronze whaler of just over two metres in length.

 

Tarek, Bekir and Furkan, all of whom assisted Grazio in landing his shark.

Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula

Making an early start off Avalon’s Mountain View Quarries on Sunday, Mark Sesar and Andrew Phillips were hoping for a snapper or two. However, it took until 6.00 am for the first rod to buckle over, its reel growling to the tune of a 5.2 kg snapper.

 

Two others of 4.2 and 3.5 kg quickly followed, but – as is sometimes the case – that was the last hurrah: They continued to fish for another couple of hours into the morning but without getting another bite.

 

Gordon and Carol Williams fished for whiting at the weekend, but escaping a recent influx of small, but mostly just legal-size whiting, kept them on the move – seemingly in vain – looking for bigger fish.

 

However, before heading back to the ramp, they picked up a couple of larger whiting in around 4 metres of water off The Dell, eventually finishing up with a dozen good specimens, the biggest just on 40 cm.

 

One of Frank Benvenuto’s estuary perch from the Werribee River.

 

Fly fishing the creek at Airlie Beach in Queensland with partner Gaye last week, Frank Bluch caught this 9.15 kg barramundi, using a regulation 2 kg tippet, for which he is claiming a tippet-class record.

Freshwater

Frank Benvenuto visited the Werribee River once more on Friday evening, and – fishing soft plastic lures with a slow retrieve – added several estuary perch to his usual catch of bass, all of which he returned.

 

Frank also reports that his friend David Cox continues to find yellowbelly and bass in the Werribee River, along with the occasional estuary perch, using the same slow retrieve that proved so effective for him.

 

Kevin Wild of the Maryborough Angling Club was cleaning well over a hundred yabbies when I called, part of a catch from Tullaroop Reservoir.

 

This water has become a veritable “bay of plenty” in recent times with redfin the most sought-after fish, but there are also large brown and rainbow trout, and of course, plenty of yabbies, mostly in 7-8 metres of water.

 

Kevin also mentions that club members have also experienced some excellent fishing from the Loddon River below Laanecoorie Weir lately, particularly for Murray cod that seem to be taking an unnatural interest in surface lures, something which has made for spectacular fishing.

 

Geelong anglers Steve O’Keefe, Daniel Stranger, Mick Turner and Ian Cockerill, have just returned from central Tasmania where they fished a number of waters, some productive, others less so.

 

Of the various waters they fished, including Bronte’s Lagoon – where there was no shortage of fish following their lures – Brady’s Lake, along the Lyall Highway proved to be the jewel in the crown, so to speak, producing rainbow trout to 53 cm on Berkey Powerbait.

Sammy Sherriff, with an 8.8 kg snapper that he caught just outside the Bridport harbour entrance in Northern Tasmania last week.

Rupert asks:

Geoff, a beginner at surf fishing, I have fished in places you’ve mentioned in your reports with some success. However, my greatest concern is the number times I have wound in to check my bait, and – even after having no bites – it is usually gone.

 

Not sure what is going on: Is there a solution?

 

Rupert, I suggest you buy some bait elastic to secure your bait to the hook and trace. Coarser versions like Bait Mate are best for securing larger baits. You just wind it around the bait, hook and leader then break it off.

 

Or, when using small, soft baits like craytail or pipis, a finer version of the same thing, like Ghost Cocoon, should do the job for you.

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Geoff’s Fishing Report

Andrew Phillips with a sample of his, and Mark Sesar’s Sunday morning’s snapper catch (Picture: Mark Sesar).

 

Corio Bay/Bellarine Peninsula

Rigged and ready for snapper by around 4.30 am on Sunday, Mark Sesar and Andrew Phillips picked up a promising reading off the Mountain View Quarries at Avalon and were soon in business.

 

Their first fish, that later weighed 5.4 kg, was closely followed by another only slightly smaller, and after a lull in proceedings, they caught two more.

 

Come daybreak however, it was clear the bite was over, so they looked for other fish to fry, so to speak.

 

With calm weather, they headed back across the bay, beginning a drift for squid between Clifton Springs and Point Richards; another profitable exercise as it turned out for by 10.30 am they’d taken their respective bag limit catches and were on their way back to the ramp.

 

Also making an early start, Jason Treloar anchored up in around 8 metres of water off the Point Lillias aquaculture sites, the growl of his reel heralding the capture of a 4 kg snapper on daybreak.

 

Mike Windsor of Clifton Springs Boat Hire reports that there are squid to be caught, particularly down off Point Richards, and for land-based anglers, garfish have been caught from the Clifton Springs jetty

 

At Indented Head, Rod Ludlow of Beachlea Boat Hire reports that most of his clients seemed to be enjoying the improvement in the weather over the weekend rather than taking the fishing too seriously. However, he said that there are still whiting and squid to be caught by anyone willing to put in the effort.

Andrew Ketelaar with a good size gummy shark that he caught from the Tooradin Channel on Western Port.

Offshore

The wreck of the Canberra, scuttled in 30 metres of water off Ocean Grove as an artificial reef in October 2009, continues to attract fish, including shoals of bluefin tuna, as hard as they sometimes are to catch.

 

The tuna in turn seem to have attracted mako sharks, which have been somewhat scarce off our coast in recent years for whatever reason. However, early last week Jae Peters caught two here, one of 15 kg that he kept, and another of possibly 60 kg that he released.

 

Simon Werner of Adamas Charters reports that their clients did well off Port Phillip Heads fishing on the drift for mainly sand flathead, along with a few or the toothy variety, over the weekend, with their bigger fish nudging a kilogram.

One of Frank Benvenuto’s bass from the Werribee River.

Freshwater

Frank Benvenuto’s report on the Werribee River bass on January 10, created quite a bit of interest, but he reiterates the difficulty in accessing the most productive spots given the overgrown nature of the river’s bankside foliage, along with the occasional snake, factors that probably make much of these areas unsuitable for “family fishing.”

 

Frank re-visited the river on Friday evening, and – finding his favourite spots less productive than usual – went on the move, continuing to catch both bass and yellowbelly in a variety of locations, and on a selection of lures with Strike Pro bass beetles a standout.

 

Kevin Wild and wife Amber of the Maryborough Angling Club spent a few days at Lake Mulwala last week but found the fishing a little disappointing. Murray cod were on offer as usual, but most were a bit on the small side.

 

However, the fishing was pretty good closer to home with club members Brian and John Rivett, and Don and Robert Rayner, taking any amount of redfin from Tullaroop Reservoir, particularly with the attachment of “beetle spin” fish-attractors to their lures.

 

Geelong anglers Mark Greenwood and Tom Steel also made the journey to Tullaroop, and they were also rewarded with good catches of redfin.

 

Ray asks:

Geoff, night fishing with a companion at one of my favourite Torquay beaches last week, we caught and released three very large stingrays; quite an effort considering the biggest of these would have been close to 100 kg.

 

Two were common stingrays with normal length tails. The other though, was a much more difficult customer; it had an extremely long tail that it thrashed about, making the task of releasing it horrendously difficult.

 

I’ve never seen such a creature before. Do you know what it would be?

 

Ray, I’ve encountered two such rays, and attempts at identification suggested they were probably thorntail stingrays (Dasyatis thetidis), also known as black stingrays: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorntail_stingray.

 

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