On the Bite, by Chris Pitman
Queenscliff produced some impressive captures over the past week, with whiting, squid and kingfish taken.
Whiting to 45cm were caught on pippies and squid around the grass beds just to the east of the harbour on the run-in tide.
The nearby entrance to Swan Bay held squid of around 800g, with size 3 jigs accounting for most captures.
Gone Fishing Charters had an outstanding session on kingfish in the Rip, with clients boating numerous kingies to 8kg. Entice jigs worked extremely well.
Corio Bay’s pinkie snapper and flathead were on the chew again. I encountered numerous pinkies while fishing the Stingray Bay spoil grounds with soft plastics on Sunday, when the fishing improved as the weather worsened.
Clifton Springs produced the odd snapper to 4kg for patient anglers using freshly sourced bait such as squid. Using a depth sounder to locate schools was crucial to success.
Salmon continued feeding on the surface offshore from Ocean Grove and Barwon, with lures taking fish reaching 2.5kg.
Fishing down the Western District went from strength to strength, with kingfish and tuna commonly caught. Mitch Chapman fished out from Portland, catching both species on stick baits cast to surface-feeding fish.
Freshwater reports were impressive, with Lake Bullen Merri returning Chinook salmon to 4kg and respectable rainbow trout around 1.5kg. Trolling deep with a down rigger was an advantage, while bait anglers had luck anchored up and drifting pilchard fillets to the bottom in a berley trail.
Justin Burns fished around Horsham recently where he banked numerous yellowbelly on Jackal TN60 lures among some heavy structure.
Wurdee Boluc Reservoir was productive for Michael Evans, who caught both redfin and rainbow trout. Casting lures from the lake margins, he banked redfin to 47cm and some chunky trout.
Michael said larger plastic like a Norries spoon-tail 4.5-inch shad really enticed the larger redfin.
The Barwon River around Queen’s Park produced carp to 4kg for anglers prepared to be patient and fish with corn kernels. The odd redfin of 30cm was also taken on small hard-body lures cast around the bridge.
Next week should spoil anglers for local options, with Corio Bay a sure bet on soft plastics for pinkies and flathead over the spoil grounds. Freshwater anglers should try Wurdee Boluc for large redfin on big soft plastic.
