Christ Pitman
CLIFTON Springs remained the go-to location for snapper over the past week.
Mark Sesar and Keith Fry made a daybreak start, anchoring just out from Alcoa Pier and baiting up with freshly caught garfish. They soon boated an 7kg snapper then a 6kg fish half an hour later.
I ventured off Clifton Springs last Friday evening but was distracted by schools of large Australian salmon busting up on the surface, which made for excellent fun on light gear casting and trolling in and around the feeding fish.
Other anglers found good numbers of squid in close drifting over the shallow grass beds with smaller size 2.5 jigs.
Indented Head produced snapper and squid in great numbers for anglers prepared to cover ground. Paul Jones took a 3kg snapper with a Gulp minnow soft plastic on 4kg tackle, which resulted in an outstanding fight.
Fishing World Geelong’s Kevin Hunter set out on Port Phillip Bay early Saturday morning to fish the Williamstown ANSA convention. Kevin motored over to Mornington where he managed 4.4kg snapper before drifting pilchard fillets under a float at the entrance to Swan Bay where he caught a 1.6kg tailor along with silver trevally, salmon and a 1.2kg flathead.
Queenscliff Harbour produced snapper to 1.5kg and silver trevally around 800g on plastics. Squid were also taken on jigs cast among the moored boats.
The Barwon River estuary fished well for salmon and trevally. Anglers fishing the incoming tide with pippies and prawns had the best result, while some juvenile mulloway were also landed.
Anglers surf fishing just outside the river caught salmon to 1kg on baits such as pilchard.
John Carroll travelled to Port Albert where he landed a 7kg snapper in the favourable conditions that greeted him.
On the freshwater front, Wurdee Boluc Reservoir remained a clear standout. Bradley Cox arrived late Sunday afternoon intent on banking a trophy redfin, finally catching a 50cm fish on a 10cm Z-Man grub the Motor Oil colour.
Lake Wendouree was again productive for brown trout. Anglers fly fishing at night achieved the best results, catching trout within metres of the bank.
Eric Box and Rudi Holzfeind travelled to Lake Tollondo where they caught both brown and rainbow Trout. They boated most on mudeye suspended under a float, with the fish ranging in size from 1.5kg to 2.3kg.
The Barwon River produced great numbers of redfin on lures such at Atomic Shad in Colour #17. Successful anglers were prepared to cover ground searching for schools of feeding fish.
The next week’s options include the Swan Bay channel for a variety of species or wading the shallows casting plastics for flathead at areas such as Clifton Springs and St Leonards. Freshwater options include Wurdee Boluc Reservoir for trophy redfin.
