By BRIAN LONG
QUALITY snapper were caught in Corio Bay’s outer-harbour over the past week, especially on soft plastics.
Danny Clapinski and Peter Bacely hit the water before daylight for a bag of fish to more than 5kg.
Also out before daylight, Grant Thompson fished Hermsley’s spoil grounds where his sounder lit up with fish. They turned out to be salmon to just on 1kg but when they disappeared he began catching snapper to more than 3kg until the Sun broke through.
Don Martin fished Wilson Spit late Saturday night when just on midnight his two rods folded with a pair of gummy shark around 5kg each. He fished for another three hours, managing two snapper around 3kg.
Paul Carmichael drifted the southern edge of the Stingaree Bay spoil grounds where undersize snapper were plentiful until just on dark, after which he caught a bag-limit catch of fish to 1.5kg.
Lauren Alford fished the platforms near North Shore rocks where the under-size fish were also busy. With patience he managed a nice pinkie of around 33cms.
Grant Tanner fished close in at Bird Rock for a bag-limit catch of whiting on pippie. The fishing was best the last two hours before dark.
Paul Carter and a mate drifted in 10m off St Leonards where they caught many flathead on blue bait and soft plastics, with the latter returning the best results in numbers and size.
Anglers jigging inside Port Phillip Heads at the bend in the channel caught kingfish to 10kg. Slow trolling weighted white Slug Go soft plastics caught fish of a similar size.
Offshore reports were mixed, with many struggling to find the bait fish that attracted tuna and kingfish in recent weeks.
Troy Mann fished off Cinema Point where he caught four kingfish around 65cm along with a 1.5m thresher shark.
Stan Knight trolled the shallow grass beds from Queenscliff to St Leonards to catch plenty of pike. Using small diving-minnow-pattern lures, his fish averaged 80cm but a few were over 1m.
Surf angling conditions were difficult but snapper were taken from Black Rock during the last two hours before dark.
Anglers spinning the rocks just past Lorne caught quality salmon from the deeper-water rock platforms on small, metal baitfish lures around the 30g.
Harrison Marchant fished the Barwon River estuary where fish were running his reel but failing to hook up. He began holding his rod and hooked up on the next bite with an under-size mulloway of 58cm, which he returned along with two others caught separately.
Shaun Cooper fished the Barwon River at Queen’s Park with live minnow, catching redfin. Most were too small but he managed two of 900g.
Lure has been best on the redfin upstream of Buckley Falls all the way to Inverleigh. Anywhere with downed timber has been working.
Wurdi Boluc Reservoir began producing some big reddies for anglers with enough casting endurance. Late in the evening has been best. Last weekend when I fished the reservoir Mark McPherson landed the best fish while casting Waxwing lures, which he let sink close to the bottom before retrieving slowly.
This weekend’s tides should be ideal for the surf in the evening, while freshwater anglers could try Wurdi Boluc Reservoir.
Kingfish should also be available in The Rip for anglers working jigs in the 120g to 200g range. Be mindful of other boats and anglers because controlling a boat in the tide as well as fighting a fish can be tricky in The Rip.
Also please move as soon as possible when a ship approaches because they cannot easily see small boats, which have the responsibility of getting out of the way.
Send reports and photos to info@raylongtackle.com.as or visit Brian at Ray Long’s Fishing World, 105 Shannon Ave, Manifold Heights.
