By BRIAN LONG
Conditions over the past week were freshwater options around the region and further afield.
Plenty of anglers cast lures at Wurdee Boluc Reservoir where some caught redfin over 2kg and trout better than 2.5kg. Tiger minnow and bob n spoons were the best-performing options.
Terry Patterson continued casting lures from the shore at Lake Purrumbete with great success. Using Daiwa Double Clutches in the white colour, he again landed fish to 2.5kg, with the best fishing at first light.
Powerbait remained the bait of choice at Lake Tooliorook were rainbows averaging 1.5kg were caught from the shore. Wading well out before casting is required but the results have been worthwhile.
Moorabool Reservoir produced brown trout over 2kg. Either mudeye or scrub worm fished shallow under a float worked but my preference would be a shallow-running lure such as Rapala Finesse minnows or spoon styles like the Tailbender or trout quiver to cover a lot of water.
Trout expert Justin Rayner nailed his bag limit at Moorabool Reservoir. Using lure, he constantly hooked up on fish to close on 2kg.
Grant O’Connell fished Hepburn Lagoon where the low water levels made a tiger minnow in the brown trout pattern the best choice. Grant landed two magnificent trout over 2kg.
Keen anglers fishing high in the Moorabool River reported some fantastic action. Lure was the common method but Paul Smeaton used shrimp under a small float with outstanding success, catching and releasing four fish in his latest session.
Trout in our rivers closes midnight Monday until 6 September.
Further afield, Lake Toolondo has been fantastic. Both boat and shore-based anglers have had success, with fly enthusiasts especially catching plenty of fish.
Saltwater anglers also had great results in the past week, with plenty of salmon caught all along the coast.
Fairhaven and Eastern View were good when the water was clean but better fishing was available between Lorne and Apollo Bay.
The key to success on salmon along the coast is to fish clean water, preferably two hours either side of high tide and on lure.
The Barwon River estuary continued to host salmon in reasonable numbers, with small, metal, baitfish-profile lures working well on the run-up to high tide. Bait anglers should use prawn or pippie, with a variety of other species including trevally, mullet and small mulloway also available.
Trevally were caught in the cut at Queenscliff. Soft plastics such as turtleback worms and curl-tail grubs worked, with the best fishing on the run-up to high tide.
Stan Wells fished the entrance to Swan Bay where he caught abag limit of squid. Most were small but made excellent bait for the gummy shark, which Stan has been taking from the deep water directly out from St Leonards.
Whiting remained patchy, with many moves generally required to locate fish. However, Paul Piper fished the shallows of Stingaree Bay for around 10 fish on most outings in the past week.
Snapper should be starting to show in Corio Bay but numbers have been limited so far. Patience paid off for Greg Hart who fished the deep water mud off the silos to catch four fish over six trips, the best 4.7kg.
Conditions this weekend should be ideal for salmon in the surf. The evening low tide will suit Eastern View, which is an extremely productive location on lure after dark.
Freshwater options will be endless but Lake Tooliorook should be ideal for land-based anglers. Anyone with a boat should consider trolling at Lake Bullen Merri with a Tassie Devil set below downrigger or a deep-diving minnow pattern lure such as the Daiwa Double Clutch.
Send reports and photos to info@raylongtackle.com.au or visit Brian at Ray Long’s Fishing World, 105 Shannon Ave, Manifold Heights.
