On the Bite, by Chris Pitman
Anglers encountered a wide variety of fish species off Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads over the past week.
Drifting for flathead in 40m to 50m produced some large flathead, with Gone Fishing Charters’ Chris Vasilevski reporting large numbers of fish with an excellent average size.
Kingfish holding between Point Lonsdale through to Bancoora lured many other anglers offshore. Trolling white-skirted lures with a squid strip attached was a productive tactic.
Other offshore anglers crossed paths with large schools of Australian salmon feeding on the surface.
Daniel Baden and I headed out over the weekend to find the kingfish hard to tempt but enjoying fantastic sport on the salmon.
Schools of southern bluefin tuna to 15kg were also turned up occasionally of Point Lonsdale. The tuna sometimes responded to small skirted lures.
Kingfish dominated reports from The Rip, where anglers enjoyed a slightly better class of fish. Jigging knife jigs to schools located on sounders worked a treat.
Trellys Geelong’s Kevin Hunter and Robert Vecoli spent an hour or so catching squid before trolling some in The Rip with a downrigger. A kingie of 4kg soon took one of the baits shortly before another of a similar size seized the other.
Queenscliff’s grass beds continued hosting some of the Bellarine Peninsula’s premier whiting fishing, with the average size 40cm. Squid were nearby just around the corner at the entrance to Swan Bay.
Michael Moore fished the bay for gummy sharks with salted trevally baits on Monday night. He failed to bag a gummy but boated some huge flathead to 65cm.
St Leonards hosted numerous anglers seeking whiting, with the Bourke Street area again living up to its reputation. Pippie on running-sinker rigs worked well, although some anglers caught welcome by-catches of large flathead.
Indented Head was a go-to location for squid, with most reef structure producing bag-limit captures.
Clifton Springs still held snapper alongside the Point Richards Channel. Fish averaging 5kg to 6k took silver whiting and pilchards baits.
Fewer squid were caught in the area but they still remained a viable option.
The Barwon River estuary kept anglers busy. The bank along Sheepwash Road fished well for mullet, salmon, whiting and trevally.
Down the western district, Portland produced kingfish to 15kg along the North Shore, while bluefin tuna to 25kg fell to trolled hard-body or skirted lures.
Freshwater anglers again found Stony Creek Reservoir excellent for numbers of both brown and rainbow trout. Casting lures from the lake margins worked well, although bait anglers also banked fish on mudeyes and Powerbait.
Lake Purrumbete was a hot spot for redfin, while the odd brook trout make some welcome appearances. Slow trolling Daiwa Double Clutch lures along the east bank at first or last light worked well.
The Barwon River downstream from Breakwater was a carp hot spot, especially on the warmer days. Corn kernels baited lightly weighted running sinker rigs accounted for fish to 8kg.
Next week could provide opportunities to hunt kingfish in The Rip or offshore from Point Lonsdale, while whiting and squid will be a target from St Leonards to Queenscliff.
The Barwon estuary will be a worthwhile destination for kids on school holidays, with freshwater anglers advised to try Stony Creek Reservoir, out near Anakie.
