On the Bite, by Chris Pitman
Whiting was by far the most common local capture during last week’s spell of settled weather.
St Leonards hosted exceptional numbers of whiting, with anglers fishing in 5m to 6m toward Swan Bay taking bag-limit captures on the run-in tide.
The whiting were mostly an excellent size, averaging 38cm to 40cm. Pippie and tenderised squid worked well when used in conjunction with running sinker rigs.
Squid were again in large numbers over the grass beds between St Leonards Yacht Club and the entrance to Swan Bay. Tackleworld Geelong’s Michael Moore again cast soft plastics in the bay’s channel for a catch of pinkie snapper.
Clifton Springs went from strength to strength, with whiting, squid, flathead and snapper all captured. Whiting were commonly taken in 5m off Hermsley Road, while the squid held in a little closer.
The spoil grounds through to Alcoa Pier produced pinnies to 2.5kg on bait and plastics.
Anglers who walked the beach at Clifton Springs while casting soft plastics banked well-conditioned flathead to 50cm. Rigging with a jig head heavy enough to ensure long casts was key to success, along with wading out.
Bellarine Light Game and Sportfishing Club hosted Rainbow College and Hopetoun colleges Year 7 and 8 students for a fishing clinic on the banks of the Sheepwash, in the Barwon River estuary.
Fishcare representatives Mike Burgess and Phil Belfray provided some useful information before the kids fished the well-burleyed for catches including trevally to 500g and a King George whiting.
Anglers drifting in 40m offshore from Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads caught good numbers of flathead. This time of year, it’s worth keeping an eye out in the same area for schools of Australian salmon and kingfish feeding on the surface.
Down the coast, Tony Hynds and Geoff Vandenbosch encountered some nice bream to 34cm while casting hard-body lures and green Atomic grubs in the Curdies River.
Local surf beaches produced salmon to 2.5kg for anglers spinning on the rising tide. Bancoora was reliable, but the fish were bigger further west.
Freshwater anglers enjoyed the public opening of Stoney Creek Reservoir to fishing. After a generous stocking of brown and rainbow trout, anglers caught both to 1.5kg or commonly just under 1kg.
The distance advantage from casting spoon-style lures worked a treat at the reservoir. Tackleworld Geelong’s Adam Van Der Lugt and Peri Stavropoulos both spent some time casting from the rock wall where they banked both brown and rainbow trout.
Lake Bullen Merri gave up Chinook salmon to 2kg, with lightly weighted baits suspended just above the bottom working the best.
Lake Purrumbete produced the odd brown trout came on mudeyes fished among the weed beds.
Next week should provide good fishing for redfin in the Barwon River around Queen’s Park, while the drive to Stoney Creek Reservoir could be worthwhile in the permitted areas. Saltwater fishos should focus on Queenscliff for big whiting and squid on the grass beds.
