By CHRIS PITMAN
APOLLO Bay kept anglers busy during the past week’s Antarctic blast.
Tackleworld Geelong’s Kevin Hunter and mate Stan Daglas ventured out of Apollo Bay in search of tuna, trolling in 40 meters of water out from Point Franklin. They boated three southern bluefins averaging 13.5kg, with Kevin noting that each fish took a Richter Jelly Babe skirted lure.
Williamstown Sportfishing and Game Club members also fished Apollo Bay, where the fishing was initially slow. The visitors eventually beached Australian salmon to 1kg, while John Greszcuks posted the weekend’s highlight with a mulloway just over 60cm.
Further down the coast, the Hopkins River provided bream and estuary perch. Oliver Andrews cast lures around the bottom section of the estuary to land a 37cm bream, while Trent Schiller fished land-based higher up the system with soft plastic Z-Man grubs for a bag of bream and estuary perch to 38cm.
Closer to home, St Leonards produced squid and whiting. Anglers fishing in 4m to 6m out from the yacht club did well on the whiting with tenderised squid.
Queenscliff Harbour fished well on soft plastics for silver trevally to 40cm.
The Barwon River estuary provided enough shelter from the weather for anglers to catch salmon, which schooled in large numbers on the run-in tide. Fish of 2kg were landed near the mouth over the weekend.
On the freshwater front, Lake Purrumbete hosted some chucky brown trout.
Tackleworld Geelong’s Michael Moore trolled Rapala Spotted Dog lures hard up against the weed banks on the east side of the lake from first light, catching a pair of 2kg brown trout. As the day progressed he began casting around the weed banks, boating two 1kg rainbows.
Bradley Cox fished Wurdee Boluc Reservoir again, casting a new colour Strike Pro Bob ‘N’ Spoon from the lake margins. Bradley putt up with freezing conditions Bradley to bank an excellently-conditioned 45cm redfin.
Improving weather should make fishing easier over the next week, with Wurdee Boluc worth trying for big redfin around the margins.
Saltwater anglers should consider chasing squid or whiting around Queenscliff, although anyone up for a drive to Port Fairy should know that big numbers of school-sized tuna are still available.
