Anglers made the most of ideal summer conditions over the past week to discover a wide mix of species on offer.
Kingfish were high on the agenda for most anglers, with The Rip holding specimens to 12kg. Trolling, jigging or using freshly caught squid worked well.
Plenty of small-model kingies to 65cm were taken just off Point Lonsdale by anglers trolling occy skirts with a squid strip attached or casting lures around schools of surface-feeding fish.
Trellys Geelong’s Michael Moore made an early start Tuesday morning out from Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads where he began fishing a slimy mackerel of about 1kg as a live bait. Michael’s rod soon started peeling line, leading to a 40-minute fight that ended with Michael boating a trophy kingfish of 21.8kg – one of the region’s best in a long time.
Back inside Port Philip Bay, whiting schooled in good numbers from the Queenscliff grass beds right though to St Leonards. The most productive depth was 5m to 6m, with tenderised squid or pippie the best baits.
Drifting in the Point Lonsdale Bight proved worthwhile for some impressively sized squid.
Queenscliff Harbour was exceptional for large silver trevally to 45cm on soft plastics cast around slack tide.
Clifton Springs was the go-to location for a mixed bag. Snapper kept anglers busy at the channel, with the average size around 5kg.
The nearby spoil grounds held good numbers of pinkies, flathead and pike to almost 1m. Casting soft plastics was the most effective tactic, with three-inch plastics working well.
Flathead were a common capture in Corio Bay, with some large models to 50cm taken on lure and bait.
Land-based anglers banked nice-sized pinkie snapper right from Limeburner’s boat ramp to St Helens.
Anglers casting metal lures from local beaches landed Australian salmon to 2.5kg.
The western district continued producing kingfish and southern bluefin tuna in close. Daniel Baden and I fished off Portland on Sunday morning where we caught an 18kg tuna while casing Sea Iron Pelacus lures in 10m to 15m.
Freshwater fishos continued enjoying the region’s newest hot spot, Stony Creek Reservoir. Both species of trout were taken again, along with reasonably sized redfin.
Casting lures with enough weight to cover a lengthy distance was ideal, along with baits such as Powerbait and mudeye.
The Barwon River gave up good numbers of redfin for anglers casting lures while walking the bank around Queen’s Park. The average size was a little small but the reddies sure made up for with their numbers.
Outside the region, Lake Eildon was worth the drive, with Murray cod taking lures on the cast or troll along. Yellowbelly were also taken.
Next week might be worth fishing for kingfish holding off Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads, while snapper should remain a viable option off Clifton Springs. Land- based anglers could try walking the beach at Clifton Springs while casting soft plastics for flathead.
Freshwater anglers should try Stony Creek for trout.
