On the Bite, by Chris Pitman
Anglers found good numbers of flathead while drifting over the spoil grounds out from Limeburner’s Point boat ramp over the past week.
Casting Gulp Turtleback worm soft plastics accounted for numerous flatties over 45cm, with the odd large pike and pinkie snapper also taken.
Clifton Springs remained a solid option for squid, with the Curlewis Bank holding excellent numbers. A key to success was making sure the water clarity was high.
Whiting were sitting deeper in 6m to 7m, where mussel or pippie baits worked well.
Swan Bay’s channel was a hot spot for mixed bags on run-in tides. Trevally, whiting, salmon, flathead, pike and gummy sharks were all on offer, with the trick to success finding a time when the floating weed was thinner.
Queenscliff Pier fished very well for squid. Trelly’s Geelong’s Peri Stavropoulos bagged a great specimen one evening while casting artificial jigs.
Queenscliff Harbour still held good numbers of silver trevally for anglers casting soft plastics around slack tides.
The grass beds to the east of the harbour entrance were hit and miss for whiting but, when on, produced fish to 45cm.
The Rip continued firing for kingfish. Knife jigs, live bait and trolled lures all accounted for kings to 10kg.
Anglers also encountered kingfish off Barwon Heads, with birds working schools of baitfish the key to locating fish.
Surf anglers caught Australian salmon on baits and lures along the coast. Bancoora Beach was a hot spot but the rock platforms either side of Lorne also produced fish, with 25g to 30g lures working well.
On the freshwater scene, the crater lakes continued to offer excellent fishing.
Lake Bullen Merri produced large numbers of Chinook salmon, which responded well to lures trolled around 11m deep. Bait fishing with lightly weighted pilchard fillets in a strong berley trail accounted for salmon to 2kg.
Lake Purrumbete gave up the odd trophy brown trout but remained consistent for rainbow trout and redfin.
The Lake of 1000 Casts, Wurdee Boluc Reservoir, continued flying under the radar despite producing the occasional big redfin for anglers casting spoon-type lures.
The Barwon River’s redfin really fired up, hitting small hard-body lures in red colours. The monster carp were also still present for anglers fishing corn kernels on running sinker rigs.
Next week should continue providing opportunities to fish The Rip for kingfish, while elephant fish could begin appearing in the Barwon estuary. Freshwater fishos could try walking the banks of the Barwon River with lures for redfin.
