By Brian Long
ANGLERS reported some great captures over the Easter break.
Freshwater reports dominated, with Moorabool Reservoir producing four redfin to 2.2kg for Troy Anderson. He used small freshwater yabbies for bait, although another angler nearby caught a similar number of fish on scrub worms.
Lake Bullen Merri remained consistent for trout and salmon. Fish around 2kg were taken on Powerbait and mudeye, with the best fishing in the mornings for anglers such as Asi Osmic.
Murray Cod expert Ross Virt took the family to the Loddon River, where his kids, Calista and Marquis, both landed 40cm yellowbelly on lure along with a 60cm cod. Ross eventually redeemed himself with a 60cm-plus cod on fly.
Ballarat’s Lake Wendouree was ideal for anglers chasing a comfortable location to chase trout. Mudeyes fished shallow under floats worked, with the middle of the day hosting the best action.
West Barwon Reservoir yielded few reports, although Guy Welsh fished the main wall with lures to land a pair of trout just over 1.5kg each.
Big carp were caught around the Queen’s Park area of the Barwon River. Corn and bread were the best baits, while berley used with unweighted baits also helped.
Salmon numbers increased along the coast between Fairhaven and Apollo Bay. Lure was the best method, with the rock platforms out-fishing the beaches.
Squid were taken in good numbers from the shallow grass beds along the Bellarine Peninsula. Small jigs worked best.
Trevally took soft plastics in and around Queenscliff’s cut where the fishing was been an hour either side of high tide.
Patches of rough weather sent gummy sharks and quality snapper on the bite, mainly after dark. The area from Point Wilson to the quarries hosted the best snapper fishing, while Wilson Spit was a hotspot for gummies.
James Johnson fished the outer-harbour spoil grounds off Hermsley with soft plastics for a mixed bag of flathead to 900g and snapper to 4.6kg.
Large amounts of baitfish attracted schools of salmon in areas such as Alcoa Pier, Leopold’s spoil grounds and the outer edge of the Clifton Springs mussel lease. Small metal lures and soft plastics cast into the surface action worked well.
The Barwon River estuary produced mulloway, mostly small but some around 6kg. Lure anglers took the most fish, particularly when using vibes, plastics or deep-diving minnows.
Lake Bullen Merri should be worth fishing this weekend with Powerbait fished on a running sinker, while saltwater anglers should chase big snapper in the outer-harbour after dark.
Send reports and photos to info@raylongtackle.com.au or visit Brian at Ray Long’s Fishing World, 105 Shannon Ave, Manifold Heights.
