On the Bite, by Adam Van der Lugt
Anglers faced off against tough conditions as relentless wind hit Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula again last week
However, anglers at least enjoyed a nice increase in the size of snapper inside Corio Bay, with fish to 4kg taken near structure in deeper water.
Land-based fishing was productive as well, with St Helens’ boat ramp rocks producing numerous good-size snapper and flathead to 50cm.
Geelong’s waterfront was again a hot spot for pinkie snapper. Anglers walking and casting soft plastics did well when they covered as much water as possible to find schooling fish along with bags of flathead.
Portarlington Harbour was a fantastic option for finding shelter from the weather. Along with pinkies and the occasional larger snapper, the harbour also produced flathead and squid.
Local surf beaches continued fishing well for mulloway in excess of 1m in length. Fresh squid was the standout bait, with fishing high tide changes after dark giving the best chance of hooking into one of these highly prized fish.
The small estuaries between Torquay and Apollo Bay produced quality bream on both lure and bait. Peri Stavropoulos did well over the weekend, banking numerous bream to over 40cm using unweighted scrubworms.
As well as bream, very solid estuary perch were also caught. Nat Barry landed a monster 57cm fish using a bent minnow lure.
Further west, Portland was the place to be for southern blue fin tuna to 20kg. Gone Fishing Charters’ Chris Vasilevski guided clients onto fantastic results, with trolled skirted lures accounting for most fish.
Anglers lucky enough to come across a bust up also had luck while casting stick bait lures into the commotion.
On the freshwater scene, recent rain had a positive effect on the trout. The Otway streams from Lorne to Aire River rose slightly, with a fresh, healthy flow bringing brown trout right on the bite.
Casting small shallow-diving lures was highly effective, although anglers opting for fly had luck with small black or olive nymphs.
Wurdibuloc Reservoir remained the best option for a feed of redfin or trout to 8lb. Casting metal spoon-type lures or soft plastics from the bank accounted for quality fish over 45cm.
Of note, some anglers reported fishing for a while in the one spot until a school of redfin came past, resulting in catches of five to six fish.
