By CHRIS PITMAN
THE FISHING continued warming up with the weather over the past week.
Snapper remained the main target of most anglers, and for good reason, too. Fish to 4kg were continually caught at the turn straight out from Clifton Springs’ boat ramp on baits such as silver whiting and squid.
Trolling for snapper was an excellent option, with lures such as Sebile Koolie minnows or Rapala tail dancers working well down at 8m to 10m. Anglers enjoying the most success while trolling noted that locating bait balls on the sounder was the key to catches of snapper to 6kg from areas such as the Curlewis Bank.
Squid remained present in healthy numbers on the shallow weed beds off Clifton Springs. Smaller jigs were best.
Pike and salmon were taken on the spoil grounds by anglers trolling lures diving about 2m. Some of the pike were over 1m and the biggest salmon nudged 2kg.
Corio Bay produced snapper to 4kg from North Shore on both soft plastics and bait.
Stingray Bay’s spoil grounds fished well for flathead and pinkie snapper. Casting soft plastics such as Gulp Turtleback Worm in Pumpkin Green caught many fish.
The grammar school lagoon hosted catches of bream and flathead, with lures again more productive than bait.
St Leonards Pier remained popular with land-based anglers seeking squid and snapper. Fishing into the evening or before daybreak was best.
Trevally were caught in the cut at Queenscliff. Soft plastics accounted for most catches but baits such as pilchard fillet also worked.
The odd snapper was still haunting the cut, making for excellent fun on light gear.
Snapper to 3kg were caught on bait in 30m to 40m off Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads. A 70cm kingfish was also caught in the area by an angler chasing snapper. Roy Cusani and daughter Gabriella fished the Werribee River, with the latter catching a 41cm bream on a tube worm bait.
Wurdee Boluc Reservoir was the standout freshwater location. Michael Evans banked some outstanding redfin to 46cm on Fish Arrow soft plastics.
Ballarat’s Lake Wendouree produced good-sized trout and redfin. Slowly trolling shallow-diving lures such as Cranka minnows accounted for both species.
Bank anglers caught brown trout to 2kg with mudeye under a float or with mudeye-imitation flies cast on sunset.
The Barwon River continued fishing well for redfin to 800g. Larger fish were taken on lures but the reddies were spread out, with anglers fishing from kayaks finding them down past Landy Field and right up to Queen’s Park.
Trevor Holmes reported that Lake Toolondo was productive for brown trout. Trevor used a holographic 13.5g Tassie Devil to catch a healthy 2kg fish, while mudeyes under flats also caught trout.
Options for the next week include trevally at Queenscliff Harbour or fishing with soft plastics on the spoil grounds off Clifton Springs for snapper and salmon. Freshwater action should be best at Wurdee Boluc Reservoir for anglers prepared to fish hard for big redfin.
Send reports and photos to info@raylongtackle.com.au. All photos go into the draw for Fishing World Geelong’s monthly photo competition.
