Long weekend proves productive

Gone Fishing Charters with a massive haul of tuna. (supplied)

ON THE BITE with Peri Stavropoulos

With a long weekend of fishable weather it gave anglers a great opportunity to get out for a fish after a long awaited break from the windy and wet conditions.

The Geelong waterfront yet again proved to be a popular hotspot for land based fishers with Australian salmon, snook and snapper all on the chew.

The Australian salmon can quite often again be seen busting up on the surface terrorising baitfish and the snook and pinkies are usually not too far away.

Sock casting natural three in soft plastics into the commotion should result in a hook up almost every time.

Bait fishing has been quite productive as well with angles using pilchards and squid picking up some good fish.

Towards the northern part of Corio Bay there has been plenty of garfish on the chew with Grammar School Lagoon being the current hotspot.

A thick burley trail and small bait suspended under a pencil flight is the key to success for these guys and they make great bait and fantastic eating.

Calamari from Curlewis Bank through to Portarlington have been in sick numbers and anglers have been having great success over the shallow wade beds.

After a few weeks of windy conditions rattle jigs have yet again been a stand out in the dirty water, Egi Max spray when applied has also been a handy addition it has definitely helped in captures.

Southwest down the coast the barrel tuna and school tuna bites have continued to be red-hot with the barrels out of Port MacDonnell on fire.

There has been a fantastic bite earlier this week with plenty of reports of fish to over 100kg being waiting nearly daily. A variety of skirted lures have been working best on a few anglers who have been picking fish up on pilchards and other baits.

Gone Fishing Charters have been the standout charter boat out of Portland getting their customers onto bag captures of school tuna almost every weekend.

Wurdibuloc Reservoir has been a hotspot this past week with lots of fantastic reports coming in of both brown and rainbow trout and also redfin. Adam from Trelly’s has been at it again casting spoon lures of the West Rockwall. When casting a spoon lure be sure to really set that hook as if it does not sit properly it can be quite often spat out by the leaping trout.