The fishing this week has been on the improve with snapper starting to show up in numbers from the outer harbour.
Typically early season fish love an oily bait such as pilchards, sauries and salmon. Fishing tide changes is another key actor when chasing these early season fish.
Calamari have been on the chew around the Bellarine with Clifton Springs and Point Richards holding lots with hoods to 38cm, a great size for this area. Size 3.0 jigs are ideal and at the moment they seem to be eating most coloured jigs.
Around the corner to Queenscliff and the XL calamari have seemed to have shown up in the bight with anglers getting amongst some of the action out there landing some big squid. Size 4.0 jigs is the best way to target them, if fishing the deeper water than a heavier weighted jig in a size 3.5 will work well too.
Down the west coast the barrel tuna bite has remained consistent with Portland and Port MacDonnell producing some top fishing. Trolling skirted lures such as JBs in a 8 to 10 inch size is proving to be lethal.
The west coast estuaries have been providing some great fishing over the past weeks with eps and bream all on the chew. Casting Vibes, Deep diving hard bodies and soft plastics are all accounting for plenty of fish.
Most fish (especially the eps) are pretty small but if you remain persistent there are certainty some good fish cruising about.
This weekend is the opening of the Victorian trout season and there is heaps of hype and excitement.
The Otways is always a popular location to have a go for some wild trout as it’s less than a two-hour drive from just about every spot. Some systems worth having a go at are The Aire, Bahram, Cumberland River and Smythes Creek. Small shallow running lures are the best things to throw in here.
The Goulburn River has had a top up of those mega rainbow trout. Drifting worms or power bait works well for them but the best method again is casting lures and pink is a very good colour for them.
