ON THE BITE with Peri Stavropoulos
A pleasant and well overdue break in the weather has seen anglers dust off the gear and get back into the local fishing with some of Geelong’s most popular land based options providing some hot fishing.
St Helens rocks has been by far the standout location this past week for land based fishos with some quality snapper being landed.
Fish to 5kg are being reported and would be no surprise if there are bigger ones than that. Usually first and last light are the prime times to fish or even into the evening, but most reports are coming from just in the middle of the day. Pilchards, squid and silver whiting are going to be the ideal baits if chasing an early season land based red.
The Geelong waterfront is currently infested with Australian salmon. Anglers fishing from either boat, kayak or land are getting amongst the action and making the most of the opportunity whilst they are here. Small metal lures or soft plastics are working a treat and this is no better time to load up the freezer for snapper season with some premium baits.
Although there hasn’t been any official reports as far as snapper goes so far for anglers in boats it’s coming that time of year that they will start to push in the bay and well worth heading out and trying your luck.
It still is very early days but right now is a great time to head out for an early season fish. The bend of the channel and the turn up towards Portarlington are two fantastic areas to start having a look. Fishing the tides is very important too for this time of year.
Last weekend was the opening for the 2024-25 Victorian trout season, meaning we can go back to the rivers, streams and creeks to chase them. The Otways each year is always a favourite area to fish with heaps of options and locations to fish. Smythes Creek, Cumberland River, Aire River and the Bahram River are very popular systems, just to name a few.
Small shallow running hard body lures, spinners and soft plastics are all fantastic to use when chasing wild trout or if lures aren’t your thing, try drifting worms into the deep pools.