By Chris Pitman
Anglers who braved tough conditions found plenty of piscatorial action.
Right on Geelong’s doorstep Corio Bay saw pinkie snapper hold in tight around structure-casting soft plastics.
Making sure your jig head hits the bottom was key to success with a 1/6oz head ideal in the rougher conditions. The odd flathead and salmon made for bycatch.
Out on Stingray Bay spoil grounds whiting were still on offer with pippie the standout bait.
Land-based fishers encountered squid from the new Clifton Springs jetty at night. Casting 2.5 sized jigs was ideal in the shallow water.
Heading over to Portarlington and Indented Head, the wild weather made squid fishing tough but when able to find break in the weather and the water clarity was good, boating a bag of squid was no trouble.
Hitting the surf beaches was another option when the weather allowed. Spinning with 30 gram lures on the lead up to high tide saw Australian salmon to 1.5kg beached.
Anglers fishing baits also had success on salmon with top beaches Bancoora and Jan Juc.
On the freshwater scene Stony Creek saw the odd larger brown trout snap up a lure. There is also thumping big redfin that call Stony Creek home, which are always worth targeting with Fish Arrow soft plastics.
Lake Bullen Merri was productive for Chinook salmon with both bait and lure getting the job done with fish averaging 1kg.
The area known as Potter’s Point is a great place to start your search for Chinook salmon and rainbow trout.
Down the road Lake Bolac has the odd rainbow trout snapping up powerbait fished from the bank. This location should really become a hot spot over the next month or two.
The bream fishing in the Hopkins River is well worth the drive with some beasty bream starting to come on the chew.
Soft plastics like the Z Man 2.5 grub and vibes, Eco Gear VX35 are the most effective way to target these fish at present.
Next week let’s hope the weather eases up. Anglers looking to wet a line can’t go past the Bellarine Peninsular for squid.
Surf beaches for Australian Salmon are an easy option. There should still be a few large winter snapper kicking around Corio Bay too.
