Sharks, squid and flatties biting

THEY''RE BITING: A lucky angler reels in a gummy shark at Barwon Heads.

By Adam Van der Lugt

Fantastic flathead fishing continued throughout the inner harbour this week with those casting soft plastics finding the most success.

Fishing at a depth of about 10 meters just out from the North Shore rocks is a great area to focus on, you’re also every chance of picking up a pike while doing so.

Snotty trevally and pinkies were again caught along the waterfront, those chasing a snotty should try a small piece of chicken or prawn suspended under a quill float.

Australian Salmon were present throughout the bay, anglers encountered schools of busting up fish and were able to snag a few by casting metal lures or soft plastics.

Clifton Springs held snapper around the channel where they were caught using squid strips and sliver whiting.

For those fishing a little closer in squid were again present in good numbers in around three meters of water over the weed beds.

Casting size three jigs while drifting over a patch of weed is a productive method.

The whiting fishing has been great off St Leonards around the area known as ‘Bourke Street’, if you can time a sunrise or sunset that’s also in the middle of a tide, you should do well as the whiting bite best with moving water.

Huge squid are being caught in the deeper water at the Point Lonsdale Bight this week.

Baited jigs with silver whiting are by far the stand out over artificial jigs with reports of squid ‘as long as your arm’ being caught in good numbers.

An assist weight may be required to get you down deep enough with the moving tide.

Offshore Barwon Heads has produced fantastic Gummy sharks with Chris from ‘Gone Fishing Charters’ guiding clients onto an excellent haul of gummys to 18kg using fresh squid heads and coota fillet fished in 30 meters of water.

The freshwater fishing has been great across the region with fishing from the bank at Lake Bolac still accounting for big Rainbow trout to 8lb.

Lake Bullen Merri had rainbow trout and Chinook salmon on offer for those trolling around the north east and north west margins of the lake, using glassies as bait while at anchor also produced fish.