On the Bite, by Peri Stavropoulos
If you’re itching to get onto a few snapper then now is the time, with the fish in most parts of the bay and they’re hungry.
Fishing in the outer-harbour is definitely the go if chasing the snapper, Clifton Springs in particular. Bait fishing the channel is still having plenty of fish hitting the deck between legal size and about 4kg.
Areas between The Bend and Portarlington seem to be the most popular locations but they snapper should be holding in most parts of the channel.
Coming in closer to shore in about 6m of water while casting soft plastics is all the rave at the moment, with boats having no trouble finding some quality fish. Drifting along casting plastics between four and six inches in length has been a deadly tactic for landing loads of fish, particularly on the Gulp 5” Jerk Shads.
Trelly’s Geelong’s Daniel Baden had a blinder of a session on Sunday night, finding bulk numbers of fish to 4.5kg on soft plastics.
There have also been plenty of flathead in the same area as well as monster pike, some of them getting to over 1m in length.
Portarlington Pier remains the go-to spot if targeting them land-based. Jamie Marsh got out during the week, landing himself plenty of pinky snapper to 50cm on pilchards and squid fished off the rocks.
Plenty of whiting are still being taken just out the front of Clifton Springs’ boat ramp through to Leopold, with lots of mixed reports. Some boats have been getting good numbers but smaller fish, while others are finding big fish but smaller numbers.
Fishing a tide change with fresh baits such as pippie or squid is definitely the go for a feed of whiting.
Plenty of squid reports have also continued rolling in from all parts of the Bellarine Peninsula. Once again, drifting over weed with size #3.0 jigs has been working best.
Offshore still seems to have heaps of action going on, with plenty of pinkies and gummy sharks on the chew. The snapper are holding on top of the reefs and the gummies are holding just off the reefs.
Anglers fishing in water from 30m to 50m have reported the best catches.
Hudson Maddalena got out offshore over the weekend and was pleasantly surprised to see his first yellowtail kingfish on the end of his line whilst fishing for snapper.
