Leigh’s snapper catch headed for the wall
WITH Corio Bay’s water temperature rising a full degree since the end of July, snapper are now on offer; in fact, several have been caught already.
The biggest I know of so far was taken early last week by Leigh McAuliffe: Leigh’s fish measured a metre in length and weighed 11kg and is now in the hands of a taxidermist.
Northerly winds also make for good land-based snapper fishing from now on, and with that in mind on Saturday, Simon Werner headed down to the St Leonards boat ramp where he fished from the dividing jetty between the boat ramps, a spot that has produced snapper in these conditions previously.
Simon did not catch a snapper on this occasion, but had one good bite that turned out to be a 52cm flathead that finished on the plate.
SURF
Fishing the evening high tides at Jan Juc early last week, surf fishing enthusiast Tony Ingram caught a number of Australian salmon, the biggest approaching 2kg, while using cut pilchards for bait.
However, Tony had a narrow escape soon after dark when he caught what he first thought was an even larger salmon.
Luckily, he realised in time that what he had caught was not a salmon at all, but a tailor that bit through his leader just as he was about to pick it up.
It would not have been the first time a local surf fisherman had made that mistake and paid the price in blood.
FRESHWATER
Lake Wendouree at Ballarat has produced a good many brown trout better than 2kg in recent years, but the 3.55kg beauty taken recently by Nick Vasiljevic recently shows this water is capable of producing trophy size fish for those prepared for the challenge.
Trevor Holmes, of Victorian Inland Charters, reports that as of last Thursday, Lake Toolondo has benefited from 5000 gigalitres of water from Rocklands Reservoir, and with the channel still open, there is more on the way.
Last week, Trevor fished Lake Toolondo with Anthony Forster, of Fisheries Victoria, who took a triple treat of brown and rainbow trout and redfin using Ima Flit and OSP Bent Minnows.
Trevor also fished Toolondo with Michael Evans where their catch included a respectable redfin on a Fish Arrow soft plastic, followed by another strike that turned out to be a 3.6kg European carp that also took the same lure.
Following encouraging reports of good fishing on Lake Wallace at Edenhope, the pair also fished there to be rewarded with a brown trout and a rainbow, each weighing 1.2kg.
John Clements, of the Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park, reports that redfin have been on offer with some great catches being taken: Ashley and James Reid, from Altona, took home 15kg of redfin fillets following their two days of fishing with scrubworms and soft plastics. Also successful was Stan Rae, of Norlane, who took a respectable catch of redfin with much the same approach.
JASON ASKS?
Geoff, I am confused over the terms trawling and trolling. Is there a difference or are they the same?
Jason, although these terms are often confused, and misused, trawling specifically refers to the commercial harvesting of fish by towing of a sock-like net behind a vessel. The mouth of the net is spread by means of paravanes — often referred to as otter boards — that are similar in function to those used on minesweeping vessels in times of war. No response from the fish is necessary; they are simply engulfed.
On the other hand, trolling refers to fishing, either recreationally, or commercially — as our erstwhile generation of barracouta fishermen did at Queenscliff and Lorne — but, unlike trawling, trolling requires a response from the fish to be successful: Trolling refers specifically to the towing of lures, or suitably rigged baits, behind a boat with the intention of eliciting strikes from fish.