Heads up, a 5kg snapper
Plus reward for effort off Clifton Springs, incoming tide joy at Barwon
OFFSHORE
Adamas Fishing Charters’ deckhand Simon Werner reports that, on Saturday, clients finished with a great mixed bag of fish off Port Phillip Heads in around 40m of water.
It included snapper to at least 5kg, snotty trevalla (warehou) to a kilogram or so, any amount of slimy mackerel, and a 1.5m school shark.
CORIO BAY/BELLARINE PENINSULA
Picking a break in the weather last week, Carol and Gordon Williams were out off Clifton Springs after the whiting, initially with little to show for it.
However, with the flood tide predicted for early afternoon, they stuck it out and were rewarded for doing so, despite the deteriorating conditions with wind against tide.
While they finished somewhat shy of their respective bag limits, the fish they caught were of good size, with their bigger fish in the 40cm range.
Andrew Johnson and Denis O’Brien were confronted with the same conditions early last week with the added annoyance of small whiting taking their baits, but they persisted, eventually finishing up with 13 keepers, the biggest of which measured 42cm.
With half decent weather on Sunday, apart from intermittent showers, Jason Taylor and Harley Griffiths headed out toward Point Henry where legal-size pinkie snapper, salmon, and small but legalsize flathead – although nothing to write home about – kept them busy.
But, at around 2.30pm, Jason hooked a much better fish, which turned out to be a snapper of possibly 3kg that look a liking to the whitebait he was using. And, although they fished on for a while after that, it remained the catch of the day.
While Jeff Richards of Indented Head had nothing to report himself, he’s let on that one of his neighbours, who prefers not to be named, has been taking snapper from the Portarlington breakwater, mostly of an evening, with some really good size fish among them.
BARWON HEADS
Fishing Sunday’s incoming tide upstream from the Barwon Heads Bridge, and – using pipis and pilchard fillets for bait – Murray and Darcy Scott caught a smorgasbord of fish from salmon to silver trevally.
Admittedly some they caught were a bit on the small size and were returned. However, their biggest trevally would have been a kilogram and the salmon were up to 35cm. And, in addition, they caught several King George whiting and a half dozen respectable mullet.
Tony Ingram reports that he and Col Simmons had planned to fish one of the local beaches over the weekend with good reports of salmon being caught of late, but a preliminary drive along the coast gave them second thoughts because of the heavy groundswell.
Instead, they fished the evening high tide from the Barwon estuary, but apart from hooking something large, probably a ray which escaped, they had to settle for an elephant fish and several small but legal-size salmon.
FRESHWATER
Kevin Wild, of the Maryborough Club, says he’s been out of action for a week or so with a crook back. However, he mentions that club member Stephen Eales, who took his three-year-old son Mason with him, hit a good patch of redfin at Cairn Curran Reservoir at the weekend; a good sign considering that this water has been quiet of late.
Another club member, David Fitzallen, caught a couple of 60-odd-cm cod during a recent visit to the Loddon River, just out of Bridgewater, using cheese for bait.
VICTOR ASKS: Geoff, I’m keen to give the winter snapper a go in Corio Bay this year. When should I begin and where should I go?
Victor, they begin turning up from now on and should be present throughout the winter. Although some have been caught during the day, most are caught at night and through the early hours of the morning. Assuming you have a boat, then you might try – preferably with your sounder running – along the edges of the Corio Channel off North Shore.
Some years they turn up in the Grammar School Lagoon with the first three hours of the incoming tide a good time to try in 2-3m of water offshore from the Corio Bay Sailing Club.