It’s sharks after dark
FISHING from the rocks at St Helens on Friday evening were John Welsh and his sevenyear-old grandson, Declan Fitzsimmons.
Using pilchards for bait, they were hopeful of catching a legal-size pinkie snapper or two, but all they caught initially were those pesky banjo sharks, but eventually Declan hooked a decent pinkie.
But its capture involved a tug-of-war with a fish-thieving seal.
Eventually though, the fish was wrestled from its jaws (minus a few scales) enabling young Declan to claim his prize.
Fishing to the east of Point Henry on Saturday afternoon were Andrew Phillips, Mark and Tina Sesar. Hoping for whiting, they were using pipis for bait and their shells for berley, but the bite started slowly.
But as sun set it was a different story: their catch rate picking up along with the size of the fish — including one that measured 45cm — until the bite shut down on dark, by which time their tally was 47.
Andrew Johnson and Dennis O’Brien struck a good patch of whiting out in 6 metres of water off Curlewis, but — as has often been the case of late — hoards of undersized pinkie snapper moved in.
However, moving into shallower water saved the day and each of the pair each finished with their respective bag limits.
Mike Windsor, of Clifton Springs Boat Hire, reports that visiting anglers have also been catching whiting. Among them were Joe Racioppo and Mitchell Rodda, from Shepparton, who caught 12 whiting using fresh squid for bait just 300m out from the boat ramp.
Rod Ludlow, of Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head, also reports that both whiting and squid are present in good numbers around the peninsula and among those to catch them was local angler Jeff Richards, who fished with Ken Shae and Brian Cummins on one occasion, and Chris Hateley on another.
As well as taking some impressive catches of squid, they took good catches of whiting to 40cm and better in one of Jeff’s favourite marks near Dead Man’s Stick, along with several “golden flounder”, a fancy name for leatherjackets now used in the commercial fish trade, or so I’m told.
OFFSHORE
Chris Stamalos has catching gummy shark down to a fine art and doesn’t mind fishing after dark.
On Saturday night he caught one of 16kg from 37m of water offshore from Barwon Heads. A great fish, but smaller than two of 17 and 19kg he’d caught previously.
FRESHWATER
John Clements, of Lake Purrumbete Holiday Park, reports that redfin are still the main catch, with Terry Shepherd, of Bayswater, and George Gillies, of Winchelsea, getting their share of fish to 700g or so using live minnow and soft plastics.
Michael Evans, of Victorian Inland Charters, found brown trout to just on 3kg for his clients with the usual approach of deep-trolling with lures, while Jeremy Richardson caught a similar size fish while trolling a Daiwa Double Clutch.
Also fishing Lake Purrumbete with suspended whitebait just above the bottom, Garry Ridgeway and Peter Baumgartner caught nine chinook salmon, each around 1kg mark.
Twelve year old Dasch Wiebusch, of Geelong, was fishing with his Dad at Sugarloaf Reservoir (near Yarra Glen) last week when he caught a 42cm redfin on a Jackall lure cast out from the bank.
PORTLAND
The tuna fishery off Portland has attracted a good many anglers from all points of the compass.
Local and previous tuna comp winner Hugh Johnstone, and his friend, Luke Driscoll, picked up one that dressed out at 80kg (probably 92kg whole), for the current tuna competition.
Meanwhile, Andrew McKenna and Ben Bremmer, of Connewarre, took a tuna with an 86kg dressed weight in 60m of water off Cape Bridgewater.