Steve Cooper | November 5, 2010
Snapper season warms up
WITH water temperatures up almost 2C in Western Port compared to Port Phillip you would expect plenty of action with snapper on the bite.
The best I know of was a beauty of 12.02kg taken late last week by Eric who was fishing off Hastings. He provided a phone photo of himself and his catch but didn't give his surname.
Bill Athansslies, of Live Now! Fish to the Max, was out off Black Rock in 12m of water before first light again last Thursday to find the water was no longer heavily discoloured from the Yarra outflow.
Using light tackle Bill caught several slimy mackerel which he converted into a bag limit catch of snapper to 4kg before sunrise.
Early mornings have been most productive, but anglers sitting out here during the day have picked up an occasional good fish as well, particularly around the changes of tide, both high and low.
Snapper have been widely distributed in Port Phillip with the greatest numbers of fish being taken along the Mornington Peninsula and all the way up the east side.
However, the biggest fish, those more than 7kg have been mainly coming from Williamstown, Port Melbourne and down in Corio Bay where Ivan Bereza of Rent-A-Tinny caught a 8.4kg beauty recently.
Alan McFayden reports salmon are still the main chance at Andersons Inlet.
Most have been caught by anglers trolling lures at the entrance, but they are widespread within the Inlet now and being taken up as far as Stevies Gutter.
Good-size flathead are also beginning to make an appearance within the Inlet and are turning up in anglers' bags along with some decent King George whiting.
All of the numbered beaches at Venus Bay have been odds on for a salmon or two off the surf.
At nearby Shallow Inlet, King George whiting have also put in an appearance and they should only get better as the weather warms up.
They have been accompanied by pinkies, mullet, trevally, flathead and salmon.
Garfish are still schooled up the North Arm of Lakes Entrance and responding to a variety of baits from slivers of pilchard to blowfly maggots.
There is limited land-based access here so you do need a boat.
Flathead ranging from legal size to 2kg or so have been taken from the Rigby Channel to the mouth of Maringa Creek and down toward Nyerimilang, both on bait and by anglers using lures.
Kalimna Jetty is also worth a try but sandcrabs can make bait fishing difficult.
The Tambo is still the pick of the rivers running into the Gippsland Lakes and bream are the target species. The Wonthaggi Angling Club recently visited the Tambo for a club competition during which Alan Bentick took both the heaviest bream in the male section at 1.03kg and the heaviest bag at 7.04kg while Anne Poulton took the heaviest bream for a female at 1.08kg.
Jim McClymont, of the Orbost Angler, reports that it may be well worth while fishing the man-made platforms on the lower Snowy River now that fish are moving upstream.
Jim said members of the Beaumaris Motor Yacht and Angling Club were recent visitors to Marlo but pickings were lean, even so, a few nice bream, including one of 1.5kg, were taken.
Most productive bait was black crab.
Coringle has been the pick of the beaches in this part of the world with salmon the main chance. Gummy shark are a good chance in the evening and after dark.
Snapper season warms up
WITH water temperatures up almost 2C in Western Port compared to Port Phillip you would expect plenty of action with snapper on the bite.
The best I know of was a beauty of 12.02kg taken late last week by Eric who was fishing off Hastings. He provided a phone photo of himself and his catch but didn't give his surname.
Bill Athansslies, of Live Now! Fish to the Max, was out off Black Rock in 12m of water before first light again last Thursday to find the water was no longer heavily discoloured from the Yarra outflow.
Using light tackle Bill caught several slimy mackerel which he converted into a bag limit catch of snapper to 4kg before sunrise.
Early mornings have been most productive, but anglers sitting out here during the day have picked up an occasional good fish as well, particularly around the changes of tide, both high and low.
Snapper have been widely distributed in Port Phillip with the greatest numbers of fish being taken along the Mornington Peninsula and all the way up the east side.
However, the biggest fish, those more than 7kg have been mainly coming from Williamstown, Port Melbourne and down in Corio Bay where Ivan Bereza of Rent-A-Tinny caught a 8.4kg beauty recently.
Alan McFayden reports salmon are still the main chance at Andersons Inlet.
Most have been caught by anglers trolling lures at the entrance, but they are widespread within the Inlet now and being taken up as far as Stevies Gutter.
Good-size flathead are also beginning to make an appearance within the Inlet and are turning up in anglers' bags along with some decent King George whiting.
All of the numbered beaches at Venus Bay have been odds on for a salmon or two off the surf.
At nearby Shallow Inlet, King George whiting have also put in an appearance and they should only get better as the weather warms up.
They have been accompanied by pinkies, mullet, trevally, flathead and salmon.
Garfish are still schooled up the North Arm of Lakes Entrance and responding to a variety of baits from slivers of pilchard to blowfly maggots.
There is limited land-based access here so you do need a boat.
Flathead ranging from legal size to 2kg or so have been taken from the Rigby Channel to the mouth of Maringa Creek and down toward Nyerimilang, both on bait and by anglers using lures.
Kalimna Jetty is also worth a try but sandcrabs can make bait fishing difficult.
The Tambo is still the pick of the rivers running into the Gippsland Lakes and bream are the target species. The Wonthaggi Angling Club recently visited the Tambo for a club competition during which Alan Bentick took both the heaviest bream in the male section at 1.03kg and the heaviest bag at 7.04kg while Anne Poulton took the heaviest bream for a female at 1.08kg.
Jim McClymont, of the Orbost Angler, reports that it may be well worth while fishing the man-made platforms on the lower Snowy River now that fish are moving upstream.
Jim said members of the Beaumaris Motor Yacht and Angling Club were recent visitors to Marlo but pickings were lean, even so, a few nice bream, including one of 1.5kg, were taken.
Most productive bait was black crab.
Coringle has been the pick of the beaches in this part of the world with salmon the main chance. Gummy shark are a good chance in the evening and after dark.