Corio Bay
The inner harbour has been offering some good fishing again this week with Stingaree bay proving to be a standout for a variety of species, especially King George Whiting. Anglers fishing in this area in depths from 2 – 4 metres have been finding good numbers of whiting on the chew. Although not quite the size and quality as Clifton Springs they certainty are in great numbers. Burley goes a long way in here either it be pilchard cubes in a metal pot of pellets thrown into the water, they both really help. Its well worth having some bigger baits out as there has also been good numbers of Flathead, Salmon and pinky snapper cruising about the whiting grounds at the moment. Further inside Corio Bay Australian Salmon have been holding in good numbers around the Corio Quay area. Typically sitting a bit below the surface all the way to the bottom but at some particular times they can be seen busting the surface attacking small baitfish.
The Outer Harbour
The Outer Harbour has continued to offer some exceptional King George Whiting Fishing with reports showing no sign of slowing down with anglers reporting daily with bag limits being landed. Anywhere from Point Henry all the way to Portarlington in that 3.5 – 4 metre range has been amongst some hot action with fish to over 40cm being thrown into the mix. Again burley helps with the best baits being Pipis and Squid. Calamari remain a liable fishing option with these suckers still holding in good numbers amongst the shallows. 3.0 Size jigs in both natural and bright colours are working very well at the moment.
Swan Bay
Swan bay has still got some good Garfish reports coming through to anglers fishing either the pier or in a boat. A steady and consistent burley trail is key to chasing these guys with just a tiny piece of bait suspended under a pencil float. Pipis, pilchard and prawn are great baits. Being Swan Bay it definitely pays to put some other baits out for other fish as just about every fish that lives in the bay lurks in here.
Offshore
When the weather permits there is still some great fishing offshore Barwon Heads with Pinky snapper and Gummys sharks all in great numbers. Fishing with fresh blood baits like salmon or trevally are always a hot favourite and so too is squid. Can expect to also encounter a variety of other cool species in the grounds where the gummies are at the moment like swallow tail, nannygai and big flathead.
Goulburn River
The river in Shepparton is looking great at the moment and is setting up nicely for a good winter big fish bite.Now the water has settled and is clear we are starting to get a couple more reports of some bigger individual fish being caught.In the colder months the numbers of fish drop off but the quality seems to get better. You have to work hard for your bites in these cooler months but the rewards are worth it.Last winter some bigger soft plastics, tremors and also larger single bladed Spinnerbaits worked well. This winter we have the new Balista Shakin Bait which we feel is a must when chasing big cod.In other areas on the Goulburn we have had some reports of Yellowbelly being caught around Nagambie both in the lake and upstream towards Tahbilk with scrub worms and smaller spinner baits being the options.Down towards Undera we are getting reports of a heap of carp being caught both of worms and night crawlers.
Murray River
The weather has been great during the day time and this has seen a lot of people continue to head to the Murray River for a fish.We have had some reports that cod are being caught in the flow below the Yarrawonga weir with chicken and cheese being the best baits for those fishing from the bank.Casting Spinnerbaits has been the best lure choice from the banks with stump jumpers and 15ft old mates being the best trolled lures.Around Tocumwal there is still some decent numbers of cod being reported with scrub worms and cheese being the best baits.Casting tn60 jackals in brown dog has also been reported a couple of times recently from those chasing Yellowbelly.The carp seem to be very active on the edges in the evenings so floating worms or bread is the best way to target these fish.Cod are also feeding in the evenings on these smaller carp so some have been targeting these cod on Jackal Mikeys 140s and also Bassman Aussie Crawlers
Shepparton Lake
The lake has had the weed removal boat on it recently which has cleaned up a lot of the deeper weed out towards the rowing lanes.This is perfect for those with kayaks as you can now troll smaller divers or cast in the deeper waters.Unfortunately there is still a lot of weed around the edges which can make land based fishing hard. You need to target the pockets of water without weed and the best ways to do that lately has been small floating divers.You only need a couple of cranks of the reel to get your lure down to the weed so slow and steady is the key and sometimes your only fishing a 2/3 ft section before you get covered in weed.Buy the Redfin and trout and sitting in these areas and ambushing lures that come past.If your bait fishing casting floated worms in the same clear pockets is also a great way to target these fish with the odd silver perch being caught along side both trout and Redfin.
Lake Eppalock
Yellowbelly Near submerged trees and rocky outcrops, several reports of catches of Golden Perch in the 40-50cm range using live yabbies in the Kimbolton Pool area. Target early mornings and late afternoons for the best results. Slow, steady retrieves are working well.
Best spots to try for Cod are around the southern end of the lake near deeper drop-offs and structure using large spinnerbaits, surface lures, big soft plastics and hard bodies. Early morning and dusk are prime time. Patience is key, as Murray Cod can be elusive, a local angler reported landing a 75cm Murray Cod last weekend using a surface lure.
Redfin are biting throughout the day. Try a variety of depths until you find an active school using the usual soft plastics blades and small hard bodies.
Campaspe River
Decent Yellowbelly is still being caught on Live baits like shrimp and yabbies, along with spinnerbaits and soft plastics. Fish are biting well during late afternoons. Focus on areas with slow-moving water where fish can ambush prey near bridge pylons, around fallen timber, and in deeper pools. An angler reported catching a 60cm Golden Perch near the Elmore bridge using a spinnerbait. For cod large surface lures, spinnerbaits, and diving hardbodies are getting them, ensure your tackle is strong enough to handle large cod you never know when the big one will come along. Look to cast around large snags, rock bars, and undercut banks.
Cairn Curran
Not a huge amount of info in the shop this week as it seems anglers are trying other locations. However, trolling has been the best way to have a chance of getting onto a few fish on lures. Covering ground with hardbodies around 20ft of water around the deeper drop offs and rocky banks with good timber. Yabbies have been effective in getting some yellowbelly off the banks and out of the boat with the slightly bigger yabbies doing better.
Loddon River
Laanecoorie
Fishing the bite windows has proven effective in catching fish throughout the whole Loddon system with some good yellas being caught trolling and casting the timber and rocky points in the afternoons especially as the water starts to cool off.
The majority of the fish have been coming on medium sized hardbodies including 15ft old mates and larger profile jackall TN70 – 80s.
Bridgewater
The Bridgie stretch of the Loddon has provided some better quality fish over the past weeks. Although few and far between, anglers who have put the extra effort and fished the moon phases have been rewarded with some quality cod around 80cm. Fishing hardbodies with a larger profile around the 80-90mm mark haver stirred up some fish. Bait was also effective in plucking the odd cod and yella, with scubbies and yabbies getting the fish, in particular around the bridge and boat ramp.
Serpentine
A slower week here on the cod side with just a handful of catches reported to the shop, suggest using hardbodies or surface to try a temp them out, look for large lay downs, undercut banks and slow-moving sections, make sure to thoroughly fish through each section of water. A few nice yellowbelly reported on shrimps and small yabbies in the deeper holes. Spinnerbaits and small hard bodies are great for yellowbelly, keep the retrieve slow and steady.
Bendigo Family Lakes
Catches in general seem to be slowing down across the local lakes (Weeroona, Tom Thumb, Crusoe} redfin and carp always being caught on worms add some corn to the hook or bread if wanting to target carp. Still the odd yellowbelly caught between the lakes on lures but not a common catch. Perfect chance this weekend to target trout at crusoe with current weather conditions, spinners and powerbait being great options.
