Trellys Fishing Report
Corio Bay
Hot fishing has continued to be on offer around the local area this week with much better weather certainty playing a big factor in allowing anglers to venture out and get amongst some of the great fishing that’s on offer. Inside the bay has still been producing some nice pinky snapper on soft plastics with anglers targeting areas like the spoil grounds and Alcoa pier finding some impressive numbers of fish. For best results ideally run 4-5 inch soft plastics rigged on a one quarter ounce jig head. In closer the King George Whiting have also remained on the chew with most reports coming from late arvo bites. Bird Rock again this week has proved to be a very popular location to target them. Timing your trip to fish on a tide change is a pretty key factor to consider when targeting them at the moment as the tides aren’t very big due to the moon.
Bellarine Peninsula
St Leonards still claims its title as the whiting hotspot for the area with much better reports coming from down this way. Again timing your trips to be fishing around the stronger tides is a very important factor and if you can fish of an evening then even better.
'The RIP'
The Rip has had some reports come through of Yellow Tail Kingfish starting to bite with some fish reaching over 1 metre. Anglers dropping live and dead baits have been having good success and of course knife jigs are getting plenty of bites too. Fishing the tide changes has again been a key factor to having better success but we can expect to see this area fish very well over the coming weeks.
Offshore
The Bluefin Tuna offshore have gone into overdrive with the fish seeming to be going stupid! Anglers trolling hardbody and skirted lures have been doing some serious damage lately with some boats bagging out before 9:00am! Double, Triple, 4, 5 way hook-ups, it’s been crazy! Well worth getting out there and having a crack as we only got maybe a month or so left on them until next season!
Barwon River
The Barwon River has been a popular freshwater location this week with Carp, Redfin and Perch all making an appearance with plenty of reports coming through on worms with Queens park proving to be a hot spot. A surprise catch this week was Mikalah McCormack with an Australian Bass caught under a float with corn whilst chasing carp. As far as rare captures go for Geelong that is well up there.
Goulburn River
It’s setting up nicely for the long weekend on the Goulburn River with plenty of reports coming in from those who snuck away early, Toolamba has been a real hot spot this week with some solid Murray Cod caught on bait with the afternoons being the best time. Large Bardi grubs and also chicken has been great baits this week with many reports coming in from those using those bait. Murchison & Raftery’s Rd areas continues to produce fish not so many big ones this week but there has been plenty of 40/60cm cod caught, Trolling 15ft old mates has been the best for those in the boat with small compact or singles bladed Spinnerbaits working best for the cast. Surface fishing in the hotter evenings should be a great way to target cod this long weekend with the cod recently being very active off the top we expect this long weekend to produce plenty of surface action.
Broken River
There have been some great reports from those fishing from kayaks this week with some legal sized cod and Yellowbelly caught. The best methods reports have been Casting small black and red hard bodies and also Spinnerbaits in the same colour. Getting your lure super close to structure or the banks has been the key with the natives sitting in small shade pockets as the sun is up.Those fishing from the banks have reported plenty of carp amongst both cod and Yellowbelly with worms being the best baits for carp and fresh shrimp or yabbie for the natives. The surface bits have continued in the broken with reports of fish caught off the top from Benalla all the way down to Shepparton with mornings being the best time.
Kialla Lakes
With the expected heat this long weekend we will see numbers of day time fish captures drop off but the fish should still feed on the edge's early morning or late afternoon. Floating worms or yabbies has been a great way in the cooler day periods with some nice Redfin and Yellowbelly being caught. Fishing with lures around the edges has picked up this week with some nice Yellowbelly being caught on bent minnows and also jackal chubby’s. We are starting to get more reports of Redfin being caught around the reeds in the second lake with small plastics or drifting scrub worms close to the reeds being the best way to target these fish.
Waranga Basin
The basin will be jammed packed this long weekend with plenty of boating activity expected on the lake. Don’t like this turn you off with the new ramp facilities it’s so much easier to launch in busy times and also with the fish biting both early and late you should skip peak times. There has been a heap of fish caught on the banks opposite to Harriman’s Ramp with the Redfin pushing shallow in the mornings and afternoons then heading out to about 18/20ft in the heat of the day. Small jerkbaits, chatterbaits and plastics have worked well on the edges with those heading deep finding more fish are being caught trolling. If your bait fishing from a boat floating worms up shallow early has been great especially if you can find some weed. Deep bait fishing has also been a great way to chase Redfin with drifting in about 18ft being best with scrub worms or night crawlers just sitting off the bottom. If your fishing from the banks don’t be worried about the boat wakes washing on the banks as this will move your baits around and make them more lifelike. Small yabbies and worms have been working best from the banks with floats or small sinkers so the baits can drift and move around. There is still plenty of big carp being caught especially on worms and corn but it’s been more from those fishing hard on the bottom.
Lake Eppalock
Current reports of both redfin, yellowbelly and cod have been few and far between. Although the fishing has been slow, the water clarity has improved dramatically despite the presence of blue-green algae. Some reports of cod being caught towards the twin rivers end of the lake using Spinwright 1oz spinnerbaits rigged with Irukandji soft plastics. Despite the few reports, we have heard of yellowbelly being caught in deeper water in 8-10 meters of water using larger profile hardbodies such as Australian Crafted 70mm Invader, 70mm Codger hardbodies or RMG Poltergeist in 8 meter diving depth if you are chasing larger redfin in the deeper water.
Schooling redfin have been harder to target this season, possibly due to the big rains during the summer. Despite this, the warmer days have produced better numbers of fish, predominantly on small yabbies or scrub worms. Due to the fish sitting in deeper water, soft plastics have had to be used with heavier jigheads. Larger plastics around 4” have been popular for searching deeper water with a 1/6th or 1/4oz jighead. Biwaa 3 & 4inch SubMission have been popular searching for the larger size bracket redfin, while good numbers have been caught on 2.5 - 3inch grubs such as the Baitjunkie wave minnow and gulp grubs. From the bank, bait has been the choice with carp and redfin being caught on euro worms and reddies being caught on yabbies, even the odd yellowbelly. As the water quite high, it is well worth wading about waist deep to get the extra depth.
Campaspe River
Mixed reports have been coming from the Campaspe. The water clarity is relatively decent throughout many stretches of the river and has improved significantly below Elmore in recent weeks. Reports are still coming through of yellowbelly being caught on spinner baits. In particular spinwright ½ and 5/8 oz single willow and Jackall Super-Eruption. As a general rule these fish have been needing to be woken up and each snag has to be peppered with casts. If you are bait fishing, or even fly fishing, there are plenty of carp that are heaps of fun and fight hard! Fishing with worms, corn or balls of bread are an effective way to catch carp which are plentiful across the Campaspe currently.
Cairn Curran
Although water clarity throughout the lake is not great and there are large amounts of blue green algae floating around, theres still the odd reports of yellowbelly are being caught, predominantly around 5-7 meters of water fishing the trees on the calmer days, and fishing points and rocky banks when the wind picks up. The majority of reports are coming off bait, especially small yabbies and scrub worms. Lures have still been effective in getting a few bites, particularly trolling banks and drop offs with small hardbodies including the RMG Crazy Deep. Tanner with a lovely 35cm Yellowbelly using yabbies! The redfin bite has been slow, with only a few reports of small schools being found and producing small numbers of fish, with most redfin being picked up casting soft plastics, using 3 inch strike tiger grubs or 2.5inch minnows in the Daiwa bainjunkie range. By far using worms and yabbies have been the pick of baits with the majority of fish coming on euro worms or small yabbies. Many spots surrounding the yacht club have been producing numbers of redfin in an easily accessible location from the bank. Arianne with a nice 33cm redfin on worms
Bridgewater
Water clarity and levels across the Loddon catchment have risen for irrigation flows, as a result the water level across the system has become slightly dirtier than previous weeks. Reports of trolling size 2 stump jumpers and 15ft old mate hardbodies have produced numbers of yellowbelly and cod. Spinnerbaits have also been popular with sponwright 5/8oz rigged being effective on larger yellowbelly and Cod. Bait is always a good option along this stretch with scrub worms producing yellowbelly surrounding the bridge, however, cheese and bardi grubs have also been producing with yabbies proven to be the choice of bait with cod and yellowbelly being caught throughout this section of the river.
Bendigo Family Lakes
Caruso Reservoir
With the continued elevated water levels, there is plenty of structure within casting distance where redfin and occasional trout are being successfully hooked. Popular locations, notably along the rock wall, in particular for redfin catches, using both bait and lures. Soft plastics continue to be in demand, yet due to the marginally improved water clarity compared to nearby lakes, natural colors like watermelon red and pearl white in Daiwa Bait Junkie and Z Man paddle tail options are gaining popularity. Compact spinners like Celta and Tassie Devil Spinners are also yielding results, with redfin catches reaching up to 30cms, and the occasional trout making appearances during the cooler mornings. Once again, bait fishing has proven effective, with euro worms and small yabbies being the preferred choices. The rock wall remains a hotspot for superior catches, providing easier access to deeper waters on warmer days and ample shelter for the fish.
Lake Weeroona
This lake offers excellent accessibility, making it an ideal choice for families with young children venturing into the world of fishing. Currently, redfin captures have been reported along the willow trees and at the rowing club end, employing soft plastics. Strike Tiger's 3-inch grubs paired with their 1/8th jigheads have proven effective, with a successful technique involving a slow retrieval. Z Man Slim-swimz and Biwaa SUbMission paddle tail plastics. Again since the fishing is slow,, compact hardbodies like Atomic bream shad 40, 10ft Old Mate divers, and Tassie Devil Spinners become valuable assets for covering more water and actively seeking out the fish. For those favouring bait, this lake provides a popular option, with euro worms gaining popularity for both redfin and carp. A straightforward running sinker rig suffices when employing worms, or even corn if targeting carp.