Trellys Fishing Report
Inner Harbour
The Geelong waterfront this week has been a hot fishing sport this week for land and water based anglers with Pinky Snapper and Australian Salmon all in fantastic numbers and on the chew. Wangim walk, Cunningham Pier and Griffiths Gully Jetty have all been producing the goods. Bait fishing with blue bait or Squid is proving to be the better bait choices but soft plastics have been the most effective. The famous turtleback worm and Z-man slim swims are proving to be the standouts, with the Z-man it does pay to load them up with scent as they don’t come scented out of the packet.
Bellarine Peninsula
The Bellarine Peninsula has offered some great King George Whiting Fishing also this past week with reports coming from Clifton Springs, Indented Heads, St Leonards and the Grass Beds off Queenscliff. Fishing the strong tides and ideally on the lead up to the end of the day has been producing some fantastic results. More directed towards St Leonards and Queenscliff here but bag limit captures are on offer with fish to over 40cm being landed.
Queenscliff
Calamari have been on the radar for many anglers this past week with many heading into the Queenscliff bight in hope for an early season monster! It has been a bit slow but it could explode in there any day. If you are chasing the monsters baits on a spike are your best option or running size #4.0 Jigs.
Sorrento
Across the other side of the bay down towards Sorrento there has been huge numbers of Australian Salmon in the shallows. Trolling small white occy skirts has been working a treat in there with salmon up to 3kg in weight being caught and LOADS of them. Great opportunity to load up for the Snapper season or for some Gummy Shark Baits
Barwon River
The Barwon River has been offering some fantastic silver trevally fishing to those casting soft plastics. Fishing either landbased, from a boat or even a kayak has been fishing great. Small 2.5 inch plastics in a curl tail have been working best and bait has also been accounting for plenty of fish too. Fishing the lead up to the high tide has been the most productive time of the day to chase them.
Goulburn River
The levels in the Goulburn have settled and this has made fishing conditions the best in months.
We have had more reports this week than in the previous couple of months with a few legal sized cod caught between Murchison and Nagambie.
Chunks or chicken has been the best baits in this area with cod being caught mostly in the afternoons. Using large scrub worms above Nagambie have seen a couple of Yellowbelly reports coming in along with some big carp. All bait fisherman have also reported plenty of Crays still holding onto the hooks as they retrieve their baits so slowly reel your baits back as you might find a cray holding on. Those targeting Crays with nets are still pulling big numbers of crayfish with the heart of Shepparton being a hot spot. There is some deep bends between the boat ramp and the junction and these have been great locations for Crays. Those casting lures have reported the odd native fish being caught downstream of Shepparton boat ramp and around Jordan’s bend. A slow rolling spinnerbait has been the best lures this week with fishing from kayaks or boats being more productive than those walking the banks.
Waranga Basin
It’s almost spring time and this period of the year is one of the best at the basin with the Redfin usually biting and the Yellowbelly catches becoming more regular.This past week we have sold plenty of Keitech 3 inch swing impacts with the black version being a very popular option for those fishing out at Waranga. The Redfin are pushing up shallow and being caught in around 4/6ft of water with the afternoons which has been great for both those fishing from the bank or in a boat.
Those trolling have been catching some pan sized Redfin on the smaller codgers with the silver and black or pink and black colours working best. Harrimans point end of the lake seems to be the best areas to troll especially a long to the road leading into to boat ramp.
Irrigation Channels
The channels are now back up and slowing which can make fishing a little tougher but this can also fire up the fish. Using the extra current to your advantage is the key and using Spinnerbaits is the best way to target Yellowbelly, cod and Redfin. A great way to fish the flow is casting your spinnerbait upstream of the target area and let the flow drift your spinnerbait into the strike zone. The fish seem to sit behind structure in the heavy flow periods so they will ambush a dropping spinnerbait as it comes past. Square bills and divers are not the best lures to use in these times so if you're wanting a second option other than a spinnerbait we would be switching to a chatterbait and roll it back to the bank against the current. Bait fishing can be tough on the flowing water but a large scrub worm with an upsized sinker is the key for those using back. Having a little extra line between the sinker and hook a great way to let the scrub worm to drift around a little more.
Kialla Lakes
The weather is starting to feel a lot more like spring compared to the super cold days in previous weeks. The spring time is one of the best periods for Kialla Lakes and this week the fish seem to be switching on. There has been a hand full of reports coming in with those using lures finding there is hungry Redfin on the edge. Now the lake is pretty shallow so you need to downsize your divers, jig heads or blade sizes so you don’t get caught in the rocks. Lures such as bent minnows or smaller floating jerkbaits are great shallow at Kialla with the Redfin both chasing or eating the lure on the pause. It’s a bit of trial and error some days they are more keyed into the pause other days they love to ambush a moving lure.Bait fishing with scrub worms under a float has worked for those fishing shallow for Redfin with some Redfin up to 35cms caught this week with scrubby’s. Once the yabbies start to move using small yabbies or dragging football jigs will work a treat especially when the Yellowbelly fire up in September.
Lake Eppalock
The Redfin have had a spark up in recent weeks with soe better quality and numbers of fishing being caught both trolling and flicking vibes and plastics along deeper rocky points and drop offs. Many fish have been picked up on RMG Poltergeist 8 meter divers, trolling multiple passes along the good looking points and finding some schools of fish. Anglers have also have also had some good success flicking vibes and plastics once they have found reddies eating on the troll, sitting off the school and slow rolling 3 inch soft plastics and 60mm Jackall Mask Vibes.
Campaspe River
Slower fishing and cool conditions have proven difficult to get on to multiple fish, however the odd cod have been caught flicking slightly larger profile lures such as AC Invaders in the 90mm and Old Mate 15ft divers. Flicking topwater has also Proven effective in picking up some good quality cod. Yellowbelly have been quite slow as of late, fishing smaller spinnerbaits and hardbodies is ideal however persistence is needed to get into some yellowbelly at this time.
Cairn Curran
Although quiet, the lake should start to produce some good numbers of redfin and yellowbelly in coming weeks with slightly better weather on the horizon. Working the deeper trees with worms or jigging blades is a very effective way to get onto some yellowbelly in the slower and cooler conditions. As for the redfin, trolling deeper dropoffs and rocky banks with 50-60mm deep divers and flicking rocky points with 3 inch paddle tail plastics and grubs can fins good numbers of fish.
Loddon River
In the past week, a slight river rise has occurred across the system causing the water to dirty up slightly more than it normally is. Through Serpentine and the skinny water has produced the odd yellowbelly using small hardbodies. Finding a cod has been a little bit harder, with some reports coming from Bridgewater with the odd cod being trolled up on Old Mate 15Ft divers.
Caruso Reservoir
Some smaller trout are still being caught after the school holiday release, mainly on small spinners and 38mm small hardbodies. Fishing around the rockwall in the later afternoons and early in the evenings has been effective in picking up the odd trout or reddie. During the middle of the day fishing with worms or powerbait has also proven to pick up the odd fish too.