Trellys Fishing Report
Outer Harbour
Wild weather has certainty made it tricky to get out for a fish but with small weather windows it has allowed anglers to get out into the action and get onto some nice fish. The outer Harbour of Corio Bay has had some steady King George Whiting and Calamari reports in close with some whiting getting over 40cm in length. Fishing the stronger tides has been most effective for the whiting and for the Calamari the clear water is key.
Swan Bay
Swan bay has been a bit of a hot spot this past week with anglers seeking sheltered water finding some impressive numbers of Pinkie Snapper, Silver Trevally, Salmon, Whiting, Small gummy sharks, flathead and squid all on the chew.
Offshore
Offshore has had some good reports of Kingfish right across the coast with Charlemont reef through to Torquay proving to be 2 of the main hotspots. Fishing 20-35 metres of water has been holding lots of fish to 80cm with most of them around the mid 60s. The area known as the pinnacles has been holding lots of fish too! The tuna reports have slowed a bit but probably due to weather but as this is being written some reports have been coming through off the 50 metre line off Torquay
Lake Eildon
The Lake is sitting around the 99% range and the fish have been very active pre and post rain events over the last couple of weeks. We have had some reports of some big cod being caught by those using live sonar with flipping big swim jigs or soft plastics at cruising fish. Some cod have been reported up to 120cms recently. It’s not just those using love sonar catching big cod with some meter plus fish caught by those casting both the Balista Tremors and the Bassman Aussie Crawlers in low light periods. These periods are not just early morning late afternoon it’s been all through the day if it’s become cloudy and even in shaded pockets closer to the banks. Yellowbelly fishing has been good with some nice fish caught vertically fishing timber with black gulps and zx40 blades. Those fishing rocky banks and points have been getting Yellowbelly on 3 inch soft plastics and tn60 jackals. A slow retrieve with a pause every 3/4 seconds has been a great little technique. Redfin have also been active with some good bags of fish being caught in the trees on worms and yabbies. Trolling small diving lures past flooded trees has also been a great way to target Redfin.
Waranga Basin
With the rivers in flood recently it’s pushed more anglers over to the basin and they have not been disappointed with the fishing. Yellowbelly are now being caught more regularly with many locals now able to go to the basin and directly targeting them. Rocky points, the main rock wall and any fishing any kind of structure has been key with the Yellowbelly holding in these areas. Vertically fishing blades on submerged structure is a great way to target them so is casting blades. Those chasing Redfin have been reporting good numbers of fish with some reports of 30 fish in a couple of hours fishing. Trolling has been the most successful way to chase Redfin lately with smaller hard bodies in around 15ft working well. On the hotter days the fish seem to push deeper so you may need to switch to a deeper running lure if that’s the case. Bait fishing with small yabbies has been great off the bank with the Redfin pushing in shallow in the mornings to feed. Worms has been another good bait for Redfin with some fish up to 40cms reported on scrub worms near Harriman's point boat ramp.
Irrigation Channels
With the rivers around Shepparton being dirty after the recent floods we have been getting more reports from the irrigation channels. Cod up to 70cms have been caught around Shepparton East with Spinnerbaits with some white in them working great. Casting these at the bridge pylons has been the stand out way to fish the channels lately with cod ambushing the Spinnerbaits on the drop a lot. If you don’t get a bite on the drop don’t stress because some cod have been hitting the lure right at the bank so make sure you’re switched on the entire retrieve. Yellowbelly have been more active in areas with flowing water so it’s best to fish the downside of drop bars. Blades, Tn60 jackals and also 4 inch soft plastics have all worked in the more turbulent water. Bait fishing for cod has been successful lately with cheese and chicken being the stand out baits. Those chasing Yellowbelly and Redfin have been floating both scrub worms and small yabbies with success.
Fish Out Pond Arcadia
Another great option for those not wanting to fish the dirty rivers at the moment is the Fish Out Ponds at the Arcadia Fish Farm. We are getting daily reports coming back from those fishing the ponds with plenty of fish being caught. Those fishing with worms and yabbies have reported plenty of Yellowbelly with some up to 40cms caught this week. Some Cod have also been caught on those baits but predominantly they are being caught on cheese and chicken baits. There has been some nice fish reported by those Casting lures in the mornings and evenings shallow has been great with lures such as square bills, small old mates and Bassman compact Spinnerbaits working well. The fish push deeper as the days go on so tn60 jackals are a great option when fishing deeper at the ponds. There isn’t a lot of shade around the water so make sure you grab one of our Trellys hats before you head out for a fish.