Hi for another week, a strange week at hand for anglers with cool to mild calm mornings and arvos hit with strong sea breezes. But on a good note we saw a boost in surface temperatures with our first warm day for the season and, as it should be, we experienced a change in our fishing. Some species such as flathead and bream went into feast mode and snapper thinned out ever so slightly but all in all it was a pretty good week for the Geelong and the West Coast. Let's go fishing!

Corio Bay
By boat:
Snapper reports were few and far between this week and although there were rumors of some big inner harbor reds being caught, there were no snapper that stood out from the crowd, the average size of most snapper being caught are around 2-4kg. Best baits are WA pilchards, cuttlefish, garfish or squid. Also at present a popular by-catch and target species is flathead. Graeme Sutton (Catch 22) tells me that pike to 3kg are being caught in the bay along with nice whiting up to 37cm in size. Don't expect to nail your bag of 20 whiting - more often than not the common bag is 6-10 fish. Off St Helens, Lime Burners Point and Avalon Beach would be good places to start.

By land:
If you are planning to fish on the shore and some of the jetties around Geelong you are in for a treat. Honestly at the moment in Corio Bay land base would be my preference not just for its comfort factor but it can very productive.

North Shore Rocks, Phosphate and Yarra Street Rocks
Have yielded great numbers of flathead up to 1 1/2lbs, pilchards and bluebait are best. If you have a bait pump and the knack to get Bass yabbies you will find the odd bream to 600 grams and also silver trevally around Cunningham Pier.

Outer Harbor
It is a different story out here. There are large schools of snapper in the 2-2.5kg range schooling up near Alcoa, Bird Rock and from the Quarries to Point Wilson. The tip is search and you will find (use your fish finder). Also good whiting to 37cm, fishing for them is slow but worth it, and for a tip try the edge of the channel off Clifton Springs with a generous serving of berley.

Bellarine Peninsular
St Leonards
Fishing reports are still fair. Excellent amounts of squid to be had on baited jigs (a good trick is to use berley in a boat or on the pier to concentrate the squid near you).

Swan Bay
Top Spot. Gummy shark up to 5kg are still a common catch on pilchards and if you are using berley. Monster garfish to 52cm are good fun. Water temp is up and that means BIG FROGS (flathead). Drift a live bait across the flats at high tide for a chance at one of these monsters. Also a chance of trevally and mullet from the jetty.

Queenscliff - Point Lonsdale
Snapper are being caught at Bell Reef and inside the causeway at Queenscliff. Silver trevally to 500 grams are common and at Point Lonsdale there are whiting near Cottage By The Sea and small snapper in The Bight. At Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean large salmon to 6lbs are being caught and as per usual squid to 2.5kg are abundant. Thanks to Steve Roth of Norlane who reported catching 'couta to 3 1/2 ft inside the Heads and he says that good gars can be had if berley is used.

West Coast
Anglesea
Salmon and flathead are still being caught off the beach and in the river. Steve Roth and I belted 7 bream - biggest I got was 1.12kg cleaned - on crabs. Bass yabbies and sandworm also worked well.

Torquay
If the wind stays north it's the place to be. On Wednesday night Gary Shonning took 2 snapper, 2.4-2.6kg, off the beach and Darren Corsar took 9 snapper to 3kg. Squid, bluebait and whitebait are best.

Worth a Look
Barwon Heads has a few good salmon in the mouth, snapper and small kings on Sharlemont Reef and other reefs.

Off Shore
Barry Crommer from Tico Charters reports 7 gill in shallow waters from Port Phillip Heads to Torquay. Barracouta are plentiful, blues and mako shark in 50m plus.

I would like to thank everyone who have sent me emails, I will reply to you all as soon as I can. Also to the idiot who broke into my personal file and shut my phone down, guess what I am back!! Call me on 0418 547 957.

My wife and I would like to wish everyone out there a Merry Christmas and safe fishing to all.

For more info tune in to 87.6FM Saturday Mornings at 6am till 7.30am or call me direct on The Fishing Show Bite Line 0418 547 957.

GOOD FISHING TO YOU ALL 'TIL NEXT TIME!
John Didge.

See John's previous report here.