Hi for another week. Well I have a small amount of reports this week, things have been flat out for the whole Fish Victoria FM crew. For the fishos that didn't know, Saturday was the Marine Parks show special. For those who listened in, I hope it helped answer some questions that may have had you rattled. But if you missed it a transcript of the shows questions will be up on this site by mid week.
Let's go fishing!

Corio Bay
Some excellent snapper have been caught over the last week or so. This week saw some snapper in the 7kg bracket being caught by fishos who are prepared to put in the time. The most productive spots have been around Shell Refinery Pier, although on my way in to the fishing show at 4am on Saturday, I did notice 5 or 6 boats anchored of the end of Yarra Street. You just have to take a quick look at the fish frames behind the cleaning table at St Helens to know that there are a lot of good snapper in the Bay. The best baits have been garfish, pilchards, squid and 'couta fillets.

Other species being caught in good numbers in the Bay this week are snotty trevalla and silver trevally. A visit to Cunningham Pier this week showed me that most fishos were getting a dozen or so snotties up to 650grms, also silver trevelly up to 1kg were about. The best bait is fresh chicken but pilchard fillets do work if you can't get chicken. Other good spots for these fish have been Corio Quay, North Shore Rocks and the Phosphate.

In the Grammar School Lagoon this week I saw a few boat fishos caching garfish and mullet, and I have been told that the snotties and silvers are in there in good numbers. A report that has been a bit of a secret until now is that they are catching good quality snapper in the 4kg to7kg bracket on the last few hours of the out going tide and the first few hours of the incoming tide. For the bank fisherman St Helens is your best bet, flathead up to 35cm in size and the small snapper are being caught

Bellarine Peninsula
Portarlington has been one of the most popular spots for snapper fishermen over this past week. Joe Falcone fished off Pt Richard this week on the start of the run out tide where he caught 3 snapper up to 4kg in size, also others fishing the edge of the Channel marker 3 and 4 caught snapper up to 5kg in size. Wayne Trewin from Portarlington caught snapper to 3kg in the same area on pilchard baits.

For the land base fishos Portarlington Pier has been producing snapper up to 2.5kg in size, pilchards and squid are best for bait. St Leonards is still fishing very well. The guys from Bellarine Bait and Tackle are a wealth of information on this area, and they tell me that the squid are in huge numbers over the weed beds and around the Pier. The whiting are still a bit slow but the odd fish up to 38cm in size is being caught.

We can still report on Swan Bay due to the small area you can still fish because of the Marine Park. At the moment good gummy sharks up to 5kg in size are being caught along with some thumping flathead of about 7lbs in size. Live bait is a good option but you can't go past the deadly method of berley and pilchards, just remember that the Marine Parks are now in place and you must try to abide by the rules. There is signs posted at all boat ramps in Victoria telling you where you are allowed to fish if a Marine Park is in that area.

Also in Swan Bay there are some good garfish and mullet that are huge, some up to 3lbs. Lakers Cutting is one spot that has not been closed to fishing and at the moment good bream around 35cm in size are being caught on live shrimp or sand worms. The Cause Way at Queenscliff on the tide change is the best place to catch silver trevelly up to a massive 1.6kg in size although the average is about 1.1kg, fresh chicken or pilchard fillets is the best bait. Port Phillip Heads has good salmon to 3kg and the squid fishing is superb.

Surf Coast
If it's fish that you are chasing then Barwon Heads is the place to be. But before I go too far I want to tell you about a piece on my radio show called the "Dick of the Week Award". This goes out to the person who does the most stupid thing in fishing. This week it goes out to my fishing friend Gruvo who decided to jump out of my 3.8m Jabiru as it drifted away from the bank at Barwon Heads. Seconds later Gruvo was up to his neck in mud and water and as for Ted and I we haven't laughed like that in years.

In the river bream are still being caught on Bass yabbies during most parts of the tide, also silver trevally up to 1.2kg in size are being caught on white bait and frozen prawns. But as a personal preference I would still prefer to use Bass yabbies for the silvers. No jewfish reports this week. Out the front, Marty from Marty's Bait and Tackle in Main Street Barwon Heads reports that snapper up to 3kg are about. Also at dawn and dusk in the river mouth tailor are starting to move this is a good sign it normally is a sign that the jews are about to fire up. Also in 35 metres of water barracouta are very thick.

Don't forget on FishVictoria 94.7FM 6am-8am. Give us a call to discuss anything fishing related during those times on 5222 5947.