Hi guys. I'm sorry about the fortnightly reports but at this stage it's the best I can do. The super success of the Fish Victoria radi show and setting up a new office for it is taking up a lot of my time.

Things are very quiet at the moment but it is only a short period of time before the fishing gets better. Some good tell tail signs of this are the rise in water temp, slightly warmer days and the bloom of the wattle. That's right, the wattle bloom, every year for as long as I can remember the 'couta and silver trevally have started to move about the same time as the bloom of wattles, and as you will have noticed from other reports in other areas 'couta and trevally are on the move.

I also have a new mobile number 0424 093 989.

Let's go fishing.

Corio Bay
In the Bay at the moment there are some nice snapper being caught but as is the norm the blokes who do catch are keeping it very hush hush. The average red is about 4kg and pilchards or garfish will do the job as bait.

Cuningham Pier still has plenty of mullet but not much more, fresh chicken is the best bait there.

Grammar School Lagoon is still quiet but the use of berley will see good schools of mullet, garfish and the odd flathead move into your berley trail.

Bellarine Peninsula
St Leonards has been one of the most consistent areas to fish over the last few months and it still is producing good fish. Squid are the most common target but the odd whiting is about along with large numbers of small flathead. For the fisho wanting to target gummies try the edge of the channel and also near the bluff or Edwards Point.

Swan Bay sees good gummy shark on the chew, the use of pilchards for bait fished unweighted on the sand patches is the best method, preferably on the rising tide.

Lakers Cutting is still fishing very well but only for the dedicated angler. Splinter from Barwon Heads told me that all fish are being caught using Bass yabbies for bait and you need to fish the rising tide during dark.

Queenscliff is fishing well for squid and the better area is around Bell Reef. In the Cause Way big silver trevally up to 1.5kg are being caught on the change from low to high tide, fresh chicken is the best bait but pippi will also work well, berley is a must.

Surf Coast
Barwon Heads is very quiet but a good sign is that report of 2 bream being caught on the weekend. Going by diary entries from previous years at this time large amounts of trevally were on the chew.

Thompson River (Breamlea) and Spring Creek (Torquay) have a few bream on the go. Bass yabbies are the best bait on the rising tide.

Angelsea River, for those who have been waiting for news, is still shut but the water level did drop and water clarity is about 8ft. Marty White and I have had no trouble catching bream up to 37cm on soft plastics - on Thursday morning we caught 6 in 2 hours.

Happy hooking.

Regards,
John Didge.

See John's previous report here.