Well hello again fellow fishos. What a difference a week makes in fishing, last week you couldn’t pull a scale from a fish shop. This week the weather is just as lousy but the fishing has improved greatly.

Down Bullen Merri way the fishing has started to really pick up with several fish being landed that are over the 6lb mark. On Wednesday Bacchus Marsh angler Jim “bob” Stanford happened to land a fantastic brown trout to 4.4kgs, he was using a bullhead under a bubble float.

While on Thursday local Bullen Merri pirates Doug Lucas and Bobby Casper also landed some big fish whilst fishing the same style as Jim. Both fish where well over the 60cm mark and the best was nearer to 9lbs.

So why are the big fish starting to show up? It’s simple the bullheads are starting to spawn and to do that they have to move into the slow rocky areas of the lake to lay their eggs and the bigger fish follow them for an easy feed. The bullheads won't be in full spawn mode until another few weeks so the action is starting to hot up.

Over at Purrumbete the land based boys have been doing ok with some good reports of browns and Quinnet salmon been taken off Hoses, Shag and Horans rocks. Currently unweighted glassies just off the bottom are doing the trick.

Over at Ellingamite the winter redfin are still well worth the effort to catch, with fish being weighed in over the 2kg mark. This lake is the best place I know to go and get a feed of reddies, if you suspend a live minnow close to the ribbon weed you should be in with a chance and that also goes for the great browns that swim in the lake.

Around Geelong, Lake Modewarre has been somewhat slow, with discoloured water making trolling very difficult the bait boys and the fur and feather flickers are also finding things difficult, give it a week or so to settle down and the spring fishing will be very good. Wurdibuloc Reservoir is similar to Modewarre so give it a miss.

The Camperdown Classic is on again, in fact it's on in two weeks to coinside with the trout opening of Purrumbete. This year all three lakes in the area are fishable (Bullen Merri, Purrumbete and Ellingamite) so the variety and locations are fantastic for those who want and come fish.

The Southern Beach area of Bullen Merri will be open to campers so BYO everything you need on that front. The cost of entry is $25 per person which includes a Saturday night meal. Once again our main focus is to raise money for the “Make A Wish Foundation” so come along and enjoy the fun and fishing.

Entries are available at Bullen Merri at the Camperdown Angling Club rooms, we have some great prizes to give away, we also will fine people for the stupid and funny things they do with all money raised going to the M.A.W.F.

If you have any enquires you can call Kevin Plowman on 0407437487 or myself on 0403501084.

Till next week, stay upright.
Karl

See Karl's previous report here.