Cunningham Pier has enjoyed snapper to 2kg on pilchards and bluebait just on dawn and dusk. If you can pin a high tide at these times, you'll do better. Other places to try are Griffins Gully Jetty, St Helens Rockwall and Limeburners Point. Ross Winstanley has been chasing whiting inside Stingaree Bay. Not too many whiting about, but some ripper flatties over 60cm have come aboard.

Bellarine Peninsula
Snapper are available along the Peninsula as well. Anglers jumping on the soft plastic bandwagon are taking fish at Point Wilson and bait fishermen are doing better at Clifton Springs. Grassy Point at Portarlington has seen a fair few small to medium calamari, as has St Leonards. Tony Talevski and Daniel Cutchinotta fished St Leonards for gummies last Sunday. Things were slow at first, but Tony ended up bagging a monster gummy that tipped the scales at 24kg - top stuff indeed! Anglers fishing 'The Rip' have enjoyed another top salmon summer with schools of fish a regular occurrence early, margining on just about any tide. Anglers trolling lures have taken some fish, but cutting your motor and casting into the school with flies or soft plastics is the most productive method and it does not spook the school. Scattered schools of big King George whiting to 45cm have turned up from Portarlington to Queenscliff. They are biting best just on dusk and sometimes an hour or so after dark.

Barwon Heads
The pinky snapper are biting well off Barwon Heads in the shallow reefs. Blue sharks are thick enough to walk across their backs from 'The Rip' to Anglesea. Makos are available and there seems to be more thresher sharks about than I can remember being around this time last year, with fish to 100kg turning up from time to time. Smaller kingfish to 3kg are on the bite off Barwon Heads. They are fairly fussy so very fresh squid or live garfish does the best. Stirring them up with a heavy metal jig can also get them excited. Arrow (AKA aero) squid are savage as ever off Barwon Heads with some anglers reporting them jumping out of the water in an attempt to grab their squid jigs.

The Barwon River is alive with small whiting so please make sure you put them back if they are undersized. Larger fish are available down near the mouth just on dusk. Some small salmon are kicking about in the estuary during the day and are great lure practice.

Torquay
Blue sharks are thick off here too and the odd thresher close to 100kg is being weighed in by local fishermen. The shallows here is alive with small pinkies. Larger snapper are available in deeper water here.

The whiting have been a little hard to find with the odd fish over 40cm still available at dawn and dusk. Flatties, barracouta and aero squid are available out in water over 40m.

Tony and Danial fished off St Leonards for this 24kg gummy.

If you have any reports, please send an email to me and include the angler, location (within reason if it's a secret spot), species, time and date of capture. A picture of the catch may be included.

Fish HARD - Die Happy!
Cheers, NS

See previous Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula, West Coast reports here.