Corio Bay
This time of year should see some larger snapper taken after dark over the mud flats. Places to try include; Grammar School Lagoon, North Shore Rocks, Corio Quay, St Helens (both land and boat based), Western Beach, and just out from the Royal Geelong Yacht Club. The whiting are still about around dawn and dusk. Larger fish to 40cm are being taken when there is no light and smaller fish (27cm-33cm) when you can see to tie your hooks. Schools of small to medium salmon also show up in Corio Bay this time of year and are not always given away by working birds. Trolling is the only real way to find them. The odd gummy shark is turning up in the deeper water near the shipping channel. Ross Winstanley has been tagging a few whiting in and around Corio Bay so please report any captures to the 1800 telephone number on the tag if you catch any.

Bellarine Peninsula
Gummies from 4kg to 6kg are turning up around some of the regular snapper haunts. Some small to medium calamari have been taken over the weed beds of Clifton Springs as well as some 4kg-5kg snapper near the mussel farms before dawn. A good run of whiting have come to those that have persisted. Best spots are from Grassy Point to Queenscliff. The salmon have been hard to pick in the Rip, but persistent anglers have caught fish over 1.5kg. Some good pinkies to 40cm, garfish to 35cm and salmon to 1.3kg have been taken in Swan Bay.

Barwon Heads
A ripper 9kg snapper was taken just off Barwon River mouth recently. The river is full of whiting either side of legal length with a few over 35cm, so make sure you measure them carefully if you plan to take a few for dinner. The river mouth has been fishing well for a wide variety of species. Some anglers have taken small barracouta, salmon to 1.5kg, small silver trevally and of course, lots of small whiting here too. Elephant fish are hit and miss this season with some nights yielding plenty and the next night – no bites at all! A couple of small bait-stealing flatties have also been caught well upstream in the Barwon. Keep an eye on the tides and try to jag either a full or new moon where the high and low tides have little difference between them for an all nighter on the river for those mysterious mulloway. Some very large whiting are available just off Barwon Heads when the weather and swell has allowed. Fish over 45cm are not uncommon and this time last year a few fish over 50cm were taken.

Torquay
It’s been tough going to get offshore with the swell and wind keeping most inshore. Some 3kg-4kg gummies have been taken off Jan Juc Surf Beach along with a few salmon. The big tides have made this beach hard to fish with the waves covering most of it near the surf club. Those that have managed to jag a calm day and get offshore have taken gummies to 4kg and pinkies around 27cm-40cm. Big whiting have been available here when it is possible to get offshore to fish the shallow reefs. After dark has been best.

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.