Well, another week in the south-west has come and gone with some anglers taking full advantage of a small window of opportunity to drag the boat out of the shed.
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There were some great captures this week from all bodies of water.
OFFSHORE
Just when we thought the run of big bluefin tuna was going to slow down, they decided to go gangbusters off Portland.
Some absolute belters hit the scales, none bigger than Reel Time Charters' 169kg barrel - the biggest caught in Victorian waters on a rod and reel. A true giant and hopefully a sign of things to come.
Salty Dog Charters Port Fairy has also been getting clients onto these mega-tuna the past week, going three from four trips. A great strike rate in anyone's books.
There's still a huge amount of red bait sitting along Cape Nelson and further afield along Cape Bridgewater, which is why these fish are holding for so long.
The past week has seen 20-odd barrels caught, so it just shows how many are actually in the area.
Divers and skirts of around six inches have been the standout lures of late.
Shark fishing has been great lately, with anglers getting stuck into the tasty gummy shark and school shark off both Port Fairy and Warrnambool.
Gun female angler Lisa Davies landed a brilliant gummy shark off Port Fairy, estimated at between 25 and 30kg. Lisa showed Joey Bourke and Cameron Finlayson how it was done multiple times, just not as badly as this capture.
Snapper have been hit and miss for most anglers lately, but when they are found the size has been great for this time of year. We have been told by customers that 50cm-plus fish have been pretty common when a patch of snapper have been found.
The depth anglers are targeting now has been 55-60m, which puts you in the shark area also. Means you may need some heavier gear, just in case.
FRESHWATER
The Merri and Hopkins continue to produce trout to 6lb for the keen angler walking the paddocks in search of these wild fish.
The Merri has been plagued by duck weed below the weir, but where there's a pocket of clear water more than likely there has been a fish sitting below waiting for an easy feed.
Danny Hamilton reports there are lots of fish moving about the Cassidys Bridge area, but they're pretty spooky when casting to them so some patience and time is the key.
Long casts over the fish and a high rod tip will allow the lure to swim straight past them without the line sitting on the surface, therefore sending the fish for the deep.
The Crater Lakes at Camperdown have still been producing some great fish.
ESTUARIES
Ben McDonald landed a great mulloway over the metre mark around the Warrnambool area on Monday night.
It's great to see some bigger fish being landed over our way after a quiet spell, with the rivers opening and closing over the past couple months. Generally, winter is the best time for the bigger run of fish, so it's time to dust off the bigger gear.
The lower Merri has been producing some nice bream on the high tide for anglers using cranka crabs, shrimp and clickers.
Hopkins River is hit and miss, with some finding feeding patches and others not finding anything.
Warrnambool and District Angling Club held a comp on Sunday where there were a few fish over a kilo, the heaviest of which was caught by Shane Murphy (1.27kg).
The heaviest bag was caught by Peter Lane, with five fish for 3.7kg.
Warrnambool Offshore and Light Game Fishing Club is holding the Garmin Marine South West Game Fishing Tournament from 7.15am-4pm Saturday. Sunday fishing will be the same times, with a presentation held at 4.45pm. Some excellent prizes with some great people there happy to help out newcomers to game fishing. For more info, head over to the website or Facebook page, or call Sam Powell on 0403 146 583.
Until next week, tight lines and best of luck.