Apologies for not having a fishing report last week as I was in Bali for a week but we have lots to catch up on with 2 weeks of reports.
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Offshore: The gummy and school shark have flooded reports the past couple of weeks with some exceptional captures. None more so than Peter Goodes' new PB of a 26.08kg gummy shark caught off Port Fairy. What makes this even more special is that it was hooked in the tail which if this has ever happened to you I think you'll agree that they go a hell of a lot harder than when lip hooked.
Sam Powell and his good mate Richie headed out off Port Fairy last week and landed an excellent bag of gummy shark, snapper to 4.1kg and Richie's first school shark weighing 19kg making it a great feast for all their families.
Xavier Ellul landed a nice school shark last week fishing off Warrnambool with his dad Marty.
The jumbo tuna have again showed their faces this week but seem to be thinning out especially with the numbers of Orca whatles that have been taking anglers fish once hooked which could lead to them leaving to find some calm water. Time will tell but usually if the bait is there then they won't be too far away.
None more so than Peter Goodes' new PB of a 26.08kg gummy shark caught off Port Fairy. What makes this even more special is that it was hooked in the tail
Ben McLean and Mick Allardyce landed a 95kg tuna after trolling for three minutes before their skirt got smashed. There have been lots of spear fisherman trying their skills out on these big fish so extra care is needed when a diver is in the water.
There have been reports of some squid making their way in close but the general size of them have been down but with the water soon to warm up this will increase and make for some excellent sessions.
Freshwater: Matthew Lee Walkeden landed a solid late season trout from the upper Hopkins River casting a small hard body into a shallow run. The trout this season have been the hardest to tempt that I can remember for a few years now.
I spoke to a well renowned trout fisherman and he said usually by this time of year he would have caught a dozen nice fish but has only managed two. Is it a combination of the water rising too quickly or are they on the decline? Some think that the water had risen too quickly for them to set up anywhere and others say that they might still be in the higher reaches. Time will tell whether these theories are factual or not.
Estuaries: The Hopkins River has continued to produce some quality bream and estuary perch for those getting out in the early mornings and late arvos. Luke Smith and his mum Shelly landed some crackers on Saturday morning with their best fish being an estuary perch of 47cm and a belter of bream measuring 46cm. Both these fish were caught on the trusty Zman Slim Swimz in Motor Oil and Bloodworm slowly hopped along a shallow flat on the edge of a drop off. Luke reported that there are oodles of fish up high but getting them to chew is another story. This is quite a common thing this time of year as they are in the spawning time for them and very rarely take lures in this time. If you find a bunch of fish on your fish finder then try fishing the closest bank to these and you should find the active fish rather than sitting on the sulking fish.
The Glenelg River is still fishing well for mulloway for anglers trolling live mullet but the lure fisherman are struggling. Jamie Coates, from Spot On Mount Gambier, caught some soapies (small mulloway) on Samaki Vibelicious but he reports that the better ones are being taken on live baits. Harry Linke landed some nice estuary perch at Sapling Creek on pink coloured Slim Swimz. He didn't land a bream all day which suggests that they have moved down the front of the system after their spawning run in the upper reaches.
Beaches: Scott Gray landed some great salmon off the beach at Port Fairy and Killarney last week on metals and Nomad 105 riptide stick baits cast into the gutters. Hopefully we see some more schools find their way to the beaches and we get into some great action. If you're keeping these for bait a small tip that I have learnt along the way is to not bleed them as this is an extra attractant for shark and mulloway.
Richardson Marine and the Tackle Shack will hold a boating and fishing expo on October 19 from 9am-4pm. There will be in-store demonstrations, brand reps, prizes and some great workshops. The fishing simulator will be there for those wanting to test their arms on some rampaging fish while testing new rods. Please RSVP on the Facebook page if plan to attend.
With the weekend's wind looking mostly easterly it will be a challenge for those wanting to head offshore and take advantage of the great fishing being had so maybe the rivers and lakes could be the option to get your fishing fix for the week.