The boat ramps along the coast were packed, especially Warrnambool which saw the opening of the newly-constructed ramp and jetties.

As I just mentioned the Warrnambool boat ramp is open and ready for launching boats into our great ocean.......unless you have a big boat then you won't be able to get yours in as a few found out.

I don't get how a city can spend more than $1 million dollars on a ramp and we now need more modifications for bigger boats to launch their boat without taking the bottom of the trailer out.

It's left many users of the facility absolutely seething because we as a city have waited so long for something to be done, especially those who have rallied so hard for it and now to have a poorly-designed and finished project is absolutely unacceptable.

Anyway that's my two bobs worth and it will probably go unnoticed like every other time a user has tried to tell what needs to happen but there you go.

Now onto the fishing reports and with dodge tides over the weekend some anglers found it very hard to get anything decent (me included).

Peter Goode fished off Warrnambool for some great snapper up to 68 centimetres and 3.7 kilograms.

Fish like these aren't that common in shallow but would have definitely put up a great tussle.

Liam and Barry Smith ventured off Port Fairy over the weekend for three nice gummies and a feed of crayfish.

Now that it's crayfish season you must remember to do these simple steps to make sure you are above board with fisheries.

First things first you must make sure that the crayfish is of legal size which is done by placing one end of the measuring tool between the antennae and the other end at the edge of the carapace.

You must then register your crayfish on the GoFishVic app which should be downloaded and anglers registered before taking part.

Next you must tail punch or clip the tail of your cray fish no more than five minutes after you catch it if on a boat or within 50m from the place of capture if done so by land.

These small steps will save you a lot of money if you do it correctly so please do the right thing as all these steps help protect one of our biggest economies.

Myself, Michael Hunt and Dudley Wright fished off Port Fairy on Saturday for a few flathead and a couple of pinkies.

The most action that we saw came from water less than 40m.

Gavin Buchanan and Barry Thomas were out the same day and managed to land some nice gummies and a few pinkies in 35m of water.

With all good conditions we see many crews make the long trip out to the shelf in search for some tasty critters and the weekend was no different.

Jan, Martyn, Anne-Marie and JP Oosthuizen fished off Port Fairy and had Sam Powell in tow.

They got a solid bag of pink ling and Blue Grenadier which is sure to make a great feed for days to come.

The Hopkins River is on the improve after so much fresh water coming down the system after a seriously wet spring.

Good pushes of salt water has been forcing underneath the fresh all the way up onto the mud flat.

The Warrnambool and District Angling Club held its first Friday Night Flick last Friday which saw 20 anglers try their luck in brilliant conditions.

Rob O'Neill caught the biggest bream for the night with a 880g bream taking a crab in the last half an hour.

Lots of smaller fish were caught and I even got a 48cm perch which was a welcome surprise.

There are heaps of fish schooled up throughout the bottom section and up to the ski run which could mostly be estuary perch.

Hopefully the water continues to get clearer and we see some surface action later on this summer.

The Warrnambool and District Angling Club has its annual Dinney Chapman perch competition on Saturday night which will run from 5pm and conclude at 9am the following morning.

New and existing members will be vying for the heaviest individual perch, bag of five and heaviest other fish.

Breakfast will be provided for those who enter the competition on the Sunday after the weigh in.

Allansford and District Angling Club held a competition on the Hopkins River last Sunday.

Isaac Primmer had success, taking out the heaviest five bream with 4.113kg catch.

Michael McLafren caught a cracker 1.561kg bream to get heaviest fish and in the female section Violet McLaren caught a 681g bream to take out the women's section.

The junior section was won by Jett Flemming who landed a 869g bream.

Lewis Holland has been getting some solid trout locally during his lunch breaks which is a great sign that the rivers are on the improve.

Casting shallow hard-bodies in the slower moving water or right on the edge of the fast-flowing water is a great place to target as it's a great ambush area for trout to sit and wait for an easy feed.

Using lures with some bright colours is something that is commonly done for the die-hards as they get the trouts attention in the dirty water.

The Rocklands has again been getting visits from travelling anglers and locals alike for yellowbelly and cod.

Vibe-style lures and soft plastics are still the go to for the yellas.

For the cod, spinnerbaits and deep diving hard-bodies trolled have been accounting for plenty of fish.

If you haven't got up there yet I would suggest you go before the place is packed for Christmas getaways cause I reckon it will be standing room only.

This weekend looks to be another good one across the south-west with slightly more wind than last but that shouldn't deter the people who have been holding off for this time of year to try their luck on the waters.

Until next week, tight lines and best of luck.

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