Friday 26 February 2010
ITS FRIDAY
Get out there get your bait and go fishing. Big Fights, Late nights tight lines see you on the water some time.
New Iinteractive World Fishing News Magazine
Hi
Have an interactive World Fishing News Magazine coming out to the end of March 2010 if you want a free page please contact me with your Advertisement/Fishing Report. The Magazine will be total free so if you would like some free advertisement drop me a line before the 10 march 2010 as this is the closing date.
http://wis-fm.co.uk/MAGAZINE.aspx
Thank you
Billy
©World Fishing News
Have an interactive World Fishing News Magazine coming out to the end of March 2010 if you want a free page please contact me with your Advertisement/Fishing Report. The Magazine will be total free so if you would like some free advertisement drop me a line before the 10 march 2010 as this is the closing date.
http://wis-fm.co.uk/MAGAZINE.aspx
Thank you
Billy
©World Fishing News
Tuesday 9 February 2010
Fishing still slow
Fishing still slow
Published: Wednesday, February 3, 2010 8:19 AM EST
I was at a meeting of the Saltwater Light Tackle Fishing Club recently where Don Willis (Custom Marine Fabrication of New Bern) was the guest speaker talking about new fishing tackle and gear he saw at the recent Henry?s Tackle show in Raleigh.
He showed us some cool stuff, and also made an observation that I think was right on. He said ?Berkley Gulp! and suspending baits has turned mediocre and poor trout fishermen to good trout fishermen.? Just think about it, you can almost catch anything on the Gulp! series of flavored baits and suspending hard plastics are killers of trout, drum and you name it.
These days there are other flavored baits out there, and all of them work extremely well, and you don?t need to be a genius to use them. You toss them out, you bring them in and viola, you catch fish. The suspending baits, like MirrOlure Catch 2000, or their 17 and 27-MR series are also equally deadly. You throw them out and let them sink, add a few twitches and during the pause, they are nailed by hungry, aggressive trout, especially in the winter.
There is some finesse with these baits. I particularly like to use the lightest jig head with the Gulps!, usually 1/8 or 1/16th ounce, or even better unweighted, fished with weedless or bass worm hooks.
These and other soft plastics are also excellent producers fished on the ultimate of suspending baits, the cork where you have total control of the movement and motion of the bait. If you fish these often you will quickly notice that most of the hits occur in the settling and drop down phase, when nothing is seemingly happening. So fish both the corked and uncorked slow and low and only twitch the baits from time to time.
Ditto with the suspenders, and I don?t mean the ones that hold up your pants. Cast, let the current drift the bait when possible, occasionally twitching the bait. Again in the ?sleep? phase is when you should expect the hit, bite or bump, so be ready or you may miss the fish. All this is well and good, but you also have to remember, if there are no fish around, it really doesn?t matter what bait you use, finessed or not.
This week was again a slow fishing week. There were few fish caught and very few fishermen out there to get any data on the comings and goings of our local winter species. Personally I landed a few specks in the creeks using some of the Matsuo soft plastics fished lowly and slowly on a cork. The ones I landed were feisty, but due to their body ?strawberries? I could tell that there were net survivors, so I released them back from whence they came.
Seeing that they had escaped such encounters of the net kind I wasn?t going to be the one to kill them. As usual, there the creeks were full of bait, mostly mullet and several times I stopped fishing for fear of hooking a aerial pelican on its decent or an unseen cormorant chasing a fish. The only other info I have is that there have been some trout some over five pounds, at the Cape Lookout Rock Jetty landed at night on MirrOlures along with the red drum.
Remember striper rumors? Well there is another rumor that there were some stripers at the Lookout Shoals. Personally I?ve got to see it to believe it, but if there is ever a nice day to get out there, It may be worth a trip.
Finally, this January ended with some of the coldest water temperatures in the many years that I?ve been collecting data. Normally the January average for the surf is in the low to mid 50s, but January 2010 had a surf average of 46.7 degrees and the sound averaged a frigid 44.1 degrees.
Obviously cold enough to kill some fish. By the way, Broad, Gayle?s, Spooner?s and Pelletier creeks all had ice on them Monday Morning. We?ll have to see what Groundhog Day and our own Sir Walter Wally says about spring!
Note: The Ask Dr. Bogus Fishing show, heard every Monday morning at 7:30 on WTKF, 107.1 FM and 1240 AM can now be accessed on the Coastal Daybreak Facebook page. Sign up and be a friend at: http://www.facebook.com/people/Coastal-Daybreak/100000055284546, and never miss a show.
Published: Wednesday, February 3, 2010 8:19 AM EST
I was at a meeting of the Saltwater Light Tackle Fishing Club recently where Don Willis (Custom Marine Fabrication of New Bern) was the guest speaker talking about new fishing tackle and gear he saw at the recent Henry?s Tackle show in Raleigh.
He showed us some cool stuff, and also made an observation that I think was right on. He said ?Berkley Gulp! and suspending baits has turned mediocre and poor trout fishermen to good trout fishermen.? Just think about it, you can almost catch anything on the Gulp! series of flavored baits and suspending hard plastics are killers of trout, drum and you name it.
These days there are other flavored baits out there, and all of them work extremely well, and you don?t need to be a genius to use them. You toss them out, you bring them in and viola, you catch fish. The suspending baits, like MirrOlure Catch 2000, or their 17 and 27-MR series are also equally deadly. You throw them out and let them sink, add a few twitches and during the pause, they are nailed by hungry, aggressive trout, especially in the winter.
There is some finesse with these baits. I particularly like to use the lightest jig head with the Gulps!, usually 1/8 or 1/16th ounce, or even better unweighted, fished with weedless or bass worm hooks.
These and other soft plastics are also excellent producers fished on the ultimate of suspending baits, the cork where you have total control of the movement and motion of the bait. If you fish these often you will quickly notice that most of the hits occur in the settling and drop down phase, when nothing is seemingly happening. So fish both the corked and uncorked slow and low and only twitch the baits from time to time.
Ditto with the suspenders, and I don?t mean the ones that hold up your pants. Cast, let the current drift the bait when possible, occasionally twitching the bait. Again in the ?sleep? phase is when you should expect the hit, bite or bump, so be ready or you may miss the fish. All this is well and good, but you also have to remember, if there are no fish around, it really doesn?t matter what bait you use, finessed or not.
This week was again a slow fishing week. There were few fish caught and very few fishermen out there to get any data on the comings and goings of our local winter species. Personally I landed a few specks in the creeks using some of the Matsuo soft plastics fished lowly and slowly on a cork. The ones I landed were feisty, but due to their body ?strawberries? I could tell that there were net survivors, so I released them back from whence they came.
Seeing that they had escaped such encounters of the net kind I wasn?t going to be the one to kill them. As usual, there the creeks were full of bait, mostly mullet and several times I stopped fishing for fear of hooking a aerial pelican on its decent or an unseen cormorant chasing a fish. The only other info I have is that there have been some trout some over five pounds, at the Cape Lookout Rock Jetty landed at night on MirrOlures along with the red drum.
Remember striper rumors? Well there is another rumor that there were some stripers at the Lookout Shoals. Personally I?ve got to see it to believe it, but if there is ever a nice day to get out there, It may be worth a trip.
Finally, this January ended with some of the coldest water temperatures in the many years that I?ve been collecting data. Normally the January average for the surf is in the low to mid 50s, but January 2010 had a surf average of 46.7 degrees and the sound averaged a frigid 44.1 degrees.
Obviously cold enough to kill some fish. By the way, Broad, Gayle?s, Spooner?s and Pelletier creeks all had ice on them Monday Morning. We?ll have to see what Groundhog Day and our own Sir Walter Wally says about spring!
Note: The Ask Dr. Bogus Fishing show, heard every Monday morning at 7:30 on WTKF, 107.1 FM and 1240 AM can now be accessed on the Coastal Daybreak Facebook page. Sign up and be a friend at: http://www.facebook.com/people/Coastal-Daybreak/100000055284546, and never miss a show.
Sunday 7 February 2010
Friday 5 February 2010
Catch of the season
By Kate Elizabeth Queram kqueram@dnronline.com Pat Velanzon holds up a largemouth bass he caught in January in the Port Republic area. Velanzon, who learned to fish as a child in Connecticut, looks forward to the freezing temperatures in the Valley so he can enjoy his old pastime.
For most Valley residents, the heavy snowfalls and frigid temperatures at the end of 2009 were reasons to hunker down at home, swaddled in blankets and sheltered from the elements. For Pat Velanzon, the harsh weather provided the perfect incentive to slip outside for an hour ? or five.
Velanzon, 62, of Port Republic relishes Virginia?s rare cold snaps, because they give him the opportunity to indulge in one of his favorite passions: ice fishing. When temperatures plummet and local ponds and lakes freeze over, Velanzon takes to the ice. You may think he?s crazy, but that?s OK. He?s used to it.
?Most people say ?You do?? like [disbelief] almost, or ?You?ve got to be crazy,? ? he said. ?And I affirm that I am. Most people don?t like cold weather.?
For Velanzon, who began ice fishing at the age of 12 in Connecticut, ?cold? is a relative term. His on-the-ice expeditions there regularly exposed him to temperatures well below zero, meaning the Valley?s lows in the teens are a comparative tropical paradise.
Velanzon had fished with his father as a child, but taught himself how to ice fish in the ?60s, mostly out of curiosity. ?It was a thing people did in Connecticut when it was cold, and I wanted to try it,? he said.
His first forays didn?t go so well. Initially, Velanzon was using what he equated to a ?big metal bar? to poke a hole through the ice. Intending to chip away a 12-by-12-inch hole, his finished product ? through 22 inches of ice ? was only 3-by-3-inches. The process, he added, left him surrounded by small chunks of ice; he slipped on one, fell and banged his head.
?And I thought, ?There has to be an easier way,? ? he recalled.
In 1969, Velanzon purchased an ice auger (a small metal shovel attached to a hand-cranked, rotating pole, used to scoop out holes in the ice) and a pair of ice creepers (spiked metal frames that strap onto shoes for enhanced traction). He?s been ice fishing ? with the same equipment ? almost every winter since.
Thirty-seven of those winters have been in the Valley. Velanzon moved here with his wife Kathy in 1972, and worked 31 years as a Brethren pastor in two area churches until retiring in December. He fishes mostly private ponds in Port Republic and McGaheysville, angling for bluegill, crappie, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, perch, northern pike and muskie. To test the ice, Velanzon usually walks along the edge of the pond and then drills a test hole.
?I give the temperature time,? he said. ?Once ponds are frozen over, two or three days isn?t sufficient. A week is usually good.?
He knows the pond is ready to fish when the ice is about 4.5 inches thick, he said.
?That just seems to hold this fat body of mine,? he said.
For bait, Velanzon uses either live minnows or grubs; this year, for the first time ever, he sent away for the latter.
?I used to knock the bark off of the firewood I had and I?d get white wax grubs. It?s a lot of work,? he said. ?I can buy 1,000 for $9 from this place in Wisconsin, and it would take me a year to dig that many.?
On a good fishing day, Velanzon will bring home about 20 fish. On his best day ever, he caught 70 in about five hours. Every time he goes out, Velanzon said, he catches something ? but a bad day here and there just makes ice fishing more attractive to him.
?It?s one of my greatest passions,? he said, ?because of the challenge of it.?
By Kate Elizabeth Queram kqueram@dnronline.com Pat Velanzon holds up a largemouth bass he caught in January in the Port Republic area. Velanzon, who learned to fish as a child in Connecticut, looks forward to the freezing temperatures in the Valley so he can enjoy his old pastime.
For most Valley residents, the heavy snowfalls and frigid temperatures at the end of 2009 were reasons to hunker down at home, swaddled in blankets and sheltered from the elements. For Pat Velanzon, the harsh weather provided the perfect incentive to slip outside for an hour ? or five.
Velanzon, 62, of Port Republic relishes Virginia?s rare cold snaps, because they give him the opportunity to indulge in one of his favorite passions: ice fishing. When temperatures plummet and local ponds and lakes freeze over, Velanzon takes to the ice. You may think he?s crazy, but that?s OK. He?s used to it.
?Most people say ?You do?? like [disbelief] almost, or ?You?ve got to be crazy,? ? he said. ?And I affirm that I am. Most people don?t like cold weather.?
For Velanzon, who began ice fishing at the age of 12 in Connecticut, ?cold? is a relative term. His on-the-ice expeditions there regularly exposed him to temperatures well below zero, meaning the Valley?s lows in the teens are a comparative tropical paradise.
Velanzon had fished with his father as a child, but taught himself how to ice fish in the ?60s, mostly out of curiosity. ?It was a thing people did in Connecticut when it was cold, and I wanted to try it,? he said.
His first forays didn?t go so well. Initially, Velanzon was using what he equated to a ?big metal bar? to poke a hole through the ice. Intending to chip away a 12-by-12-inch hole, his finished product ? through 22 inches of ice ? was only 3-by-3-inches. The process, he added, left him surrounded by small chunks of ice; he slipped on one, fell and banged his head.
?And I thought, ?There has to be an easier way,? ? he recalled.
In 1969, Velanzon purchased an ice auger (a small metal shovel attached to a hand-cranked, rotating pole, used to scoop out holes in the ice) and a pair of ice creepers (spiked metal frames that strap onto shoes for enhanced traction). He?s been ice fishing ? with the same equipment ? almost every winter since.
Thirty-seven of those winters have been in the Valley. Velanzon moved here with his wife Kathy in 1972, and worked 31 years as a Brethren pastor in two area churches until retiring in December. He fishes mostly private ponds in Port Republic and McGaheysville, angling for bluegill, crappie, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, perch, northern pike and muskie. To test the ice, Velanzon usually walks along the edge of the pond and then drills a test hole.
?I give the temperature time,? he said. ?Once ponds are frozen over, two or three days isn?t sufficient. A week is usually good.?
He knows the pond is ready to fish when the ice is about 4.5 inches thick, he said.
?That just seems to hold this fat body of mine,? he said.
For bait, Velanzon uses either live minnows or grubs; this year, for the first time ever, he sent away for the latter.
?I used to knock the bark off of the firewood I had and I?d get white wax grubs. It?s a lot of work,? he said. ?I can buy 1,000 for $9 from this place in Wisconsin, and it would take me a year to dig that many.?
On a good fishing day, Velanzon will bring home about 20 fish. On his best day ever, he caught 70 in about five hours. Every time he goes out, Velanzon said, he catches something ? but a bad day here and there just makes ice fishing more attractive to him.
?It?s one of my greatest passions,? he said, ?because of the challenge of it.?
Thursday 4 February 2010
South Florida fishing report
Captain Jim Hobales of Caught Lookin Fishing Charters has been having plenty of action from tarpon, snapper and grouper around Haulover Inlet and Government Cut. The best baits have been free-lined live shrimp and Gulp shrimp fished on a jig head. MIAMI-DADE/BROWARD
Captain Ryan McBride on the Conched Out Sportfishing Charter Boat out of Fort Lauderdale reported that they have had sailfish action. McBride also reported that kingfish up to 15 pounds are outside the reef, and along the beach, cobia have been following manta rays. . . . Fishing aboard the Reel Tight in 150 feet of water off of Hillsboro Inlet, Marissa Tellam, 7, caught and released her first sailfish on a live threadfin herring hooked to a circle hook. . . . Captain Dennis Forgione of Free Spool Charters out of Haulover Marina reported kingfish up to 15 pounds in 80 to 100 feet of water and dolphins and blackfin tuna in 350 feet of water.
KEYS
During the 20th Annual Swamp Guide Ball held in Islamorada, the grand champion team was Ron Baker and Lloyd Wrubel of Miami with one bonefish, three redfish and a snook. Captain Steve Thomas of Islamorada was their guide. . . . Captain Dexter Simmons of Key West Fly Fishing Charters reported that aerial kingfish tournament spotter planes reported seeing thousands of permits migrating from the warmer Gulf waters toward the Keys. . . . Ryan Carr of Boynton Beach caught a 54.78-pound king mackerel to help Skin Deep, with co-captain Steve Glanz, Michael and Matthew Shramko, Jamie Ralph and Bob Barus of Boynton Beach, win the Key West Harbor King Mackerel Tournament. The kingfish ate a live tinker mackerel. . . . Local Billy Green fished with captains Ken and Clay Harris out of Key West on the Atlantic side and found plenty of hungry wahoo up to 40 pounds, dolphins up to 35 pounds and kingfish up to 40 pounds.
TREASURE COAST
Captain Charlie Conner of FishTales Charters out of Port St. Lucie reported that redfish and sea trout action has been excellent along the Indian River, and these fish are eating DOA lures, Mirrolures and CAL jerk baits. . . . Captain Tom Van Horn of Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters reported that kingfish are biting along the inshore reefs and wrecks in the area of 8A Reef, Pelican Flats and Bethel Shoals.
FLORIDA BAY
Captain Jim Hale of Florida Sportfishing Charters reported that there are redfish on the flats of Florida Bay, but the best fishing has been in the creeks, creek mouths and around downed trees north of Florida bay for redfish, black drum up to 20 pounds and sheepshead. These fish have been biting shrimp fished slowly near the bottom.
SOUTHWEST COAST
Captain Matt Hoover of Night Flight Fishing Charters reported that sheepshead and black drum are biting in the deep holes around Marco and the Ten Thousand Islands, along with ladyfish, jacks and sea trout. The best action is taking place on shrimp fished slowly near the bottom. FRESHWATER
Fishing on Alligator Alley, Jason Del Rosal was reeling in his bare hook after missing a strike when a largemouth bass estimated between 7 and 9 pounds ate his hook. . . . Melissa Soverns from Sawgrass Recreation Park reported that largemouth bass fishing has been excellent in the east and north canals. Soft plastic lizards and floating Rapala lures have been the favorite baits for the bass. . . . Carl andBeverly Hochrein of Pembroke Pines fished along Alligator Alley with captain Alan Zaremba and caught and released 174 largemouth bass up to 6.5 pounds on Ricco Poppers, floating Rapalas and Rebel Pop R's.
-- CAPTAIN ALAN SHERMAN
shermana@bellsouth.net
Captain Ryan McBride on the Conched Out Sportfishing Charter Boat out of Fort Lauderdale reported that they have had sailfish action. McBride also reported that kingfish up to 15 pounds are outside the reef, and along the beach, cobia have been following manta rays. . . . Fishing aboard the Reel Tight in 150 feet of water off of Hillsboro Inlet, Marissa Tellam, 7, caught and released her first sailfish on a live threadfin herring hooked to a circle hook. . . . Captain Dennis Forgione of Free Spool Charters out of Haulover Marina reported kingfish up to 15 pounds in 80 to 100 feet of water and dolphins and blackfin tuna in 350 feet of water.
KEYS
During the 20th Annual Swamp Guide Ball held in Islamorada, the grand champion team was Ron Baker and Lloyd Wrubel of Miami with one bonefish, three redfish and a snook. Captain Steve Thomas of Islamorada was their guide. . . . Captain Dexter Simmons of Key West Fly Fishing Charters reported that aerial kingfish tournament spotter planes reported seeing thousands of permits migrating from the warmer Gulf waters toward the Keys. . . . Ryan Carr of Boynton Beach caught a 54.78-pound king mackerel to help Skin Deep, with co-captain Steve Glanz, Michael and Matthew Shramko, Jamie Ralph and Bob Barus of Boynton Beach, win the Key West Harbor King Mackerel Tournament. The kingfish ate a live tinker mackerel. . . . Local Billy Green fished with captains Ken and Clay Harris out of Key West on the Atlantic side and found plenty of hungry wahoo up to 40 pounds, dolphins up to 35 pounds and kingfish up to 40 pounds.
TREASURE COAST
Captain Charlie Conner of FishTales Charters out of Port St. Lucie reported that redfish and sea trout action has been excellent along the Indian River, and these fish are eating DOA lures, Mirrolures and CAL jerk baits. . . . Captain Tom Van Horn of Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters reported that kingfish are biting along the inshore reefs and wrecks in the area of 8A Reef, Pelican Flats and Bethel Shoals.
FLORIDA BAY
Captain Jim Hale of Florida Sportfishing Charters reported that there are redfish on the flats of Florida Bay, but the best fishing has been in the creeks, creek mouths and around downed trees north of Florida bay for redfish, black drum up to 20 pounds and sheepshead. These fish have been biting shrimp fished slowly near the bottom.
SOUTHWEST COAST
Captain Matt Hoover of Night Flight Fishing Charters reported that sheepshead and black drum are biting in the deep holes around Marco and the Ten Thousand Islands, along with ladyfish, jacks and sea trout. The best action is taking place on shrimp fished slowly near the bottom. FRESHWATER
Fishing on Alligator Alley, Jason Del Rosal was reeling in his bare hook after missing a strike when a largemouth bass estimated between 7 and 9 pounds ate his hook. . . . Melissa Soverns from Sawgrass Recreation Park reported that largemouth bass fishing has been excellent in the east and north canals. Soft plastic lizards and floating Rapala lures have been the favorite baits for the bass. . . . Carl andBeverly Hochrein of Pembroke Pines fished along Alligator Alley with captain Alan Zaremba and caught and released 174 largemouth bass up to 6.5 pounds on Ricco Poppers, floating Rapalas and Rebel Pop R's.
-- CAPTAIN ALAN SHERMAN
shermana@bellsouth.net
Fishing report - Feb. 4, 2010
Ice fishing in the region seems to be about the same as it?s been most of the winter ? hit or miss.
On Sweetbriar, there has been a little more activity as of late, with anglers picking up some walleyes, perch, smaller pike and an occassional nice bluegill. There was a report of a northern weighing in at 18 pounds coming through the ice.
South on the river, access to the bays has been tough, with those fishing using snowmobiles to get around. A lot of throwback-sized pike reported with the keepers running in the 6-8 pound range.
The river has been slow for walleye for the most part, but some success has been reported in the Fort Rice area off the old ramp.
Lake Darling has been producing some nice perch, and reports of Devils Lake area fishing are decent.
Audubon has been hit or miss, with most of the shacks on the main body of the lake set up near the ramp.
A few houses are starting to pop up on the Sakakawea side of the Highway 83 causeway near the pumping plant.
Generally speaking, Sakakawea has been slow, with a walleye here and there coming off points around the state park and Wolf Creek.
A few tournaments to note: Saturday Wilton Lions at New John?s; Feb. 13 Rec and Reel at Audubon; Feb. 20 Relay for Life at Tobacco Gardens; and Feb. 20 at Mundt Lake near Lehr.
On the water, there isn?t much activity off shore at the Tailrace because of the cold, but some walleyes are being caught from boats on jigs and minnows or Gulp.
? Brian Gehring
On Sweetbriar, there has been a little more activity as of late, with anglers picking up some walleyes, perch, smaller pike and an occassional nice bluegill. There was a report of a northern weighing in at 18 pounds coming through the ice.
South on the river, access to the bays has been tough, with those fishing using snowmobiles to get around. A lot of throwback-sized pike reported with the keepers running in the 6-8 pound range.
The river has been slow for walleye for the most part, but some success has been reported in the Fort Rice area off the old ramp.
Lake Darling has been producing some nice perch, and reports of Devils Lake area fishing are decent.
Audubon has been hit or miss, with most of the shacks on the main body of the lake set up near the ramp.
A few houses are starting to pop up on the Sakakawea side of the Highway 83 causeway near the pumping plant.
Generally speaking, Sakakawea has been slow, with a walleye here and there coming off points around the state park and Wolf Creek.
A few tournaments to note: Saturday Wilton Lions at New John?s; Feb. 13 Rec and Reel at Audubon; Feb. 20 Relay for Life at Tobacco Gardens; and Feb. 20 at Mundt Lake near Lehr.
On the water, there isn?t much activity off shore at the Tailrace because of the cold, but some walleyes are being caught from boats on jigs and minnows or Gulp.
? Brian Gehring
Angler catches shark off Point Lonsdale pier
Angler catches shark off Point Lonsdale pier
Geoff Wilson
February 4th, 2010
Bill Athanasslies lured in this bronze whaler from the Point Lonsdale Pier in the early hours of Monday morning.
FISHING: With Geoff Wilson
Point Lonsdale Shark
A SHORT, sharp series of jerks on a line cast off the Point Lonsdale Pier prompted Bill Athanasslies to check it out.
In the early hours of Monday morning, he was using bonito as bait for a shark.
In the torchlight, Bill was amazed to see a fair-sized thresher shark smash the bait - which was too large for it to take - high into the air with its tail.
However, the thresher went hungry as a large bronze whaler crashed the party, peeling line from Bill's reel at a great rate against a heavy drag until it was eventually tired enough for Bill to beach it alongside the pier an hour or so later.
Snapper
LAST Thursday evening, Andrew Phillips, Chris Stamalos and Zlatka Henry, headed out along the edge of the Point Richards Channel where, from around 9pm until the early hours of the morning, the group caught their combined bag limits of nine snapper ranging in size from 3.5-6 kg.
Jeremy Barnes and his son Dylan, who were fishing in the vicinity of Point Wilson that night, were also successful with two snapper of 5kg and 7.2kg shortly after dark.
Early last week Keith Fry tried his luck just out from Point Henry from around 4am.
Here he caught a snapper of 5kg on a squid head at 6.30am and, then half an hour later, snared another on a soft plastic that weighed 4.4kg.
Barwon River
BRAD Andrews reports spending a couple of hours on the Barwon estuary last Friday where he had no trouble catching legal-sized salmon, flathead and whiting.
These were all caught on the ebb tide using prawn for bait.
Later, Brad fished the Barwon at Sparrowvale with his father Steve.
Here, using the lightest of tackle, they caught several European carp to 4.5 kg.
Offshore
BRAD, who has also been performing decking duties on Geelong Charters and Fishing Trips, reports that large whiting have been a reliable catch inside Port Phillip Heads.
A recent catch they took off Portsea in seven metres of water included 27 King George whiting to 46cm, all of which were taken on squid.
Speaking of whiting, Neil Walker was out on the sand patches off the Barwon Heads Bluff last Thursday evening where his catch included eight whiting to 42cm.
Portland
TIM Clark, from Portland Bait and Tackle, reports that good-sized school shark are present along Portland's north shore and suggests fishing in about seven metres of water between the Surrey and Fitzroy rivers.
Tim says fresh salmon is the best bait to use and you can catch those readily on unweighted or lightly-weighed pilchard fillets just outside the Portland harbour.
Lures have been far less successful than bait since a pod of bronze whaler sharks have been harassing them.
Local angler Tim O'Brien put a salmon he caught back out on a game fishing rig and hooked one of about 150kg which he released.
Game Fishing Night
A REMINDER that Peter Pakula, of Pakula Tackle, and Andrew Jones, from Williamson Lures, will be conducting a game fishing information night at the Torquay Angling Club next Wednesday night from 6.30 pm.
Entry is free and everyone is welcome to attend with a barbecue also being provided.
Pat asks: Geoff, I caught a 2.2 kg jewfish (mulloway) from the rocks at St Helens on Thursday. Are there many caught in the bay?
Pat, mulloway are present in the bay, but seldom caught. Back in 1968 I caught one of 4kg from the Grammar School Lagoon and, some people fishing soft plastics along the Geelong waterfront last winter caught small mulloway.
Most of the mulloway have come from the Barwon estuary, others from local surf beaches but I wouldn't say they were a common catch.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Geoff Wilson
February 4th, 2010
Bill Athanasslies lured in this bronze whaler from the Point Lonsdale Pier in the early hours of Monday morning.
FISHING: With Geoff Wilson
Point Lonsdale Shark
A SHORT, sharp series of jerks on a line cast off the Point Lonsdale Pier prompted Bill Athanasslies to check it out.
In the early hours of Monday morning, he was using bonito as bait for a shark.
In the torchlight, Bill was amazed to see a fair-sized thresher shark smash the bait - which was too large for it to take - high into the air with its tail.
However, the thresher went hungry as a large bronze whaler crashed the party, peeling line from Bill's reel at a great rate against a heavy drag until it was eventually tired enough for Bill to beach it alongside the pier an hour or so later.
Snapper
LAST Thursday evening, Andrew Phillips, Chris Stamalos and Zlatka Henry, headed out along the edge of the Point Richards Channel where, from around 9pm until the early hours of the morning, the group caught their combined bag limits of nine snapper ranging in size from 3.5-6 kg.
Jeremy Barnes and his son Dylan, who were fishing in the vicinity of Point Wilson that night, were also successful with two snapper of 5kg and 7.2kg shortly after dark.
Early last week Keith Fry tried his luck just out from Point Henry from around 4am.
Here he caught a snapper of 5kg on a squid head at 6.30am and, then half an hour later, snared another on a soft plastic that weighed 4.4kg.
Barwon River
BRAD Andrews reports spending a couple of hours on the Barwon estuary last Friday where he had no trouble catching legal-sized salmon, flathead and whiting.
These were all caught on the ebb tide using prawn for bait.
Later, Brad fished the Barwon at Sparrowvale with his father Steve.
Here, using the lightest of tackle, they caught several European carp to 4.5 kg.
Offshore
BRAD, who has also been performing decking duties on Geelong Charters and Fishing Trips, reports that large whiting have been a reliable catch inside Port Phillip Heads.
A recent catch they took off Portsea in seven metres of water included 27 King George whiting to 46cm, all of which were taken on squid.
Speaking of whiting, Neil Walker was out on the sand patches off the Barwon Heads Bluff last Thursday evening where his catch included eight whiting to 42cm.
Portland
TIM Clark, from Portland Bait and Tackle, reports that good-sized school shark are present along Portland's north shore and suggests fishing in about seven metres of water between the Surrey and Fitzroy rivers.
Tim says fresh salmon is the best bait to use and you can catch those readily on unweighted or lightly-weighed pilchard fillets just outside the Portland harbour.
Lures have been far less successful than bait since a pod of bronze whaler sharks have been harassing them.
Local angler Tim O'Brien put a salmon he caught back out on a game fishing rig and hooked one of about 150kg which he released.
Game Fishing Night
A REMINDER that Peter Pakula, of Pakula Tackle, and Andrew Jones, from Williamson Lures, will be conducting a game fishing information night at the Torquay Angling Club next Wednesday night from 6.30 pm.
Entry is free and everyone is welcome to attend with a barbecue also being provided.
Pat asks: Geoff, I caught a 2.2 kg jewfish (mulloway) from the rocks at St Helens on Thursday. Are there many caught in the bay?
Pat, mulloway are present in the bay, but seldom caught. Back in 1968 I caught one of 4kg from the Grammar School Lagoon and, some people fishing soft plastics along the Geelong waterfront last winter caught small mulloway.
Most of the mulloway have come from the Barwon estuary, others from local surf beaches but I wouldn't say they were a common catch.
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