As a Melbourne angler, you have to love November!

While it is technically not the start of summer, on so many levels, it feels like it. Longer days, blue skies, busy ramps and most importantly - ravenous Snapper! At the very least, it is the start to our summer fishing season.

If anyone had any doubts that the squid phenomenon is in full swing, they should visit the Mornington Peninsula. With myriad new products and publicity, squid fishing has just gone crazy. With southern calamari pushing 3kg and regular hood lengths between 50cm and 70cm, you can understand what all the hype is about!

Notable captures we saw in the shop include Joe Speziale’s 2.42kg calamari and Baz Gorman’s 2.37kg specimen.

Recently the size of the calamari increased, with the best locations including the mouth of Swan Bay and the boat moorings firing anywhere between Blairgowrie and Portsea. Jigs that were finding plenty of success include the Flashmax 2.5 in colours 8870 and 8873 and the Megabass 2.9 in Gold Sugi Pink and Abalone Tribal Gold.

Aside from the garfish, which continued through the month, land-based anglers were pleased to see numbers of silver trevally available from many of the piers, notably Sorrento.

The fish were caught by a number of means, including drifting small lightly-weighted soft plastic nymphs as well as lightly baited Sabiki rigs, which snared plenty of fish.

Gars continued to fish well from Dromana Pier, Anthonys Nose and Rosebud, while Portsea Pier turned it on with some big Tommy ruff.

The winter whiting continued their run at Nepean Bay, but as the temperature of the water has begun to increase we have seen better catches further up the peninsula with Sorrento and Tootgarook sporadically firing.

Australian salmon have been caught in good numbers at dawn from Blairgowrie Marina and the rock groins at the mouth of Martha Cove with reasonable regularity. Most customers have been using 85mm Squidgy Flickbaits in Pilly and Pacific Pearl colours. It is simply a case of arriving early and waiting for the feeding school to move through. Whether they stay ten minutes or an hour all depends on the day.

Traditionally, November is the biggest month of the year for snapper and this year is shaping to be no different. With a fantastic winter ‘off season’ all the signs have been for another bumper season.

The local Charter operators venturing to Bass Strait, Barwon Heads and the inshore reefs reported good catches from the early weeks of October, which is always a pre-cursor to good fishing in the bay.

Early areas producing fish include the Hospital, Ansetts and 21m off Mt Martha. Fish between 3-5kg again seem to be common this year. A quick trip to the ramp to see the fish frames will certainly highlight the best message right now - get out there and fish!

For more information contact Peninsula Total Tackle at 11 Boneo Rd Rosebud or phone the shop on 5981 1994.