The excellent run of fish has continued around Apollo Bay, with good reports filtering in from both land-based and boat-based fishos.

The shark fishers have had plenty to talk about, with mako and blue sharks responding well to berley out in the deep water. Travis Cole from Colac boated a mako of over 100kg recently, while fishing with his brothers and a couple of mates. The fish took 2.5 hours to land on 15kg tackle, and an exhausted Travis needed all his mates to help pull the fish into the boat.

Numerous other mako sharks have been hooked as well, with some being landed and others winning their freedom to keep cruising the deep blue ocean. Thresher sharks have also been sighted, and have been responsible for stealing a few fish from the flathead fishos.

Closer to shore, King George whiting have continued to keep everyone happy, with good numbers being taken from the waterfall and the back of the golf course. Andrew Mayne from Ballarat and I caught a nice bag of whiting from the Golf Course Reef, which, along with several squid, constituted a productive afternoon’s fishing.

Whiting fishers have also reported some big schools of silver trevally, with fish up to 2.6kg landed. I hooked into a few myself, but failed to get any into the net as my 2kg line was simply not up to the task of subduing these hard fighting fish. A berley trail and lightly weighted pilchard fillet will get you connected to one if they are in your area.

The rivers are still fishing well for black bream, with the Aire River and Erskine River at Lorne both producing fish. Small Ecogear lures have been very successful, as have baits such as prawns and scrubworms. Fishing around structure such as fallen timber or bridge pylons will improve your catch rates while fishing in these rivers.

The end of March each year marks the start of the salmon run along the southwest coast. On flat evenings it is possible to spot the schools from the heights of the nearby hills, making it much easier to locate the fish when heading out in the boat. Metal lures cast at the feeding fish will entice furious strikes, and ensure plenty of fun for everyone who enjoys chasing the sambos each year.

Some diehard anglers will chase the salmon armed with flyrods, and this is a great way to pull the kinks out of your new flyline – although it takes a lot of patience as only one person can fish at a time. Large saltwater flies such as Clouser Minnows tied on 1/0 hooks work very well.