Thankfully the heavy rains have passed us by (touch wood) and our rivers have settled down, allowing bream to move upstream in search of the right salinity in which to spawn.

In the Curdies estuary, the bream are leaving the lake and entering the river. Best spots to try at present are the aquarium or the river mouth.

Nearby, the island, the narrows and further upstream to the lodge and Baileys Straits are the places to start work for a fish or three.

In the Gellibrand River at Princetown, the bream and estuary perch are active above the campground (mouth access) road bridge. This bridge is not to be confused with the ocean Road Bridge that crosses a tributary of the Gellibrand, although bream will move up here at times looking to spawn.

As the water is clearing in these systems, vibrating metal lures are working a treat at present. The perch especially love them if fished fast.

Trolling or casting lures such as Scorpion 35mm minnows are catching good bream. Any minnow lure that surpasses depths of 1.5m should work on a given day. If trolling, stay close to the bank.

As far as plastics go, the small shrimp or prawn patterns in natural colours are also working.

Along the coast, as well as offshore, the big schools of Australian salmon are moving on big time. To replace them, the first of the new season snapper are moving in chasing calamari that are already here breeding, then ending their lifecycle. Big squid baits are certainly the go at present.

Present them on a ganged or sliding snelled rig and lightly weighted, as the snapper will readily come off the bottom for a big squid, dead or alive.

These snapper are averaging between 3-6kg, which is a lot of fun on the appropriate gear. Later in the season the smaller ones will show up.

Nearly $16,000 was allocated by the Recreational Fishing Grants Program to build a new fishing platform and access bridge on the Curdies River at Curdievale (Boggy Creek).

Now even more access is available for land-based anglers who wish to chase a bream or two.

The Port Campbell Jetty, a very popular land-based fishing option down our way, is currently closed due to major renovations but those in charge have guaranteed that the jetty will reopen to the public by December. Lets hope so.

This is especially important for all angling holidaymakers who will soon be making the annual trip down to the southwest for the Christmas break.

The author with a typical Curdies River bream taken on blades taken in late September.