You have got to love this time of year! With a combination of warm weather and great fishing, Queenscliff is the place to be!

Plenty of heart pumping action takes place in Bass Strait during January. With a variety of species of fish to be on the hunt for it is an angler’s paradise out there.

With the water temperature on the rise and with plenty of baitfish around, there will be plenty of shark species lurking beneath.

School shark are a great fighter providing plenty of offshore entertainment. They are ranging at about 12-20kg at the moment and can be found in 50m of water.

The gummy sharks have been coming in good size this season around the 5-15kg mark and have been particularly active around the full moon.

Everyone is on the hunt for the big boys, the mako shark. Last year with the mild and stormy summer weather, there weren’t many opportunities to get out through the heads to target the makos. So needless to say if the weather presents the opportunity this season, the mako will be on many people’s target list, especially if they missed out last season. To find them make sure you berley up in between 30-70m of water and if around they as sure to make their presence known.

Shark fishing can certainly provide some adrenalin pumping action; however make sure you head out with someone who is experienced in sharking fishing and with boating.

Flathead are a great catch for the experienced and inexperienced angler alike. They have so far presented themselves in good size and number, and as they are known to be the best table fish around it is certainly hard to pass up.

Have been popping up in the bay and rip. Not large in numbers at this stage but keep some white Ockies and light gear handy in case you see a patch busting up around these areas.

Have been a little patchy but should come in good numbers this month.

Snapper have remained consistent offshore coming in at 2-5kg and providing a challenge for many anglers. The offshore snapper fishing experience can prove to be different to what the average punter have experienced before in snapper fishing. For at depths of 50m plus, the fight can be longer and tougher than what had been anticipated which has proven to test many anglers.

Don’t forget the kingfish. With the kingies making a comeback to Queenscliff last season, ranging in size from 10-15kg, we should see them return this season. We have fitted out the boat with two new downriggers which should make it a lot more fun to catch the elusive kingfish.

With last year as an indication, the rip with be the place to be to land one of these fine species, however as always the rip can prove to be a challenge, so take care at the times.

Squid fishing has proved to be a challenge this year with so many boats trying to fish the same spots. Despite some difficulty in reaching the squid they have been in good sizes and numbers.

We had a great season on the striped tuna last year and this is the time to be heading out the front with some light gear in search for them, as they are a great entertainer.