The typical awful winter certainly put fishing on hold as far as boaters were concerned but there were patches of conditions where there were some very good results. 

Conditions vastly improved in late winter with almost balmy conditions and as a result there were boaters and land-based fishers everywhere.

Outside the entrance boaters are doing very well where great numbers of Australian salmon are being taken on a variety of surface lures and baits along with good size flathead and large gummy sharks.

Back inside the inlet boaters are bagging plenty of salmon that are being caught near Point Smyth; just inside the entrance. Again the surface lures have been doing the job with the fish being to the 2kg mark.

At the bathing boxes salmon are in great numbers along with flathead and big mullet that seem to be everywhere. Boaters and land-based fishers have also been taking flathead and whiting where Bass yabbies, pipis and strips of pilchards have been doing the job.

Inverloch boaters Tim Day and Aaron Rigby can often be seen out in the inlet and just before this report they decided to motor out towards the snags area. Their timing was perfect. They knew that to arrive on the run-in tide and try their luck just behind the muddy water and in the clear where the fish would be. They were not wrong and in very short time they had a very impressive bag of salmon and flathead that were taken on lures and whitebait.

Further up the inlet towards Mahers Landing, land-based anglers are having a ball near the boat ramp. Anne and Wayne Jones are regulars to this area and I came across them with a nice bag of fish which included salmon and mullet.

Grant O’Neill was also there and is a local regular who has been fishing Anderson all his life and says that he has never seen the area looking better. Grant told the story of a visiting land-based angler who was retrieving his line to check the bait and as he pulled the sinker out of the water a large salmon made a dive for what he thought was an easy meal but in the process swam clean out of the water and onto dry land.

The unfortunate but careless fish was quickly pounced upon and bagged much to the delight of the angler who had a story to tell the kids.

While I was at Mahers Landing watching the land-based anglers having a ball there was a person in a white boat who must have seen what was going on and decided to get into the action. He moved in so close to shore that he tangled and broke off one of the land-based fisher’s line and drew much advice as to where to go by other annoyed anglers.

The fish immediately went off the bite and a good spell of angling was spoilt by one inconsiderate person.

On the brighter side boaters have been doing very well in this area where there have been very good numbers of silvers to the 1kg mark being taken along with big mullet and flathead.

The area to the right of the boat ramp near the “A” frame house has also been very productive with flathead, salmon and silvers being taken in very good numbers.

Further up the inlet towards the double islands the situation is also positive with a very good variety of fish being taken. Salmon are in good numbers to the 2kg mark as well as mullet, silvers and flathead. Perch are also being bagged to 1.5kg by those who know where to look with Bass yabbies doing the job.

The perch numbers will be even better if the Bass yabby is complimented with sand worm, which seem to be irresistible.