The fishing sure is firing up offshore! From snapper, gummy shark and an abundance of squid a angler’s feast is sure to be had.

We have been finding a nice consistent flow of snapper ranging around 2-3kg, and we are due to be seeing the bigger reds coming through any time now.

When fishing for snapper, there are two methods you can employ. Either fish on the drift or anchor up. When you are on anchor it can take a bit for them to come around, so don’t forget to bomb the bottom with diced up pilchards every 30 minutes or so, this should help increase your chances of catching a nice red.

Don’t forget the most important element in your success to capturing one of these beauties, is to arm yourself with some quality bait. Our preferred being fresh squid, pilchards or barracouta.

To find them now head, off shore around Barwon Heads in between 40-50m depth and with a bit of patience and know-how you are bound to be met with success.

Alongside the snapper the gummy sharks have been working well this season. As they are a great by-catch to the snapper they too can be found at the front of Barwon Heads using squid for bait, and coming in at a decent 5-10kg for this time of year.

Swan Bay has been a bit slow off the mark this season with the squid, however both Queenscliff and Portsea have been fairing well, and are the places to be for the bigger sized squid.

We have been getting some nice squid in around Queenscliff using both baited and artificial jigs. In the artificial range we have had particular success with the darker coloured 3.5g Yamashita.

Can be found in the east anywhere between 30-60m using strips of squid for bait, it doesn’t take long to get a good feed of these quality eating fish.

The salmon are around this time of year with big schools moving through the heads. They have been varying in size from 500g-2kg. Whether throwing metal slices or trolling skirts around, it can a bit of fun for all to enjoy.

With the weather warming up, you know the sharks are never too far away. Looking back over the previous year, the first shark (mako) that we caught was in late November, so this is the time to get out there and give it a try; you may be the first one back at the boat ramp with the first mako capture of the season.

Whilst punching the berley pot and waiting for the mighty beast to arrive, throw in a few lines and you can pick up some nice flatties or snapper while you wait.

With plenty of anglers in search of the reds and others on the hunt for squid, the warmer weather coming up is set to get the offshore action really pumping and we may start seeing some of the big boys coming out to play.