Once again its snapper, snapper, snapper with fish coming in all over the place from all over the place.

There seems to be big fish being caught along with a lot of smaller ones that is always a good indication of big schools of fish.

Also more noticeable is the increase in the number of boats on the water and the lack of boat ramps to cater for them. Weekend outings are becoming a bit of a nightmare and it won’t be too long before you spend more time at the ramp than what you do fishing.

The beaches are all fishing well when the weather permits. Woolamai Beach has been consistent with salmon to 1.5kg. Gunnamatta is still producing some fish to 3kg and Williamsons and Kilcunda beaches have fish from 500g-2 kg. There have also been some mullet and tommy ruff showing up on most of the beaches.

Below the bridge, and Cleeland’s Bight has been producing a few whiting but what is lacking in numbers are made up for in size with most fish caught being 40cm plus. There are still squid being caught on jigs and outside the entrance there are some reasonable flathead off the glasshouse. It won’t be too long before the makos start showing up again.

Above the bridge, and good reports of whiting in Dickies Bay, Coronet Bay, Maggie Shoal and Tortoise Head Bank. Reports of snapper are coming in from all over the bay: the Corals, Rhyll, Silverleaves, Cowes Hastings, Lysharts just to name a few. There have also been a few reasonable gummies caught, mixed in with the snapper catches.

From all reports the big squid run hasn’t really happened yet. There have been some big squid taken but not in big numbers even right up the bay to Tyabb Bank. What I have noticed is that the numbers of fishos chasing them have increased ten fold over the last couple of years.

Squid fishing has become super popular and maybe this is part of the reason for their lack of numbers this year. Some good whiting are being caught off the Breakers but not in big numbers.

I went to buy some silver whiting for bait the other day and they were $10 a kilo when a few weeks before they were $6. It’s amazing isn’t it? As soon as the snapper start to show up, the price of everything else goes up; fuel, rego, insurance, ramp fees and now bait. What are they going to slug us poor fishos with next?

Tony Dalla-Rosa with a couple of nice bream caught in Screw Creek.