Let the fishing frenzy begin! Great weather, great fishing equals an angler’s paradise.

Spring sees the fishing warming up but come summer this is where it really heats up with so many different species on offer, you are bound to hit the jackpot!

We have seen a good start to the snapper season, with the reds providing plenty of offshore action, coming in at around the 3-6 kg mark.

Now by December the snapper have made their way well and truly into the bay and that’s where you will see us chasing the reds in about 20m of water.

However do not discount snapper fishing in Bass Strait, they may be smaller in size but at greater depths you are challenged with a bigger fight on your hands, so it’s definitely worth the experience.

To experience the thrill of catching this seasons snapper offshore, berley up and anchor in about 40m, though you may need some patience waiting for the snapper, it’s worth the wait when you see the shimmer of red as you are reeling in.

December and January are the months to be on the hunt for shark in Bass Strait. There are so many different species out there from seven-gill shark, school shark and gummy shark, but the prized catch is that the mako, which are known to provide an awesome fight.

Checking through last year’s diary we had caught our first mako in early December. They do prefer the warmer waters, so a few 30C days should see some mako activity in Bass Strait.

The seven-gill sharks and the odd school shark and gummies have been coming in at about 16-22kg at the moment. So set your berley trail and wait for one of these feisty fighters to make its way down your trail.

Hopefully this year the weather will provide us with plenty of opportunities to head off shore to target these spectacular species.

The salmon have made a few appearances in front of Torquay and in Swan Bay, thus far. They have been busting up but not for long, taking some bait and then they are off again. So make the most of it when you find them, as you don’t know how long they will stick around for.

December should see them turning up in the rip so keep a look out, and keep your white Ockies on hand when trolling for this species.

Flatties are a great entertainer on the water and a winner on the dining table. We should start to see them firing up in December and they can be found on the drift in the east in approximately 30-50m of water and squid being their preferred bait.

The bight has been the place to find the squid this season. Out in the bight they have been bigger in size and Swan Bay has been producing the smaller sized squid.

In December we can expect to see them dropping off in numbers but with so many other species heating up in Bass Strait you have bigger fish to fry.

This is it, this is what fishing is about, getting up on the balmy summer mornings heading out to sea berley up and waiting whilst enjoying the scenery then bang its on, rods are peeling and its all action from here in!

With great weather, great fishing and Christmas festivities in the air, from all of us at Gone Fishing Charters have a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!