On the saltwater scene, most angling action is still in the deeper areas as water temperatures at the start of November were hovering around a cold 14oC.

The highlight on the offshore scene has been the capture of some quality gummy sharks. Most have been 4-8kg, but a few exceptional specimens have given 19kg a nudge. These fish are appearing sporadically right along the coast from Port Campbell to Port Fairy

Some smaller gummies are also being taken from beaches such as Yambuck and Fitzroy.

Snapper have been a little inconsistent but some anglers have been coming across fish to 3kg and the occasional queen morwong of a similar size. The queen morwong is a strikingly coloured fish that pulls really hard and is excellent on the plate.

Inshore things have been a little quiet, though a few good-sized whiting have been taken around Lady and Port Fairy bays. Jack mackerel continue to be caught from the landing area of the Warrnambool Breakwater and some good trevally appear at times around the mouth of the Moyne River.

Pinkies have been a little elusive inshore due to the cold water, however a few are starting to appear in angler’s bags. One enterprising angler managed to snare some nice pinkies from the beach using vibes and bream gear. Come December pinkies should be prolific around the local inshore bay areas. King George whiting, trevally and squid will also be readily available. One only needs to travel a short distance from any of the local ramps to be in the action.

The sad news on the estuary scene was the discovery of an illegal gill net in the Hopkins River. Approximately 260 bream and perch, from undersize to over 1.4kg, were unable to be successfully released. The event made front-page news here locally and drew wide spread community disgust.

On the positive side at least the vigilant actions of a pair of local fishers have resulted in the apprehension of the netters. This not only stopped the perpetrators before they could cause more damage, but has drawn attention to the importance of anglers in protecting our waters.

My first trip onto the river after the netting event resulted in the quietest session I’d had for quite some time: hopefully just an unfortunate co-incidence.

The Curdies River also saw a bit of a decline in productivity in October, with the schooled up bream beginning to disperse through the system. There have been no local mulloway reports at this stage, but hopefully by the end of December some fish will pop up in either the Moyne or Hopkins rivers, or along one of the local beaches.

Marty Ellul with a quality gummy shark. Gummies have been caught both offshore and from the surf.