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Grab a gummy or a mixed bag
  |  First Published: November 2013



The fish took their time to wake up after a fairly long winter hibernation. Not to say that there weren’t any fish around this spring, but just that there was plenty of water mixed in with them.

The jetty has been worth a look and just before this report I decided to check it out. There were four hopefuls who were fishing the run-in tide on a fairly rainy day and a bit of wind blowing from the southwest. I spoke to Harry Reynolds who had a mixed bag of silvers, mullet, flathead and one very decent squid that he had just landed on a clear jig. The other anglers also had a few fish between them and said that over the last few weeks they had been doing fairly well when conditions have allowed.

There have been reports of salmon being caught on the run-in tide near the long jetty. The fish have been fairly good in size to the 1.5kg mark, and mixed in with them have been good size silvers and flathead.

There have not been any reports of whiting being caught to date. One reason could be that other fish are grabbing what is on offer before they can get to the bottom. Whatever the reason, when they do make an appearance the wait will have been worthwhile.

Outside the entrance boaters have been doing fairly well when conditions have allowed. They are taking salmon, up to the 2kg mark, on a variety of surface lures. Flathead have also been bagged along with gummies but they require quite a bit of travelling. This means that unexpected amounts of fuel can be used on such a trip so it is vital not to overlook this very important item.

There have been a few flathead being caught in the Franklin Channel along with the occasional gummy and, of course, those useless skunk sharks seem to be everywhere. This indicates that the water is still down around the 13ºC mark but the shunks should disappear as the temperatures rise.

Port Albert is just a short drive to the east and the fishing is going along very well for this time of year. The jetties have been very productive and locals Peter Balt and long time mate ‘Boot Boot’ have been doing well on flathead, silvers and mullet, to name a few.

From reports it seems that the run-in tide has been the best time to wet a line. There have been many sightings of squid at the jetty but for some reason they will not take any presentations, instead they just nudge them and frustrate anglers. Hopefully that will all change but at least we know they are around.

The local publican Josh Dessent says that he is receiving plenty of reports from patrons, which is a positive in itself. Josh also says that flathead are being caught in good numbers. He also says that he is in the process of putting a centre console in his boat and will be out on the water at the first opportunity.

There seems to be plenty of tailor and salmon being bagged in good numbers, which is another good sign.

There appears to be plenty of gummy sharks around and many locals are dusting the cobwebs off their boats in anticipation of another very successful season.

There have also been dolphins around, and their numbers seem to have exploded. They do provide entertainment when nothing else is happening, but that is the problem. When they turn up, the fish decide it is time to go someplace else as they would rather look for a meal than become one!

The annual Snapper Fest is quickly approaching and will be held on the 2-3 November. This is a must-not-miss event and is always a huge success. There have already been very big snapper, according to Josh, to the 11kg mark and he has received many other reports, which is encouraging.

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