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Scorching weather on the horizon as summer species start to chew
  |  First Published: December 2013



Finally the cool and inclement weather has left the south west and summer is on the cusp.

Although we haven’t cracked many ‘scorchers’ and the rain is still somewhat prevalent I don’t hear many anglers complaining. So far it’s been a very pleasant environment in which to venture out and wet a line.

Big snapper are here and the bigger specimens are averaging around 4kg. As a rule these leviathan reds stick around until Christmas then the numbers begin to peter out being steadily replaced by smaller pinkies. However with ocean temperatures being a degree or two lower than par the bigger fish may stick around until January at least as the ocean temperatures play catch up.

As long as their favourite feast that comes in the form of squid do likewise. Even anglers applying patience and perseverance have landed the odd snapper to 4kg off the Port Campbell jetty. I must point out that these fish have been caught mainly after dark two hours either side of high tide. Now that the nights are warmer this shouldn’t be too much of a bother for some.

Some of the sheltered bays that exist around Peterborough have held some excellent schools of King George whiting to 42cm. I have been sworn to secrecy regarding one particular spot as it nearly always proves successful however there are other bays and inlets that should perform almost as well including Worm Bay. Most anglers prefer to use pipi when targeting whiting however pilchard fillets also work extremely well.

The Curdies River has finally settled down after months of running dirty due to all the floodwaters but the bream fishing is still a tad up and down. This is understandable as fish are still in spawning mode and therefore have something else on their minds other than feeding. Just prior to penning this column I ventured down after a hiatus of at least three months and was rewarded with five bream; four of which averaged around 35cm.

All were taken on Fish Arrow Flash Shad plastics cast right up close to the bank; quickly twitched about 50-70cm into deeper water and allowed to sink adjacent to the bank side weed beds. All fish struck on the drop. By the time I finished my session another eight or so boats were out on the water and all were bait fishing. Several boats were displaying creels hung over the side so I wasn’t the only one to snare a few fish.

I will point out that all my fish were released and encourage other anglers to consider this possibility especially while the bream are in breeding mode.

Unfortunately not much information is regarding bream and perch captures coming from the Gellibrand River but those persevering are landing some nice sea run Brown Trout to 1.6 kilograms in the lower reaches.

Soft plastics retrieved under a steady roll have been producing the best results.

One of four Curdies bream taken on 3’’ Fish Arrow Flash Shads in Ayu.

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