Wind, wind and more wind. The last few months have been some of the windiest that I can ever recall.
Nearly two successive weeks of gale force winds turned the waters in Westernport to dirty brown making catching a fish or two much more difficult. Usually, once the cold weather sets in this time of year most fishos tend to store their boats away for the winter months as the prime fish species such as whiting and snapper have pretty much disappeared for the year.
So I was quite surprised on a drive down to Hastings boat ramp the other Sunday to find the car park and the paddock full of cars and empty trailers. It seems that fishing has become more popular than ever as more and more boats hit the water. Who would ever have imagined having boat ramp rage in the middle of winter?
I can see lots of problems arising this coming summer at our boat ramps. With all the money councils and government are raking in, we desperately need new and larger boat ramps.
Weather conditions have made it difficult to fish the beaches. Woolamai, Williamsons and Kilcunda beaches have been producing salmon to 1kg on the run-in tide. Whitebait has been the most consistent bait but finding places to fish to get away from all the floating seaweed has been difficult.
The one area that you could get some protection from the winds was just below the bridge in Cleeland’s Bight, which has been producing some good catches of calamari and a few whiting.
Land-based fishos have been doing okay on the calamari off the San Remo Jetty and there have been a few whiting reported at Dickie’s Bay, The Boy’s Home Channel and the mouth of the Bass River. Further up the Bay around Corinella the odd big snapper and small gummies have been caught.
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