Outside the entrance, when conditions have allowed there have been some great bags of fish caught. Naturally this puts a smile on the face of boaters everywhere. Although there have not been any reports of the larger toothies, good-sized gummies have been caught, along with quality flathead and salmon that have taken a variety of lures and natural baits.
Wonthaggi anglers, Amanda Kelliar and Terry Hendrix have been happy with their results. Recently they caught some very nice gummy sharks around the 16kg mark, as well as a very good-sized goatfish or red mullet. Traditionally, these fish are not caught in big numbers but are so good on the table they are known as the ‘chicken of the sea.’
Fishing has been reasonable at times through the week in Anderson Inlet where whiting have been caught from the entrance up as far as Mahers Landing. As is usually the case, the bigger fish have been taken around the entrance and the snags with better results when the tide slows down. The fish have been to the 40cm mark and have been taking baits such as pipis, Bass yabbies, squid and cockles. Around the snags, good silvers have been caught, as well as quality pinkies.
Stevies Gutter has been performing reasonably well. Land-based anglers who don’t mind a bit of a walk from Lees Road to the southern side to fish the run-off tide will be rewarded. This is where there have been good numbers of perch, whiting and flathead to make the effort worthwhile. In the gutter, boaters have tried their luck to catch some great flathead, that lay in wait for the smaller fish that come off the shallow mud banks into the deeper water on the run-off tide.
At Mahers Landing, land-based anglers are prepared to try their luck even if it might mean a fair wait between enquiries. The run-in tide seems to be the best time to wet a line for fish such as silvers, mullet and gummy sharks. The results are even better if the tide coincides with darkness, as the fish will move in closer under the cover of night.
The Tarwin River has been going along well for those who know where to go. Good-sized bream have been caught to the 38cm mark, which makes them worthwhile to target. They have been bagged mainly on the run-out tide. Mixed in with them are quality perch that have taken presentations such as soft plastic lures and natural bait that include Bass yabbies, sand worms and small strips of squid.
I had a call from a visiting boater who had a tale of woe to tell. Angus Hayes says that he is a regular visitor to the Tarwin River and recently decided to launch and try his luck off the boat ramp. He arrived at high tide around about midday and headed out upstream to look for whatever might make an appearance. He just cleared the highway bridge and headed up further. As it turned out they did very well, and picked up a mixed bag of bream, silvers, mullet and a couple of flathead. They stopped on the way back and picked up some good size mullet and were happy. Upon their arrival back at the boat ramp they were presented with plenty of soft black mud, which presented a problem, although not the end of the world there was a fair while before the boat was back on the trailer and the crew learnt a valuable lesson!
The Wonthaggi Angling Club recently returned from the first of its bi-annual trips to the Tambo River. President Steve Howell thanked the Wonthaggi club for its ongoing support, which was very much appreciated. He hoped that this great sponsorship would continue for many years into the future. There were 30 entrants and 17 weighed in fish.
Results (Bream)
Division | Angler | Weight (Kg) |
---|---|---|
Senior Male | Alan Bentick | 0.845 |
Senior Female | Anne Poulton | 0.450 |
Junior Male | Jack Howell | 0.475 |
Junior Female | Lilly Spradbury | 0.640 |
Awards
Heaviest bag and King of the Tambo went to Alan Bentick with a total of 7.236kg.
Junior Male Champion went to Hunter Tiziani with a bag weight of 1.825kg.
Junior Female Champion went to Lilly Spradbury with a bag weight of 1.095kg.
Teams event was won by Alan Bentick, Isa Spradbury and Ollie Drisch with a bag weight of 9.2kg.
The Betty Ryan Memorial trophy was won by Ashia Dennis.
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