As the whiting season draws to a close, lots of anglers are wondering where all the whiting have gone. Both Western Port and Port Phillip haven’t fished as well as they normally do.

A few years ago you could fish a mark and catch your bag very quickly. But this year the fish have been very scattered. Catches of 3 or 4 whiting here and there has been the norm. They just don’t seem to have been in their normal schooling pattern.

The surf beaches have been producing some better quality salmon to 1.5kg, with some good gummies and flathead too. Fishing the late afternoon or evening has been producing the best results. Woolamai Beach has been fishing well.

Some of the locals have been getting into some good estuary perch to 45cm. All of the action has been happening above the road bridge on the run-out tide. The best baits have been nippers, sandworms and soft plastics.

There’s not a lot happening on the Newhaven and San Remo jetties but the Cowes Pier is still going well with good numbers of flathead, salmon, trevally, garfish and the odd pinkie too. The run-in tide has been the best time to fish.

Above and below the bridge the whiting have quietened off. There are still some good fish to 46cm below the bridge. The last half of the run-out tide is best.

Outside the entrance there have been good reports of makos and blues caught over the 60m line.

At Buoy 7, near McAffies Reef, there have been snapper to 3kg. Gummies have been about in reasonable numbers too. The area is best fished on the low slack tide.

At Cat Bay there have been some good whiting around with some to 48cm, but it’s a hit and miss affair. One day you get them and the next you don’t.

Around the Flinders and Shoreham areas there’s been a few scattered whiting to 48cm as well. Nothing much to write home about. Catches of 2 or 3 have been most common.

Drifting over the sandy areas has also produced some reasonably sized flathead.