Although winter is upon us and the footy season is in full swing there are still some good fish to be got.

It’s time to put those snapper and shark outfits aside for a service and get out the light gear for some fun. With the hot run of salmon around it’s a great time to get the spin tackle and fly gear from the back of the wardrobe, and have a crack at these cold-water speedsters.

The hottest bites have been the Manns Beach entrance, the Port Albert entrance and the beaches from Port Albert to McLoughlins Beach.

Raiders seam to be the lure of choice with the heaver model a better choice for trolling. Blue Deceivers have been best for the flyfishers.

One little trick I’ve picked up over the years is to troll a paravane with a Blue Deceiver set back about 2m. This approach can be very effective when the salmon are feeding on small baitfish.

The Port Albert Light Game and Sports Fishing Club had a garfish competition recently and good numbers of fish were weighed in. The general size of the gars was quite good, with most between 150 and 250g, making for some nice feeds on the dinner table. The edges of the weed beds on the run out tide were most productive.

July is a good time to start gathering bait for next shark season. A day spent chasing silver trevally is good fun and will be very useful when the spring run of gummy sharks begins. The best places for silvers have been down Old Port or up Nine Mile Creek with squid and bluebait accounting for most fish. Silvers respond very well to a light berley trail of fish pellets run out into the deeper holes in these areas. Once you’ve got them going, soft plastics can be a fun way to get your bag. Remember that the minimum legal length for silvers is 20cm and the bag limit is 20.

Offshore at Cliffy Island there have good numbers of salmon, pike and ‘couta taken while trolling.

A good berley trail set close to the Islands will have fish at your boat ready to feed. Use wire traces on light outfits to make the most of these entertaining species.

Pilchards and strips of fresh fish have accounted for most of these fish lately. For best results, fish your bait unweighted in the berley trail.