The area outside Anderson Inlet known as flat rocks has been firing with whiting to 50cm being taken from shore on pipis. There are also very good numbers of silvers to 2kg mixed in with them as well as flathead and ’couta.

Boaters have also been getting into the action just a short distance offshore and just recently a couple of them had a bit of a scare when a shark that was larger than the boat decided to have a look. The tail was on one side of the boat and the head was on the other side. This was enough to tell the frightened anglers that they should be somewhere else.

The nearby surf has also been very popular with salmon to 1.4kg taking whitebait on the last half of the run-in tide. Just inside the entrance near the bathing boxes the water is deeper and runs very fast, but on the last of the run-out tide and first of the run-in there have been whiting to 38cm, silvers, flathead and mullet that seem to love eating Bass yabbies that can be pumped at nearby Screw Creek.

At Pensioners Corner, whiting silvers and mullet are also taking Bass yabbies and pipis. Locals favour the yabbies and many use nothing else.

The area known as the snags has been producing good numbers of perch and luderick at slack water on both sides of the tide. The water here is the deepest in the inlet and the idea is just to drop your bait straight down. When there is a hook-up don’t be too fussy with the niceties and skull-drag the fish straight out of the water as they are dirty fighters and will head straight for the underwater arrangements. If they make it they you can say goodbye to the fish.

The Tarwin River flows into the top end of Anderson Inlet and there are good numbers of perch, mullet and silvers that have been taken from the double drains to above the bridge. Best baits have been Bass yabbies, pipis, shrimps and prawns. Those soft plastic lures that have hit the market with a splash have also been successful. The idea is to use them with a slow erratic retrieve for best results. There is a concrete boat ramp just past the hotel that is in good condition and makes launching and retrieving easy.

The water temperature at Shallow Inlet has risen by quite a few degrees and so too has the fishing.

Greg Buckland who runs the Sandy Point General Store also runs charters in the area and says that it has been a long time since he has seen the fishing so good. He has been catching whiting to 39cm on pipis, squid and pilchards. Mixed in with them have been a very healthy mixture of mullet, tailor, flathead and silvers which makes for surprises every time there is a hook-up.

Greg says that there have been very good numbers of gummy sharks to the 1.7m mark that have been taking pilchards and bluebait.

On the other side of the inlet Ray Mountain has the local caravan park and is always a good person to contact as he has his finger on the pulse. Although a lot of fishing time is lost due to winds that blow from any direction Ray reckons that when conditions allow the good fishing makes up for the lost time.

Ray says that the fishing has been so good that whiting have been caught from the shore and this has to be a first. Shallow Inlet’s name implies that it is a shallow area of water and in many parts this is true. There are areas where the water is around 18m deep and this is where there have been good numbers of gummies to 1.6m and pinkies up to 3.5kg have been caught on pilchards and squid.

Not far away is Waratah Bay and I always visit Barry McGannon and wife Leanne who run the local caravan park. They have a right-hand man in Ray Spokes, ‘Spock’ to his mates, and he knows what’s going on in the area. He says that the salmon have slowed down a little off the beach but there are still a few around the 1.5kg mark to be caught on whitebait and surf poppers on the run-in tide.

This is the time of year that the seven-gill sharks make an appearance and fish to 2.8m have been landed along with good size gummies.

Just beyond the breakers there are whiting that are renowned in this area and fish up to 50cm are quite often taken by boaters. Waratah Bay is shallow and at first glance visiting anglers would not think much of their chances but looks can be deceiving. There are no rips or holes, but the fishing can be very exciting.

CAP

Estuary perch have been on the chew in the Tarwin River. Hard-bodied minnows, soft plastics and baits such as yabbies and shrimps have been successful.