This has been some extended warm season!

Sean ‘Splinter’ Devlin from Barwon Heads reports the bigger whiting finally made an appearance off Barwon Heads. When seas calmed, Sean managed some very respectable fish over 40cm, a few decent flatties over 50cm and any amount of just under and just over size pinkies with the biggest topping 40cm. Some pinkies were also taken in the mouth of the river.

Tib Polgar notes that St. Leonards has tapered off from the excellent whiting fishing we saw earlier in the year and Clifton Springs has also slowed somewhat.

Brendan from Ray Long’s Tackle reports there have been good numbers of snotty trevally about in the early morning and late afternoon from both Cunningham and Fisherman’s Piers in Geelong. These fish have been up around the 800g mark and are taking raw chicken, pilchard fillets and pipis. High tide has been best and the fish can be a little spasmodic so persistence is the key.

Kelby from Catch 22 reports there are still a few snapper about for those keen enough to put the hours in. Kelby agrees with Tib that St. Leonards has slowed for whiting but he tells me that Queenscliff fired up for a second serve of decent fish.

Kelby also reports that amongst the snotties there has been a few silver trevally cruising about the piers. The same baits and techniques will undo both species. Their numbers should increase over July so keep an eye out for the long poles on Cunningham!

Kelby has also been into the pinkies off Barwon Heads. These have been between 30cm and 40cm and around 30m to 40m offshore.

Calamari can still be caught over the reef areas off Indented Head and St. Leonards so don’t forget the jigs.

Ross Winstanley and good mates Peter Stonely and Steve McCormack have had good success chasing Corio Bay’s whiting in and around Limeburners Point. These fish haven’t been in great numbers. They ranged from 29cm to 39cm and were taking mussel, pipi and squid.

Good mate Gavan ‘La Nosh’ Moloney and I swung out off Limeburners last month in search of a few whiting. We did notice that there were a lot of anglers fishing for garfish off the Limeburners Break walls so tossed in a few quill floats ourselves. We managed a few gars, a nice flathead and a single King George just on the Geelong side of Point Henry before the wind picked up and drove us inshore. We ducked in around Cunningham Pier and had a flick for some bream without success. On the way home, we tried our luck around the moored boats off Eastern Beach and caught any amount of small salmon to 35cm, a 28cm pinkie and a 45cm pike by flicking single tailed grubs about.

Things have to get cold and wet soon right? Winter around Geelong can see the hardcore fishermen come out from the woodwork to target the winter snapper of Corio Bay. These fish can be caught in quite close to shore and apparently, not near any notable structure on occasions. Now I’ve never done well chasing these winter fish as they can be quite elusive. But places to start are Corio Quay, Geelong Waterfront and North Shore Rocks.

If all goes to plan, the bream along the waterfront should start to turn up on the soft plastics as well as the trevally run on all the local piers. Keen trollers and surf fishos should start to dig out the salmon gear, scarves and beanies because their schools should start to thicken up and get more frequent as it gets cooler. Places to try for the salmon include, Corio Bay, Portarlington, The Rip, Thirteenth Beach, RAAF’s Beach, Barwon Heads/Ocean Grove and Breamlea.

Got a fishing report from the Bellarine Peninsula? Send me the details via email and try to include angler, species, where it was caught (no secret spots necessary!) and what bait was used.