There are good numbers of makos around for all you fishos looking for a bit of excitement. The fish range from 20kg pups to 300kg big mamas. There was a good solid fish taken during the Rhyll Shark Competition, which went 225kg.

However, anglers need to remember that when you start playing with the big boys, you need to have all the right gear and a boat big enough to handle all the rough stuff that a mako can dish up. The one simple rule is ‘if you don’t feel 100% confident, don’t mess with it.’ Most of the shark action has been between the 40-70m line.

There have been quite a lot of arrow squid around recently, which will mean a lot more blue sharks showing up. They look quite impressive swimming around in the water, but don’t give much of a fight (hence the nickname blue log), and they make pretty lousy flake as well. There are big ’couta mixed in with the squid and the sharks, along with some large schools of salmon along the 40m line.

Due to the consistent windy weather there have not been many reports on the beach action. Most beaches have been reporting lumpy salmon to 500g. Once this crazy weather settles down there should be some good action coming from the various beaches.

The Cleelands Bight area has been fishing well with pinkies to 40cm and whiting to 45cm. Fishing the run off tide has been the most productive.

Off the police station, Maggie Shoal, Dickies Bay and Reef Island have been producing good bags of whiting. Further up the bay, off Elizabeth Island and above Corinella there are a lot of gummies about.

There are still a good number of pinkies being caught between Buoy 7 and 13 on the Western Entrance.

The San Remo Jetty has been productive with calamari, salmon and trevally. While at Newhaven, trevally, salmon and leatherjackets have been taken.

The Westernport Whiting Challenge has seen a lot of boats fish the areas from Cat Bay to Flinders. Conditions have been quite windy, making fishing difficult. The size and number of fish taken in these areas have also been a bit disappointing.

Four hundred and three people fished this comp, which despite the bad weather was up on last year’s numbers. More than 2000 fish were weighed in and Jeff Whall of the Westernport Anglers Club caught the heaviest fish of 777g.