It seems there is just an endless supply of squid in the bay at present.

Anglers are popping into Fishing Fever on a daily basis saying they have never seen so many squid, not that anyone is complaining, mind you. Then just to mix it up a little there are plenty of other species on offer to make it well worthwhile for anglers.

Mordialloc Pier has been fishing well for squid of an evening, especially if it coincides with a tide change. During the day there has been the continued raids from schools of Australian salmon which race in from time to time to harass the local baitfish before disappearing as quickly as they came.

For the most part however the pier has fished consistently well for standard-sized garfish during the day and some really big ones at night, with best baits definitely being maggots and silverfish. Some anglers also report getting some bigger garfish using a paternoster rig on the bottom rather than the standard float rig.

In Beaumaris Bay boat anglers have still been getting into the salmon action with good numbers of these high flyers to be found in the 1-1.5kg range. Either keep an eye out for the birds or try trolling some diving minnow pattern lures to find the schools. It’s also worth keeping an eye on the shallows around Parkdale and Mentone as the salmon have also been pushing the bait into the shallow gutters only a few meters from shore.

During this month we should also see big numbers of pinkies on the reefs, with hopefully some better ones to be found around locations such as Parkdale Pinnacles, especially for those anglers fishing some larger hard baits such as squid strips. If you are into soft plastics then try larger stick baits such as the 5” models.

Beaumaris Pier is fishing well for squid and if this July fires like last year then the coming weeks will see the pier turn black with ink.

Several customers have also been getting better success of Beaumaris Pier by using larger size 3.0 sized jigs to reach the deeper water.

From Ricketts Point to Black Rock the pinkie snapper have been fishing well along the shallow reef areas with fish to 40cm among the hordes of smaller fish.

The last few weeks have also been producing some great action on the red mullet with two methods being real standouts. Use either small soft plastic grubs such as the 80mm Squidgy Wrigglers or for the bait anglers get hold of some Dyna Bait dehydrated worms: they are absolutely dynamite on the red mullet and whiting.

It’s that time of year again where there are some big bream on offer around the public jetty at Sandringham Yacht Club, with some anglers finding success on these very cagey fish. The trick to getting these fish is light line, small hooks and good bait such as Bass yabbies, then cast them towards deeper water and hold on.

There have also been some good sized mullet in the area, so a fine berley mix and small baits suspended under floats should see you having some good fun.

The rock groynes off Hampton have been producing some pinkies late in the evening with some very nice fish up to 45cm begin taken on a variety of baits, with several anglers reporting that their better fish are being taken on pieces of striped tuna fillet.

Towards Green Point the shallow reef area has good numbers of squid on it along with some quality garfish, which can be found throughout the whole area.

Moving down towards Brighton all the reef areas are producing squid, garfish and pinkies with the occasional report of some whiting being found.

Brighton Breakwall has been a bit of a standout over recent weeks, with not only good numbers of squid but some really good sized ones as well. There are more than the occasional one over 1kg in weight. Again many anglers finding success on the bigger squid are using bigger 3.0-3.5 sizes to produce the bigger ones and jigs with red, green and brown colours have been popular.

The area around the boat ramp has been producing plenty of squid for land-based anglers, as the squid have really been holding in close to shore, while straight out the front of the ramp in 6-8m of water there have been reports of pinkies up to 40cm.

Further north towards St Kilda can be like a hidden gem at this time of the year. Those anglers prepared to put in the time and effort to work it out will get some great fishing, with excellent numbers of squid and red mullet to be found on the shallow reefs. There is also still the odd good whiting on the reefs near St Kilda Marina.

Out in the slightly deeper water it’s also a top time to be working the cunjevoi beds in 5-8m of water, as these hold good pinkies and the odd much bigger snapper. However for many the prize at this time of year is the pink ling, which also live in these areas.

Down at Station Pier there have been some decent bream and trevally hanging around the pylons and in the shadows under the pier. So next time you’re there rather than cast out as far from the pier as you can, try flicking a small bait back under the pier. You will probably get a shock at the quality of the fish living under your feet.