SLOW fishing along the Murray River reflects the winding down of Murray cod season.

Rod Mackenzie says weather has kept many anglers off the river. At Swan Hill, anglers are catching mainly small Murray cod to about 55cm on lures.

Bait fishers are being plagued by small silver perch, which are protected. Downstream from Wentworth, cod to 15kg are being caught on trolled lures.

The Wakool River at Kyalite has cod to 60cm and yellowbelly to 1kg.

Mick Hall at Eildon reports the fishing is on the improve in Eildon Pondage where anglers are catching rainbow trout from 650g to 4kg on scrubworms, Powerbait and flies including Lazer Minnows, Chasers and Woolly Buggers. At Lake Eildon, anglers using flatline trolling techniques are catching rainbow trout to 2.8kg in the Big River arm.

In the Western District, Mick Rantall reports the lakes are fishing well for trout on flies and soft plastic lures. Lake Elingamite has brown trout to 2.4kg and redfin to 1.4kg. Lake Bullen Merri has been steady for rainbow trout to 3.8kg, and nearby at Lake Purrumbete, brown trout to 2.5kg are being caught. Effective flies include Stick Caddis and Glo Bugs.

The Hopkins River at Warrnambool is producing bream and estuary perch to 40cm on brown shell, shrimp and lures.

Most Western District beaches are producing salmon from 500g to 3kg.

Best beaches include Killarney, East Beach at Port Fairy, Clifton Beach, Peterborough and Princetown.

In Port Phillip Bay, Queenscliff harbour continues to produce good numbers of silver trevally to 1.7kg on small soft plastic lures, salmon to about 500g on metal lures and yelloweye mullet on pipi and prawn. Calamari squid are on the move, with reasonable catches being reported from piers at Mornington and Portsea, and in the Lonsdale Bight.

The Hotties at Newport is fishing well for tailor to about 1.5kg on pilchard strips. Garfish continue to be caught from most eastern seaboard piers from Mordialloc to Mornington on silverfish and maggots.

Salmon to 2kg are being caught on lures from Blairgowrie pier.

In South Gippsland, Western Port has small numbers of snapper to 7kg caught off Corinella on pilchards and fresh squid. Squid to 2kg are being caught on the Tyabb Bank and Stony Pt on jigs. Gunnamatta beach has salmon to 2.5kg and Venus Bay beaches are producing salmon averaging about 750g to 1kg on salted pilchard and bluebait.

Flat Rocks at Inverloch has produced silver trevally and salmon to 1kg, and similar size salmon are being caught at the entrance to Anderson Inlet.

In the Gippsland Lakes, bream and trevally are being caught at Metung on prawn, and Hollands Landing has good numbers of mullet but not many size bream.

In the Mitchell River, mullet are biting at Eagle Point and bream are taking prawn in the Backwater. The Tambo River has bream to 900 g and the Nicholson River has mullet and bream near the mouth. Lakes Entrance has trevally, tailor and mullet at the entrance.

Lake Tyers is slow for bream on peeled prawn. Marlo estuary has mullet, bream, luderick, estuary perch and tailor are being caught.

Sandworm and prawn baits the best. The surf beaches are holding plenty of salmon, flathead and tailor, which are being caught on bluebait, whitebait, surf poppers and chrome lures.

Bemm River has bream in the lake. Beaches at Mallacoota are fishing well for salmon on lures and bait.