ANGLERS will be allowed to expand their fishing horizons from lakes and selected rivers to all waters when Victoria's trout season opens on Saturday.

However, there has been plenty of excellent trout fishing action on offer. Mick Hall reports Eildon Pondage is experiencing a hot trout bite with large numbers of rainbow trout to about 1kg taking Powerbait and flies, including Chaser, Scruffy and Laser Minnow patterns.

In the Western District, Doug Lucas reports bank anglers at Lake Bullen Merri are doing well for brown and rainbow trout to 3.4kg.

Most fish are being caught on bullhead gudgeon and flies including BMS, Green Woolly Bugger and Stick Caddis patterns. Nearby at Lake Purrumbete, similar sized brown trout along with redfin to 800g are being caught from the Quarries and Hoses Rocks.

Flies, soft plastics, silver wobblers, minnow, mudeye and gudgeon baits all working. Lake Elingamite near Cobden is also fishing well for brown trout to 2.4kg and redfin to 1.5kg.

Brown trout to 3.3kg are being caught on trolled lures in the Gellibrand River.

The Fitzroy River estuary has bream to 32cm, with black yabbies the best bait. At Lake Yambuk, from the boat ramp to the sea, bream to 43cm are being caught on shrimp and greyback minnow.

Bream to 700g are taking black shell and soft plastic lures in the Hopkins River at Warrnambool.

Salmon to about 1kg are in good numbers at Princetown and Aire River beaches, with pilchards the best bait. Aire River estuary is holding bream to 42.5cm, and they are taking shrimp.

At Apollo Bay, salmon to 1.5kg are being caught from the breakwall, and Lorne pier has salmon, barracouta and silver trevally.

In Port Phillip Bay, the Patterson River is producing bream to about 900g on freshwater yabbies. Pinkies to 30cm are taking soft plastic and vibe lures at Black Rock.

Garfish are being caught along the eastern seaboard from Frankston to Sorrento. Snapper to 4kg are being caught off Sorrento on squid, and King George whiting to 50cm are taking fresh squid and pipi from Portsea to Pt Nepean.

Calamari squid to 2.2kg are being caught spasmodically in the Lonsdale Bight. Queenscliff harbour is producing silver trevally to 1.5kg on soft plastic lures fished in a berley on the flood tide.

In South Gippsland, Western Port has calamari squid to 1.2kg are taking jigs on the Tyabb Bank.

Gummy sharks to a metre are taking pilchards off Corinella. Kilcunda has produced salmon to 3.5kg and Gunnamatta has salmon to 750g. Bluebait and surf poppers are producing best results.

In the Gippsland Lakes, the Mitchell River has bream to 750g taking prawn in the backwater and at Eagle Point. The Tambo River has produced bream at Whelans, the Rough Road and at the mouth.

In the Nicholson River, bream are patchy but there are good numbers of yelloweye mullet. Jetties at Metung and Paynesville are producing bream and silver trevally on prawn. Hollands Landing has mullet and pan size bream.

At Lakes Entrance, rock cod, trevally and tailor are biting near the entrance on pilchard and glassies. Luderick and trevally are being caught along the waterfront and the surf has mainly small salmon.

Ian Page at Lake Tyers reports the fishing is slow for bream to 45cm on prawns and a few flathead to 45cm on soft plastic lures. The surf has been fishing well for salmon to 2kg on metal lures including Scud Missiles and Flashmasters.

Marlo estuary has estuary perch, bream, tailor and trevally taking soft plastic and vibe lures. Bemm River is slow for bream to 1.2kg on sandworm and prawn.