ALL alpine region rivers and streams are in prime condition and the fishing is excellent for brown and rainbow trout.
Geoff Lacey reports bait anglers are doing best, using the local field worms presented on a light rig weighted with split shot.
Rocky Valley Creek and the east Kiewa River are producing brown trout to 550g. Mt Beauty Pondage has rainbow trout to 650g, and the outflow has brown trout to 1.5kg.
The Kiewa River from Mt Beauty to Mongans Bridge has produced brown and rainbow trout on worms. The Upper Mitta Mitta River at Anglers Rest has brown trout to 1.5kg.
Mick Hall at Eildon reports many anglers coming to Eildon Pondage to take advantage of the excellent trout fishing. During the week, rainbow trout to 3.5kg were caught on Powerbait.
Lake Eildon, at Point Dethridge, is producing rainbow trout to 4kg on hot pink lures.
In the Western District, Doug Lucas reports Lake Purrumbete is still too low to launch a boat at the ramp. However, this didn't stop a couple of locals who put their boat in through private property and proceeded to catch brown trout to 4kg on mudeyes and scrubworms trolled behind Ford Fenders.
Anglers spinning from shore have taken similar size trout.
Lake Elingamite has brown and rainbow trout to 1.5kg and redfin to 1kg caught on lures.
Doug says Lake Yambuk is low but bream are being caught from the boat ramp to the entrance.
The Curdies River has reasonable numbers of bream to 35cm, with most fish being caught on shrimp. The Gellibrand River at Princetown has estuary perch to 42cm being caught on hard-bodied lures.
In Port Phillip Bay, Brett Torossi says snapper reports are few, with fish to 4.2kg caught off Carrum and Seaford, and to 2.5kg from the rocks near Mornington pier.
Salmon to 2kg are schooling at Point Nepean and taking trolled skirted jigs. Frankston and Mornington piers have salmon to 1.5kg being caught on lures.
King George whiting to 35cm are being caught off Safety Beach and St Leonards, with bigger whiting to 45cm taken off Point Nepean. Best baits are mussel, squid and pipi.
Calamari squid are being caught in the Lonsdale Bight, Portsea to Sorrento and Mt Eliza to Mornington. The squid are up to 2kg at the southern end of the bay, and to 1kg on the eastern seaboard.
In South Gippsland, Western Port is producing snapper to 4kg in small numbers off Lysaughts, Elizabeth Island and in 6m of water off Coronet Bay.
In the Gippsland Lakes, at Lakes Entrance, mullet, salmon and sand whiting are being caught from the Kalimna Jetty.
Lake Tyers has bream and flathead in the lake, and they are taking peeled prawn.
Metung jetties are producing bream, luderick and flathead, while the Tambo River has bream biting at the Lucerne Paddock, Whelans and the Rough Road.
In the Mitchell River, bream are biting around Grassy Bank and in the Backwater on live shrimp and peeled prawn.
Marlo estuary is providing plenty of action. Bream are moving up both rivers and into creeks on their spawning run and luderick seem to be moving with them in big numbers in both the Snowy and Brodribb Rivers.
Mullet are abundant and salmon and tailor are still in good size schools and taking lures.
Bemm River is producing quality bream to 1.2kg with a few luderick mixed in.
Tailor to 2kg have been caught in the channel and lake on lures.
The surf beaches have excellent gutters and are producing salmon on pilchards, bluebait and surf poppers.