THE Murray cod fishery in the Murray River is thriving if the numbers of undersize cod being caught and released by anglers is any gauge.
Rod Mackenzie reports the small cod are proving a nuisance to anglers. One of the largest concentrations of undersize cod appears to be at Swan Hill.
Most of the small cod are being caught on bardi grub, cheese and shrimp.
Yellowbelly to 2kg are also being caught and these are taking shrimp and worm cocktails. The Wakool River near Kyalite has better numbers of legal cod and yellowbelly. White Spinnerbait lures are doing well.
Mick Hall reports Lake Eildon is producing good catches of yellowbelly to 2.8kg and redfin to 1.4kg on yabbie tails and scrubworms fished bobbin style among the dead trees. Eildon Pondage has plenty of rainbow trout to 1.4kg and these are being caught on Powerbait.
In the west, Doug Lucas at Colac says anglers are taking advantage of the new boat launching facility at Lake Purrumbete to catch brown trout to 3.2kg and rainbow trout to 1.8kg.
Mudeyes fished under a bubble float or trolled behind a Ford Fender attractors doing well. Downrigger trolling at 10-15m deep is the most productive method.
Doug reports Princetown beach has gummy sharks to 10kg and snapper to 1.4kg, with a steady run of 500-800g salmon at Clifton Beach. Southern bluefin tuna to 35kg and albacore dominate the catch off Portland.
Yellowtail kingfish to 10kg are being caught on the reefs at Killarney. The Fitzroy River is steady for bream to about 34cm but the Hopkins River at Warrnambool is quiet for mainly small bream.
Bream averaging 32-36cm are being caught on crab and minnow in the Curdies River. Anglers motoring to Cape Otway are catching gummy sharks to 20kg. Off Apollo Bay, flathead to 2kg are being taken in 20-30m of water, pinkies are on the inshore reefs and King George whiting to about 1kg are being caught out from Skenes Creek.
In Port Phillip Bay, snapper to 5.5kg are being caught in Corio Bay inner harbour offshore from the wheat silos and in the outer harbour from Point Lillias to Point Richards. Pilchard, garfish and squid baits working.
Salmon to 2kg are schooling off Black Rock and being caught trolling or spinning lures, or flicking unweighted baits.
Calamari squid are being caught along the inshore reefs from Frankston to Mornington pier.
Western Port has King George whiting from 32cm to 46cm being caught along the Middle Spit and Tortoise Head Bank on pipi, squid and mussel.
Snapper to 3kg are being caught off Corinella, along with pinkies, salmon and silver trevally. The bay's annual run of elephant fish is underway with elephants to 3kg being caught in many areas of the bay including Corinella to Rhyll on pilchard and squid baits.
In the Gippsland Lakes, Hollands Landing is producing flathead and bream near the boat ramp on local prawn and soft plastic lures. In the Mitchell River, garfish are biting near the butter factory and bream are being caught at the Cut and the mouth on prawn and Vibe lures.
The Tambo and Nicholson Rivers have flathead and bream being caught on prawn and soft plastic lures. Lakes Entrance has salmon and small numbers of King George Whiting.
At Lake Tyers, luderick are biting between the jetty and tavern, and the Glasshouse area is producing flathead and bream on prawn and lures.
The estuary at Marlo has estuary perch and bream taking prawn baits. Sandworm and prawn baits are best for luderick and bream at Bemm River.
At Mallacoota Inlet, bream are biting in the Bottom Lake on prawn and metal lures. Flathead are taking soft plastics and live mullet, garfish are in good numbers and taking prawn with luderick and tailor being caught on weed and metal lures respectively.
