IT HAS been the best start ever to the yellowbelly season on Lake Eildon.

Mick Hall reports yellowbelly to 8kg being caught on lures and scrubworms between Fraser National Park and the Delatite Arm.

Mick says anglers trolling for yellowbelly are also catching a few brown trout to 3kg.

He says local fisheries people at the Snobs Creek hatchery are trying to confirm reports of a 20kg yellowbelly being caught.

Eildon Pondage is fishing well for trout, with many anglers taking bag limit catches of brown and rainbow trout to 3.2kg. Most fish are being hooked on Powerbait.

In the Goulburn River, trout are rising on evening and being caught on Parachute Caddis and Gold Bead Head Nymph flies.

Bob McPherson at Portland reports flathead to 1kg, morwong and snapper to 2kg and school sharks to 20kg are being caught offshore in 50-60m of water.

The Lee Breakwater is producing snapper to 3kg, and the occasional bigger fish.

In the Western District, Doug Lucas reports rainbow trout to 1.2kg are being caught on mudeye fished under a bubble float in Lake Purrumbete.

Redfin to 400g have also started to bite, and they are taking minnow.

Mt Emu Creek near Panmure continues to fish consistently for brown trout to 1.2kg on hard bodied lures.

Doug says the southwest beaches are fishing well, with salmon to 900g being caught on beaches from Peterborough to Aire River. Baits used include bluebait and pipi.

Clifton Beach and Gibsons Steps beaches are producing gummy sharks to 10kg on cured eel, squid and salmon fillet.

The Gellibrand and Aire River estuaries are producing bream to 37cm on shrimp and freshwater yabbies.

In Port Phillip Bay, the snapper run is going well.

Fish from 2kg to 6kg are being caught in many areas including Point Richards, Faulkner Beacon to Brighton, Black Rock, Frankston, Carrum, and Mornington. Best baits include silver whiting, garfish, squid, pilchards, and barracouta.

Salmon to 1.5kg are being caught at the mouth of Patterson River and Mornington.

In South Gippsland, Western Port anglers are also experiencing a good run of snapper with fish to 10kg reported.

Reports of good catches have come from Corinella, Silver Leaves, Joes Island, and Eagle Rock. Mulloway to 31kg are being caught off Corinella and the Tyabb Bank.

King George whiting being caught off McAffies Reef and Shoreham on pipi and squid.

In the Gippsland Lakes region, beaches at Paynesville and Lakes Entrance are producing gummy sharks, silver trevally, and salmon on bluebait, pilchard, and silver lures.

In the lakes system, Paynesville has bream to 40cm and flathead biting off the jetties on prawn, mussel and soft plastic lures.

Hollands Landing has mainly bream being caught on prawn and sandworm. Bream and flathead are taking prawn and vibe lures in the Mitchell, Tambo and Nicholson rivers.

Bream and silver trevally are biting on prawn at Metung, with soft plastic lures taking flathead at Nungurner. Lakes Entrance has flathead and King George whiting being caught near Nyerimilang Park on mussel.

The Nowa Nowa Arm of Lake Tyers has bream and flathead taking prawn and hard body lures.

At Marlo, anglers are catching bream, luderick and estuary perch on sandworm near Lake Corringle.

Bemm River is producing good numbers of bream.

At Mallacoota Inlet, dusky flathead are being caught in the Bottom Lake. The Top Lake has bream biting on prawn.