EILDON has become the freshwater hotspot this week, with a hot bite for yellowbelly and redfin drawing anglers.
On the saltwater scene, it is hard to bypass Port Phillip Bay and Western Port for the quantity and quality of snapper being caught.
Gary Constantine, at Eildon Bait and Tackle, reports yellowbelly to 5kg, rainbow trout to 1.4kg and redfin to 1.3kg being caught in Lake Eildon on lures, including stumpjumpers, bibless crank baits and spinnerbaits.
The best areas have been the Delatite Arm, Main Arm and the mouth of Big River.
Eildon Pondage is producing brown trout to 2.2kg on Powerbait.
The Goulburn River is producing rainbow trout to about 1kg on bibbed minnow lures.
Marc Ainsworth reports Lake Dartmouth is producing brown trout to 1.2kg on trolled lures.
On the Murray River, Rod Mackenzie reports yellowbelly to 1.5kg biting on shrimp, scrubworms and yabbies at Swan Hill.
Downstream, from Wemen through to Wentworth, yellowbelly to 2kg are being caught on lures and bait.
Small Murray cod, which have to be returned, are proving a nuisance in many areas.
In East Gippsland, Mallacoota Inlet has dusky flathead taking soft plastic lures and prawns at Gipsy Point.
Bemm River is producing bream to 1kg, and the Snowy and Brodribb rivers near Marlo are producing prawns, luderick, mullet, estuary perch, salmon, bream and tailor. Best baits are sandworm and prawn.
Gummy sharks are taking squid and eel baits at night from beaches at Marlo.
In the Gippsland Lakes, the Mitchell, Tambo and Nicholson rivers are producing bream on peeled prawn and spider crab.
Metung has salmon, a few bream and trevally taking whitebait and prawn.
At Paynesville, flathead, tailor and salmon are taking soft plastic lures and prawn near Newlands Arm.
Hollands Landing boat ramp is producing flathead to 50cm and bream on lures.
At Lakes Entrance, silver trevally and salmon are biting off the jetties on pilchard.
Flathead are back in good numbers in Lake Tyers and being caught on soft plastic lures.
Bream to 35cm are biting on peeled prawn and luderick are taking weed.
In South Gippsland, Port Albert has snapper being caught outside the entrance, in about 30m of water.
Port Welshpool is producing snapper, gummy sharks and flathead on pilchards in the Franklin Channel.
Waratah Bay has salmon to 1kg, with respectable numbers of mullet, flathead and the occasional gummy shark being caught.
Anderson Inlet is fishing well for salmon, silver trevally and whiting, on bass yabbies and pilchard strips.
In Western Port, snapper to 8.5kg are being caught in many areas, including Rhyll, Silver Leaves, Corinella, Eagle Rock and Lysaughts.
Gummy sharks to 10kg are being caught along the edge of the channel off Hastings, and King George whiting to 42cm are still to be caught from Pt Leo to Balnarring, on squid and pipi.
In Port Phillip Bay, Brett Terossi reports snapper to 10.5kg continue to dominate the bay catch.
Snapper are so widespread that they are also being caught off St Kilda, Williamstown, Werribee, Clifton Springs, St Leonards and Queenscliff.
The most consistent snapper reports are from Mornington to Carrum in about 21m of water, Frankston and Seaford in 11m and Mt Eliza in 18m.
Preferred baits include pilchard, garfish, silver whiting and soft plastic lures.
Mick Kaksa says King George whiting to 28cm and snook are being caught off Avalon in Corio Bay.
The Maribyrnong River has bream to 35cm, taking scrubworms and popper lures.
Salmon to 1.5kg are being caught on lures near the Williamstown breakwall.
Calamari squid are being caught in the Lonsdale Bight and from Blairgowrie to Mt Eliza.
