IT MIGHT be cool, but there is enough action on the fishing front to sate most angling appetites.
More than 15,000 small rainbow trout were released into Lake Eildon last week, snapper to 12kg are being caught in Corio Bay and salmon to 2kg are running on Bass Coast beaches.
Winter is a top time to be catching cod, and there is some good news from the Murray River where Rod Mackenzie reports big Murray cod have come on the bite.
Anglers at Robinvale are catching cod to a metre and yellowbelly on large trolled lures.
At Wemen, cod to 1.2m and yellowbelly to 1kg are being caught casting spinnerbaits to snags and trolling large hard-body lures.
The stretch of river from Merbein to Wentworth is also producing Murray cod ranging from 70cm to about a metre.
The Murrumbidgee River at Balranald has cod to 7kg being caught on Mumbler lures.
Gary Constantine, at Eildon Bait and Tackle, said Eildon Pondage has brown trout to 1.8kg and rainbow trout to 450g being caught on bladed lures and mudeyes along Riverside Drive.
Lake Eildon has mainly brown trout being caught flat-line trolling pink-coloured lures.
Boat ramps at Point Dethridge and Jerusalem Creek have been good for trout on rainbow and green Powerbait.
In the Western District, Doug Lucas reports Lake Bullen Merri has brown trout to 4kg being caught on lures trolled at 10m in 13m of water, with large minnows or pink and white Loftys lures producing results.
Flat-line trolling and bait fishing with mudeyes under a float is producing brown and rainbow trout to 1.5kg at Lake Purrumbete.
Salmon to about 800g are being caught at Clifton, Castle Cove and Princetown beaches. Best method is bluebait or pilchard fished on a paternoster rig with a surf popper on the top leader.
Large numbers of southern bluefin tuna continue to run past Portland. Most fish are 10-12kg and being caught trolling bibless minnows and skirted lures.
Raw chicken is the top bait for bream averaging about 35cm in the Fitzroy River.
The lake section of the Curdies River has bream to 40cm, which are being caught on greyback minnow.
In Port Phillip Bay, Terry Hayden, at Q-Tackle, reports good catches of snapper to 12kg along the western shore of Corio Bay inner harbour on pilchards, squid and silver whiting.
King George whiting to about 38cm are being caught between Swan Bay and St Leonards on squid, mussel and pipi.
Brett Terossi, at Billfisher Tackle, said a few snapper to about 4kg have been caught from 19m of water off Seaford.
Salmon schools holding fish to about 1kg are being encountered off Black Rock and Blairgowrie, with most fish being caught on lures.
Garfish are being caught on silverfish fished under a float off Frankston pier. Best time is evening.
Calamari squid from 350g to 1.2kg are taking prawn imitation and baited jigs off the rocks and pier at Mornington,
Sorrento and Portsea piers, St Leonards and Clifton Springs.
Sand flathead are in good numbers in about 19m of water off Mornington.
In South Gippsland, small numbers of King George whiting to 40cm are taking squid, pipi and mussel along the Middle Spit.
Reports have come from Flinders of calamari squid to 1.5kg caught on baited and prawn imitation jigs.
Cowes jetty has been producing salmon, silver trevally and garfish, while Bass beaches are producing salmon.
Kilcunda has been steady for salmon to about 1.5kg; Woolamai and Venus Bay have them to 2kg and Waratah Bay to about 900g.
Bluebait or whitebait fished in conjunction with a surf popper, and metal lures, are producing solid results.
Salmon to 2.5kg are being caught in Shallow Inlet spinning and trolling.
In the Gippsland Lakes at Lakes Entrance, silver trevally are being caught on pilchard strips at the footbridge and Bullock Island.
Salmon are being caught on Eastern Beach.
Lake Tyers has bream at Mill Pt and the Devils Hole being caught on prawns and lures.
The Mitchell, Tambo and Nicholson rivers are producing bream on sandworm, peeled prawn, crab and soft-plastic lures.
Luderick and bream are being caught from the Metung jetties on prawn and shrimp.
Hollands Landing has large bream being caught in the Straits and at the boat ramp.
In East Gippsland, the Snowy and Brodribb rivers at Marlo are producing bream, yelloweye mullet and luderick on prawn and sandworm, with reasonable numbers of salmon being caught from the beaches.
Bemm River has bream and silver trevally to 1.2kg being caught in the lake and the channel on prawns and vibe lures.
In Mallacoota Inlet, luderick are being caught on weed at Captains Point, the wharf is good for silver trevally on bluebait and the Top Lake has estuary perch and bream taking prawns and hard-body lures.
