FISHING REPORT – January 31, 2019

ANGLESEA
» Reports of salmon off local beaches
» Pinkies continue being caught
» The odd snapper is also being caught
» Reports of flathead offshore and off the beach continue
» The occasional whiting is still being caught

BARWON HEADS
» Reports of snapper and pinkies being caught offshore continue
» Reports of kingfish still being received
» Flathead catches offshore
» Whiting, trevally and small salmon reports in the river continue
» Salmon and mullet catches of local beaches continue.

TORQUAY
» Some nice King George whiting in close
» Pinkies and snapper continue in good numbers
» Offshore, kingfish continue to be caught
» There is still plenty of baitfish around with mullet and yakas being caught
» Offshore, flathead reports continue
» Squid also continue offshore
» Reports of gummy shark continue
» Salmon in numbers, most off local beaches
» Bream being caught in Spring Creek.

Remember Torquay Tackle and Sports. For all the best available advice in Torquay on tackle and bait, drop in at the store and see Ross or Josh to ensure you get the most up-to-date information available. Phone 5264 8207.

QUEENSCLIFF
» St Leonards has reports of King George whiting, flathead and squid continue, plus a few gummies reported out wide
» Clifton Springs is still reporting, pinkies, whiting and flathead catches as well the odd gummy shark as well as some calamari
» Queenscliff has a few whiting, some flathead, salmon and a few pinkies as well as squid are being reported
» The creek still is seeing reports of trevally and salmon
» A lot of weed in Swan Bay at present, but at the mouth there have been squid, salmon and flathead catches reported
» Point Lonsdale has reports of trevally, some big salmon reported up to three kilograms, some snapper being caught as
well as the occasional big whiting and some squid
» The White Lady has whiting, pinkies and squid along with gummy shark catches also being reported. A report of a bronze whaler being caught then released has also been received

» Indented Head is seeing reports of snapper, flathead, King George whiting and squid as well as pinkies being caught.

AN observant member of the public’s phone call to 13FISH (13 3474) recently has helped uncover an illegal abalone fishing operation in Melbourne’s inner west.

Victorian Fisheries Authority Acting State Manager Operations Chris Angwin said two men were arrested last week, allegedly in possession of 298 abalone, 291 of which were undersize.

“The duo’s haul is nearly 30 times the daily bag limit of five abalone per person,” Mr Angwin said.

“The arrests came about 48 hours after the call to 13FISH and tireless follow-up work by Fisheries officers and Investigators to identify the two suspects and understand their methods and harvest routines.

“Fisheries officers intercepted the two men at Altona Reef in the dark early hours of Wednesday morning, having watched them dive prior.

“A thorough search of the men’s vehicle allegedly revealed a bag of nearly 300 abalone.

“A search warrant was obtained, and Fisheries officers subsequently searched their home and allegedly found freshly shucked abalone shells and further evidence of large-scale abalone harvesting.

“The men’s vehicle, dive equipment and abalone were seized on the spot.

“The pair will be charged with taking and possessing a commercial quantity of abalone within 24 hours, which carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment.”

Mr Angwin said this was a great example of 13FISH working at its best.

“We received a phone call, followed it up with thorough investigation and surveillance using expert staff from across Fisheries, and apprehended two alleged offenders who posed a serious threat to Victoria’s valuable abalone stocks.”

Meanwhile, if you see or suspect illegal fishing activity any time over summer please phone the 24-hour reporting line 13 FISH (13 34 74).

CLUB CORNER

If you are an angling club and wish to let people know what’s going on within your club as well as help promote your club, email [email protected] and we will post your club news here.

PHOTOS

I would also like to remind everyone to keep those photos coming in of your big catch! Please forward them to [email protected], with type of fish, weight, length, location and your name. I am more than happy to place your photos in My Big Catch.