Check out the Reports page weekly as Matthew updates his reports as he receives them!

Wednesday 17th September, 2008

Well the wind has made it difficult in the past two weeks combined with the low water temperature windows of oppurtunity have been small. That being said, there are still plenty of options at this early stage of the season.

Westernport: We are seeing catches of snapper to 4.5kgs between bouy 12 and bouy 31. We have found the ebb tide to be the best for the snapper, but they are still selectively feeding. Big squid are also available, the best areas have been Tyabb bank, Crib Point bank and along Phillip Island from Cowes down to Cat Bay. Baited jigs are the preferred method with normal jigs being worked at different depths doing some damage aswell. The Tortoise bank is still worth a look for Whiting aswell.

Port Phillip Bay:  We have seen a few scattered fish between Portsea and Rye. These fish seem to be maxing out in the high 4kg range. Live squid has been the best bait due to the water temperature. Moving up the bay, Frankston to Mordi is worth a look early on in 8-12m with 16-18m working ok later in the day. The bigger fish are still a hit and miss afair with soft plastics producing better numbers of smaller fish on the northern inshore reefs. Ricketts Point to Green Point on the eastern seaboard and Port Melbourne to Altona up the top working the best. First and last light is the go and most nights the shallower the better. Nuclear Chicken, Pumkin Seed and Smelt Colored Gulp in the three inch have been the most productive soft plastic for this type of fishing at the moment. The fish aren't huge, but good numbers of Pinkies upto 2kg have been taken.

Our records show that the bigger fish should come on the chew between the 28th September and the 15th October. From this time on we get really busy until half way through December. So if you're thinking of booking a charter, especially weekends, get to it soon!

New Soft Plastic Trips: We have structured a new chartered trip that specialises in using soft plastics. Trips depart on most weeknights and go for 4 hours. Cost is $360 which includes all gear and allows upto 6 people on board. Trips depart from Newport boat ramp, giving us access to the good stock of winter Pinkies before the new fish show up. If you're new to soft plastics or have never used them before, then this is a great opportunity to learn as they can be very productive and more cost effective than bait. You will never know until you try!

Exciting new Tackle Store: Lee Rayner and Morne Muller's Fishing Fever is now open for trading. Combining top of the range gear with expert advice, it is well worth the trip in to have a look. The shop is located at 517 Main Street Mordialloc. Ph. 9590 9899. www.fishingfever.com.au. Go and catch their disease!

Well that's it for now, tight lines....

Matt Hunt