As we move deeper into spring, it’s nice to feel the sun’s warmth melting away winter’s chill.
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But we’re not the only ones enjoying the warmth — creatures that have been laying low through the cold months have started to stir.
I mean, of course, the snakes of our region.
We have several snake species here and in the north-east.
The most dangerous is the eastern brown snake. I say most dangerous because not only are they aggressive, they’re also plentiful and often live close to our homes.
Then there’s the tiger snake — a distant relative of the cobra.
Then we have the red-bellied black snake, and closer to Gippsland, the copperhead.
All are venomous and capable of inflicting a fatal dose to their victim.
The good news is that antivenom is available, and with the right treatment, very few people succumb to bites these days.
It’s time to issue a warning to the yellowbelly in the Rushworth area — they may be in dire straits. Mick, the demon yellowbelly angler from the area, is back in action after an enforced lay-off due to health reasons.
He’s dusted off his gear and assured me he’s keen to get among the fish in a big way to make up for lost time.
There’s one glimmer of hope for the fish.
Mick has been told he can no longer rely on the supply of his wife’s nail polish, which he used to make his lures irresistible.
His wife, Alice, must be in wonderland, knowing her nail varnish can finally be used as intended — to decorate her nails, rather than end up in a fish’s mouth.
Mick will now need a trip to the toy shop for model paint in a suitable colour to enhance his lures — though whether it will match the exotic look of nail varnish remains to be seen.
The recent weather has been good for local fishing, although the winds have been a bit strong. This isn’t ideal for fishing open water on lakes and dams.
The rivers and streams, however, have fared better, with good reports from the Goulburn, Murray and Broken rivers.
Yellowbelly, redfin and trout have been worth chasing, while in the north-east, mountain rivers and streams have been producing good catches of trout.
As for Eildon and the Dart (Dartmouth), the fishing has been reasonable in sheltered waters out of the wind.
Waranga Basin and Greens Lake, unfortunately, are shallow and exposed, with no shelter from the wind.
For small boats, these areas can become uncomfortable or even dangerous, so it’s best to give them a miss until the weather and wind settle.
Like I always say, it’s far better to be safe than sorry — the fish will still be around when conditions improve.
Now let’s take a look at saltwater action.
Rod Lawn from Adamas Fishing Charters in Queenscliff reports that it’s “snapper a go-go” at present, with fish up to five or six kilograms quite common for anglers fishing inshore as far north as Mornington, and outside the heads around Point Lonsdale, Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads, even as far along the coast to Anglesea and beyond.
Rod is a firm believer in fishing the tides; we’ve left home just after midnight on many occasions to be on the water at three or four in the morning to catch the tide for the best fishing.
There’s plenty of action until either full or low tide, at which point the fish go off the bite until the water flows again. This goes for all fish, not just snapper.
Fishing in Western Port Bay has also been good for snapper, with fish caught at all the usual marks along the shipping lane.
It’s best to launch from Hastings, but make sure you stick to the markers in the channel, or you could end up stuck on a sandbank until high tide floats you off again.
John Liddell in Eden, north of the NSW border, celebrated his birthday last weekend and said the boys from Freedom Charters had been catching plenty of snapper and morwong.
Further along the coast in Narooma, Graham Cowley mentioned that they were also catching snapper and morwong, with plenty of flathead and even some kingfish at the northern end of Montague Island.
James Luddington in Bass Strait has been catching gummy sharks and flathead around Lady Barron and Mount Chappell Island.
Well, that’s another week gone, so stay safe and happy fishing!