BEST reports this week are of snapper in Port Phillip Bay, brown trout at Lake Purrumbete and yellowbelly on the chew at Lake Eildon.

Rod Mackenzie reports from the Murray River that yellowbelly to 2kg is the main catch from Swan Hill to Mildura.

Most fish are being caught on scrubworm and shrimp baits, and lures including spinnerbaits and bibless crankbaits.

Gary Constantine has a similar report for Lake Eildon.

He reports yellowbelly to 8kg are being caught along the shorelines of the Delatite arm, Fraser Park and Bonnie Doon.

The lake is now at more than 65 per cent capacity and the rising water has flooded new growth making inshore trolling all but impossible.

To overcome this most anglers are drifting and casting spinnerbaits and bibless crankbaits towards shore.

Eildon Pondage has rainbow trout to 350g taken on Powerbait and scrubworms.

In the southwest, Neil Shelton at Nelson says bream to about 1kg are well spread in the Glenelg River, and they are being caught on spew worms and crabs as far upstream as Pritchards.

Doug Lucas in the Western District reports brown trout to 2.4kg and rainbow trout to 800g being caught at Lake Purrumbete.

Best method is trolling a mudeye behind a Ford Fender attractor.

Redfin are schooling in the lake and the successful method has been jigging with Baltic Bobbers and Ice Jigs.

Shore-based anglers fishing Lake Bullen Merri are catching rainbow trout to 1.2kg on Powerbait during daylight, and brown trout to 4kg at night using bullhead gudgeon baits.

 

Bream and estuary perch are being caught in the Gellibrand estuary at Princetown.

 

The bream are taking shrimp, and the perch poppers fished at dusk.

 

Apollo Bay anglers fishing offshore are hooking pinkies, King George whiting, barracouta and salmon.

 

In Port Phillip Bay, the snapper are running in good numbers. Most fish are from 2.5kg to 4kg but snapper to 8kg have been reported.

 

Top spots include Pt Richards, Altona, Black Rock and Frankston in water depths ranging from 11m to 21m.

 

Successful baits include squid, whiting, pilchard and garfish.

 

In South Gippsland, Western Port is fishing well for snapper with fish from 2kg to 9kg caught off Corinella, Rhyll, Joes Island, Lysaughts and Elizabeth Island on squid, whiting, trevally and salmon.

 

Gummy sharks to 8kg are being caught over the snapper grounds.

 

In the Gippsland Lakes, the Metung boardwalk and jetties are good for salmon and bream on prawn and whitebait.

 

Bream are biting on yabbies off the wharf and in the Straits at Paynesville.

 

The Mitchell and Tambo Rivers continue to fish well for bream to 1kg and flathead with lures, prawns and spider crabs getting results.

 

At Lakes Entrance, salmon and tailor are taking metal lures around Rigby Island.

 

Anglers at Marlo are doing well on luderick, flathead and bream.

 

The entrance is open at Bemm River and bream are biting on sandworm and prawn.

 

The channel is producing silver trevally and tailor on soft plastic and vibe lures.

 

At Mallacoota Inlet, luderick are plentiful along the channel and Captains Point.

 

Bream of about 1kg are biting in the Top Lake and Gipsy Point on peeled prawn.