Snapper are drawing anglers to the salt water

What did you get for Christmas? In my household there were no socks or jocks and sadly no fly-fishing gear.

What I did get was chocolate; and guess what, I am not all that fussed over chocolate. But it is, as they say, the thought that counts — so I say thank you, and I mean it.

I hope your Christmas was a good and safe one and you received the gifts you were hoping for.

I hope you went fishing, something the Ashes cricket kept me from doing, at least for the 2.5 days the Test match lasted.

While I didn’t wet a festive line, I have it on good authority that the spot I would have headed to yielded a big cod (Moby Dick) as well as two smaller fish. If only I had got off the couch; but you can’t catch without being there to cast.

All reports from the region indicate reasonable fishing and some great catches including one metre-plus cod caught near Nagambie as well as large numbers of smaller fish.

All rivers are producing and anglers are having success with spinner baits as well as natural baits including shrimp, yabbies and worms.

Cheese and chicken (a good sandwich filler) is also good bait.

Cod are also on the chew in the expanses of Lake Eildon and in the deep water near the wall.

Yellowbelly have been active at Eildon and Fraser National Park, the Big River arm and in the Goulburn near Jamieson.

Redfin are biting at Eildon along the tree line and at Peppin Point and Bonnie Doon. Waranga Basin is also worth a try — but a word of caution, it is best avoided when it is windy, and shade is as scarce as rocking horse droppings.

If trout are your interest, the rivers and streams in the north-east as well as Lake Dartmouth are worth a try.

As it warms up you might be more comfortable wading and casting bait or lures.

Down south the saltwater fishing is rewarding anglers with plenty of pinky-sized snapper according to Rod Lawn at Adamas Fishing Charters.

Outside the heads around the mouth of the Barwon River is where Rod has been fishing well; the submarine dive sites off Point Lonsdale have also produced fish.

Salmon are schooling in the rip and diving birds are a dead giveaway. The trick is to troll around the edges rather than through the centre of the school, so you don’t disperse the fish.

Whiting are also biting around the mouth of Swan Bay; look for grass beds and cast to the sandy patches using squid or pippies.

Western Port is also fishing well for snapper, whiting, salmon and flathead. The shipping lane off Hastings is a popular spot as well as near the steel works.

Grass beds near Cowes at Phillip Island are good for whiting and in the deeper water around San Remo gummy sharks are being taken.

At Eden in NSW, John Liddell reports bags of snapper, Morwong and other reef fish are being caught between Boyd’s Lookout and Green Cape.

John said the boys from Freedom Charters were also catching kingfish off the shelf.

Further north at Narooma, Graham Cowley said his son Nicholas (the fish whisperer) was bagging out on kingfish off the northern end of Montague Island and there were always schools of flathead on the sandy bottom.

Down south at Flinders Island, James Luddington says flathead, gummy shark and snapper are on the go around Lady Barron.

Another year has passed, not a notable one unless you are a Melbourne supporter. I hope the new year is better and I send best wishes on behalf of all our fishing correspondents.