The only news that comes from this part of the world at this time of year is good news as far as fishing is concerned.

We have gone through what has been a fairly severe winter but that is now behind us and the better conditions will now be with us for some time, which is the good news.

Among the positive news, there seems to be very big squid everywhere both inside and outside the entrance. Last month, information from the boat storage was that there had been surprisingly few boats out on the water but this was probably due to the fact that there were other activities that are now behind us.

The whiting numbers have been on the increase where the Lewis Channel has been the most productive place to wet a line. The fish are up to the 38cm mark, which is acceptable and they are in very good condition and that’s further encouraging news.

Mixed in with the whiting has been very plenty of silver trevally and quite reasonable sized flathead.

The skunk sharks have been making a nuisance of themselves, but there is not much that can be done.

The jetties have begun to really pick up. There has been very good numbers of squid being taken and specimens to the 2kg mark are fairly common. They have been caught mainly on lures under a float and as visiting angler Bill Hanneborough found out, when he bagged out on very big specimens, there is a way they should he handled. He learnt quite a bit the first time he caught squid and one thing to remember is to point them away from yourself when you handle them. They have a very large supply of black ink that can and will make a very big mess when they let it all go at once. Not knowing what to do, he kept making the same mistake until it was just about time to go when a visitor came along to lend a hand. To say he was amused would be a great understatement but he had a great laugh at the unfortunate angler who was by now covered with black ink.

There have been early snapper caught in the Franklin Channel to the 3kg mark but there are probably better size fish there such as gummies and big flathead making an appearance. The big toothies will not be too far away.

It is true that we have gone through a long cold winter where only the truly dedicated boaters and land-based fishers will venture out on the water. Many will return with not a great deal to show for their efforts but there are those who know where they are going and know what they’re doing. They are the ones who know where they are heading and have been returning with very good numbers of gummies, flathead and silvers.

There have been favourite places such as GPS marks around the 20m mark, which is about 10km out from shore and it always seems to produce. Geoff Lipscure will always return with quality flathead, whiting and gummies that would put a smile on the face of the most fussy boaters.

On the western side of the inlet is Yanakie where the caravan park is run by Lachie Roberts, who loves to get out whenever he can. Last month I contacted him and he said that there were quite good size gummies, snapper and flathead being caught on a variety of baits and this was making the efforts worthwhile. This is further good news for this area and he would be a good person to keep in touch with.

There have been other positive reports from the surf where there have been quality gummies and flathead being caught mainly on the run-in tide late in the evenings. The best baits have been squid, pilchards and a variety of fresh fillets.

There is always the local General Store that is run by Ulla and Rob Killury, which is in the main drag of Port Albert. Like most general store owners in the country Ulla and Rob are always friendly and will have the latest on the fishing situation.

We all know that the local hotel that had been famous in the area for well over 100 years was sadly burnt to the ground. Jan and Chris Cato hold the licence to the premises and have built a new hotel in its place. Although very young, it’s quickly making a very good impression on locals and visitors alike.

Their hotel is known as ‘Custom House’, which is an appropriate name being located right on the foreshore. As well as providing accommodation, fishermen (assuming that they have had a successful day) can be driven home in a stretch limousine that will be made available and parked outside the hotel. This is something that will quickly become a landmark, which is a great innovation.