He did call in, the man in the red suit, but I think he must have been at the end of his run.
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The cake, glass of milk and carrots for the reindeer were gone, but the wish list I had left was unfilled once again.
Oh, well.
I must be getting to him — at least I am still a stopping place.
I started planning a new list for next year as I swept up the crumbs and reindeer droppings.
I think maybe a new boat may have been too big of an ask, so I will tone it down for next year.
I hope the new socks and jocks you got for this year fitted, and I hope that Christmas was good for you.
Now we are coming up to the start of a new year, so I hope this will be a good time for you.
So far, and seriously folks, the year had its ups and downs, but the past 12 months were not all that bad.
My footy team made the finals, the fishing trips I went on were reasonable and health-wise, not too bad.
So, another silent night comes and another trip to Trelly’s to empty my bank card.
All in all, Christmas has been another good time, and now I look forward to the start of a new year.
Reports from around the region have been reasonable.
Fishing in the Goulburn River has been as expected, as river levels have been all right, now at a period with little change, meaning that the fish have been consistent, not overactive.
Plenty of cod, mainly small, some keepers but mostly juvenile.
Yellowbelly have been patchy, with most fish around legal size. The best location has been the basin, the channel towards Rushworth, Eildon and Lake Nillahcootie.
Both bait and lures have been getting results, especially lures with a rattle in them.
Redfin have been caught in Eildon and the basin and the Hume, mainly on bait, worms, shrimp and yabbies.
Trout are biting in Dartmouth but at this time of year, they are down deep in the thermocline. That is where the surface water reaches the cold water.
Trout are also being taken in the rivers and streams in the high country; bait and lures, as well as fly-fishing, are getting results for anglers.
Odd catches of trout can still be taken in Eildon and the Hume as well as Lake Buffalo, but they are mainly in the early morning when it’s cool.
Time now to check out saltwater fishing.
Down south at Queenscliff, Rod Lawn from Adamas Fishing Charters said that aside from taking Christmas and Boxing Day off, fishing had gone on without a break, weather permitting.
Rod said the whiting were still biting from Point Lonsdale to the mouth of Swan Bay, all along the coast to St Leonards, as well as on the Portsea side of the bay.
He said the secret to catching whiting was to fish the sandy bottom between the patches of grass.
He also said that outside the heads, he was bagging snapper along the reefs, and while most fish were pinky size, there was an occasional larger fish.
He was still getting signs that the kingfish were starting to move into the region off Point Lonsdale and also around Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads.
Rod said flathead were biting along the sand between the reefs.
North of the NSW border at Eden, John Liddell said the crew from Freedom Charters were bagging snapper, morwong and large flathead along the inshore reefs from Boyd’s Lookout to Green Cape.
John said there was not a lot of action offshore, but they would occasionally run into a school of big kingfish.
Further north at Narooma, Graham Cowley said it was similar around Montague Island, but the shelf is a lot closer to shore — although there were kingfish in close.
Down south at Flinders Island, James Luddington said he was bagging plenty of gummy sharks and flathead in the channels around Mount Chappell Island and off Lady Barron.
James said at this time of year, the chickens of the sea, albacore tuna, were starting to get on the move along the shelf, and when the weather was good, it was worth the trip to bag some.
Well, on behalf of Rod, John, Graham and James, I wish you a happy and safe new year and plenty of fishing.