Winter on the wharves CANBERRA
Toby Grundy
I live in Canberra, which means I deal with very cold winters. Not crazy cold but we do get a lot of -5ºC through the winter
the number of species on offer but also because even though the water is cold, the action around these areas is usually quite good because of the high concentration of food swimming about in the water. I like to fish these areas
directly below my position and more often than not, most of the bread-andbutter species (flathead, bream, snapper, whiting) stay close to the pylons or sit directly under the wharf as the cover provided overhead makes these fish
Trevally are a winter staple off many South Coast wharves.
Nick Moss landed this nice tailor while fishing a weed bed close to the wharf. months. Now, while I do fish at my local haunts all the way through winter, I do, from time to time like to escape to warmer climates and target a few fish while I’m at it. Some of my favourite spots to visit through July and August are the wharves, which sit in coastal towns along the South Coast of NSW. These pieces of artificial structure provide a refuge for bait fish and a prime hunting location for a variety of species ranging from bream, flathead and snapper through to salmon, tailor and the odd tuna and kingie. There are also often big squid. This means that the fishing is always interesting due to
in a few different ways to maximise my chances of landing as many fish as possible and as many different species as possible (always with landing big fish as the primary goal). So, outlined below is my approach to fishing these easily accessible locations. STRUCTURE The wharf is the structure. Yes, there may be structure sitting out from the wharf ranging from weed beds through to rocky edges but the best place to start looking for fish when arriving at a likely wharf is to drop a line right at your feet. Some of the largest winter salmon I have hooked and landed came from the pylons
feel far more comfortable and less wary and therefore more willing to bite. If the bite isn’t at my feet, I then start looking for any structure, which is close to the wharf. Halfsubmerged rusty pylons, drop offs, weed beds and
isolated crops of rock all represent prime pelagic territory with salmon regularly patrolling these areas along with tailor looking to pick up an easy feed. These areas also attract baitfish like slimy mackerel, which can
A juvenile salmon caught on a plastic.
Winter wharf fishing often means you have the whole stretch to yourself. 8
JULY 2021
be a lot of fun to target when the fishing is slow and the larger specimens can rip drag from a light spin set up. Often the action will be out wide and fishing from a wharf allows an angler to get in on some deepwater action especially if fishing a wharf which runs out a long way from the shore. It pays, to keep an eye on the far end of any wharf even when fishing in close on a pylon as sea birds will often give away the presence of pelagic fish in the deep as will surface activity ranging from jumping fish through the areas of isolated foam. This, for me, is the most exciting situation because you never know what is under the surface and sometimes it is possible to cast right into the chaos from a wharf that would otherwise be impossible if fishing from land. TACTICS/LURES If fishing the pylons, I like to drop metal blades
