Salmon sightings tempt fishers

AUGUSTA

Anthony Gillam

There is a buzz in the air as people begin reporting the odd school of salmon passing through the area as a prelude to the annual run.

One of the most anticipated fishing events in the southern half of the state slowly gains speed during March and peaks towards the middle of April where there is a constant stream of schools winding their way up the coastline towards the metropolitan area.

Unfortunately, over the last couple of years the salmon run has not been that inspiring with warmer waters keeping the schools out deeper where most passed through without even being sighted. The water temperature has been a few degrees lower lately and this is an encouraging sign and should result in many more

Bay. The schools get bigger and more frequent as the run progresses eventually heading through Boranup and Contos.

Large metal slice lures plugs and poppers are all extremely successful lures when it comes to salmon fishing and a bonus is that you don’t have to deal with messy baits. If you prefer to get your hands dirty then fresh mulies are the perfect bait for tossing out into the middle of a school or if fished on a paternoster rig you quite often pick up the small pods or individual salmon that have broken away from the bigger schools.

The Hardy Inlet continues to be extremely productive with whiting numbers remaining very good according to reports from many of the customers of Augusta Boat Hire. They have been catching bag outs of yellowfin and king george whiting with the blue nicely showing the big fish are feeding and moving throughout the system from the ocean and can be caught even if you only have landbased opportunities.

With tides being larger than usual there has been plenty of opportunity for early risers to scope out low water where the holes, gutters and channels are visible. It is possible to make a mental map of the most likely features to hold fish once high water arrives. I have made a note of several spots near Colourpatch that are perfect ambush sites for bream that you would have no idea are there once the tide is in. These have proven to produce good results when other people fishing nearby have not raised a fish. You can always fluke a good spot or have an educated guess at where one is but old-fashioned prior preparation will pay off in the end. Just remember that polarised sunnies are a game changer when it comes to spotting fish lurking in the depths and will make a world of difference in your catch rate. There is nothing like dropping a lure or bait in front of a waiting fish and watching it be devoured. Any small hard bodies lures or soft plastic grubs will usually elicit a response. If they seem a bit finicky then a well presented blue-bait, whitebait or river prawn will also catch plenty of bream.

If you want to try boat fishing but don’t own a boat then come and see the friendly staff at Augusta Xtreme Boat Hire who can sort you out all manner of water craft for the experienced operator or novice. Part of Augusta Xtreme Outdoor Sports, you can drop in to the shop in the main street or visit Emma who will be working at our moorings near the Old Town Jetty. No skippers ticket is required to operate most of out boats and basic instructions will soon get you underway.

The bays are a great place to fish during autumn with plenty of calmer days allowing those with boats to get out and about. Demersal squid until the action warms up. A stocking with berley in it tied up so it rolls on the water’s edge slowly releasing particles will bring fish in from miles away. schools right in close.

Hardy Inlet crabs, big, blue and full of meat are a welcome seasonal addition to the dinner table.

Experience over the last decade shows that smaller schools begin the run from Esperance and hit the Great Southern in February before reaching Augusta and Margaret River in March/ April before eventually passing through the rest of the South West as the run heads towards Perth.

Easily accessible areas when the schools are in are well worth trying, especially if you want to introduce children to the excitement of catching their first 6kg acrobatic torpedo. The marina rock-wall, the beaches at Flat Rock, Dead Finish, Lighthouse Bay and Skippy Rock are some of the safest areas where the first of the schools are sighted followed by Deepdene, Cosy Corner and Hamelin swimmer crabs also making a heavy presence especially in West Bay and East Augusta.

Spleen and chicken necks in a bait pot will keep the stingrays from taking your bait and turning the net into a pretzel.

On the Blackwood River front, the black bream are everywhere at the moment and are extremely aggressive. taking baits and lures while you are targeting other species. The Ellis Street Jetty, Turner Street Jetty and Deadwater have been alive with schools of marauding fish absolutely monstering any bait or lure that you put within their eyesight. Local legend Nana Fish (Joy) managed to snag a beauty of a pink snapper just shy of the legal limit while night fishing off the Ellis Street Jetty. It released bans currently restrict what fishing can be done but there are plenty of pelagics getting around and with the salmon and herring schools moving through this also brings lots of sharks. Trolling a variety of mid sized lures will soon give you an idea what to use and where to concentrate your activities. Salmon and yellowtail kingfish will take similar lures and baits so be prepared for a heap of arm stretching action depending on what takes the hooks. If you want a bit of flake then anchoring up and berleying will soon have a bronzie or gummy shark zoning in on the source. I just put a chunk of salmon or a whole herring on and float it out with the berley. Just remember that shark should be bled, finned and chilled down in an ice slurry as soon as possible to provide the best quality eating.

Heading further up river towards Alexandra Bridge most people have been locating bream and pink snapper in large numbers, many of them are small juveniles well below the legal limit especially for pink snapper which is 50cm. Unfortunately there have been instances of large numbers of 20cm fish being killed and taken by people who don’t know or just ignore the regulations. There is no excuse in this day and age for anyone to be unaware of species identification or size limits with a number of free phone apps that are simple to use.

Beach fishing at this time of the year has some of the nicer conditions which is great especially with the salmon and herring schools coming through. It makes it an enjoyable day as the temperatures are lower, winds calmer and waters flatter. This allows you to not only spot schools coming through but if they are a bit slow it is enjoyable to just sit back soaking a bait watching the waves roll in. I usually have a 10-12ft rod set up with a lure standing by while I have a second rod out fishing for breadand-butter species or solitary salmon. Baits of squid tentacles, prawn pieces and sand worms are great but with plenty of pickers around I tend to stick with

Rock fishing is also good this time of the year as the salmon and herring schools will come right up into the bays making for plenty of action. Now that the herring limit has been increased to 20 it means that if you are into smoking fish a couple of days bag limit will give you enough fish to hot or cold smoke them to tide you through the leaner fishing times. Herring and salmon being oily species are perfect for smoking and you don’t have to spend too much time in preparation or know the science behind how to do it. For less than $100 anyone can purchase a small hot smoker and smoking sawdust to get themselves on the way. Berley them up to bring them around and keep them interested. Find a spot at the rock-walls at the marina, off the granite at Ringbolt Bay, Skippy Rock or Elephant Rock and give it a go. Try using lures or soft plastics if the schools are in, they will hit most things thrown at them this time of the year and it is just a matter of scaling your tackle up or down to suit the fish. • Rock fishing is dangerous at times and careful consideration of where and when you fish must be done. Unpredictable weather can quickly affect the fishing conditions and slippery rocks are a recipe for disaster. Please remain vigilant when rock fishing; wear a life jacket and tie off to something solid. You can hire one for free from Augusta Xtreme Outdoor Sports at 66 Blackwood Avenue Augusta -the local tackle shop, boat hire and font of all local fishing knowledge. Look for the big green sign on the roof, it’s right next to the BP Service Station in the centre of town.