Augusta

It will be easy to catch a tasty winter feast

AUGUSTA Anthony Gillam

One minute we are having a mild autumn with glorious fishing days in the 20s and then the next thing you know it’s 7ºC in the morning with a howling southerly wind and belting down with rain. Of course, this usually happens on the weekends when you have time off to get amongst them. Winter, ya gotta love it!

The weather may have changed but the fishing has remained exceptional lately with bread and butter species around in good numbers making it easy to catch a meal. Land-based fishing has probably given the most opportunities to have a quick session in between the squalls. Winter skippy, like this chubby specimen, fight each other to snap up coral prawns using light gear off the rocks at Dead Finish.

Blake Muller with the much maligned Port Jackson shark. It’s one of the more prolific shark varieties in Augusta but also inedible.

With the numbers being so good you only need an hour to get yourself a meal of mixed species.

The Hardy Inlet is one place that it isn’t hard to find the fish; regardless of being shore based or using watercraft. There are large numbers of skippy, especially around the structure and channels, with the jetties proving to be one of the easiest places to locate them. Herring as usual are all around and will take any type of lure or bait and there are increasing numbers of yellowfin whiting to go with the plague of King George whiting that are having a run that seems to be never ending.

Night fishing at the Ellis Street Jetty has been pretty cold with single digit night temperatures making you work for your reward. That being said, with plenty of squid on offer it pays to rug up and toss out a jig for an hour or so. They are taking small jigs, especially those with a flashing light or fitted with a glow stick. With the bright lighting that is fitted on the jetty most prawn style jigs will work. If squid aren’t your thing then it isn’t hard to catch a bag of herring using small chrome lures or soft plastics. If you are chasing the yellowfin whiting then glass shrimps or river prawns are the go, especially with a moving line.

Alexandra Bridge and Molloy Island are fishing very well for black bream that are showing a real liking for river prawns. There have been plenty caught in the 30-35cm range that have taken whole large prawns on unweighted lines. There are also still plenty showing up in West Bay, the Ellis Street Jetty and the Dead Water however, sizes are somewhat smaller with many caught only just on the size limit. Soft plastics and hardbodied lures cast around snags and deep holes also show promise. Try 3.5” ZMan GrubZ in motor oil as they have shown good results.

The beach fishing scene has been pretty much a suck it and see approach as the winds and rain have made for a pretty sketchy experience. If you are able to wait out the odd squall then there have been plenty of whiting and herring caught on the beaches between the marina and lighthouse. Just stay off the rocks in this area if it has been raining as they are ridiculously slippery and you are asking for trouble. Squid and bloodworms have been working well as have fresh fish strips. There are also tarwhine around the reef edges so they can be picked up as by-catch and make a nice meal if eaten fresh. They don’t freeze too well and can go soft so better off making the most of them straight away.

The small beach at the top end of the marina rockwall near the Telstra tower has been fishing well for King George whiting, sand whiting and herring and is usually nicely sheltered from the southerly winds. Squid, blood worms and fish strips work well and berley only increases your chances.

The rock wall at the marina is probably the safest rock fishing at the moment and the short wall at the entrance on the northern end has been the most sheltered. It is very suitable for berleying and there are a heap of different species that can be caught there. There are quite often demersals caught off the very corner of the rock wall with some nice pink snapper, harlequin and breaksea cod turning up. There are also plenty of undersized fish so be aware of the size limits. Skippy and herring will turn up without too much prompting and although there are plenty of snags they all seem to fight pretty cleanly. On a good day the garfish schools will come around and make a nice addition to the bag.

Boat fishing weather has been pretty good with quite a few nice days for getting offshore in between the early winter blasts. As usual it was a matter of planning ahead and keeping an eye on the weather, something that becomes very important as winter progresses.

Not only is there plenty of cold water fish such as snook hitting lures, there are Spanish mackerel turning up following the warm Leeuwin Current down the coast. Trolling a shallow diving lure in a mackerel pattern or the always reliable redhead will give you a pretty good chance. Try around exposed reef, the islands and rocks in Flinders and Hamelin Bay.

As normal the demersal fishing has continued to be strong all along the coast and dhufish and pink snapper numbers especially have been encouraging. Berkley Gulp when the weather gods have smiled upon us the fishing has been very good. Places like Skippy Rock, Elephant Rock and Ringbolt when dry are great spots to get into the hard fighting skippy and ever present herring. As always at

Blake Gillam scored some late season salmon to end the patchy season on a high note.

6” paddle tails in glow white still outpace the rest with Berkley SloMo also giving a good showing. Baits of whole squid, mulies and whiting are also working.

Although the rain periods have meant that rock fishing has been fraught with danger, this time of the year, the skippy are schooling and feeding voraciously and provide an exciting session. The maggots are steadily flowing into the water from the rotting seaweed which means the herring are going manic everywhere. Hardbodied lures, soft plastic and bait all work when they are feeding so choose what you want and see what happens. Just remember, when cleaning the fish, be careful with their stomach as they are often bursting with maggots, something you don’t want on the cut side of a fillet. • Rock fishing at this time of the year especially with some of the heavy rainfall we have had means it is dangerous at times. 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 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.