Augusta

Salmon are MIA in May

AUGUSTA Anthony Gillam

Where are the salmon? That is the question on everyone’s lips from Albany through to the metro area as the pending salmon season gets later and later with very little sign of the schools. top quality eating fish as the recent big tides have flushed plenty of clean water from the ocean right up towards Molloy Island bringing a fresh supply of food with it. The clarity and colour of the water at high water is a sight to behold.

Boat fishing has been very rewarding around the Dead Water and East Augusta

A first class dhufish landed while fishing with bait on a Leeuwin Marine Charters trip in Flinders Bay.

Generally at this time of the year there have been tens of thousands of fish passing along the coast on the annual run with the urge to procreate unstoppable. For some reason the 2022 salmon run has been more of a dawdle with only occasional sightings taking place. Albany beaches have usually had their fill of the schools by now and they should be around the corner and heading through Augusta. No one knows if the warmer waters have delayed the run or if some other unknown trigger is responsible, but it is hoped they get a wriggle on soon.

In the mean time people have been happily taking their fill of the smaller but tastier species that are currently plentiful in Augusta and surrounds. With King George whiting, garfish and herring making their regular autumn appearance it doesn’t take long for those in the know to grab themselves a feed.

The Hardy Inlet has been absolutely alive with with catches of King George whiting increasing not only in number but also in the average size. Best results have been by those following the channels and anchoring up where they narrow and create a bottleneck; basically funnelling the fish into a concentrated area.

Combining this with some berleying not only increases your chance at the various whiting species but it is currently bringing in some excellent sized garfish. These serpentine mini marlin surprisingly are very aggressively and will attack a moving bait trying to out compete their companions. Dropping a couple of hook sizes once you notice them coming around will increase your success rate. They will take many baits but small pieces of fish or worm are effective but they absolutely love cockle meat or maggots. They will also readily attack a Sabiki bait jig that is wound it at a steady pace. Being surface feeders, the use of a float of any variety will keep your baits in their feeding zone. I generally empty their gut as soon as possible as it is generally full of green weed, which is the main part of their diet. That is achieved as simply as running your thumb along their belly towards the anal fin. This easily strips the contents out through the anus and makes for a much cleaner experience. It will also ensure they don’t have a weedy flavour. They are exceptional eating when cooked on the bone with a delicate flaky meat that is one of my favourites. If you don’t like bones then there are numerous instructional videos on the internet that detail how to make the most of the fish by removing the bones by flatten them with a bottle or rolling pin.

The blue swimmer crab season has been as late as the salmon season this year with numbers steadily increasing. The increase in numbers caught has also shown a corresponding increase in size as well as yield from each crab. Spleen and chicken necks are showing the best results and Proving tackle shop owners do fish, Bernice Gillam lands the brother of the author’s fish using a 70g Halco Gold Twisty lure.

biggest numbers are in the Dead Water and on the east Augusta side of Hardy Inlet. Catches of herring and skippy at the Ellis Street Jetty are always common but at this time of the year they abound and the fish are much bigger. Early morning and evening are favourite feeding times but they can actually be caught all day long especially with the use of pollard and oil-based berley. The biggest skippy can be caught using a whole live river prawn pinned just behind the head or near the tail and with a hook threaded through the body if a dead prawn is used. Drift the prawn down the water column unweighted a few metres out from the cover of the jetty and be prepared for fun to begin. Give the fish a few metres of line then set the hook for the most success. Don’t let them get back into the structure as they are masters at cutting you off or quickly wrapping your line around the pylons. Fresh skippy are one of the best fish in the area for eating as sashimi so give it a try. Sliced thinly or thickly depending on your taste, a dash of wasabi and a

The perfect size pink snapper for bragging to the family, as well as feeding them.

splash of soy. It is a joy to eat and has the perfect texture for a great sashimi.

With Fisheries WA considering a further reduction in the dhufish catch limit in the west coast zone due to a slower than expected recovery everyone with a boat in Augusta is waiting with bated breath to find out what is going to be the result. Unfortunately it would appear that the pressure of COVID lockdowns has again created issues. Obviously with everyone stuck in the state for a couple of years has resulted in many more fishing trips taking place with a corresponding increase in the catch rate. This would obviously be concentrated in the metropolitan areas with a flow on further down the coast with limited travel opportunities. Hopefully instead of reducing the bag limit, which is currently only two dhufish per boat they will realise that the pressure on the fishery will be reduced once people start travelling again now the state and international borders are open.

That being said the current weather has allowed plenty of boat fishing out in Flinders and Hamelin Bays with demersal catches continuing to be very good.