WA
South Coast
Waking from winter slumber AUGUSTA
Anthony Gillam
Augusta is looking forward to the spring weather to hit. as not only does it bring everything to life on land, the piscatorial world also has a shakeup with many species waking from their winter slumber. It also has the added bonus of saying goodbye to the 5ºC mornings that has had
will often shoot out and hit the lure on first sighting it. Try any of the hardbodies lures that yellowfin whiting like but the bream favourite at the moment I have found is the Berkley Scum Dog. It is dynamite on black bream but will also pick up flathead, flounder and all species of whiting as well as the ever present herring. Jetty fishing continues to be very good and with yellowfin whiting now
it sink to the bottom and then slowly retrieve and the results will be much better than letting the bait sit on the bottom soaking. A running sinker rig with a very small long shanked hook works best. Use a ball sinker as small as possible to cast out for the best result. If the tide is pretty slack then you can get away with just the weight of a swivel in most jetty fishing situations and it allows you to float a bait to the bottom in a more natural looking manner. If there are herring about then they will take the bait in all depths of the water column. If the tailor are biting then at a minimum you will need a long shanked hook to avoid bite offs. The squid numbers vary from none to heaps but it has been hard to predict. It looks like they tend to enter the inlet with the bigger incoming tides and hang around the jetty lights at night hunting for a meal. Small prawn style jigs work
well, especially those that glow in the dark or have an internal flashing led. During winter and early spring the winds and rains are generally from the northwest, which means it may be uncomfortable when windy and raining, but there is still the opportunity to get in a sneaky fish. There are plenty of places from Colourpatch around to Flinders Bay where you can get a line in on the leeward side of the weather for an hour or so. Junes Beach off the rocks is generally one of the better places. There is nothing better than coming home with a feed of King George or sand whiting when everyone else has been sitting watching Days of Our Lives on television all afternoon. Down at the marina the wind has made it difficult to fish a fair amount of the last month however, there were a few days strung together where the weather was absolutely perfect. The
A chunky 70cm dhufish jigged on a 6” paddletail by Blake Gillam on a quick run out into Flinders Bay on his jetski.
Jason Morgan with a stonker pink snapper caught on bait at Spot X in Flinders Bay. us older folk scoffing the arthritis meds with our morning coffee. We can’t complain though, winter was pretty kind to us really; plenty of heavy rain that came in short periods of time, so we got the moisture we needed but we missed a lot of the usual stormy weather. This meant that although it was sometimes cold and wet, we also had some absolutely magic weather to get out and about. The black bream scene has been really hot with plenty of fish not only caught up in the freshwater areas towards Sues Bridge but they have pushed right down throughout the Blackwood River into the Deadwater. With the current clarity of the water down towards the ocean entrance at Dukes Head you can often see large individual fish sitting in the shadows of their favourite rock or snag. I have had good success with hardbodied lures as well as soft plastics while kayak fishing, just be patient and plan your cast to land far enough away to not spook the fish and wind, twitch or jig past your target. They tend to be more aggressive in this water and
showing up in good numbers, the amount of people fishing at night has increased dramatically. Freezing cold, clear nights are just about certain to produce more whiting than the warmer nights. Small river prawns, coral prawn pieces and glass shrimps will all get you whiting. Just cast out, let
A typical light coloured example of a black bream caught from saltwater on river prawns by Bernice Gillam.
Augusta jetty fishing often produces juvenile pink snapper such as this one, they release pretty well if done immediately.
typical bread and butter species have been around and pretty easy to catch. Herring and skippy are easily brought in with a good berley up for about 20 minutes and seem to favour the northern end of the main rockwall and around the entrance. They have been pretty good sized with many in the mid 30cm range and in really good condition since feeding up after breeding. Prawns are currently a favourite for the skippy, herring will eat anything that is floating in the water. Having a flick with soft plastics around the boat pens can result in some nice flathead and the odd legal sized flounder. Bounce them off the sand and pause for a few seconds to let it settle and repeating will produce more fish. Boat fishing in Flinders Bay and Hamelin Bay
continues to be good and with some really flat days and low swells it also allowed many boats to make the trip around the corner. The area between the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse and Cosy Corner is not often fishable with the winds and big swells making it an unpleasant journey to get to the best reef. On the occasions when you can make a run out from the marina or via Hamelin Bay boat ramp, they are often an early bag out on good sized demersals. This is just what people did this month and the pink snapper and dhufish did not disappoint. Bait fishing was pretty good with whole squid and herring catching very well. Soft plastics worked well and hybrids like the Vexed Bottom Meat have been absolutely slaying them. Beach fishing has been
very light on with the weather making it not worth the trip and combined with large swells and tides the chances of getting stuck on the beach were pretty high. Not many reports from anyone this month as people opted for warmer options that didn’t involve standing ankle deep in the wash getting sandblasted while watching your line going down the beach sideways. Rock fishing conditions have been hit and miss with some horrendous conditions making it pure folly to think about heading down to stand on a huge slippery hunk of granite. That being said, the dry sunny days have also made for some perfect rock fishing days. Herring, skippy and whiting off the rocks are the most common catch lately with pink snapper also taking bigger baits set out as far as you can cast. Just remember, berley is key to bringing the fish in to you and can make the difference between getting a feed and striking out. • 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. SEPTEMBER 2022
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