Fishing Australia

SOUTH COAST BEACHES

Australian salmon are a relatively easy catch on the New South Wales South Coast beaches at the moment, especially if you can locate a big school where are far more likely to freely take lures, baits and even flies through out the day.

However, if you can’t spot a big school, then fishing at dawn, dusk or at night, especially on an incoming tide at any of the usual salmon haunts along the south coast should produce a few fish.

Best baits are good quality pilchards and thebest lures are the 20 to 40 gram metal slug variety.

A few big tailor have been caught on the same techniques used for salmon.

Bigger bream can typically be caught at the same times, especially if you fish where the sand meets the rocks or near little reefs along the main beaches.

Anglers using bigger baits have caught a few gummy sharks and jewfish along with the occasional whaler shark, although all these species are much harder to catch than salmon, bream or tailor.

ESTUARIES

NSW DPI is reminding anglers a ban on taking Australian bass and estuary perch from all rivers and estuaries is in place in New South Wales until August 31 to protect these important recreational species. The zero bag limit does not close any waters to fishing and does not affect anglers fishing for other estuary species such as bream or flathead.

GAMEFISHING

Bluefin Tuna are still being caught by longliners along the south coast but the standout fishing experienced by Bermagui and then Wollongong Boats earlier in the year has waned significantly. This could change if the currents swing in close enough for recreational anglers to day trip to the tuna schools…watch this space.

In the meantime, the first recapture of a shortbill spearfish was recorded on 10 April 2009. The fish was tagged off Port Stephens on 23 February 2009 during Ladies Day at the NSW Interclub competition.

The fish was at liberty for 45 days and was recaptured by a commercial longline boat fishing approximately 50 nm east of Fraser Island. This is a straight line distance of approximately 492 nautical miles.

The NSW DPI Program is funded by the NSW Recreational Fishing Trust. If you would like to participate in the program please phone (02) 9527 8411 or email gamefish.tagging@dpi.nsw.gov.au. More information on the Program and tagging tips are available at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/recreational.

BACK OF BOURKE

Ben Mitchell and friends headed out for a lads week away on the Darling River near Bourke and caught some good yellowbelly and some small to medium sized murray cod.

Other anglers fishing the Darling river system also report that scrub worms, bardi grubs, and yabbies have worked well on the cod and perch while trolling lures is also having some success but to a lesser extent.

Anglers are reminded that the annual murray cod closed season from September to October is looming, during which it is illegal to take murray cod. That being said given the drought and overfishing pressures most anglers release murray cod regardless of when they catch them. I think the same way and only keep the occasional golden perch for the camp oven-they are a much more abundant species than cod and don’t live as long.

SNOWY LAKES

Reasonable numbers of rainbow trout have been caught in Lakes Jindabyne and Eucumbene. Bait fishing from the banks with worms and bardi grubs has been a productive method and a few sizable brown trout have also responded to this technique.

Krzysztof Urbaniak fished near the dam wall at Jindabyne on a nice sunny day and caught a superb 4.5 kilo brown trout at 2pm, his best trout from Jindabyne to date.

Excellent number of brown and rainbow trout are spawning in the Eucumbene and Thredbo Rivers which bodes well for the river season opens on the October Long Weekend later this year.

THE INCREDIBLE MILKFISH

This weekend on Fishing Australia I finally get to hook onto my first ever decent Milkfish.

If you think you have caught some hard fighting fish, think again…these things are typically caught in shallow water and pound for pound are easily faster, stronger and have more stamina than a tuna of the same size! I was really surprised…make that gob smacked by these incredible fish.

You can catch all the action in most areas at 5 pm Saturdays on WIN Television and Channel 9, around 2 pm on NBN and 1:30 pm Imparja check your local TV guide for details.

Western Australian viewers should note that due to the screening of two AFL games on Saturday, Fishing Australia will be seen at the special time of Sunday 4:30pm for this week only.  Again, check your local TV Guide for broadcast times.

See you on the water.

Rob Paxevanos