There’s been more rule changes again this week to fishing regulations which start on the 1st of May and the big one is a total ban on Southern Calamari fishing for the next 12 months in the Spencer and Saint Vincent Gulf’s. The Spencer Gulf zone extends to the vicinity of Sheringa beach, a bit of an over kill but it is what it is. King George Whiting in the Spencer Gulf Zone will be restored back to 10 fish per person, that is the good news and then there will be a closed season for King George Whiting around the bottom end of Yorke Peninsula running from 1st of May until 31st July 2006, see the map for further details on the Whiting closure.
Hopefully common sense prevails when the new Snapper assessment is due out soon and some fishing snapper is available for the Recreational Sector. While the Squid ban is not ideal it probably needed to happen but should have happened when the algal bloom was in full force and pushing big numbers of Squid out of affected algal areas and the Squid were consistently moving north and then being over fished. If the overfishing was stopped then, this ban might not have been needed but nothing can be done now, and we just have to live with what has happened and move on.
Going forward we do need to be more vigilant and proactive when particular fish stocks are being fished hard and if numbers of some fish stocks start rapidly dropping then we do need to be on the ball more quickly and take some action. For years now there have been calls to look at Nannygai and many will agree that these fish are the next Snapper. I know of many boats that have set sizes that are higher than what is the current size and some have much lower boat limits than what is allowed. This is a responsible move by those recs that what sustainable fishing and should be applauded.
There’s still plenty of other fish out there to catch, Squid and Whiting aren’t the only fish out there and if you change things up a bit you might find some very tasty and fun fish to catch which you don’t normally target. Most of all if you have kids they don’t really care what they catch, they just want to catch something and have some fun on the water.
Here’s what has been biting over the last week.
Elliston
Much the same as last week with some decent weather, Salmon are playing the game from the surf beaches with Sheringa and Locks Well, these are 2 better beaches with some decent numbers of fish reported. Off the jetty there’s some good Tommies and big Squid and the beaches around Elliston also have good numbers of Whiting and a few Flathead.
Boat fishers also will find some good Whiting fishing with Snook, TommIes and Squid also in the mix. Offshore there’s Nannygai and some big Blue Morwong.
Coffin Bay
Flathead fishing is said to be pretty good with good fish in the 60cm range being caught for fishers who put in the time, the Flathead are spread right out in the bays and out into the national park and in the Frenchman’s/Gallipoli area. There’s a range of plastics doing the damage and the few that are working really well are the Arma Paddle Tails, Jackson Bone Baits, Nomad Prawns and the Z-Man Diesel Minnows. Whiting, Garfish, Tommies, Salmon Trout, Snook and Squid are also biting there and with the Squid you will need to be quick before the ban comes in to play.
Farm beach is good for Whiting with again most areas fishing very well, the better fish are 40cm plus have come from deeper water areas of the fenceline. Tommies, Snook, Salmon Trout, Squid and Flathead also have all been reported. Frenchman’s to Coles Point holds some decent Gummy and School Sharks in the deeper water and there’s the odd Nannygai also biting and some big Snapper which are a pain. Be careful if you burley up as the Snapper might plague you out there, there’s a few fishers out there that have been plagued with the Snapper.
Offshore most of the reports have been mostly reef areas with Nannygai, Blue Morwong and Sharks. Vexed Bottom Meat jigs have been the most successful way of catching those fish. The barrel Tuna are in full swing down the southeast at the moment but don’t count them out here, if they are going to show up there’s no reason why they won’t turn up here and they have done so in the past and it might be worth having a heavy setup on board just in case.
For Salmon all the major areas are worth a try with Salmon reported mostly from Gunyah and Greenly beaches, most fish are good ones around the 3kg mark.
Port Lincoln
The jetties have been pretty good with some nice Whiting, Salmon Trout, Tommies, Garfish, Snook and Squid. Whiting have also been taken at Axell Stenross, the North Shore and Tulka on the big afternoon tides of the shore. Some decent Flathead have been caught of the town foreshore only few but they are there. Flathead are also along the North Shore and the national park in a variety of places, all taking similar soft plastics as those in Coffin Bay.
Boat fishers are still finding a few Crabs around town, they will disappear soon but while they are around it’s still worth giving it a go. Whiting have been caught in the Proper and also along the North Shore and there are some decent sized fish around. Snook and Garfish are also well worth trying for with plenty around in the bays.
Down the coast there’s plenty of Whiting around Thistle and Taylors Island, the Vexed Micro Meat jigs have been good in the deeper water grounds and the Z-Man worms work great in the shallows for Whiting. They are good fish and good fishing should continue. There’s also some really good pockets Garfish and also Snook.
Offshore fishing has produced ripper Nannygai and Blue Morwong, a few Sharks and Samson fish. As for Coffin Bay it would be best to pack in a heavy set up for the barrel Tuna as they could show up anytime. There’s plenty of bird life and dolphins and the whales won’t be too far away.
For Salmon there’s still some massive schools of Salmon along the Sleaford coast with fish up to 3.5kg, lure fishing has been the way to go with Buku Flutter Bombs, Jabbers Moxie Metals and the Arma Flash Harrys killing the Salmon. There’s also plenty of Sharks down and swimming out live Salmon around the Salmon schools will get you hooked up to a Shark.
Tumby Bay
Flathead can be caught off the beaches south of Tumby mostly and there are some good ones well over 60cm for those willing to put in the time. Soft plastics as mentioned before are doing the damage. Yellowfin Whiting are also there and there’s been some good-sized fish around, bait fishing has been the best way, but they will still take surface lures.
Squid fishing off of the jetty hasn’t been too bad and there’s Salmon Trout and some Tommies there also. Boat fishing has been great for Whiting, Snook and Garfish in close and then out at the Group it’s great for big Whiting, Snook, big Trevally and some Garfish. There’s also some Gummy Sharks here on the deeper water areas if you burley up.
Port Neill and Arno Bay
The jetties have Squid but you only a few days to catch them and then there’s Garfish and Snook. South of Port Neill some of the beaches have good numbers of Salmon and a few Flathead and also Yellowfin Whiting which can be found on most beaches right up to Cowell. Boat fishers should have no problems finding Whiting, Snook, Garfish and Tommies from both areas.
TW Port Lincoln Team
This week’s photos are courtesy of:
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Lucas Wheeler - Salmon |
Leo Wheeler - Salmon |
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Ben Anderson - Whiting |
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