The weather certainly hasn’t been the best with the windy conditions over the last few weeks, but when the wind dies down the fishing is pretty good. The good thing about the Eyre Peninsula is there is always somewhere to get out of the wind and catch a few fish. We have good reports of tuna offshore, whiting are in good numbers in many areas, garfish and also salmon fishing has been quite good mostly around Coffin Bay.
There is a concern about squid or the lack of them mostly in the Spencer Gulf. The algal bloom and overfishing for the squid has to be the only reason for the lack of squid around at the moment. Going forward there will probably have to be restrictions on squid for a while to see squid in good numbers again.
Snapper are in big numbers in many areas and we have heard of big ones taking whiting lines off of Streaky Bay jetty. The snapper ban has been in place for years, and this year there have been so many fishers who have no idea that there is a ban on snapper. There is no catch and release for the snapper either; snapper suffer from barotrauma in deep water and need to be returned with release weights. PIRSA must look at better signage so people can clearly see the snapper restrictions or open the snapper fishery.
Elliston
There are tuna from here to Streaky Bay and on most offshore grounds. Small fish from 4kg up to 15kg have been reported. Trolling lures and casting stick baits have been the best way to catch these fish. There’s also kingfish, samsons, big nannygai, blue morwong, big salmon and a variety of sharks of all sizes on these offshore grounds.
Land-based fishing has been popular. Salmon fishing has been quieter than normal, but there are still some decent salmon reports from Locks Well and Sheringa. Walker’s Rocks has had some good whiting off of the beach and the odd flathead. Talia Beach has gummy and bronze whaler sharks, and Ceduna jetty has been good for crabs. Further west, mulloway fishers have found some nice fish along with bronze whaler and gummy sharks and the odd big salmon.
Coffin Bay
In the bays there’s all the usuals biting right now like tommies, salmon trout, whiting, snook and garfish. There are gummy sharks also in the bays, and you will have to sift through the eagle rays to catch one, and there can also be bronze whaler sharks.
Farm Beach reports vary, but generally there’s good numbers of whiting out there. Garfish are a handy fall-back if you catch your whiting quickly. Salmon trout, tommies and snook also have been caught out there.
Offshore, tuna are best in the Kruse Rock area. Kingfish have been mixed in with tuna schools. There’s samson fish out on some of the reefs along with nannygai and blue morwong. For salmon, there’s been some great reports from Gunyah, Almonta, and Greenly beaches.
Port Lincoln
Starting with squid, you will find them off the jetties and boat ramps. Whiting are still getting caught off of the town jetty along with tommies, a few decent sized salmon trout, snook and garfish. Snook are a good one especially at night around the wharf.
Boat fishers in the bays have been finding a few squid, plenty of garfish, whiting, tommies and good numbers of snook. Blue crabs just aren’t really on just yet. Further down the coast, whiting are thick at Thistle Island. Taylors and Mclarens have also been good areas to catch a few whiting.
Offshore fishing for tuna has been pretty good at the Cabbage Patch. Other fish reported have been samson fish and kingfish, big nannygai and blue morwong. Salmon schools have been sighted along the Sleaford coast, almost always followed by bronze whaler sharks.
Tumby Bay
Most reports have come from the Group with whiting the main target; there are some big ones there over 50cm. Big snook can be caught trolling, and garfish are around Revesby Island along with big silver trevally. In closer, there is whiting, snook, garfish and tommies along with a few squid. The jetty has had reports of rat kingfish.
Port Neill and Arno Bay
Yellowfin whiting have been cruising around off of the beaches. Garfish are in good numbers around the rocks and the jetty. There have been a couple of good flathead caught off of the beaches. At Cowell, there’s plenty of yellowfin whiting around, and King George whiting are biting outside of the harbour. Blue crabs are also on the move here.