This summer will be an interesting one in South Australia with the ongoing algae bloom, and the governments recent decision to reduce bag limits for key species in key regions. We won’t delve into the science behind the algae bloom in this article, and nor will we evaluate recent political resolutions. Instead we’re going to focus on the positives, and well highlight the fantastic summer fishing opportunities we still have here in our state.
When I think of summer, I instinctively think of our annual bluefin tuna migration. I love fishing for our summertime school bluefin, and wait with anticipation for these schools to arrive every season. There is no evidence to suggest the migration of bluefin will be adversely effected by the Karenia sp. algae bloom, with the regular migration route outside of the algae zone. We should start seeing schools arrive into our bluewater grounds in early December, based on historical trends.
These fish are typically in the 8 – 15kg school size, making them perfect candidates for casting topwater lures. Try downsizing your tackle to a lightweight spin outfit of 7 to 8ft in length with a line class rating of 8 – 10kg together with a 4000 to 6000 sized spin reel. There are some great rods within the Grappler, Anthem and Zodias range that are ideal for casting at these school fish. These bluefin also respond well to the traditional spread of trolled lures too, which is a good way of prospecting an area if no fish are visibly feeding on the surface.
Also mixed in with these school bluefin are some big salmon, some of which are up in the 6kg bracket, and also a few yellowtail kingfish – just to make things interesting!
Our offshore reefs are another great option during the summer months, with red snapper, queen snapper, silver trevally plus gummy sharks and school sharks all available on the bottom. The fishing around these deeper reefs has been unaffected by the bloom, and they are a great option when the weather allows. Most of these reefs lie in 30 to 60m of water and is a fun ‘lucky dip’ style of fishing. These species can be targeted by bouncing baits on the bottom, with slow pitch jigs and also dropping soft plastics such as reef wrigglers also effective. This is a great way to get a feed of quality southern table fish.
Not everyone is equipped to head out to the bluewater though, but thankfully we still have some good inshore fishing to keep us entertained. The bread-and-butter fishing for King George, garfish and calamari will likely be a bit quieter for a season or two while the stocks rebuild in Gulf St Vincent following the bloom, but if you lower expectations there’s still some fish to be caught.
Travelling outside of our Gulf waters and visiting some of our western bays will see more consistent catches of these top tier species, but if you’re willing to diversify, there are plenty of other inshore species on offer right around our state. Silver trevally push into our shallow inshore waters during the warmer months, and they provide some fantastic light tackle fun, and good table fare. Snook, salmon, sweep and flathead are other inshore favourites during this time of the year, and can be caught widespread around South Oz.
One of my favourite summer fishing options though, is to chase our inshore sharks, which visit our shallow coastal waters at this time of the year. Bronze whalers dominate the catch, but some hammerheads and gummy sharks also patrol these inshore waters, and all respond well to a berley trail. The vast majority of these sharks are small to medium in size and offer good fillets for the table if you don’t mind a feed of flake.
For the bronzies and hammerheads, floating out a fresh bait under a balloon is still the number one way of connecting to these summertime sharks. Fillet baits including slimy mackerel, silver trevally, snook and tuna are all effective for these sharks. Lighter tackle such as a 10kg overhead outfit, or PE3 spin combo is fine for this caliber of shark.
When targeting gummies in our shallow inshore waters, we’re soaking baits on the bottom, and typically in the deeper channels of our bay systems. The downside to this fishing is the bycatch! Eagle rays can be plentiful. I like using a PE3 spin outfit when targeting inshore gummies, and while these sharks can be caught on lighter tackle it’s the bycatch which can be painful.
The Coorong, located south of Adelaide near the township of Goolwa, is a popular summertime location for salmon trout, mullet, bream and school mulloway. The Coorong was affected by the algae bloom during the winter months, but the algae has since cleared. No major fish deaths were recorded, so it will be interesting to see how this waterway fishes this summer. It is one of the most unique waterways to visit, and I really enjoy getting down to the Coorong.
And lastly, our surf beaches are another great summer option. Some surf beaches on southern Fleurieu have been affected by the algae bloom, while others have remained unaffected. But with the transient nature of our surf foaming species, we’re expecting to see the beach fishing to still be consistent through these summer months.
Soaking a bait in a nice gutter on a remote surf beach is one of the best ways to spend a few days. It’s no surprise that mulloway are the greatest prize, but salmon and gummy sharks are also on the hit list, and even the occasional snapper bycatch makes an appearance (to be released asap). For bait fishing, a quality rod of 12 to 13ft in length and rated between 10 – 15kg is ideal for lobbing out big baits for these summertime surf targets. There are some ideal rods within the Exvance, Reventus and Speedmaster range which are perfect for lobbing big baits into the suds.
And even though our cooler months is the prime time for schools of salmon along our surf beaches, it’s still possible to find a big black ball of salmon within the surf line in the warmer months. When you stumble across a school of salmon, exchanging the heavier bait fishing rods for lighter spin outfits will maximise the fun factor. Lightweight rods rated at 5 – 10kg and 10 to 11ft in length are perfect for casting 40g to 60g lures into the surf.
So as you can see, we still have plenty of saltwater fishing options around our state to tackle this summer. Yes it’s true that the options might be more limited around the metro Adelaide region, but if you are prepared to lower your expectations, or travel a bit further afield, then the reward for effort is awaiting.
Yes the algae bloom has been a challenge to manage, and it has been effecting so many people across our state - financially, mentally and socially. But remember it is a season that will eventually pass, but in the meantime, don’t stop fishing! Remember the catch rate isn’t always the reason we fish… It’s the journey.
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