How To Catch Australian Salmon
About Australian Salmon
If you're lucky enough to see a great big salmon launching itself out of the ocean, arching its back in a body-shaking attempt to displace your hook, it will pump the adrenalin of even the most hard-nosed angler. Australian salmon are most frequent off the southern coasts of Australia, and also located in New Zealand waters. Despite their name, these fish are not related to the salmon of the Northern Hemisphere.
When Is The Best Time To Catch The Fish?
The months of May through to November are the best off of Victorian beaches, but may be caught every day of the year in bays, estuaries and from the piers. In Western Australia, February to April are the most excellent times, especially in southern parts. The best stage of day to catch salmon is either around dawn or dusk, as this is what time the fish are most actively feeding.
Where Salmon Can Be Caught
Lorne and Frankston piers will usually produce good numbers after there's been strong onshore winds. Albany in WA can also yield really big specimens at times. At the beach search for some good gutters with deep water and some wash/whitewater over it. From the rocks search for areas with some wave action and whitewater coupled with deeper water. Fishing from the rocks can be precarious, so always be cautious.
The Best Equipment To Use
Great salmon fishing rods are 12' with a 600 or 650 alvey side reel, particularly for beach or rock fishing, with a 15lb main line and a 15kg lead will work well. Fishing for salmon is similar to fishing for tailor, and you can even end up hooking a decent jewfish, gummy shark or even yellowtail kingfish while targeting salmon, so the extra weight on your rig will be worth it just in case.
Light tackle spin gear is also great for catching salmon. You can use a 3kg outfit rigged with a small chrome slice, soft plastic or bibbed minnow lure. Trolling with white or pink coloured skirted jigs at six to eight knots is trendy. At the beach, make use of a fixed paternoster rig with a pyramid-style sinker at the bottom. This will help to make longer casts, and will hold really well if there's a current.
You can use a berley trail with an unweighted bait if you're fishing off a pier or in a boat. Depending on your location, you should ask your community fishing tackle store about the number of wraps you ought to have. A 6 or a 7 wrap is by and large very good, light enough to have a good feel, yet heavy enough to have a bit of grunt about it and get stuck into the fish with. Not only do they make for good salmon fishing rods, it will also work well to catch tailor, trevally, bream and flathead.
The Best Bait For Salmon
Salmon's favoured bait is pilchard, whitebait and squid. Live bait like Tommy Rough works really well, especially from the rocks and under a balloon on your line. Salmon will go for most fishing lures, however I think that medium-sized raiders are best. Depending on what they're chasing, you may want to stick to smaller lures though, as larger ones can be disregarded if the salmon are going after smaller baitfish.
If you're lucky enough to see a great big salmon launching itself out of the ocean, arching its back in a body-shaking attempt to displace your hook, it will pump the adrenalin of even the most hard-nosed angler. Australian salmon are most frequent off the southern coasts of Australia, and also located in New Zealand waters. Despite their name, these fish are not related to the salmon of the Northern Hemisphere.
When Is The Best Time To Catch The Fish?
The months of May through to November are the best off of Victorian beaches, but may be caught every day of the year in bays, estuaries and from the piers. In Western Australia, February to April are the most excellent times, especially in southern parts. The best stage of day to catch salmon is either around dawn or dusk, as this is what time the fish are most actively feeding.
Where Salmon Can Be Caught
Lorne and Frankston piers will usually produce good numbers after there's been strong onshore winds. Albany in WA can also yield really big specimens at times. At the beach search for some good gutters with deep water and some wash/whitewater over it. From the rocks search for areas with some wave action and whitewater coupled with deeper water. Fishing from the rocks can be precarious, so always be cautious.
The Best Equipment To Use
Great salmon fishing rods are 12' with a 600 or 650 alvey side reel, particularly for beach or rock fishing, with a 15lb main line and a 15kg lead will work well. Fishing for salmon is similar to fishing for tailor, and you can even end up hooking a decent jewfish, gummy shark or even yellowtail kingfish while targeting salmon, so the extra weight on your rig will be worth it just in case.
Light tackle spin gear is also great for catching salmon. You can use a 3kg outfit rigged with a small chrome slice, soft plastic or bibbed minnow lure. Trolling with white or pink coloured skirted jigs at six to eight knots is trendy. At the beach, make use of a fixed paternoster rig with a pyramid-style sinker at the bottom. This will help to make longer casts, and will hold really well if there's a current.
You can use a berley trail with an unweighted bait if you're fishing off a pier or in a boat. Depending on your location, you should ask your community fishing tackle store about the number of wraps you ought to have. A 6 or a 7 wrap is by and large very good, light enough to have a good feel, yet heavy enough to have a bit of grunt about it and get stuck into the fish with. Not only do they make for good salmon fishing rods, it will also work well to catch tailor, trevally, bream and flathead.
The Best Bait For Salmon
Salmon's favoured bait is pilchard, whitebait and squid. Live bait like Tommy Rough works really well, especially from the rocks and under a balloon on your line. Salmon will go for most fishing lures, however I think that medium-sized raiders are best. Depending on what they're chasing, you may want to stick to smaller lures though, as larger ones can be disregarded if the salmon are going after smaller baitfish.
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