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FISHING SNAPSHOT FROM THE WEEK:
BOAT & 4WD SHOW NEWS!! Greg is back! Oct 23-25 Club Marine Boat Show (plus 4WD) at the revamped Fishing Stage. Come say hello to the Crusty Old Mate! Boat Buying tips, Filleting & freezing gar, KG whiting rigs, Al McGlashan, Owen Douglas (grandson of the famous Malcolm) & much more! SEE YOU THERE.
WEEK 1 - OCT SCHOOL HOLIDAYS, 2026
METRO WATERS: Small but healthy male blue crabs, squid, the odd garfish & puffer fish have been sighted (filmed I say, not caught) at night on the flats of several tidal beaches north of Adelaide - positive news & hopefully they survive any Algal Bloom remnants. Yellowfin whiting & flathead are off the sand at several Metro beaches inc. Tennyson, Hallett Cove, Marino Rocks, West Bch breakwater & St Kilda channel - not in any great numbers, but they are here at least. Light gear is essential to catching y/f whiting in my opinion & you might also pick up a flathead or two! KG whiting reports are for generally small pods of fish around Seacliff, Brighton, Glenelg, West Bch, Semaphore & St Kilda, but they are finicky on the bite, so try using minimum berley, small pieces of bait & a moving trace. Snook is the other main species, along with the odd, frisky small blue crab (if unsure of the health of the bluey, suggest do not eat it). With diesel past $3 per litre in regional areas, it won't be long before it hits that price in Adelaide. Unleaded is a close second, so if you are delaying boat trips because of the cost, you can always recycle your petrol in the lawnmower to prevent stale fuel in your boat. Jetty-based fishers are still catching tommies & salmon from Pt Noarlunga, Brighton, Glenelg & Semaphore, but with the warmer weather now here, these catches are usually after dark or early mornings. As mentioned above, shore-based anglers are picking up y/f whiting at several local beaches, then the odd flathead around the West Bch & Nth Haven break waters & mulloway in The Pat & Port River.
FLEURIEU/RIVERLAND/RESERVOIR: Fishers of all persuasions enjoyed good conditions until the strong winds cracked in on Saturday, pretty much ruling out all and any on-water boating activities. The start of the school holidays saw some diesel fuel prices closing in on $3 per litre with unleaded a close second. Not only does this increase the cost of vehicle running, but filling a boat with petrol for the round trip comes close to $100 (one hundred dollars)! Ouch. Nonetheless, out from Victor Harbor there are pannie snapper, KG whiting and snook off the broken grounds at Broady's Patch and west of Granite Island, with even small tuna reported last week from Tunk Head. Shore-based fishers are picking up a mix of soapie mulloway, salmon trout and mullet from Goolwa, the Mundoo channel and Hindmarsh Island. Upstream anglers are catching a few callop from Lock 4 near Renmark, while the Upper Coorong reports are for salmon to 1 kilo and mullet from the 28 Mile Crossing and The Granites. Try the Myponga reservoir for redfin perch Over at Morgan's beach there are a few mullet and tommy ruffs, with ruffs also at Rapid Bay jetty and Deep beach. I had an unconfirmed report of squid and small garfish filmed at night from the flats off Lady Bay (not fished, but filmed), so hopefully that is a good sign after the dreadful Algal Bloom. A few boat crews picked up KG whiting from Backstairs Passage, Normanville and Lady Bay before the strong weekend winds arrived.
SOUTH EAST/COORONG: The rock lobster season is kicking off & there are new Life Jacket (PDF) rules that strictly apply to ALL people in a boat that is pulling Craypots or Traps. So make sure your gear is legal, properly registered (ie PIRSA permit) & safe. Catches of KG whiting, gar & small but legal snapper came from Cape Northumberland, Nene Valley, Port Mac & Carpenter Rocks in recent days, esp before the strong winds cracked in. Big boats are having to time their run out for tuna, snapper, kingies & even some nice red nannys from Port Mac, Beachport & Kingston. KG whiting & gar can also be caught from Kingston, Robe & Little Dip/Nora Creina Bay. Shore-based fishing is good atm, with salmon, mullet, mulloway & flathead coming from Picanninie Ponds, Carpenter Rocks, Canunda, Beachport Surfer Bch, Little Dip Salmon Hole & The Granites. Salt Creek & the 42 Mile Crossing do have a few nice salmon, but there has been a lot of weed in the surf. Jetty-based fishing isn't what it used to be, but locals have picked up tommy ruffs, night-time snapper, salmon trout, odd gar, whiting & snook when opportunity came to fish the planks!
YORKE PENINSULA: Wallaroo: Everything in moderation was the report from last week as boat crews caught KG whiting, blue crabs and garfish. Gar and salmon trout are off Point Riley and the southern side of Bird Reef. The strong winds cracked in on Saturday, keeping jetty-based fishers quiet. Port Hughes/Moonta Bay: Before the return to rough seas late in the week we saw KG whiting, gar, blueys and snook from Cape Elizabeth, Steamer channel and West Light. The jetties have small blue crabs and snook after dusk. Point Turton: Good news arrived here during the week when two or three stingrays returned to the shallows out front of the foreshore. Once a regular event before the Algal Bloom, the rays have not been seen for over 12 months. KG whiting can be caught up at The Banks with a good tide and plenty of berley. The odd salmon trout is off the jetty. Marion/Stenhouse Bays: Strong north easterly winds followed by strong south westerlies kept many boats in their sheds with only a brave few venturing out for red nannygai, strongies and the odd kingfish. KG whiting are across several inshore grounds and the jetties have tommy ruffs. Berry Bay again has salmon trout and mullet. Edithburgh/Stansbury/Port Vincent: Stansbury and Port Vincent jetties have enjoyed an increase in foot traffic since the closure of Edithburgh jetty as anglers chased a few blue crabs. Boat crews reported snook and KG whiting from the Orontes Bank and Tapley Shoals north. Ardrossan: Try the jetty for overnight mulloway, salmon trout and blue crabs. A couple of boat crews braved the weekend winds as they fished close to the blue-line for blueys and flathead.
SPENCER GULF/WEST COAST: Some nice garfish have been caught in the calm waters of Baird Bay, Smoky Bay & Ceduna in the past week. Salmon trout are off the steep drop at Point Brown & Back Bch at Streaky. Boat crews are catching KG whiting from the islands off Murat Bay, Streaky, Waterloo & Coffin Bays, with even bigger fish inside the cliffs at Elliston. Salmon to 2 kilos continue their run at Sheringa, Talia & Convention beaches with slightly small salmon at Sleaford, Longnose Point & Lincoln Park beaches. Inside Spencer Gulf there are whiting & gar from Port Neill, Tumby Bay, Arno Bay & Cowell through to Whyalla & Port Pirie. Blue crabs are thin but they are in northern gulf waters from Pirie, Miranda, Fitzgerald Bay & Whyalla to Cowled's Landing. The revamped Whyalla boat-ramp looked great when I checked it a couple of weeks back - WELL DONE TO ALL CONCERNED!!
OCTOBER SEAFOOD RECIPE: PAN-FRIED CRUMBED GARFISH. Ingredients: gar fillets, half-cup plain flour, 1 egg & milk, 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, olive oil, seasoning, lemon juice. Preparation: Coat fish in flour/egg mix, then breadcrumbs allowing 5 mins for crumbs to set. Fry gar in a hot pan with oil 2 mins each side. Drain fish & serve with lemon wedges. She-la nepo nang-go! Tibetan for Bon Appetit!
KANGAROO IS: $3++ for a litre of diesel & the prices keep rising ffs! Jetty-based fishing at Kingscote has tommy ruffs, salmon trout & the occasional mullet, while boat crews are reporting KG whiting, flathead & salmon in the waters off Kingscote, Nepean Bay, Vivonne Bay, Penneshaw & American River. KG whiting & snook are also along parts of KI northern coastline, with Emu Bay, Smith's Bch & Snelling Bch all holding fish at times. Most tuna & kingfish reports that are coming from the Sanders Bank & The Pages have been intermittent & should only be attempted when conditions are suitable - it's a plurry long way from home if your gear fails or the engine shits itself. STAY FROSTY & TIGHT LINES!
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