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THIS WEEK'S FISHING HOTSPOTS:
FOR SALE - SEACRAFT 429 CENTRE CONSOLE & 30hp TOHATSU 4 STROKE. HEAPS OF EXTRAS. Contact Andrew T on Facebook Marketplace.
MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR! DEC 22 - JAN 5, 2025
METRO WATERS: Merry Christmas to all our members & readers! Thx again for your continued support - Much appreciated. In the week or so leading up to Christmas I had two (2) unconfirmed reports of bag limits of KG whiting from O'Sullivan's Bch & St Kilda - with fish up to 47cm. Not at all sure of the edible quality - if you are unsure - then do not eat it - foam again was recorded off Pt Noarlunga beach the week before Christmas & there have been more deaths of marine life (sharks) on Kangaroo Island beaches. Other species caught included tommy ruffs & green macks. Other than that, Metro waters fishing is still very much on the dodgy side (unfortunately). There are a few bream, mullet & overnight mulloway in the Port River, West Lakes, The Pat & slightly upstream at the Onkaparinga river. Very few Yellowfin whiting are off their usual habitats at Tennyson, Seaford, Semaphore & north of St Kilda & the metro jetties have the odd tommy ruff. No blueys to speak of & no squid either. Sorry to bear bad news - maybe get the work boss to give you a couple of days off & check out fishing on the Murray River (Barmera & Lake Bonney are nice), Sugars Bch on Hindmarsh Is., Point Turton on Yorkes., then West Coast or even the waters around Port Pirie/Port Germein & Pt Augusta/Whyalla. I was up northern Spencer Gulf over the weekend & they are catching whiting, kingfish, blue crabs & squid from Pirie to Commissariat Point to Whyalla.
FLEURIEU/RIVERLAND/RESERVOIR: Strong winds from the south and then south-west really made offshore fishing not much more than a pleasant memory over the weekend as the weather made conditions for big boat crews completely impossible to go and wet a line! Migrating tuna from sprats to 15 kilos are now inside Investigator Straight with crews making hook-ups before the bad weather off Cape Jervis and south of Troubridge Light. When boat crews did manage to launch from Victor they caught red nannygai, sweep, blue morwong and trevalley. Mulloway are still in the calmer waters of the Murray River at the Goolwa river mouth, Tauwitchere Point and again after dusk along parts of Hindmarsh Island, as are mullet, carp and salmon trout. The mullet are also down along parts of the Coorong coastline at the 28 Mile Crossing and The Granites. Local waterways have bream and the Myponga reservoir is worth a flick for redfin perch and callop. A few mullet and salmon are in the surf at Waitpinga and Parson's beaches if you are game to face the big swells and often powerful surges. Reports of squid along the western side of The Fleurieu remain diabolical and recent news of returning fish and marine life is overly optimistic in my honest opinion. Southern calamari have an estimated life span of not much more than 12 months and can breed from about 6-12 months, so the reproduction window here is ever so fragile and precious. Most cephalopods die after their breeding cycle finishes. Those small schools of salmon trout at Wirrina and Second Valley from last week seem to have moved on or retreated from the still present algal bloom, with only scattered reports of fish here for the shore and jetty-based fishers. Tuna and red nannys are off Cape Jervis and Rapid Head.
SOUTH EAST/COORONG: Surf-based casters are having to contend with strong onshore winds & some pretty decent swells as they try for 2kg salmon, mulloway & late-season mullet from the hotspots at the 42 Mile Crossing, Salt Creek & Botswain's Point/The Granites. Boggy beach conditions also need to be factored into plans as crews need to keep their vehicles up high on the beach to avoid swamping. Boat crews are catching snapper, KG whiting, flathead, sweep & a few crays (PIRSA rock lobster permits are required) from Margaret Brock reef, Kingston, Robe, Nora Creina Bay, Beachport & Port MacDonnell. Large garfish & big squid are in the protected waters around Robe, Nora Creina Bay, South End, Carpenter Rocks & Nene Valley/Cape Northumberland. Pannie snapper are off the broken grounds along Picanninie Bch with flathead whiting & squid. Early season tuna reports have been slow - but stay tuned & I will report back as the schools migrate across the South East waters. KG whiting are in small numbers but they are whopper fish (up to 44cm) from Carpenter Rocks & Beachport.
YORKE PENINSULA: Latest Rec Fishing News: Spencer Gulf size, bag and boat limits have reverted back to pre-algal bloom rulings. Here's the link: www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-21/fishing-restrictions-eased-amid-algal-bloom-improvement/ Port Broughton: Onshore southerlies were already up and over 15 knots when I called in here on Saturday morning. Offshore there are plenty of trumpeters, a few blue crabs, squid and garfish if you go early. The jetty has the odd bluey and tommy ruff - also early. Unfortunately there have been reports of the algal bloom over at Whyalla and I saw some evidence of this at Commissariat Point when checking out a small tinny on the weekend. Wallaroo: There is a big grain ship at the jetty and as access is intermittent fishers caught small blueys, small tommies and the odd squid when permitted. Boat crews who launch before daylight are returning with garfish and tommies. Moonta Bay/Port Hughes: A YPCT reader contacted me and sent pics he took of a Blue Marlin swimming next to the Moonta Bay jetty last Wednesday! Before the big unit showed up the fisher managed to catch a few blue crabs and garfish. Boat crews are still catching KG whiting, garfish and blueys from inside the Bay when the southerlies are cracking in and from West Light at daylight. Point Turton: Holiday makers who started to arrive early for the Christmas and New Year break were greeted by strong southerly winds over the weekend, but boat crews managed a run along the coast to Pine Point for garfish and sprat tommies. Gar and small squid are off Point Souttar while the jetty has squid after dusk. Marion/Stenhouse Bays: Local shore-based fishers are chasing mullet, salmon trout and even the odd dusky flathead from Corny Point and Daly Head beaches. Boat crews had to battle onshore winds and weed at the boat ramp as they launched for red nannygai, early season tuna, big flathead and kingfish. The jetties are worth a try for garfish and tommy ruffs. Edithburgh/Stansbury: There is not a lot to report but boat crews fishing south of here reported snapper (which they had to throw back), blue morwong and some snook off Troubridge Light and Marion Reef. There are also small schools of salmon trout around the tidal shallows at Troubridge Island.
KANGAROO ISLAND Try those offshore bommies & low-lying (shallow) reefs at Hog Bay for red nannys, whiting & flathead., Whiting, gar, squid, snook & tommy ruffs are off many north coast fishing locations - Emu Bay, Smith's Bch, Snelling's, Stokes Bay, Western River Cove & Red Banks are producing nice fish! Nepean Bay has whiting, gar & squid at times while Antechamber Bay has whiting, gar & squid for the boat crews & soapie mulloway from the shore. The north coast beaches & rocky points have salmon, flathead, whiting & squid. Local jetties have a mix of tommy ruffs, squid, salmon trout & flathead.
CHRISTMAS APPETISER RECIPE: SMOKED SALMON & HORSERADISH CANAPE. Ingredients: Polish black bread, smoked salmon pieces, horseradish sauce/cream, coriander, wasabe paste. Preparation: Toast the bread & add a spread of horseradish cream mixed with wasabi paste. Top with delicious pieces of smoked salmon & the chopped coriander. Serve with a glass of iced Wodka (Vodka darlings). Smacznego! Polish for Bon Appetit!
SPENCER GULF/WEST COAST: Anglers fishing Waterloo Bay (Elliston) in the last week & found big squid, garfish & tommy ruffs, with salmon trout coming from the beach north of the jetty & below the old inn ruins on the northern shore. West Coast surf beaches around Elliston are all fishing well for 2 kg salmon - Sheringa, Talia, Convention, with the Elliston jetty producing tommies & squid/garfish. Pt Lincoln boat crews are heading out to Thistle Is when the weather is clear for KG whiting to 39cm, with the whiting also off Pt Neill, Louth Bay & Tumby. Yellowfin whiting catches are improving with fish at Pt Neill, Cowell, Germein Point, Cowled's Landing & Murninnie Point. Black Point off Whyalla has salmon trout & there are hungry kingies at Point Lowly, Leeton Tug & Pt Augusta (the wall). Blue crabs & garfish are at Miranda, Weeroona Bay, Port Pirie & Port Davis. KG whiting, squid & garfish are in the sheltered waters of Proper Bay, Coffin, Venus & Streaky Bays, with mulloway, flathead & 3 kilo salmon coming from Fowler's Bay, Yalata & Claire Bay. Ceduna & Streaky Bay jetties have blueys & garfish. TIGHT LINES!
FROM JAN 10 2026 - CATCH GREG ON YOUR ABC RADIO On ABC891 every Thursday evening after 8.30pm with the wonderful Spence Denny. Then on ABC639 every Saturday morning after 6.30am with the splendid Chook Harslett!
"SA ALGAL BLOOM NO MORE - A 6-POINT PLAN TO FULL RECOVERY" - A simple exercise in confidence & competence.
1. Immediately establish mobile water filtration units at the barrages on the Murray River (to remove harmful phosphates) & cease releasing Desal Plant solids into the Gulfs
2. Immediately establish a targeted & on-going Algal Bloom foam clean up operation at all coastal locations
3. Create a fully supported Academic Chair of Algal Bloom Mitigation & Prevention position (UniHub concept) at a Regional Centre on the SA coast
4. Form Strategic Regional Advisory Groups (3 year paid positions) to provide clear & unequivocal Algal Bloom Mitigation & Prevention advice
5. Re-vision with intent to re-structure the entire State Govt & Private Fisheries sectors
6. Fund & support only Applied Marine Science research that provides a practical solution to an identified problem/threat
- STATEWIDE GPS MARKS FOR SALE - CLICK BELOW!
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Greg James' Fishing Pathfinder 4th edition
GET BOOK HERE NOW!
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Stories of men and women from WW2