Greg James
Fishing Reports and Hotspots

 


Reports:





FISHING SNAPSHOT FROM THE WEEK:

  1. METRO: Scattered KG whiting & blueys from West Bch, Semaphore, Outer Harbour., salmon from Seaford, Nth Haven, St Kilda., tommies from Glenelg, Pt Noarlunga, Brighton & Semaphore jetties.
  2. FLEURIEU/RIVERLAND/FRESHWATER: 1 kilo salmon & smaller mullet from Goolwa river mouth & Hindmarsh Is., KG whiting & snapper from Victor H, & Cape Jervis., Murray Cod & redfin from Renmark, Barmera, Swan Reach & Myponga res.
  3. YORKE PEN: Tommies, salmon & blueys from Pt Vincent, Wallaroo & Edithburgh wharf/jetties., Blue crabs & KG whiting from Wallaroo, Balgowan & Pt Hughes.
  4. SOUTH EAST/COORONG: Tuna, snapper & KG whiting from Pt MacDonnell, Beachport & Kingston., salmon & mullet from Salt Creek & 32 Mile Crossing.
  5. SPENCER GULF/WEST COAST: KG whiting & blue crabs from Pt Pirie, Cowled's Landing, Waterloo & Streaky Bays., flathead, tommies & blueys from Whyalla, Coffin & Streaky Bay jetties.
  6. KANGAROO ISLAND: KG whiting, flathead & tommies from Kingscote, Penneshaw & American River.
  7. SA RESERVOIR FISHING: Here's the link: www.sawater.com.au/reservoir-reserves/activities/fishing.
  8. SA FISH SIZE & BAG LIMITS: www.pir.sa.gov.au/recreational_fishing/rules/species_limits.
NEW RECFISHING RESTRICTIONS FROM MAY 1, 2026: 1. NO SQUID FROM BOTH GULFS 2. NO GARFISH FROM GULF ST VINCENT 3. NO KG WHITING OFF SOUTHERN YORKE PENINSULA 4. NO SNAPPER UNTIL JUNE 2027 OTHER THAN SOUTH EAST ZONE. Here's the link: www. pir.sa.gov.au/fishing-and-aquaculture/recreational-fishing/rules/fishing-limits-quick-lookup

MAY 4-20, 2026

METRO WATERS: Boat crews picked up KG whiting to 38cm off Glenelg, Grange, West Bch, Semaphore, Nth Haven & St Kilda in recent days, plus a few blue crabs as they moved locations every 30mins or so. Min berley & fresh cockles worked as their bait of choice! Tommy ruffs are the go-to species for jetty-based fishers, esp after dusk at Pt Noarlunga, Brighton, Glenelg, Grange & Semaphore. 1 kilo salmon are off several boat ramp break-walls inc O'Sullivan's Bch, West Bch, Nth Haven, Outer Harbour & St Kilda. Bream, mullet & salmon trout are in the late afternoon waters at the Port River, West Lakes & The Pat with mulloway reports scarce after the recent run in the Onkaparinga river & West Lakes. Blueys & small KG whiting are also up at Lower Light & Dublin beaches eg Port Gawler, Middle Bch & Thompson's (across from Mallala). Yellowfin whiting runs appear to be just about over, but you might pick up the odd fish whan casting the high-tide shallows at Nth Haven, St Kilda & West Bch to Tennyson. PS Don't believe all the BS from the Saucepan Hat brigade on the social media pages as they bang on & plurry on about squid & snapper numbers - they dont know shit from shoe leather! Stay frosty & thx for your continued support....

FLEURIEU/RIVERLAND/RESERVOIR: Generally light north to north easterly offshore winds increased as last week progressed, making for great surfing, fishing and beach combing weather until the storms hit in on Saturday. Despite the rain of about a month ago, it is still pretty dry and our reservoirs are nowhere near capacity. Speaking of reservoirs, it is well worth a trip to fish Myponga reservoir as it is holding Murray Cod (catch and release) and redfin perch. Low rainfall and low storage levels of upstream and interstate water levels within the Murray Darling river system is seeing water flows into SA decrease at the moment. Anglers in the know are observing subtle but definite changes to their fishing activities as they try for Murray Cod (catch and release), redfin perch, callop and even a few yabbies at times. In recent weeks, larger amounts of water have arrived around the lower lakes, enabling the barrages at Ewe Island, Goolwa and Tauwitchere to open and release fresher water into the Coorong (source: www.waterconnect.sa.gov.au). Soapie mulloway and nice mullet are in parts of these waters making the most of the improved water quality. Coorong fishing remains steady with mullet, 1 kilo salmon and mulloway along the coast from the Goolwa river mouth to Salt Creek and The Granites. Local jetties and wharves have tommy ruffs, snook and salmon trout, with a few black bream and mullet for the shore-based anglers. Boat crews are launching from Victor Harbor for snapper, KG whiting, red nannygai and 15 kilo tuna when conditions permit. Surf casters from Middleton to Newland Heads to Waitpinga and Parson's are reporting mixed bags of mullet, snook, flathead and salmon to 2 kilos. A ban on squid (Southern Calamari) and Southern garfish in Gulf St Vincent came into effect on May 1, 2026 with similar closures on Kangaroo Island and Spencer Gulf also in play. A few KG whiting, red mullet, snook and tommy ruffs can be found from Lady Bay, Normanville, Carrackalinga and Cape Jervis. The Rapid Bay jetty holds tommy ruffs and mullet are off Morgan's beach and Port Noarlunga.

SOUTH EAST/COORONG: Some fat brown-eyed mullet, salmon to 1 kilo & soapie mulloway are off the 28 Mile Crossing, Salt Creek, The Granites & Canunda. Kingfish, snapper, snook & whiting are off the Kingston grounds with early Winter garfish at Boatswain's Point, Robe, Little Dip, Poorman's & Carpenter Rocks. Further south snapper are around the 4 kilo mark from Carpenter Rocks, Pt MacDonnell & then Cape Northumberland/Nene Valley. Big tuna to 48 kilos are out from Pt Mac & South End. The Little Dip Salmon Hole & Beachport Surfer's bch have salmon, mullet & flathead but there are some big swells about so watch the conditions to ensure personal safety. Sweep & rat kingies can be caught from Robe, South End, Beachport & Cape Northumberland. Pse observe the rules covering snapper fishing in SA.

YORKE PENINSULA: Wallaroo Jetty upgrade latest - Stage one of the remediation program was completed in April 2026, which included the big task of repairing or replacing jetty pylons with bents. A bent is usually a transverse frame that absorbs weight and movement and transfers this to the jetty foundations. Bents from Stage One are numbered 0-50. Bents for Stage Two are 51-84. In my opinion, the completed repairs are an absolute credit to the people charged with carrying out the work. Wallaroo: Jetty-based fishers enjoyed a relatively calm week catching tommy ruffs (Australian herring) after dusk and then the strong winds cracked in on Friday. Boat crews reported a few King George whiting, blue crabs and snook. Salmon trout are off the rocks at Point Riley and Myponie Point. Moonta Bay/Port Hughes: Shore-based fishers got stuck into a few mullet and salmon trout from several local beaches last week while the planks at the jetties yielded an occasional blue crab and tommy ruff. Boat crews fished for whiting, garfish and blue crabs - pse remembers the ban on squid from May 1. Point Turton: Here's the link for the map of the no-take zone for spawning KG whiting from Point Turton all the way around The Leg to Edithburgh: pir.sa.gov.au/fishing-and-aquaculture/recreational-fishing/rules/species-limits/species-profile/king_george_whiting. Shore and jetty-based fishing has mullet, salmon trout and tommy ruffs. Marion/Stenhouse Bays: Boat crews enjoyed offshore north to north easterly winds for much of the past week as they ran out for kingfish, tuna, red nannygai and flathead. Shore-based fishing has mullet and salmon to 1 kilo from Berry Bay and Gym beach. The jetties have ruffas at night. Edithburgh: Tapley Shoals north and the Orontes bank have KG whiting well away from the no-take spawning zone, along with baby leather jackets and snapper (which remain on the no-take list). Mullet and salmon trout are in Sultana Passage and off Klein's Point. The jetty has a few tommies and even a blue crab. Ardrossan/Pine Point: Boat crews had an on-again/off-again week as they launched for snook and a few blueys one day and then zero the next. Rakers are still chasing blue crabs and mullet are in the high tide shallows at local beaches from Pine Point to Port Clinton.

SPENCER GULF/WEST COAST: Shore-based fishing action is well & truly on! Salmon from trouts to 1 kilo are along the coastline from Fitzgerald Bay south all the way to Louth Bay & Pt Lincoln. Larger salmon to 4 kilos are off Longnose Point, then north past the Elliston surf beaches (Sheringa, Talia, Convention, Lock Well etc etc) & then Nadia Landing, Point Brown, Claire Bay, Point Sinclair & Fowler's Bay to Yalata. Mulloway are also off the Dog Fence beach & the Fowler's Bay Ledge. KG whiting are off Whyalla, Pt Pirie, Pt Augusta, Cowell, Tumby, Venus, Coffin & Streaky Bays, with some nice fish also in Proper Bay & Sleaford (Pt Lincoln). Quite a few anglers are catching flathead as they chase salmon from the shore & whiting in their boats. The Dashwood channel at Streaky & the Murat Bay islands in particular are producing some big flatties. Offshore crews at Waldegrave, Olive & Williams Islands are catching tuna to 12 kilos, red nannygai & kingfish, but it is big boat water & care is needed - safety first! I am happy to stand corrected, but I think its OK to target garfish on the West Coast?? If legal, then there are nice gar in Venus, Waterloo, Baird & Coffin Bays atm.

MAY SEAFOOD RECIPE: Prawn Cocktail Bruschetta. Ingredients: 8-10 cooked prawns (shelled), 1 baguette, 2-3 marinated artichokes, 1 crushed garlic clove, caper berries, mayonnaise, seasoning, olive oil, chives. Preparation: blitz artichokes, caper berries with mayo in food processor. Toast sliced baguette thinly spread with garlic & oil. Spread mixture over baguette slices & add 1 prawn. Sprinkle with chopped chives.

KANGAROO IS: TIGHT LINES!