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how to spin for salmon in the surf
Basic tips for spinning for Australian Salmon from the beach.
Spinning for Australian Salmon from the surf during the winter months is an exciting way to cross paths with some outstanding fighting fish. The cooler months see an influx of Australian Salmon along the beaches all in search of an easy feed. Casting metal lures and at times soft plastics is a sporting way to beach a few Australian Salmon. The Bellarine Peninsular though to the Surf Coast holds plenty of top locations and this article will help outline peak times, appropriate tackle and locations to target Salmon from the beach casting lures.
The attraction in casting lures for salmon off the beach is to enhance the sporting ability of salmon along with the ease of only carrying one light weight rod and a limited selection of lures.
Starting off the tackle selection. Your rod needs to be able to handle cast weights from 30grams to 50grams and have a length of 8ft to 9ft along with matching PE0.8 to 1.2 braid ( 10 to 15lb braid ). Popular model of rods include Lox Egi 8324 , Crucis Tempesta Egi 832M, Penn Regiment Black Opps II 922H, Atomic Arrow Shore Spin & Samurai Ledge. The Egi rods have a great taper for 30gram lures which is super popular weight choice and from there the others have increased length along with a wider cast weight range.
Reel choice is simple if you want a light weight set up and going with a Egi rod then Penn Battle III 3000 would be a great choice this reel offers protection from the salt and sand in a well-balanced reel. For the slightly longer rods a Penn Battle III 4000 will make for a better match up.
Line choice is incredibly important. Lighter set ups would suit a PE0.8 to PE1 with about 200meters and marginally heavier set ups PE 1 to PE 1.2 again with about 200meters will get the job done. Pick a quality braid like Toray X4 or Tasline and have it spooled instore and you will find line management not an issue. Leader should be attached via a uni knott or FG and be fluorocarbon 12lb to 16lb.
Lure selection is key. For most beaches locally 30gram to 40gram lure represents the perfect sized bait fish. Having picked a well-balanced outfit, casting these weights is super easy. Of a windy large swell day jumping up to 50gram might help punch though wild weather. Colour of lure is simple anything that looks like a pilchard or whitebait. A bright pink pattern at times can be worth a go to mix things up. Top lures include: Nomad Ridge Back, Sasame SL Shore light, Hayabusa Jack Eye and Halco Twisty. Of note attaching your lure to leader use a Owner snap in size 1 or 2. Single lure hooks attached to above mentioned lures are super popular as they have great hook up rates on fish and make for easy release of fish.
Accessories to add to your kit. Quality braid scissors, pliers for removing hooks, measuring tape, back pack, sunglasses.
Calling instore we always have time to make sure we assist you in selecting the correct tackle for your fishing situation and can help you with knott tying, spooling and rigging.
Now having your tackle sorted its time to hit the beach! Close to home Ocean Grove at RAFFs beach is an easy pick. This beach fishes best at low tide running in and is only a short walk from the car park. The only catch is the salmon are often of a small size.
13th Beach see’s the size of Salmon increase and like most of the beach’s mentioned a north wind is very favourable.
Next down the road to Bancoora a favourite of mine. This beach has slightly deeper water and reading the beach for fish holding gutters is easier. The run in tide is most productive and the average size of salmon during the winter is around the 1kg mark. This beach is only about 30 minutes from Geelong so it makes for a easy morning or arvo session.
Venturing further west sees the salmon jump up in average size and numbers with notable beaches including Jan Juc, Fairhaven & Wild dog. Please remember to keep safe when fishing the beach.
Of note most beaches will fish well on the run in tide with low swell and a north wind is ideal. Try to avoid a Southerly wind and this will reduce your casting distance. The biggest benefit of only have one rod and casting lures is you can be very mobile covering ground to track down the salmon. If I had to pick the optimal time to cast a lure off the beach for salmon it would be of a run in tide on sunset with a light north wind.
Casting lures for Australian Salmon off the beach is a fast paced form of fishing during the winter months. Don’t underate the sporting ability on light tackle of Australian Salmon!!
how to catch silver trevally on soft plastics
Silver trevally are with out question one of the hardest fighting fish on the Bellarine Peninsula with there never give up attitude and their accessibility to anglers resulting in them being a highly sought after sports fish.
Tackle selection
Starting with the tackle needed to tame Silver trevally on soft plastics. Reel choice is simple a 2000-2500 sized spin reel will get the job done popular models are Abu Garcia Roxani 2000 and for a more entry level choice the Abu Max X 20. Line choice is super important a quality braided line is needed PE 0.8 or 6-10lb breaking strain is ideal. Atomic Linez PE 0.8 is a standout pick when it comes to line choice. Leader as per most soft plastic fishing is a fluorocarbon in 8lb or 10lb breaking strain connected to your braid via a double uni knott or even better an FG knott.
Pair your reel up to a graphite 7ft 1-3kg /2-4kg rod like a Crucis Elite 7023UL and you are in business. A graphite rod is essential as this gives you the control needed to present the lure correctly.
Now to the lure choice. Top soft plastics include Atomic 2” grub, Munroes 2.75” paddle tail, Berkley power bait nemesis 3” and Gulp 4” sandworms & turtleback worms. Silver Trevally have a liking to motor oil and pumpkinseed colours but at times are not too fussy. Picking the correct jig head will help ensure your presentation is spot on. Common jig head choice includes hook size #1 for your 2.5” to 4” plastics and a hook size #2 for your smaller grub styles. Jig head weight depends on your location but 1/16oz to 1/8oz is common for the Bellarine Peninsula. My favourite jig heads are the Gamakastu round 25 as they are super sharp, strong and fine gauge.
Now when your rigged and ready to hit the water check you tides!! Silver Trevally from my experience prefer a run-in tide. A run-in tide usually has less weed to foul up your presentation and cleaner water. Best time of the year to target Silver Trevally is the winter months with fish up to 60cm on offer.
Locations
Queenscliff Harbour – probably the Bellarine Peninsula's best known location for large silver trevally and an excellent land-based choice. Prime time of the year is the winter months, and a run-in tide is favourable when fishing the main cut (channel). The cut can be fished near where the fairy departs or the boat ramp end. Fishing at night amongst the moored boats is also a deadly tactic on large fish too. If the Queenscliff boat ramp is not too busy then have a cast or two as this location can give up big fish. Boat anglers will find the harbour an awesome location as on the wild windy days the harbour offers protection from the wind and excellent fishing. Using an electric motor to hold location and cast around moored boats will see you boat fish.
Swan Bay channel – The swan bay channel is a boat only location and the nearest boat ramp is located near the Swan Bay Caravan Park. This boat ramp only caters to small vessels due to the shallow water. Just remember fishing is only permitted in the channel as the rest is a marine park. Please make sure you are aware of the marine parks. Again like the Harbour the Swan Bay channel produces the best trevally on the run in tide and making a few moves might be needed until a school of trevally is located. This location also is well know for a mixed bag so expect to find Australian Salmon and Pinkie snapper amongst your catch. Try to avoid fishing this location on a east wind.
Barwon Estuary – Another top spot and probably the favourite as it offers plenty of room for both land and boat anglers. Again the run-in tide is preferred with trevally being taken all the way from the jetty near the mouth to the start of Lake Connewarre. Ocean Grove boat ramp, Barwon Heads boat ramp the bank section known as Sheepwash are the most ideal land based locations. Anglers fishing from the boat will find fish thought the whole estuary, but a top pick would be just down stream from the Barwon Heads boat ramp in three meters of water along with the 500m stretch of water just down stream from the start of Lake Connewarre.
Silver trevally are not just limited to the locations mentioned above with aeras such as Portarlington Pier and St Leonards pier also giving up Silver trevally at times.
Technique
The technique to working your plastic is very important. Silver Trevally will want to see your plastic falling to the bottom slowly and then retrieved with a few bumps and pauses. You need to fish as light as jig head possible to reach the bottom. Try to place your cast near structure or to edges of channels. Silver Trevally are a schooling fish so once located you normally end up running into a few. There take up of the plastic can be very slight, but it won’t be long before you realise one is on the end of your line. Be prepared for a hard fight with the fish giving up a great account for itself all the way to the bank or boat.
With winter fast approaching its time to gear up for Silver Trevally and make the most of this prized sport fish. If you have any more questions call in store and we can help point you in the right direction.
King george whiting on soft plastics
Targeting King George Whiting on soft plastics has really been in the spot light recently and with good cause too. Not only are whiting a great sports fish on light tackle they are also one of the best table fish Port Phillip Bay has to offer.
Tackle selection
To get started you need to look at your tackle that includes everything from your rod and reel to your choice of jig head. Being able to present your soft plastic correctly is key to consistently catching fish.
Starting off at your choice of rod. You will need a light and sensitive rod made of graphite between seven foot to seven foot six inch in length with a rating of 1-3kg or 2-4kg ideal. A few models that come to mind are Abu Garcia Rayrex 702L & Crucis elite 7023UL these rods are very affordable and get the job done with ease plus perfect for other forms of soft plastic fishing.
Reel choice is simple a 2500 sized spinning reel is the way to go. You could consider a 2000 size reel but a 2500 matches to the above-mentioned rods nicely and the larger spool diameter allows for longer casts. In choosing a reel the Abu Garcia Max X 20 or 30 is a great place to start and you can step it up from there depending on your budget. Just keep in mind your looking for a light weight reel.
Line choice is key you need to get this one right. Braided line is a must it is super sensitive, low stretch and has a fine diameter. There are a lot to choose from but pick a 6lb to 10lb braid in a traditional line rating or a PE0.8 rating. Don’t be off put by a PE 0.8 braid with a breaking strain of 15lb as you are looking for the fine diameter. Atomic Linez in PE0.8 is standout along with Berkely X9 8lb. When it comes time to spool your reel make sure it is done correctly. The line needs to be almost to the lip of the spool and put on under some tension. Backing line is almost always needed and, in most cases, you need to fill a 2500 sized reel with about 30% backing.
Moving onto leader choice and a fluorocarbon leader is a must. I have found 6lb ideal, but you could jump up to 8lb if needed. Always join your leader to braid with a double uni knott or even better a FG knott. Leader length of seven foot is all you need.
The most interesting part of chasing whiting on plastics is the jig head as it differs from a standard jig head. Attaching a stinger hook has seen catch rates go though the roof on whiting as they tend to just nip the back section of most plastics. A 1/8oz hook size #1 jig head with a small amount of 10lb braid attached to a Gamakatsu octopus #6 makes the perfect jig head set up.
Choice of plastic is simple worm style plastics work best. Gulp 4” sandworm, Monroes 4” curl tail worm, Gulp 4” turtleback worm and larger Gulp 6” sandworms work extremely well. Colour choice stick to red, pumpkinseed (brown with black fleck) or camo (green / red). Adding gulp scent to the Muroes can at times increase your catch rate too.
Rigging of your plastic to jig head is super important. The plastic needs to be rigged straight and the stinger hook correctly placed towards the back of the plastics. See picture & video at bottom of article for example. Don't stress if the assist cord (braid) seems to long.
Location Guide
After gearing up picking a location to hunt down a few King George Whiting is your next challenge. The Bellarine Peninsular is spoilt for choice when it come to whiting and will provide anglers with year-round options.
Clifton Springs, see’s the most attention and for good reason to, the place is full of whiting. Heading out in a boat or kayak you don’t need to go far straight out the front of the ramp in three to four meters of water is a great place to start. Look for broken ground (weed and sand patches) try to time your trip to line up with a bit of tidal movement and you should start seeing results. Looking to chase some larger whiting then head down towards Leopold on the Curlewis Bank in five to six meters of water this location fishes best from April to June. Heading straight out from the Dell whiting will hold in three meters to seven meters of water. As a rule fishing last light tends to see whiting favour shallow water.
Point Richards and the aera west back towards Clifton Springs is another great location, here fish of an evening are caught in two meters of water and if not in 2 meters of water should be holding in around five meters. Both Clifton Springs and Point Richard offer protection from southerly winds.
Portarlington to Queenscliff holds plenty of whiting but as you move further south in the bay the tidal flow increases making presentation of plastics a lot more challenging.
Corio Bay can offer great fishing too with the entrance to Corio Bay around the aera know as Bird Rock a favourite of mine. The ground around here is perfect in three to five meters of water. The edge of the spoil ground (Stingray Bay) and the Grammar School lagoon are other notable locations.
Landbased locations. The jetty at Clifton Springs boat ramp on the lead up to high tide produces some thumping big fish at times the same can be said for the new Point Richards harbour. St Leonards Pier is always worth a look too and another location is the Queenscliff Boat Harbour on the slack tide among the moored boats. Geelong water front offers a large amount of land based access the trick is to cover ground to find fish at this location.
Technique
Tackle is sorted and you have picked the location now using the correct technique is essential to catch whiting regularly. If fishing out of a boat pay very close attention to your drift, make sure you are only moving two to three kilometres an hour or slower. The use of a drift anchor or an electric motor to slow your drift is ideal. At times I find spot locking and having a few casts then only moving forty or fifty meters very effective in seeking out fish.
When casting your plastic do not close the bail arm until the plastic has hit the bottom then begin your retrieve with a small hop pause and slow wind of the handle. Make sure you slowly retrieve your plastic; most people make the mistake of retrieving quickly. Your plastic needs to be making contact with the bottom, that’s where the whiting are. If you find your getting a lot of hits on your plastic pause and the whiting most often pick it up off the bottom. Whiting on plastics will give you a great fight all the way to the boat and a landing net helps ensure you boat your fish.
To finish up whiting on plastics is well worth the effort they taste fantastic and fight hard. Going to the effort to set up your tackle correctly will see your catch rates sore. Call instore if you need a hand selecting a rod, reel or need spooling and rigging we are happy to help.
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