Chasing Aussie Salmon

One of the most common of the sport fish here in Australia, is the good old Aussie Salmon & when they come within reach of anglers casting from the shore on the southern coastline, mayhem begins. Every angler within ear shot is out to get a piece of the action & it’s not hard to see why fisho’s go to extremes to catch these fish.

The Aussie Salmon is a powerful fish, they run hard & fast and are quite acrobatic, displaying plenty of aerials, strong head shakes and put up a great fight.

The Aussie Salmon averages out around the 40 – 75 cm mark & can weigh up to 5 kilos. The whole southern coast of Australia gets the run and in some areas, they are bigger and in greater numbers.

Our expansive coastline is one of the most fun & sporting places to target this prolific species. Many anglers use a simple method of 3 ganged hooks ranging from a 3/0 to a 6/0, depending on the size of the bait & the size of the fish you are targeting.

I like to have a star sinker, about 300mm (12 inches) up from the hooks & use salted Pilchards, the size of these would normally determine the size of the ganged hooks used. Look for nice gutters, this is where the Salmon will sit, waiting for bait fish to cruise through. Normally when I fish this method, I have the rod in the rod holder with the drag set. Make no mistake, when Salmon strike, you will surely know about it.

A decent size rod would be a 12 to 16 foot surf rod, I use a Shimano Socorro 10000 Saltwater Spinning reel, loaded with 30lb power pro braided line, however I prefer 30lb mono as it is less expensive & reduces wind lash. You could of course go a bit smaller & lighter with your gear to have more fun with them.

I find I have the most luck in the winter around June/July on the New South Wales coast, but Salmon can be caught all year round, with peak season being from January to April. Last year a mate & I caught almost 80 Salmon in two days!

For the more experienced angler, sight casting with lures or soft plastics can be a lot of fun too. Look for silver flashes or large shadows, which is more than likely Salmon schooling.

Don’t forget to have lots of fun & remember to look after our waterways!

Be sure to check your State’s legal size & bag limits.

For more info, go to the following link: http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/recreational/fishing-rules-and-regs/saltwater-bag-and-size-limits

Good luck & tight lines.

Written by Shannon Hedgecoe