Coastal Catches 1/2/2013

I had a trip down to St. Helens on the long weekend and the wind that has been blowing from the west followed me down there and blew from the east. We did get a good days fishing out on the shelf on Monday and managed to find a few Gemfish.

 

We went fishing in the bay on Saturday and caught heaps of Australian Salmon until we were sick of catching them. We then used sabiki rigs to catch some Jack Mackerel for bait. I had heard that they were a good fish to smoke so I decided to have a crack and was pleasantly surprised how good they were to eat. If you want a great snack to have with a cold beer I can highly recommend it. Australian Salmon are another good fish to smoke.
There are plenty of Mackerel around the Burnie boat ramp area and Emu bay. Use some burley to bring them into where you are fishing.
There are some good reports of Snapper being caught out off Wynyard. You won’t catch them every time you go but they are there. Try a Black Magic Snapper rig with some squid on each of the hooks.
There are good numbers of arrow squid about at the moment and the heads at Strahan are a hotspot. There are also plenty being caught along the coast. Arrow squid are not very fussy about what they attack and can be quite aggressive. A good tip for preparation is to mix the rings with some Kiwi Fruit pulp and let it marinate for about an hour before cooking. It certainly makes them a lot tenderer.
Australian salmon are also around in good numbers. There was a big school out off Sulphur Creek on the weekend and early this week. They were feeding on baitfish so they were eager to take most lures that were thrown at them. If they are feeding on the surface try a floating popper. Cast it out and wind it back fast along the top of the water. The takes can be quite spectacular. Western Inlet at Stanley and the Arthur River mouth are other locations where Australian Salmon are plentiful.
The wind is still driving everyone mad up in the highlands however there are a few days like Monday where the conditions are spot on and the fishing is good. A couple of customers were fishing in the Nineteen Lagoons area and had a great day fly fishing. There were duns and spinners on the water in near perfect conditions. It goes to show that you need to be in the right place at the right time.

 

Photos:

 

 

 

 

Hilty Bennet with a good sized Stripy Trumpeter that he caught out off Strahan.

Warren McDonald with a nice Snapper that he caught out off Wynyard.

Tassie Tackle and Outdoor.