Get the Knowledge - Get the Fish - with TasFish.com        

Coastal Catches 5/4/2012

Easter has arrived again and the weather is looking reasonable for the break. There is a little bit of rain forecast but there should be no reason to not go fishing.
We have been hearing stories of big Atlantic Salmon being caught in Macquarie Harbour so there mush of been an escape recently. If you are heading down the west it would certainly be worth a try. Bibbed lures in bright colours, soft plastics and bait are the most effective way if you want to target them with a rod.
Australian Salmon are around the Burnie and Somerset area at the moment. If you have a boat and are targeting them you stand a chance of a Yellowtail Kingfish. There have been a few caught over the past week and we also had a report of a boat seeing a school of Salmon with much bigger “dark shapes” swimming underneath. These are likely to be kingfish as they often swim underneath salmon. The trick is to get your lure down to where they are without a salmon getting it first.
If you are in the Devonport area there have been a few Snotty Trevally caught in the Mersey. Try the platform on the eastern side near the Argosy Hotel. There have also been a few caught at the Stanley Wharf recently. Chicken seems to be the preferred bait.
Port Sorell is always a popular spot at Easter and it is well worth looking for Sand Whiting out there. What they lack in size is well compensated by their eating qualities. Small Sabiki rigs with a small piece of squid on the hook are a good way to target them.
Easter is a good time to target Gummy Shark as the moon is full and the sharks tend to come in a bit closer.
There are quite a few heading to the East Coast for Easter and St. Helens seems to be the number one destination. There are still plenty of Stripy Tuna being caught so there is always a chance of a Marlin or a Yellowfin. There are still Albacore being caught. The bay is fishing exceptionally well with Garfish, Australian Salmon, Bream, Silver Trevally and flathead being the main catch. King George Whiting and Kingfish are another possibility.
If you are heading to the lakes the fishing has picked up as the water cools. There have been a number of Brown and Rainbow trout caught in the Great Lake however the condition of the fish has not been great. Bronte lagoon and the Bradys Chain have fished reasonably well with better conditioned fish being caught.