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Apollo Bay and
surrounds
21 April 2008
With Daniel Kent
Sorry for the gap in reports again, I know everyone is keen to find out whether the salmon are in or not. The reason for no reports was due to the fact that I was in Darwin trying to catch some monster barra, and I am happy to say I did just that.
Fishing with my good mate Phil, we dedicated our 10 days fishing to the sole purpose of landing a barra over the 1m mark. What we achieved blew us both away. Both Phil and myself landed 7 barra each that measured in over 1m, with a giant of 1.30m capping off a great few days in the top end. All of our fish were released unharmed and it was great to see other people doing the same thing. Barra fishing in the NT looks like its in good hands for the future.
A fish of a lifetime? Barra don't come much bigger than this 130cm beast.
On the local front, everyone is talking about the salmon. Well I'm glad to report that they have arrived and in the big numbers as expected. Large schools of fish are holding up just behind the waves at Wild Dog Beach and both the land-based fishos and the boaties are catching plenty. I put the tinny out for a run and landed well over 20 fish in an hour. Most of the fish were small, around 600g, but the odd bigger fish was also taken. I have heard of a monster being landed off Marengo but have not yet spoken to the bloke who caught it. I'm not sure of the weight but from the reports going around it must have given 10lb a nudge!
OFFSHORE
Reports of blue sharks are still coming in but the makos have disappeared. Fish out in 70m off Cape Patton and use plenty of berley to bring the blues around.
INSHORE
The salmon are in at Wild Dog Beach. Troll metal lures just behind the waves to locate the fish. Once the school has been located, drift and cast just about any lure or fly you like and the salmon will attack it without hesitation.
WILD DOG BEACH
Flat seas this week have seen the salmon right in against the beach. Beach fishos have taken plenty on baits such as bluebait and squid, but casting lures is proving more popular. When casting lures it is much easier to follow the school up and down the beach catching a fish nearly every cast.
Graeme Noye with a salmon caught casting from a boat at Wild Dog Beach.
MOUNTS BAY
If the crowds are putting you off at Wild Dog then give the beach at Marengo a try. This beach fishes just as well but doesn't attract the major crowds.
DOWN SOUTH
Nicholas Carter sent me an email to say that the fish are biting down around the Twelve Apostles, this is what it said:
"Fished Clifton Beach Saturday arvo, got a bag of salmon, and a decent size pinky roughly 35cm, the sea was better than I thought it would be when I left home. The salmon weren’t huge as yet, I hoped the bigger ones would be about, but encouraging signs, a couple of the fish would have been 2 pounds I guess. Gibson's Steps is closed to the public, I drove in to have a look at the surf, I heard something about a rock slip, also for interest sake I drove in and had a look at the Sherbrook, which was no good, whitewater rolling in everywhere, but Clifton had a nice hole in front on the track.
JOHANNA BEACH
The salmon are on the chew in this area as well and both bait and lures will work from the beach. This is a great time of year to stay after dark and soak a few salmon fillets in search of big gummy sharks. Make sure you locate the deepest gutter on the beach and concentrate your efforts in that area.
AIRE RIVER
The bream are still biting well on prawn and worm baits down around the camp grounds. This time of year sees the occasional school of mulloway enter the system, so pack a heavier outfit just in case.
Regards,
Daniel Kent.
See Daniel Kent's previous report here.
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