|
  AKA: bay trout (VIC), blackback (TAS), buck salmon (WA), cockie salmon, colonial salmon, kahawai (NZ), salmon trout (VIC) and sambo.
MINIMUM LEGAL SIZE: 21cm.
BAG/POSSESSION LIMIT: A total limit of 20 Australian salmon and/or tommy rough.
Note: a total bag/possession limit of 40 fish applies to all scale fish species. A great sporting fish but actually no relation to true salmon, it is a member of the perch family Arripidae
which has only two members: the Australian salmon and the ruff. A great
fighter, frequently leaping from the water when hooked, the Australian
salmon is a pelagic fish that travels in schools and leaves sheltered
waters in its second or third year for beach, reef and rock
environments.
 These
fish spawn at sea and apparently Bass Strait is the major spawning
ground in eastern Australia, which accounts for the large numbers of
juveniles caught in sheltered Victorian estuaries and bays.
Recent
research has shown that there are two similar looking but separate
species of Australian salmon in Victorian waters - the eastern salmon Arripis trutta and the western salmon Arripis truttaceus.
Eastern salmon are found in coastal waters of southern Queensland, NSW,
Victoria, Tasmania and New Zealand. Western salmon are found in coastal
waters of the southern half of Western Australia and in South
Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. The ranges of the two species overlap
in central Victorian waters and both species can often be found mixed
in the same school in Port Phillip Bay or Westernport Bay.
Distinguishing features of Australian salmon and tommy rough
 |
SIZE: 1-3.5kg, Australian record stands at 9.4kg.
WHERE:
Juveniles of both species are found in bays, inlets and shallow,
sheltered coastal waters - usually in association with seagrass or
seaweed beds. Western salmon juveniles are the dominant salmon species
in Port Phillip Bay, Westernport Bay and other Victorian waters west of
Wilsons Promontory. Eastern salmon juveniles are most abundant along
the east and north coasts of Tasmania and they are the dominant salmon
species in Victorian inlets and estuaries east of Wilsons Promontory.
Adults of both species are most often found in schools along open
coastlines - either in shallow water near sandy beaches or adjacent to
rocky outcrops.
|
TACKLE:
2-8kg line with 10kg monotrace with No. 4 Beak or ganged hooks with a
light running sinker. Use a heavier sinker for heavier baits. In
shallow spots and sand flats standard bottom rigs are effective. Also
trolling rigs and fly gear depending on lure/fly.
BAIT:
Beach and sandworms, pilchards, garfish, pipis, whitebait, fresh fish
strips, squid, nippers, mullet. Also medium metal lures, spinners and
surface poppers and a variety of saltwater flies. Sometimes known to
prefer lighter-coloured baits. A cheap and effective trolling lure is
10cm of large-diameter drinking straw threaded freely onto the line and
kept in place by the bend in a single hook. The straw produces a trail
of bubbles, attracting this fast-swimming fish.
BITE:
Although a voracious bait-taker, the Australian salmon’s bite can at
first be deceptive but when hooked this strong fish becomes an angler’s
delight. Its mouth is relatively soft so sharp hooks and a sensitive
feel for the rod will save otherwise lost fish.
EATING:
Not a popular table fish, the Australian salmon can be strongly
flavoured and stringy, making it a great fish to catch and release. See
more information on handling and releasing fish here. Bleeding fish
very soon after catch is a common way of improving the final table
quality.
|
