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| Australian Salmon (Arripis Trutta). |
AUSTRALIAN SALMON
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| Make Sure You Bleed These Fish Upon Catching Immediately |
During the cooler winter months there is not much fish on the bite and alot of anglers pack their gear away and wait for the warmer months. But there are plenty of fish to catch in the cooler months such as the big Greenback Tailors run in the cool months of winter as well as Drummer (Black Fish) from the rocks and in some places on the reefs there is an umbundance of Snapper to be caught. But one species in particular I like to catch in winter is the Australian Salmon (Arripis Trutta). There are many ways to catch this fish may it be from the rocks off a breakwall or heads, Now even though Australian Salmon are not actually considered a Salmon they are more considered a Sea Perch, So if you are thinking of taking a few home don't expect them to be a pink fleshed meat like some Atlantic Salmon, as they can be a nice fish if cooked properly, generally smoked is the best way to eat this species. But be warned that if you intend to eat these fish be sure to bleed them immediately after catching as they have a high content of blood and this can spoil the whole fish, best way to bleed them is to cut thier throat and hang them upside down to let the blood drain.
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| Rigging Up A Pilchard On Gang Hooks |
These fish typically weigh between 1 and 2.5 kg with some rare specimans reaching a weight of 6kg, Australian record is 9.4kg. You can catch this species with a number of bait like Beach worm, Blood worm, Blue bait, Fish flesh, Pilchard, Pippi, Poddy
mullet, Prawn, Sand worm, White bait fly: Saltwater Baitfish lure: Jigs,
Slice, Spinnerbait, Spoon Tackle. But I like to target these Fish from the beach on Pilchards. The best way to rig up for beach Pelagics using bait is to Have no less than 10 pound Power Pro Braid for the main line, run to a Split line Swivel with a 15 to 20 Pound monofilament leader with a size two star sinker and monofilament leader running to size 5 ganghooks on full Pilchards and a ball sinker just befor the gangs to suit the current.
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| Avoid Getting Wet With A Pair Of Waders |
If your fishing from the beach you best get yourself a 12 foot beach rod I use a Shimano 12 foot Aerowave rod, and a good sized reel like a Shimano Stradic 5000FJ. Be sure to cast past the breaking waves off the beach sometimes you may get a bit wet as you may need to walk into the beach in the water to ensure you get a good cast, To help assist in not getting wet you can buy a pair of fishing waders that most fly fisherman wear
These fish are great exitement to catch as they are good acrobatics, and tend to jump in the air as much as 2 metres, but be warned they jump as a mechanism to get free from your line and tend to either bust you off if you have light leaders and sometimes unhook themselves. Usually salmon are betrayed by either by the commotion they cause at the
surface as they chase bait fish, or by the concentrations of wheeling
and diving birds ever ready to take advantage of an easy meal as bait
fish are forced to the surface by the frenzied attack from below.
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| A Frenzied Attack From Australian Salmon |
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| A Chopper Tailor Will Bite you Off If Your Not Careful |
Although times you think you may have hooked a Salmon but Chopper Tailor are very prominant on the beach waters in the cooler months and also being a good fight also, they tend to bite you off, I had a 55cm Greenback Tailor actually bite through my gang hook as i had size 3 hooks, they can be pesty little things when your trying to target Salmon.
Australian Salmon inhabits coastline, rocky headlands,
offshore, breakwaters, surf beaches in holes and gutters, large
estuaries, bays and harbours of the southern half of the continent. They
are are a pelagic fish that travel in schools, and 60% of the time when someone hooks one, two or three people around you will also have some success in hook ups at the same time as I said they travel in schools of around 10.
A little hint in targetting these species they prefer rising tide. Tend to stay in the surf for hours even when the
weather is poor. A touchy biter, its bite can be indecisive and its
mouth is soft, so use sharp hooks such as Mustad Gangs and a careful hand are needed to avoid it
tearing free.
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| Salmon Inhabit Between Geraldon W.A | To The Fraser Coast Of QLD |
Australian Salmon are found in the south of Australia from Geraldon W.A through the Great Australian Bite and Port lincoln in S.A, Through the coast line of Victoria and right around Tasmania, Up the South Eastern side of Australia up to the Fraser Coast of Queensland.
Australian salmon stocks were decimated by intensive commercial netting
effort during the second half of the 20th century, with most ending up
in cans intended for humans and their pets, as well as being used for
crayfish pot baits in the lucrative western rock lobster fishery.
Happily, all of this harvesting activity has been moderated in more
recent years, and salmon populations are finally staging a modest
recovery throughout the fish’s range.Aussie salmon have rather dark, strongly-flavoured flesh. As a result, they’re not especially highly rated as a food fish. Whether you enjoy eating them, or simply unhook and release these great
fish so they may continue on their watery migrations, salmon are
definitely a fish to be celebrated, appreciated and respected.
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| Spanyid Metal Lure 40 Gram |
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| 60cm Australian Salmon Caught In Swansea NSW |
Another way of catching these beautiful species of Pelagic fish is to spin Metal lures such as Spanyids or Raiders, I have even had success with catching Salmon on Shimano's new inovative Wax Wing lures they are a fast retrieving surface lure intended to look like a fleeing baitfish on the waters suface and Salmon are suckers to these lures and will take them very violently and run. Heavy metal lures in the 50-70g range are usually the weapons of choice
for those chasing salmon. Being able to cast a long distance is often an
advantage as the schools don't always pass by right in close to the
beach or rocks. A medium paced retrieve or fast paced retrieve will work, but holding the rod high and
winding fast will skip the lure across the surface and this can be
deadly, especially when the salmon are really hungry.
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| Spinning Off The Rocks At Swansea NSW With Spanyids On Shimano Terez, Shimano Stradic 5000FJ |
On southern beaches, Salmon are about to some extent for most of the year, but very prominant in the cooler moths, and sometimes run like plagues through the southern parts of Australia. Anglers may drive
along the crisp white sand watching for the telltale dark smudge of a
salmon school, jumping into the action with spinning rods as soon as one
is spotted. Most Australian Salmon Range betwenn 40cm and 70cm along the coastline.
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| 57cm Australian Salmon Caught on Pilchards on Budgewoi Beach NSW |
So if you are planning on chasing these species of fish this winter I hope I have provided some knowledge and tips from experience with these fish, they are a great winter species to fight and I have a lot of fun targetting them.
MILF "Man I Love Fishing"
