Greg James
Fishing Reports and Hotspots

 


Reports:





THIS WEEK'S FISHING HOTSPOTS:

  1. METRO: KG whiting reports are very poor, with sporadic fish from (deep water) off O'Sullivan's Bch & Outer Harbour., salmon trout from Maslin's, Seaford & Southport, plus the odd mullet.
  2. FLEURIEU/RIVERLAND/FRESHWATER: Salmon trout & small mulloway from Goolwa & 28 Mile Crossing., snapper & kingfish off Victor (The Pages, Tunk Head)., yabbies & callop from Renmark & Walker Flat., redfin in Myponga Res.
  3. YORKE PEN: Flathead, whiting & squid from Wallaroo jetty., squid & gar from Point Riley & Port Davis., KG whiting from Port Vic.
  4. SOUTH EAST/COORONG: Salmon from The Granites & Canunda., KG whiting & snapper from Kingston, Beachport & Pt MacDonnell.
  5. SPENCER GULF/WEST COAST: KG whiting, gar, tommies & squid from Smoky, Venus & Streaky Bays., salmon from Sheringa & Talia bchs., early season blueys & gar from Pt Lincoln.
  6. KANGAROO ISLAND: Garfish, squid & KG whiting from Emu Bay, Penneshaw & Smith's Bch.
  7. SA RESERVOIR FISHING: Here's the link: www.sawater.com.au/reservoir-reserves/activities/fishing.



GET GREG'S FISHREPS ON ABC RADIO - EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT (891 @ 8.40PM) WITH THE ONE & ONLY SPENCE DENNY! THEN EVERY SATURDAY MORNING (639 @ 6.30AM) WITH THE FAB IAN (CHOOK) HARSLETT!



OCT 13-20, 2025

TOP END/NORTHERN TERRITORY From Jason Deigan at Compleat Angler Darwin! ABC891 @ 8.30pm every Thursday night has a Top End (NT) element: #Season 11 of the Million Dollar Fishing Comp is well underway! #Mud crabs from Shoal Bay & Kakadu #Barra from Darwin harbour #Dundee Bch offshore has tuna, mackeral & red snappers.

METRO WATERS: If you are hesitant to fish the Metro waters and not keen on eating anything (I don't blame you), then why not try "catch and release"? Blue crabs have made an appearance in parts of Spencer Gulf (Whyalla, Wallaroo, Port Davis) in the past week, but they are small - we are yet to see them in Upper Gulf St Vincent. The sea floor off Ardrossan is filthy with the sludge left over from the HAB (algal bloom) & why the deekheds in State Govt have not started a proper clean up of this poison is a shameful disgrace. Shore-based fishers are picking up isolated salmon to 1 kilo from Southport, Seaford, Moana, Aldinga & Sellicks beaches, but it is very hit & miss. The repaired jetty at Pt Noarlunga has salmon trout & green mackerals but the HAB is omnipresent. KG whiting are in isolated numbers from the deep, clear waters off St Kilda & Outer Harbour. Black bream & overnight soapie mulloway are in & along the banks of the Onkaparinga river.

FLEURIEU/RIVERLAND/RESERVOIR: That recent warm Spring weather at the close of the school holidays saw families returning home and brown snakes out for the start of their season - the Mt Compass road has its fair share at the moment! Local waters off Goolwa and Victor Harbor experienced strong winds over the weekend as the smaller than usual tourist numbers dropped back and the here-again, then gone-again algal bloom (HAB) kept coast lovers on their collective toes. Big boat crews are hoping for a run out from Victor for snapper, tuna, kingfish and red nannygai as they cruise off to the clean, deeper waters at The Pages. Much closer to home there are a few soapie mulloway just inside the Goolwa river mouth and along the river banks up to the Goolwa Barrage, and then salmon trout along the soft sands at the 28 Mile and 32 Mile Crossings. Upstream crews are chasing redfin, callop, big carp and a few yabbies from Renmark and Swan Reach. KG whiting are reportedly still in the deep water drops off Cape Jervis, Rapid Head and Second Valley to Normanville, but catches of squid are few and far between. Garfish are thin but starting to school off Carrackalinga, Lady Bay and Wirrina. Shore-based fishers are trying for early yellowfin whiting from Morgan's and Myponga beaches but the fish are not here as yet. A colleague of mine who regularly fishers off Wirrina says catches are very thin on the ground but he did manage a couple of decent KG whiting from O'Sullivan's Beach last week. Black bream are inside the river mouth at Onkaparinga, but the HAB is still cursing and poisoning the local marine habitats.

SOUTH EAST/COORONG: Shore-based fishers are reporting that Pannie (pan-sized) snapper have returned to the southern coastline around Picanninie Ponds, making for some great Spring fishing - ganged pilchards are working well as bait. Across the Mexican border at the Glenelg river there are bream, soapie mulloway & salmon to 2 kilos. Canunda, Salt Creek & Lurline Point all have salmon ranging from trouts to 2 kilos as well. Boat crews launching from Port Mac & Beachport/South End are catching snapper, whiting, squid & red nannygai with the cray (rock lobster) season now underway. Garfish are in the sheltered waters of Nora Creina, Little Dip & South End. Salmon to 1 kilo are in the surges at the 32 Mile Crossing & Salt Creek & there are overnight soapie mulloway at The Granites but watch the soft sand if you are 4WD - always park high on the beach, drop the tyre pressure by 10psi & face the car towards the water!

YORKE PENINSULA: Wallaroo: I sighted a 1m brown snake on the entrance road to the local Marina (broad daylight) last Thursday so take care if you are out and about! The local jetty fired up during the week with King George whiting, flathead and squid all being caught. Boat crews had to contend with steady southerly to westerly winds as they ran out for whiting, squid and garfish. Jetty repairs were scheduled to be completed by end October. Moonta Bay/Port Hughes: There was an unconfirmed report of a worrying mass of black seawater in and around Moonta Bay last week, although it is unclear whether it is part of the algal bloom. Garfish are off both jetties, while KG whiting are again off Cape Elizabeth and West Light. Gar are also in the broken grounds out from Second Beach but berley is needed to bring them on to the chew. Port Victoria/Balgowan: Onshore winds tended to keep the smaller boats in their sheds for much of last week, but garfish, squid and whiting are in steady numbers at most local drops and crews often do not have to travel far for a feed. Night-time squid are at the Port Vic jetty and a few small blue crabs are also at Port Victoria. Point Turton/Corny Point: Salmon to 1 kilo have arrived at local beaches with stand-out sessions reported from the Dust Bowl, Gym beach and the sandy spits at Corny Point and off Daly Heads. Boat crews are chasing KG whiting, garfish and a few squid. The jetty has been a tad on the quiet side. Stenhouse/Marion Bays: Late in the season mullet, salmon trout and a couple of nice dusky flathead were caught from the discoloured waters at Marion Bay jetty late last week. Boat crews who braved the elements reported red nannygai, kingfish, big flathead and an occasional large KG whiting. Some big snook are running across Foul Bay and along the coast to Port Moorowie.

KANGAROO ISLAND Kingscote jetty underwater views are not good, with dead marine vegetation & shellfish everywhere. North KI coast has KG whiting, flathead, garfish & nice tommies from Emu Bay, Smith's Bch & then across the scrub to Vivonne Bay & American River. Some big salmon (4 kilos) are migrating across from the Far West Coast beaches (Talia, Sheringa etc) & these should start showing up along much of the rocky points & sandy bays in the next weeks. Penneshaw jetty has weedy whiting, salmon & a few squid, while offshore from the Bay of Shoals has gar, whiting, salmon trout & flathead also on the southern side of the spit.

OCTOBER SEAFOOD RECIPE: Pan-fried mulloway with lemongrass and chilli. Ingredients: 4 fillets Mulloway, lemongrass, chopped chillies, oil, coconut milk. Preparation: coat fish fillets in a paste prepared from ground lemongrass, chillies and oil. Heat a pan to high and cook each fillet for 2-3mins each side. When turning fillet, pour in a drizzle of the coconut oil for final stages of cooking. Kia Makona! Maori for Bon Appetit!

SPENCER GULF/WEST COAST: A few small blue swimmer crabs have been reported from Cowled's Landing, Whyalla (jetty & foreshore), Black Point & then at several locations north of Weeroona Bay (Miranda, Back Bch) & then also north of the Point Lowly boatramp. The Pneumatic Barrier remains in place, oestensibly to protect the Giant Cuttlefish but I don't think anyone has thought to switch it on! The dreaded "Poisson de Shite" - aka Trumpeter - has arrived & will only increase in numbers as the year rolls on. Trumpeters make good crab bait but are spiky little buggers when caught - I used to catch them just on the silver whiting hook (no bait) when I fished out of Whyalla many years back! Kingfish are also about atm, with nice fish in The Rip at Point Lowly, off the old Pt Augusta Power Station grounds & just south of the Leeton Tug drop. The Kingies are soft on the bite, which is strange, so patience & a moving rig should help - maybe drop back on the berley as well. KG whiting reports are for fish to 39cm off Tumby Bay, Spilsby Islands, Coffin Bay (smaller fish), Streaky & Smoky Bays deep water drops, plus squid, snook & garfish in water depths of less then 10m. Gar are also inside Baird Bay & off the jetties at Streaky, Elliston, Pt Lincoln & Tumby Bay. Cowell & Murninnie Point fishers are waiting for their blue crab season to kick off, but it has been quiet so far (Oct). TIGHT LINES!