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THIS WEEK'S FISHING HOTSPOTS:
ASK PROFESSOR PLANKTON: Algal Bloom - what is being done for the marine environment? A: Nothing/Zero/Zilch/Nada/Fuckall. The shameful misery & destruction under the ocean surface continues unchecked. The majority of members of the State HAB task force are the same bunch of "experts" who sat silently on their collective hands & their fat arses way back since March 2025. Yep, we are having the wool pulled over our eyes by a bunch of wankers who still have not come up with one, just one intervention - that helps to clear the HAB. Carry On......Keep those Big Storms, High Tides & little sea-sparkle soldiers coming!
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AUGUST 1-10, 2025
TOP END/NORTHERN TERRITORY From Jason Deigan at Compleat Angler Darwin! My radio segment with the fabulous Spence Denny (ABC891 @ 8.30pm every Thursday night) now has a Top End (NT) element: #Local billabongs around Darwin all have hungry barramundi after recent rains - as does the Daly River #Offshore at Dundee Bch crews are hooking up to billfish & barra #Darwin Harbour is fishing well for Queenie snapper and mud crabs
METRO WATERS: Shore-based anglers have targeted flathead, mullet, salmon trout & even tommy ruffs from the stormy surges off West Bch, Tennyson & then further south to Seacliff, Christies Bch, Southport & Seaford corner - it's good fishing when the winds turn to the north & east. KG whiting are in closer to shore after the storms as they chase worms, clickers & other sea-grubs in the discoloured, sandy water along the local blue-line. Best bait is mushy, soft squid on the bottom hook & Goolwa cockles. Most of the whiting are around the 35cm mark & are off Hallett Cove, Brighton, Tennyson, West Bch & Nth Haven/St Kilda. On the northern-most end of The Fleurieu there is some news about repairs and access to the Port Noarlunga jetty. Here's the link: https://yoursay.onkaparinga.sa.gov.au/port-noarlunga-jetty-pylon-upgrades-2025-26 Other metro jetties have nice tommies, a few good squid when the water is clear, KG whiting (blue-line), mullet & salmon trout with Brighton & Semaphore doing well when the cold winds get up late in the day. Mullet & bream are in the Onkaparinga & Port Rivers, but the run-offs from recent rains have raised concern with the ever-present algal blooms, so take care if you intend to consume any fish species caught. Happy Valley reservoir has redfin perch as water levels ever-so-slightly start to increase after rain. Boat crews fishing Port Gawler, Light Bch, Thompson's Bch down to St Kilda also picked up flathead & sand crabs when they managed a launch mid last week.
FLEURIEU/RIVERLAND/RESERVOIR: Where have all the squid gone? Both commercial and recreational fishing for squid has ground to a standstill as the active HAB (Hazardous Algal Bloom) pollution of our beautiful coastline continues unchallenged. Rapid Bay (new) jetty maintenance works were scheduled from July to September - here's the link: www.yankalilla.sa.gov.au/news-and-events. Reservoir and Murray river fishing has become the go-to activity for many anglers as they feel completely abandoned by the Authorities in the scandalous lack of action in neither the clean up or the fightback against HAB. The Myponga reservoir has ever so slightly started to increase in water level capacity resulting in catches of Murray Cod (catch and release) and redfin perch - as does the Happy Valley reservoir, which is now over 130 years old! Please ensure you have the correct fishing permit(s) for SA reservoir fishing. Upstream fishing has suddenly become a cold and chilly excursion but the results are there at Swan Reach and Murray Bridge for redfin and yabbies. Along the reaches of the Upper Coorong there are a few lonely mullet and salmon to 1 kilo off the beach at The Granites - vehicle access is a real challenge after last week's high tides and rough seas. Big boat crews, when they manage a launch from Victor Harbor are fishing for snapper, red nannygai and kingfish well offshore, while shore-based anglers are back at Newland Heads and Waitpinga and Parson's beaches chasing mullet and salmon trout. KG whiting reports are for isolated pods of scattered fish to 38cm from Investigator Straight, Rapid Head and then at Wirrina, but it is unpredictable and many crews are returning with empty catch bags after a full day's fishing. Garfish and sprat tommy ruffs are off Lady Bay, Normanville and Carrackalinga, while fishing from the firm sand at Seaford and Southport has a few late afternoon mullet and the odd flathead.
SOUTH EAST/COORONG: There has been some well documented extreme damage to several South East jetties inc Kingston & Robe, so pse check local jetty access before you want to walk the planks. Inside the Coorong at the Northern Lagoon - if you are fishing here - there has been a reported incident of algal bloom - so pse be careful if you plan to consume locally caught seafood! Tuna catches are few & far between with those caught coming from experienced boat crews running far & wide of Cape Northumberland, Port Mac & beyond - fish in the 40 kilo range are the main reports. Red nannys, snapper, kingfish, sweep & flathead are closer to shore from Nene Valley, Beachport, Carpenter Rocks & Robe/South End waters, but watch the swells as they are big this Winter! The more sheltered waters like Nora Creina Bay, Little Dip, etc have gar, mullet & squid. Shore-based anglers are trying to avoid the Algal Bloom chasing mulloway, salmon to 2 kilos, mullet & flathead from the 42 Mile Crossing, The Granites, Lurline Bay, Carpenter Rocks & Canunda then all the way down to the mouth of the Glenelg river in Sinaloa (Mexico). Boat crews fishing well west of the Margaret Brock reef caught KG whiting, snapper & large sweep during the calm conditions of this week, but it was cold work!
YORKE PENINSULA: Ask Professor Plankton - Jetties of Yorke Peninsula. Did you know the word jetty comes from an old French word "Jeter" meaning "to project"? The Algal Bloom has wreaked havoc around just so many of our jetties that for the next little while I will be featuring a new part of the YPCT fishing report that looks at our wonderful jetties - the magic Ardrossan jetty is the first (below). Email your favourite jetty story to: greg@gregjamesfishing.com.au Wallaroo: Well, that last north westerly storm was a ripper as it cracked in across the Wallaroo shoreline and jetty on Monday and Tuesday with a slight break for some sunshine midweek. Then the rain finally arrived! The jetty has mullet, salmon trout and squid with a few mullet and just legal KG whiting in the bay for boat crews have been the main reports. Moonta Bay/Port Hughes: Mid-week weather provided a brief window for boat crews to run out for a short, late afternoon fish for flathead, whiting to 40cm and garfish in close. The jetties have tommy ruffs (Australian herring) after dusk. Port Victoria: KG whiting catches certainly appear to be from the deeper water drops with strong running tides, but squid catches are low. Shore-based anglers are fishing for flathead, mullet and salmon trout with mixed success. Port Rickaby/Point Turton: There has been something like four (4) storms in less than five (5) weeks and I watched waves crash through the jetty pylons and onto the boat ramp groyne during the latest last Monday/Tuesday. Not too many squid about in the dirty water, but charter crews and a few local fishers are catching whiting and octopus when conditions permit. Stenhouse/Marion Bays: Visitor and holiday-maker numbers were close to half of the normal expectations during the school holidays. Offshore reports are for red nannygai and kingfish with a few salmon trout and mullet from the sand. Both jetties are worth a try for late afternoon tommy ruffs. Edithburgh/Stansbury/Ardrossan: Ardrossan jetty: Completed in 1877, Marine Board statistics state that the jetty at Ardrossan was initially 128m in length and was then extended by 244m and a further 61m in 1880. Locals far more knowledgeable than I will know this varies from the original notice at the entrance to the jetty! The jetty serviced the beautiful and proud Ardrossan community with mechanised tractors to move goods until 1950/51 when BHP built the much longer loading jetty about 2kms south to export locally mined dolomite. This was followed by improvements to allow the shipping of grain and salt. Source: The Jetties of SA-Past and Present by Neville Collins.
KANGAROO ISLAND North coast fishing has squid, KG whiting, snook & garfish from Smiths Bch, Emu Bay & Stokes Bay when the conditions allow. Nepean Bay & Kingscote jetty are fishing well for big ruffas, squid, KG whiting & gar in the late afternoons.
AUGUST SEAFOOD RECIPE: Manila Spicy salmon fish cakes. Ingredients: 300gms cooked salmon (in pieces), 2 eggs, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp ginger, 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 cup panko crumbs, 1/4 cup sesame seeds, dash of cooking oil. 1 chopped chilli. Preparation: Gently combine salmon, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and chopped red onion in a bowl. Add lemon juice and 2 eggs. In a second bowl, add panko and sesame seeds. Then add cooking oil to a fry pan and heat to medium. Roll and flatten each fish cake and coat with panko mix on both sides. Pan fry each fish cake for approx 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Serve with green onions, chopped red chilli peppers and a spicy dipping sauce. Kain Na! Tagalog (Filipino) for Bon Appetit!
SPENCER GULF/WEST COAST: Some really big salmon to 4 kilos have come from the raging surf around the beaches of Elliston (Sheringa, Talia, Lock, Convention, Almonta, Gunyah etc) on whole pilchards with triple ganged hooks - so bait large! Boat crews from Thevenard/Ceduna, Streaky & Venus Bays have caught flathead, kg whiting, gar & salmon trout with the whiting from just legal right up to 40cm. Farm Bch & Coffin Bay have whiting, gar & squid as do Tumby & Arno Bays. The Spilsby Is group has red nannys, whiting, big ruffs, snook & flathead in the small, quiet bays & off the back of several submerged bommies on the eastern side of the main islands. Shore & jetty-based anglers are having a quiet time around Cowell, Pt Neill, Louth Bay & Pt Lincoln with the odd mullet & salmon trout mixed in with late in the day tommy ruffs. Pse be careful of the toxic algal bloom if you are thinking of consuming seafood - it is by no means over & is constantly changing both by location & by intensity. TIGHT LINES!
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