THIS WEEK'S FISHING HOTSPOTS:

1. METRO: Garfish & blue crabs from Brighton, Grange, Semaphore., Squid & gar from Glenelg, Brighton & Pt Noarlunga jetties.
2. FLEURIEU/RIVERLAND/FRESHWATER: Big squid & garfish from the jetties at Normanville, Second Valley & Rapid Bay., Kingfish, nannygai & 10 kg tuna offshore at The Pages & Tunk Head., mulloway at Tauwitchere Point., Redfin from Loxton & Myponga Res.
3. YORKE PEN: Blue crabs & garfish from Pt Hughes, Balgowan & Ardrossan., red nannygai & flathead from Marion Bay., salmon trout from Dust Bowl beach.
4. SOUTH EAST/COORONG: Mulloway from The Granites., Gar, tommies & squid from the jetties at Kingston, Beachport & Port MacDonnell.
5. SPENCER GULF/WEST COAST: KG whiting from Coffin & Proper Bays., mulloway at Claire & Fowler's Bays., blueys from Whyalla, Ceduna & Streaky Bay.
6. KANGAROO ISLAND: KG whiting, garfish & squid from Kingscote, Smith's Bch & American River.




JANUARY 17-25, 2025



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METRO WATERS: Rakers chasing blue crabs have caught some nice ones from the northern metro beaches, inc. Port Gawler, Lower Light & Dublin/Thompson's. Planning a beach fish with your 4WD? Want a coupla tips? 1. Drop the tyre pressure to 20psi 2. When stopping, try to have the vehicle facing downwards towards the sea - when you move off the general inertia should help get you going. Garfish, blue crabs & some squid have been the main metro waters reports as our Summer conditions move steadily along - warm days with afternoon seabreezes following the incoming tides. Brighton, Seacliff/Marino, West Bch, Semaphore, Largs Bay & St Kilda all have experienced large numbers of anglers hitting the water before daylight & then fishing well into the evening when conditions permit. KG whiting catches have been low, with the deep water drops off Outer Harbour & Nth Haven occasionally having a few legal fish before daylight cracks across the Adelaide Hills. Rakers are picking up some nice blueys from the northern beaches all the way up to Lower Light, Port Gawler, Thompson's & Port Prahan. Some large snook came from the outside section of the St Kilda channel in recent days & there are some just legal yellowfin whiting in the flats outside of Outer Harbour & then well south to West Bch breakwater & Tennyson/The Broadway. Shore-based fishers are catching a mix of small mullet, salmon trout, bream & mulloway (overnight) from West Lakes, The Pat, Port River bridge structures & then well south at Triggs Bch/Onkaparinga. Crowded jetties from Brighton, Glenelg, Grange & Semaphore have blue crabs & sprat tommies. Pt Noarlunga jetty has garfish, squid & tommies at night.

FLEURIEU/RIVERLAND/RESERVOIR: Tuna to 15 kilos have been caught on occasion by crews fishing the southern end of Backstairs Passage as local winds turned east then south east as offshore fishing conditions generally improved during the past week. Rat kingfish are in and around the jetty at Rapid Bay and even running north to Second Valley and Normanville with the marauding schools of these little "monkeys" coming in to feed in the late afternoons before dusk. Garfish, KG whiting and a few squid are around this part of the South Coast, from Lady Bay, Second Valley, Normanville and Wirrina. Shore-based anglers have caught a mix of yellowfin whiting, mullet and tommy ruffs from the beaches at Silver Sands, Sellicks Beach and Moana. The Jetties at Pt Noarlunga and Normanville have gar, squid and tommy ruffs. Bream and overnight soapie mulloway are off the banks of the Onkaparinga River and the reef at Triggs Beach. Mulloway are also in the coloured waters of the Goolwa river mouth, Tauwitchere Barrage and then well south to Salt Creek and The Granites, plus salmon to 1 kilo, shark and mullet. Surf casters fishing from Morgan's to Newland Heads found salmon trout, undersize mulloway, rockies and mullet with onshore conditions whipping up plenty of late afternoon chop as the tides returned on the back of the local sea breezes. Big boat crews have run out from Victor Harbor chasing tuna, kingfish, snapper and red nannygai, with smaller boats fishing in and around West Island and Yilki Bay for gar, tommies and squid. Hindmarsh Island has a few mullet and there are redfin and callop upstream at Murray Bridge and Nildottie. Happy Valley reservoir is fishing well for redfin perch at the moment.

SOUTH EAST/COORONG: Lots of vehicles getting bogged from the 28 Mile right down to Canunda as the annual south of the border Mexican immigration gets underway! Shore-based fishers have been cracking into some decent snapper & mulloway off the beach at Piccaninnie Ponds & down around Cape Northumberland & the Glenelg estuary river mouth (east). I even had an unconfirmed report of snapper from The Granites & the 28 Mile Crossing about a week back. Boat crews are chasing snapper, KG whiting, flathead, squid & gar from Kingston, Boatswain's Point, Robe, Nora Creina Bay, Beachport & Pt MacDonnell - but pse remember to put safety first, wear a life jacket & be careful of the big swells. Mulloway & salmon to 1 kilo are at the 42 Mile Crossing, Salt Creek & Lurline Point, with slightly small salmon off the beach at Carpenter Rocks & Canunda. Mullet are in the dirty water shallows at Stinky Bch, Beachport Surfer Bch & the Beachport drain & Lake George. Local jetties have a mix of gar, tommy ruffs, squid & large snook in the late evenings. Garfish are also in the sheltered waters at Nora Creina Bay, Little Dip & Carpenter Rocks.

YORKE PENINSULA: Wallaroo: Warm weather accompanied late afternoon sea breezes up to 25knots forcing boat crews to run out early mornings for their seafood attempts. Blue crabs, garfish and squid have been the main reports, while jetty fishers went long and hard for blueys and the occasional tommy ruff in the evenings. Moonta Bay/Port Hughes: A few KG whiting came from the southern end of Steamer channel during the week, along with blue crabs and garfish at the Tiparra Reef. Shore-based anglers tried for yellowfin whiting from local beaches (high tides working best) and a few blueys at the jetties. Point Turton: Large numbers of visitors replaced those holiday-makers here for the Christmas/New Year break, ensuring long lines at the boat ramp and a packed carpark. Garfish, flathead and a few isolated early morning whiting were the main reports. The jetty has been busy but quiet. Marion/Stenhouse Bays: Big red nannygai, flathead, whiting and rat kingfish have come from the deep water drops about 2-3kms east of Marion Bay. The two jetties have squid, leather jackets and overnight tommies, while huge numbers of shore-based anglers have been at Richards and Brown's beach fishing for mullet, flathead and salmon trout. Edithburgh/Stansbury: Locals reported heavy boat ramp traffic last week as crews ran out for snook, garfish, squid and blue crabs. Pesky small snapper are off the back of Tapley Shoals (to be returned to the water immediately), along with gurnards, an occasional thumper KG whiting and leather jackets. Jetty-based fishers are catching a couple of blueys and the odd squid. Ardrossan: Catches of nice-sized blueys continue for boat crews, jetty netters and rakers all alike, plus gar and snook for the boat anglers fishing over at Windara Reef and Gus Shoal. Mulloway are still in the night-time shallows here as they migrate north to the Mosquito Point mangroves to breed.

KANGAROO ISLAND: The KI north coast has been a good spot for shore-based fishers to cast a line over the Christmas/New Year break. Steady catches of salmon ranging from trouts to 2.5kgs have come from the beaches at Emu Bay & Smith's Bch with large salmon, snook, tommy ruffs & flathead all taking baits in those strong offshore winds. Boat crews have fished well into the afternoons for KG whiting, garfish, squid, salmon & flathead from Nepean Bay, American River, Vivvone Bay & Emu Bay with good tides & clear water days all making for great action! Jetty-based fishers have reported gar, whiting, tommies, squid & snook. Big boat crews have run out for red nannys, 10kg tuna, kingfish & trevalley from the South Coast, but care is needed in the marine conditons.

JANUARY SEAFOOD RECIPE: Chilli Crab/Fish Cakes. Ingredients: 250gm cooked crab meat or white fish flesh, mashed potato, chives, chilli, garlic, ginger, olive oil, 1 egg, bread crumbs, grated cheese. Preparation: Mix all ingredients in bowl and then roll into small balls. Coat with bread crumbs, spray with oil and cook in an air fryer for 10mins @ 200C. Serve with a glass of cold champagne. Masitge deuseyo! Korean for Bon Appetit!

SPENCER GULF/WEST COAST: KG whiting are of a good size from Louth Bay, Farm Bch and in the broken but deep water drops just north of Waldegrave Is. On the Spencer Gulf side of Eyre Pen I sighted large numbers of boats off the back & at the top of the rip at Point Lowly/Miranda (both sides of the Gulf) when up that neck of the woods (buying a boat) recently - all targeting kingfish as they migrate to the top of the Gulf. Garfish & blue crabs are here, Point Patterson & most other locations south all the way to Port Davis on one side & then Tumby Bay on the other! Pse remember the closure zone just south of Pt Germein & the Island to Pt Pirie. Squid, blueys & early morning whiting are off Cowell, Arno Bay & then west to Coffin Bay, Streaky Bay & Ceduna. Mulloway are off the underwater ledge at Fowler's Bay, Nadia Landing & Claire Bay, with the fish out west at the Dog Fence Bch seemingly slightly bigger in size. As mentioned above, the Pt Lincoln bays are fishing well for whiting, flathead, garfish, squid, tommy ruffs & salmon to 1 kilo, while the surf casters around Elliston area are reporting salmon to 3 kilo at times. Crews fishing the Spilsby Is group are reporting KG whiting, gar & squid, with some nice red nannys & rat kingfish coming from Buffalo Reef & Waldegrave Is. Olive Is on the West Coast has tuna, red nannys & kingfish. TIGHT LINES!