Greg James
Fishing Reports and Hotspots

 


Reports:





THIS WEEK'S FISHING HOTSPOTS:

  1. METRO: Bream from Triggs, O'Sullivan's Bch & St Kilda breakwater., a few gar & blue crabs off Outer Harbour & Semaphore.
  2. FLEURIEU/RIVERLAND/FRESHWATER: Tuna, red nannygai & snapper from The Pages & Tunk Head., whiting off Wirrina., callop & Murray Cod at Swan Rch., golden perch from Beetaloo Res.
  3. YORKE PEN: Poor old Ardrossan - they cannot take a trick with both the jetty & boat ramp closed atm., salmon trout & y/f whiting at Pt Hughes, Wallaroo & Port Davis., KG whiting from Port Vic & Steamer channel.
  4. SOUTH EAST/COORONG: Tuna, snapper & whiting from Beachport & Port MacDonnell., gar from Kingston & Little Dip., mullet off the sand at the 32 Mile Crossing & The Granites.
  5. SPENCER GULF/WEST COAST: Yellowfin whiting & blue crabs from Louth Bay, Port Neill & Fitzgerald Bay., tuna & KG whiting from Pt Lincoln, Coffin Bay & Elliston.
  6. KANGAROO ISLAND: KG whiting, garfish, & tommy ruffs from American River, Penneshaw & Smith's Bch.
  7. SA RESERVOIR FISHING: Here's the link: www.sawater.com.au/reservoir-reserves/activities/fishing.
  8. SA FISH SIZE & BAG LIMITS: www.pir.sa.gov.au/recreational_fishing/rules/species_limits.
CATCH GREG ON YOUR ABC RADIO: ABC891 every Thursday evening after 8.30pm with the wonderful Spence Denny - ABC639 every Saturday morning after 6.30am with the splendid Chook Harslett!

FEBRUARY 6 - 20, 2026

METRO WATERS: There are some bream, yellowfin whiting & mullet off the sands at Moana, Seaford/Southport & then well south towards Silver Sands, but fresh bait & a high tide is a must. A few fish are also off Tennyson to Grange but otherwise on the Metro fishing front there is not much - off Semaphore, St Kilda & Nth Haven there are some red-bill garfish & scattered pods of KG whiting, but you have to be on your marks before daylight (to avoid the dreaded "poisson de shite" - aka trumpeters!). A few blueys are north of St Kilda (Light Bch, Port Gawler, Thompson's Bch) & there is a small mix of scale fish here also - yellowfin whiting, flathead & mullet/tommy ruffs. As mentioned above, scattered KG whiting are occasionally in the deep water drops off Nth Haven & Outer Harbour, but squid catches remain slow. Bream, mullet & soapie mulloway are inside the Port River, West Lakes & The Pat. Then as you travel much further north of Lower Light towards Pt Wakefield the water in the Gulf turns an ugly, sick green colour - not looking good at all.

FLEURIEU/RIVERLAND/RESERVOIR: There has been a mass fish kill around the vicinity of Weir 32 on the Darling River near the Menindee Lakes with water flows at the 1800ML/day rate. Much of the man-made pollution from the interstate Murray-Darling system ends up downstream in SA, so hopefully the effects will not add to the Algal Bloom disaster. River-based fishers trying for callop, Murray Cod (catch and release) and yabbies' at Lyrup and Barmera caught sight of the smoke from fires on Katarapto Island last week. Along the Coorong and Goolwa river mouth there are mixed reports of overnight soapie mulloway, salmon to 1 kilo and the occasional fat, plump mullet. Mullet are also off Sugars Beach and around at the Mundoo Channel. Boggy and sandy conditions are prevalent from Salt Creek back to the 28 Mile Crossing so "air-down" your tyres (12-15psi) and run the 4WD in low range is the best advice to give a novice driver. Windy and uncomfortable on-water conditions have really wrecked holiday-makers' fishing plans last month and these conditions continued into early February, preventing many crews from launching at Victor for snapper, KG whiting, garfish and red nannygai. Tuna catches have dropped way back, but there are fish in and around The Pages and off Tunk Head as they steadily migrate east. Shore and jetty-based fishers have walked the sand and the planks from The Bluff for salmon trout, snook and sprat tommy ruffs to Waitpinga and Parson's beaches for salmon and mullet. Catches of squid are almost non-existent for both commercial and recreational fishers. A few lonely salmon trout are cruising just offshore from Wirrina and then north to Lady Bay and Carrackalinga/Myponga with crews trolling for snook in the shelter of the local hills to catch a feed. Local submerged reefs show little signs of improved health as the scourge of the Algal Bloom continues on. Try the Myponga res in the late afternoons for Murray Cod (catch & release) & redfin perch.

SOUTH EAST/COORONG: Shore-based fishers & surf casters alike have been plonking the sands from the Goolwa river mouth along the Younghusband Peninsula to Salt Creek, The Granites & then all the way to Beachport & Carpenter Rocks! What is being caught? Plenty of seaweed, some night-time mulloway, fat mullet & salmon to 2 kilos. The Little Dip Salmon Hole also has tiger flathead on the big surge days, while Stinky Bch & Lurline Point have mullet & small but just-legal mulloway. Boat crews running out from Kingston, Robe, Beachport & Carpenter Rocks are catching sweep, crays, KG whiting (in small numbers), snapper, flathead & garfish from Margaret Brock reef & then the sheltered bays like Little Dip, Nora Creina, Carpenter Rocks & Beachport. Big boat crews have really had a rough time of it, especially trying to head offshore from Beachport & Port MacDonnell as they fish for snapper, tuna, kingies, sweep & sharks. The Port Mac & Beachport jetties have tommy ruffs, squid & garfish, while gar & yellowfin whiting are close inshore from the Picanninie Ponds & Nene Valley coasts.

YORKE PENINSULA: Wallaroo: Shore-based fishers who went to North Beach early mornings last week to avoid the heat caught some nice salmon trout and yellowfin whiting, while the jetty has the very occasional blue crab. Boat crews had strong winds at times as they fished for garfish and KG whiting at several local drops. Squid are no-where to be found, pretty much right round The Leg, not just in Wallaroo. Moonta Bay/Port Hughes: Large garfish and some nice blue crabs were caught from both jetties during the week and there are yellowfin whiting off most local sandy beaches on the high tide. Boat crews are running out (when conditions permit) for KG whiting, garfish and blueys. Point Turton/Corny Point: Bottom end fishers have had all sorts of interest from Local and State media, Politicians and Marine Scientists in the past week as they wrestle with the continuing Algal Bloom. Yellowfin whiting are off Leven's Beach and The Pines and there are a few garfish from Point Souttar to Port Rickaby to Barker Rocks. Marion/Stenhouse Bays: Strong on-shore southerlies were again working against boat crews for much of the past week but the tuna, kingies and red nannys are here for the big boats when they can get out. The jetties have tommy ruffs but not when the bloom is about. I would be careful for health reasons if fishing from local beaches at the moment. Ardrossan/Stansbury: Late in the week reports came in for several catches of blue crabs at Edithburgh, Coobowie and Stansbury, making for some good news for a change! Pan-sized snapper are off Tapley Shoals (and cannot be kept) and there are big snook just off-shore from Port Moorowie.

KANGAROO ISLAND There are reports of scattered KG whiting at Kingscote, American River, Vivonne Bay & Penneshaw, along with garfish, tommies & big snook. Flathead & salmon to 1 kilo are off the rocks & Red Banks at Penneshaw. For the big boat crews the tuna are up & running, albeit a tad slower than last season - Investigator Straight, Sanders Bank & Backstairs Passage are all worth a try for these magnificent fish. Shore-based & jetty-based fishers are picking up yellowfin whiting, garfish, salmon to 1 kilo, mullet & flathead from Kingscote, Emu Bay, Stokes Bay & Vivonne Bay. Crayfish catches seem down on last season but velvet crabs are crawling along much of the south coast where the impact of the algal bloom has been less, by all reports.

FEBRUARY SEAFOOD RECIPE: Bengali Mustard Calamari. Ingredients: 2 calamari chopped, mustard paste and oil, nigella (black onion) seeds, turmeric and green chillies, coconut milk, seasoning, cooked white rice, coriander. Preparation: marinate calamari in turmeric, salt and mustard. Then gently fry calamari in hot mustard oil and remove. Sautee nigella seeds, turmeric and chillies in same oil, adding coconut milk steadily to build the sauce. Add the cooked calamari for a few seconds to flavour, serve with chopped coriander and steamed white rice. Bhojan kaa aanand lijiye! Hindu for Bon Appetit.

SPENCER GULF/WEST COAST: Shore-based fishers who are making the trip to the Far West Coast are picking up mulloway, salmon to 4 kilos & flathead & snook from Fowler's Bay, Point Sinclair, Haslam & the Elliston Surf Cast beaches (Waterloo Bay, Sheringa, Convention, Talia etc). Sharks are also here & they are taking hooked fish at will, so stay alert & take care if wading. Boat crews are catching garfish, tommies & snook from Claire Bay, Murat Bay, Baird Bay, Streaky, Venus & Coffin Bay, with KG whiting still active in the Dashwood Channel & Coffin & Venus Bays - fish up to 40cm in some cases! Yellowfin & KG whiting are in mixed numbers at Port Lincoln, Louth Bay, Port Neill & then up to Cowell (outside the harbour) & Murninnie Point. Blue crabs are again mixed as the algal bloom seems to have had some affect. Big boat crews are picking up tuna, kingfish & samson fish off Olive Is (Streaky), Waldegrave Is & then south of the Spilsby Is groups. TIGHT LINES!