Catching Aussie Salmon on Fly
Australian Salmon are a wicked Australian sports fish on fly and each year their return is anxiously awaited by fly fisho's throughout New South Wales, the Illawarra fishery no exception.
They inhabit shallow inshore areas, eat flies with aggression, fight hard and love to show off with their aerial skills. A perfect target for any fly fisher! Arripis trutta, known as the Australian salmon in Australia and as Kahawai in New Zealand.
Australian Salmon can be caught year-round in NSW, but the peak season for large, migrating schools is winter to spring (July to October). Prime fishing spots include surf beaches, rocky headlands, and estuaries.
Orvis Clearwater 8 Weight, Hydros IV reel, SA Intermediate tip line.
Grant and the Guides at Reel Fly Fishing prefer to fish on the heavier side as it provides that extra muscle in the butt section of the rod. We use and recommend a 7 to 10 weigh rod as there are real models weighing up to about 4 kgs in our local waters.
Lines we recommend an Intermediate tip (Scientific Anglers Sonar Titan - Saltwater Intermediate line, available from the Fly Fisher … click here.!
Leader, Salmon aren’t leader shy at all 12 to 20lb tapered leader is what we use, loop knot to a candy, surf candy, a popper or even a gurgler.
The Premium time is dawn and dusk on high or incoming water down on the South Coast and Illawarra. When deciding what conditions to fish in, as a general rule I will gravitate toward lower tides on the rocks and higher tides on the beach. The logic behind this is that rocks usually provide easy access to deeper water, whereas beach gutters can become shallow and provide less opportunities for salmon to feed when compared to the higher stages of the tide.
Salmon schools look like huge, dark smudges in our blue water, birds can be a real give away, the strategy game is not usually technical, just get the fly in there and strip, fasts strips the occasional pause is the go, mix it up and you’ll soon have a bent rod.
I like to look for long, high energy surf beaches with prominent gutters, that will give the salmon avenues to push in closer to the shore and feed within cast distance. This does not mean that smaller beaches are not productive, however I have found larger beaches to hold bigger schools of fish with greater consistency.
Brenda Galey - Galey Miss Guide Fly Fishing at Bermagui NSW.
So dont put your gear away theres plenty of fishing to be had in the Saltwater during winter there is hardly a species more synonymous with these conditions than the Australian salmon. Immensely popular as always, Australian salmon provide excellent sport-fishing for those prepared to brave the chilly conditions.
If you’re keen to get amongst some epic winter fishing action get in touch with Reel Fly Fishing - Click here.!
