LAND-BASED WINTER OPTIONS

Ireally enjoy our winter fishing here in SA. The days are shorter, but in between the passing fronts we usually see some stunning winter weather with cloudless skies and crisp temperatures. You’ll find that the crowds are lighter during the winter months, so you’ll often access prime locations with less competition.

The winter months are also quite conducive for land-based missions, with the cooler temperatures lending themselves well to sessions on foot. I do plenty of winter missions walking beaches while casting lures, and hiking out to rock locations (when the conditions allow) to soak baits for a host of tasty SA species.

Below we’ll look at some popular land-based winter targets here in SA, and we’ll discuss some tactics to help you get amongst the action.

SALMON IN THE SURF

Big salmon is what surf fishing in winter is all about. We have a host of beaches across SA which offer big salmon in the surf during the cooler months. Starting in the South East, the ocean beach at Salt Creek yields some good salmon during the cooler months, along with the Salmon Hole and Canunda Beach. On southern Fleurieu Peninsula, Waitpinga and Parsons Beaches near Victor Harbor offer salmon of mixed sizes during the cooler months.

Inside Gulf St Vincent, Southport Beach at Port Noarlunga and Christies Beach offer some salmon up to around 2kg during the winter afternoon high tides, along with Moana, Maslins, Sellicks and Aldinga Beaches at times.

Over on Kangaroo Island, beaches such as Pennington Bay, Stokes Bay, Vivonne Bay and Hanson Bay all offer good salmon fishing, with some solid fish up to 4kg caught during the cooler months. On the bottom of Yorke Peninsula, beaches including Browns Beach, Gleesons Landing, Berry Bay, The Dusthole and Butlers Beach are popular destinations for salmon fishing during winter. These beaches can be feast or famine though, depending on whether a school is within casting range.

The salmon fishing stronghold are still the beaches on the south and western coastlines of the Eyre Peninsula. Stretches of sand including Sleaford Bay, Gunyah, Almonta, Convention, Talia, Sheringa, Mt Camel and Locks Well all offer consistent salmon fishing during the winter months.

Selecting a day with northerly wind is ideal, which blows offshore from most of the surf beaches mentioned above. With offshore wind and small swell, it’s possible to spot schools of salmon patrolling the surf-line, and this is where casting 40-60g metal lures into the surf will bring great results, especially with the wind at your back to assist casting distance. But if no schools are visible, don’t despair. Focus on the afternoon high tide and by fishing baits in likely gutters and holes, you’ll have a good chance of success.

The author with a typical winter surf salmon

SALMON TROUT

Although the bigger salmon take the spotlight in the winter months, the fishing for smaller salmon trout can be really good during winter too. These fish are usually from just legal size of 21cm up to around 30cm, and they represent good table fare at this size. The land-based fishing inside the Coorong can be good for salmon trout during winter, provided there isn’t too much fresh water flushing out the system.

Closer to Adelaide, locations such as West Lakes and Outer Harbor are reliable, along with areas inside the Port River such as Snowdens Beach, Torrens Island and the Jervois Bridge. Adelaide’s southern suburban beaches offer salmon trout too, with the stretches of sand from O’Sullivans Beach through to Sellicks Beach offering these smaller salmon. Overall, these beaches are quite flat, but if you identify a channel edge or deeper trough and focus on the high tide, the results can be pleasing.

It is a similar story along the eastern beaches of the Eyre Peninsula, with the coastline from Cowell southwards to Tumby Bay offering salmon trout along with some nice tommies. Being located within gulf waters, these beaches are fairly low energy and are ideal during winter when the west to north-west winds dominate our weather patterns.

BREAM IN THE RIVERS

Winter time sees bream return to our coastal rivers as they push upstream in preparation for spawning in spring. The winter months represent a good time of year for fishing in the mid-reaches of our rivers, with bream responding to lures and baits, especially around the low light periods of the day. If there has been a big downpour of rain in the days preceding, these rivers and inlets can become quite discolored, but once the water settles and the visibility returns, the fishing can be quite good.

Locations include the Port River, West Lakes, Hindmarsh River and in the Onkaparinga River from Perry’s Bend upstream to Old Noarlunga (note closed season straight after winter from the September 1 to November 30 upstream of South Road Bridge). The rivers on Kangaroo Island also fish well during the winter months.

Bream begin to aggregate in winter to spawn

Winter is flathead time on southern EP

I like casting small 50-70mm curl-tail soft plastics on 1/16 or 1/32oz jig heads when the visibility is good, with the 65mm Squidgie Wriggler, Bait Junkie 2.5” Minnow and the Rapala CrushCity 2.5” Creeper are all effective plastics for bream.

But if the water is discolored, sometimes casting baits around structure and into deeper holes will bring better results. Fishing a lightly weighted single size 2-4circle or octopus hook can be super effective, with good baits including green prawns, beach worms, clickers, pilchard tails and small strips of salmon trout.

BLUESPOT FLATHEAD

Early winter is a great time of year for bluespot flathead in the shallows here in SA. Fishing around the bigger tides, flathead push up over the flats and around scattered rock during winter, and they represent an exciting target in the shallows. Don’t expect big numbers of fish – that’s the exception rather than the rule – with a handful of fish making a good session. This style of fishing is quite visual though, and it’s so good when a nice flattie puffs up out of the sand to follow your lure. There are plenty of locations around SA where flathead can be found during the winter months, with the sheltered beaches and bays around Yorke Peninsula, Eyre Peninsula and Fleurieu Peninsula worth prospecting.

Try to pick a location with clean water and the wind at your back, and then methodically work that section of coastline casting soft plastics. Aim for sandy areas with scattered rock, channel edges, weed edges, or any other anomaly along a featureless beach or shallow flat. Always keep an eye out for telltale flathead lies in the sand as you’re wading the shallows.

YELLOWFIN WHITING

Yellowfin whiting are often associated with the warmer months, but they are a viable land-based target during the winter months as well. Yellowfin are confined to within our two gulfs and are not to be confused with our smaller school whiting (transparent whiting) which can be found state-wide. Once the water temperatures drop during autumn, schools of yellowfin start moving off the beaches in the lower sections of our gulfs, and they start pushing into up into shallow sections in the northern parts of both gulfs.

They can be a bit harder to find during winter, as opposed to the warmer months, with areas to explore including the shallow beaches and flats in northern Gulf St Vincent and Spencer Gulf, inside Franklin Harbor, with a few fish also caught inside the Port River and Onkaparinga River. Bait fishing is the better approach during the cooler months, as the fish are less aggressive with the cooler water temps.

Cool water usually means more consistent whiting catches

KING GEORGE WHITING

King George whiting are another land-based winter target, with some great fishing available from select jetties, beaches and rock platforms fronting sand holes and scattered weed. There are plenty of locations on the north coast of Kangaroo Island, Yorke Peninsula and the Eyre Peninsula where King George can be caught from these land-based locations during the winter months.

Casting baits into sand holes or amongst scattered eel grass or tape weed can be productive, with the time-proven baits of cockles, prawn and squid all effective. A lightweight rod rated at around 4-7kg with a length of between 8-10ft is perfect for casting baits from the land.

Fishing from land-based locations doesn’t often produce bag limit catches – this does happen on occasions – but a catch of a couple King George up to half a dozen makes a great land-based session. The advantage of fishing during the winter months is that the trumpeters will be less prevalent once the water cools. Try fishing during the incoming tide and through until the peak of high, especially towards sunset.

CALAMARI

Southern calamari are a good land-based target during the winter months, especially on the eastern facing jetties and rock platforms due to the prevailing westerly winds. Calamari do not like dirty clouded water, so always select a location which will offer clear water, which is usually dictated by the winds during the preceding day or two. Winds blowing off the land are always preferred.

Some good land-based winter locations on the Yorke Peninsula include Stansbury jetty, Port Vincent jetty and breakwater, Port Julia jetty, Edithburgh jetty, Wool Bay jetty, and for big squid, Marion Bay jetty. On the Eyre Peninsula, try the Arno Bay jetty and breakwater, Port Neill jetty, Tumby Bay jetty, Port Lincoln town jetty, North Shields jetty and the Kirton Point jetty.

Closer to metro Adelaide, the Port Noarlunga, Brighton and Glenelg jetties are good platforms when the water is clear, and so too Rapid Bay and Second Valley jetties. Fishing from the rocks is another good option, with the rocks at Carrickalinga and Marino productive at times, along with the breakwater groin at Wirrina Cove. For big squid, the Bluff at Victor Harbor produces some cracking calamari during the winter months.

Early in the morning and again late in the day are the most productive times to be targeting squid in winter, and if you can bear the cold air temperatures, fishing after dark with luminous squid jigs can be super effective. I prefer using the slower sinking jigs when fishing from land-based platforms, in sizes 2.5 and 3.0 with dark colours effective during those overcast sessions, and white and bright greens my preference during bright days. Another good option is to have a teaser underneath a float with a whole tommy ruff.

OTHER JETTY OPTIONS

We’ve just discussed catching calamari and King George from jetty platforms here in SA, but there are other worthwhile jetty targets during the winter months from our state’s jetties. The Port Noarlunga jetty is a hot spot during winter storms, with salmon up to 3kg caught from the planks.

Some big tommy ruffs can be caught after dark from a host of jetties around our state during calm winter evenings, along with sand crabs from Adelaide metro jetties, and some nice garfish during late winter. Some nice gummy sharks are also caught from some Eyre Peninsula jetties around the full moon periods in winter, plus there are always other bread and butter species caught from our jetties, including red mullet, leatherjackets, silver trevally amongst other species.

Jetty squidders can have a ball during the cooler months

That’s a quick summary of the land-based winter options available around our state. Don’t sit idle in winter waiting for warmer weather; grab a beanie and a warm jacket, and get amongst it!