Adelaide and South Australia weekend fishing guide: Tide times and where the fish are biting

Salmon up to 2kg are being caught off Adelaide’s southern beaches. But that’s not the only hot tip from fishing guru Shane Mensforth.

Shane Mensforth

3 min read

June 16, 2023 - 11:27AM

Jack Ferrett from Tanunda with his two nannygai caught recently while aboard a Kangaroo Island Fishing Adventure charter off Western River.

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Head south for salmon. That’s the general word this week as cooler water stirs the southern metro fishing scene into action. I’m hearing that salmon from 500g up to around 2kg are mobile from Port Noarlunga down along the southern beaches towards the Fleurieu, offering terrific fishing when conditions are right. Both lure tossers and bait fishers seem to be catching their share.

I’m also hearing of salmon in West Lakes and from sections of the Port River, so it’s definitely time to break out the casting gear if you enjoy a scrap with these feisty little fish. And although salmon will never be in the same league as whiting or garfish on the plate, they are still tasty if looked after thoughtfully. Bleed your salmon immediately, keep them cool, and eat them within a couple of days to optimise flavour.

METROPOLITAN FISHING

Early in the week, Alex Militch scored a lovely mulloway of around a metre long while kayaking in West Lakes. The fish took a small hard-body lure fished on light threadline tackle, providing Alex with several minutes of exciting action. After unhooking and a brief photography session, the mulloway was released in good condition.

Salmon trout have been hooked from Port Noarlunga jetty, the beach at Southport, and as far up as the footbridge in the Onkaparinga estuary. Most seem to be in the 500-800g range, but a few larger ones also have been landed. Port Noarlunga also has tommies in the evening and a few nice mullet. Sellicks, Moana and Maslin beaches all have salmon of varying sizes, but mullet numbers have now dropped away.

Despite generally unfriendly weather for much of the week, local whiting reports have been encouraging. Peter Whiting, from Brighton Tackle & Bait, has been doing well off the Broadway at Glenelg, while other news has come from the bar ground at Seaford and from the area about 1km directly off Brighton jetty.

Dirty water has made fishing difficult on most of the local jetties, with just a few sand crabs at Henley and Grange and the occasional salmon from Glenelg. The metro mullet run has definitely eased now. Bream have been a little more active around the Port River’s upper reaches.

SOUTH COAST AND KI FISHING

Charter groups are still picking up a few small late-season bluefin tuna off Cape Willoughby, but I can’t see these hanging on much longer. American River is producing plenty of King George whiting, but their average size is inconsistent at present.

Salmon are moving along both Morgans and Fisheries beaches, close to Cape Jervis, but they, too, are inconsistent. The same applies at nearby Waitpinga, where salmon to better than 2kg have been welcome but unpredictable visitors. Second Valley and Rapid Bay have a few decent calamari at the moment, but both are open to prevailing northwesterly winds.

SOUTH EAST SA FISHING

It would seem that most of the tuna being hooked off Port MacDonnell are now in the 10-15kg bracket, although there is still the odd ‘barrel’ around.

Unstable weather has made life difficult for most trailer boat tuna chasers. The Beachport Salmon Hole produced plenty of kilo-plus fish early in the week, with some anglers scoring a salmon with virtually every cast.

The Canunda beaches also have plenty of larger salmon when surf conditions are favourable. Rough seas outside have seen many boaties turn to the Glenelg River this week. Mulloway to around a metre have been hooked at Donovans, and there are still plenty of bream and estuary perch throughout the system.

EYRE PENINSULA FISHING

Streaky Bay currently has plenty of whiting to around 38cm, while most of the beaches to the north and south are yielding salmon of varying sizes. The Australian salmon Fishing Championship, based in Elliston, is attracting plenty of entries.

Coffin Bay is producing plenty of whiting, but many are close to the minimum legal size. Farm Beach, the Frenchman and Point Sir Isaac have larger whiting, and it’s always worth setting a larger bait at Farm Beach for a gummy shark.

Whiting reports from Port Lincoln have been encouraging, with decent-size fish caught around Boston Island, Thistle Island and up at Louth Bay. The Sir Joseph Banks Group is yielding whiting to 45cm, good numbers of squid and salmon to around 1.5kg.

YORKE PENINSULA FISHING

Jetty squidders are picking up a feed on both sides of the peninsula, especially in areas of clear inshore water. Wool Bay has been consistent, and other jetties worth trying are Edithburgh, Wallaroo, Port Hughes and Port Rickaby. Salmon averaging a kilo continue to move along the eastern shore between Ardrossan and Stansbury, grabbing both baits and metal lures.

Despite inclement conditions, small southern bluefin tuna are still between Wedge Island and Pondalowie Bay. The schools seem most active early in the morning and late afternoon, but they can be a bit boat-shy, particularly if it’s calm.