Launching a land-based assult

This has to be my favourite time of the year for a land-based assault. Whether you’re fishing the local beaches, the cut or inside the

I find those areas to have more sharp drop-offs or ledges that benefit from having your lure get close to the bottom, something a diving lure can’t always accomplish.

Whilst fishing the beaches I’ll take the heaviest metal slug or minnow profile hardbody lure that my rod will allow. Having that bit extra weight with a well-matched line can be the difference of 20m on your neighbour’s cast, and ultimately first punt at the school of bruisers. really want to get your quota, the relatively new Willy hooks are a great way to try something new, and effective if the old-fashioned scooping isn’t for you!

With no surprise, shark catches have escalated lately, with the salmon running up the coast coaxing the toothy critters along with them. Plenty of tigers and bronzies have been taking the baits recently, particularly around Dalyellup beaches, making for some exciting sportfishing. A slab of stingray is the most popular bait, and the Mandurah mullet we have delivered weekly have been enticing them well.

For boaties out there, try dropping your nets on the edge of the sand bar drop-offs with a nice oily bait like mullet or tuna heads to ensure your catch.

The Collie River has been fishing really well, with reports of black bream over the 40cm mark. Fishing river prawns as bait

You can also get good results on small soft plastics worked hard and fast – it’s a deadly technique to catch these fish. I like the Daiwa Bait Junkie

2.5” Minnow in whitebait colour rigged up on a Bait Junkie jighead in 1/12oz on a no. 2 hook. The larger fish (around 1.2-1.3kg+) tend to bite better first thing in the morning or right on dusk on a warm afternoon.

In autumn we tend to get quite low winds and a lot of winds off the north, which makes for very pleasant boating. In recent weeks, anglers have been smashing good numbers of nannygai up to 3kg, along with big breaksea cod. The Nomad Squidtrex has been a hot new lure down here in the 150 size, catching everything from small harlequinfish all the way up to dhufish.

We are still seeing an increased number of dhufish in Esperance, and it’s becoming a regular occurrence to catch them over 10kg. Slow pitch jigging has been the best way to target these, and the 170g Ocean’s Legacy Long Contact jig in pink glow colour has been working well.

April is also a good time of year to target big samsonfish out wide. Live baiting whole herring or skippy on top of the bommies out wide is a great way to target fish over the 30kg mark.

• Established in 1986, Southern Sports and Tackle specializes in the supply and servicing of fishing equipment. They have an extensive knowledge of the local area and provide all brands, whether you’re fishing from beach, jetty or boat. Come and chat to the friendly staff at Shop 16, The Boulevard, Esperance or phone 08 9071 3022.

Big salmon schools can pop up seemingly out of nowhere. marina, our famous Australian salmon can pop up out of nowhere and in huge schools.

I’ve spent many mornings and afternoons chasing the salmon up and down jetties, rock walls and beaches around Bunbury just to feel that screaming run on light gear. It’s something that we don’t always have the opportunity to experience fishing landbased locally. If you’re fishing the jetties and rock walls, I’d suggest a well-balanced soft plastic around the 6” length as

Blue swimmer crabs are still on fire in the Leschenault estuary, with this being one of the best years we have ever had. If you’re happy to get your feet wet and spend a bit of time walking the flats you should be able to manage a feed. If you rigged on a 1/0 baitholder hook with a small running ball sinker is a simple but effective way to target these fish. If lures are your thing, the Bite Science plastics seem to be out fishing everything else. If you’re looking for a fasterpaced way to fish these elusive Collie River bream, I recommend slow rolling a bibbed minnow deep in the snags for an exciting hook-up and fantastic fight.

Harvey Dam has been fishing well for redfin perch. Look for rocky banks with plenty of structure as this is where the redfin hide out. The norm is generally spinners but don’t discount soft plastics. I rig a slightly heavier jighead (around 1/8oz) to ensure my plastic is getting down to where the fish are.

Beach fishos can expect to find good numbers of yellowfin whiting cruising the beaches. A simple running ball sinker down to a long shank hook with either bloodworm or sandworm as bait is proving to be most successful. A tip for chasing yellowfin whiting from the beach is not to cast too far! They normally sit in the wash only 8-10ft from the shoreline.

We are still getting good tailor reports from south of Buffalo Beach. These fish have not been in huge numbers but the size are certainly making up for it, with most fish well over the 40cm mark.

On those still nights when the wind is behaving, I find it best to baitcast a mulie or scalie with little to no weight, and use a very slow retrieve.

• Call into the shop at 1/143 Grand Entrance, Australind for the latest fishing reports and what’s biting, or simply to have a yarn. Until next time, tight lines and screaming drags!