A SPIN IN THE SURF

There aren’t many inshore sportfish offering the same level of accessibility as Australian salmon. As a recreational species they tick a lot of boxes; only being lessened by their table qualities. They jump, fight hard, are found in good numbers and hit lures with absolute aggression. Their considerable appetite and drive to feed ensures that when fish are found, they will typically eat.

Salmon are often the first basic “sportfish” that many fishos encounter in the southern half of our country. Targeting salmon in the surf was my first step away from smaller bread & butter species when I was a kid, and I dare say they have been a stepping-stone for plenty of other fishos around our country. This is especially so in locales such as southern WA, throughout SA and Victoria, where the species is most abundant.

We have two separate species of Australian salmon in our waters; the Eastern Australian salmon (Arripis trutta) is found from the QLD / NSW border south to Port Philip Bay and including Tasmania. This species is the smaller of the two, reaching a maximum of 6kg, but mainly caught in the 0.5 – 2kg range. The Western Australian salmon (Arripis truttaceus) is found from Kalbarri in WA through to Lakes entrance