It’s been a long while since I have had almost nothing to yarn about in a fishing report, but as you have no doubt seen over the weekend, things were almost as bad as they get down here in the deep south. Damaging winds, massive seas and sideways rain for almost the last week has seen virtually no one hit the water. Craig and I were actually only talking about it yesterday and neither of us can remember recommending that fishos stay at home by the fire instead of braving the conditions! I do have a few things that are of note to come from a weekend of bad weather and the positives that it can bring, so let’s get into this week’s brief fishing wrap up.


The coast along the South East has copped an absolute battering.


Massive swells and big winds have made for some pretty impressive pictures of waves smashing into the coastline.


Pictures I have seen from Beachport showed waves at the same height as the jetty, the Coorong had water washing all the way up the beach, through the beach access points and into the low lying areas behind the dunes and Pelican Point beachfront homeowners had water coming over the front lawn and under the houses! Luckily it’s not a very common occurrence to have such wild weather down there, but it is always amazing to see.


Us fishos are an optimistic bunch, I have noticed many a fisho in the shop over the weekend with a bit of excitement in their voices for the coming days when the sea does settle, as historically speaking we do see the fish have a bit of a hot bite.


Tuna fishos are especially up and about, with the fish having been quiet for the last month or so, this big blow should hopefully be enough to stir up the baitfish and in turn, the big boys that eat them.


Bottom bouncers love the days after a big weather event too, the stirred water should see the shark in the deeper water fish well, along with all the other standard reef species.


The first of September saw the opening of the 2024/25 southern rock lobster season for our commercial fishos.


Unfortunately the weather has kept everyone home, but when you do get to soak the pots, here’s hoping for a safe and productive season for all.


Just a reminder for the amateurs, our season starts on October 1, so now is a good chance to make sure all the gear is ready and the boat is in good nick ready to go in a few weeks’ time.


The surf fishing news would usually be top heavy with salmon reports this time of year, but I do not know of anyone that went for a look at the weekend.


It’s not all bad having a weekend off, with the massive seas and winds, we’ll often see mountains of weed cover the beaches.


It can be a nuisance in the short term for fishos who want to flick lures, but over the coming weeks, that weed will start to break down, filling the water with lots of bugs and larvae, which attracts small baitfish and we all know what follows those! So a bit of short term pain for some long term gain is hopefully what we see over the coming months.


The same can be said for the garfishos.


The weed that would no doubt be piled up on the beach at Livingstons Bay right now would probably make launching the tinny a bit of an effort, but as we see it break down, it’ll be like a smorgasbord for the gar, tommy ruff and mullet population and once they’re in full swing, we’ll see those big squid turn up in big numbers.


Last year I remember seeing squid over 3.5kg landed, big enough to have the hoods touching both ends of a plastic stacker.


Once the seas settle, we have a few days of calm weather and the water gets nice and clear, I reckon they’ll be on for young and old.


The fishing up the river has been great for most.


Daniel Carter has been fishing the very upper reaches during the small windows of weather we have had and has found some nice perch, redfin and even a handful of catfish up above Dartmoor in some of the deeper pools.


Soft plastics or unweighted scrubworm have been the best bet up there but mix it up and keep on the move.


If one area is not producing, keep mobile and move up further.


There were whispers getting around in Nelson last week of a big mulloway that was caught somewhere down there and I got the picture sent to me about a dozen times I reckon from blokes wanting the goss, but I have no info about the fish, so if it was fair dinkum, I’d love to hear all about it!


Looking forward to this week’s weather, I’m pleased to say it’s gonna be better than the last week.


Swell height and wind are at a much better level and I think we should see some boats back on the water.


As always, do keep an eye on it, the weather reports are not always smack on, so just make the call when you get there.


Hopefully all the dads out there had a fabulous weekend for Father’s Day!


Until next week, safe fishing!