Meppstas

With a very mild Spring and early Summer, Yellow Fin Whiting lure fishing has had a few challenges this season.
The weather patterns have not sustained a constant water temperature. It barely heats up when a cold change with a series of cold days would chill off the water. It looks like we may have turned the corner.
We have not yet seen a sustained warm spell to put the warmth into the water and hold it there for a prolonged spell. It is the sustained higher water temperatures that has the greatest impact on the ecosystem and the behaviour of the YFW. Yes we have been finding a few YFW on lures, but nothing like those hot bag out sessions of last year.
So today after a few, rare consecutive days of 30+C I was off to seize the opportunity and “Strike while the water was hot”

Comparative water temperature maps. What a difference a few warm days make
 
I was trying to avoid the cooler water in the morning, by starting around 11.30am. Sleeping in ! The water was still surprisingly cold at the start. Thermal lag, meant the water was still holding onto a cool temperature after a spell of cold days earlier in the week. Hence the importance of a sustained period of warmth. It was hard to find fish showing interest in any of the surface lures in the incoming tide.  Fish would not rise for the lure. The few fish spotted, were hanging back from the lure and staying deep. They were keeping as cool and calm as the water temperature.  I went subsurface with the Ecogear ZX43 blade to catch a couple of good fish.

 

The Salmon Trout have moved out & the Trumpeters have moved in. A sure sign of warm water.
Still it was not until the tide started to run off late afternoon, and the water had warmed up from the heat of the day, did the fishing come alive. Increasingly overcast conditions did put a dampener on the fishing. You always catch more in sunshine. I had to resort to some UV enhancement tricks to engage the fish. UV sprays and UV flash tinsels can transform the standard sunny day lures into successful overcast day lures. A quick spray on your lure. It dries fast. Although it leaves a strong lacquer smell. So rub it over with some S factor or Pro-Cure scent to negate the smell. Today my ever reliable Sugapen 95 could only catch fish with the UV enhancements. 


 
I worked through a variety of surface lures today. The other successful ones being Zipbaits Fakie Dog DS, Ebi Panic, MMD Splash prawn-AW Yabby, 

 
And one I have not used for a couple of years, the Atomic K9 Bulldog which took the biggest fish.

The smaller size lures where better in lighter winds and the bigger and noisier lures in the stronger wind spells.
 
The day finished strongly with the fish more aggressive in the warm water late in the day. I released a few fish in the high 20s to 30cm and kept 17 fish in the 31- 40cm range. Most were in the 35 to 40cm range. A clear sign of the warm water attracting a new batch of juvenile prawns onto the sand flats along with the larger predatory Yellow Fin Whiting.

 
Happy Hot days and some Hot fishing sessions ahead !
 
Cheers, Des

Just got a notification through the SA fishing app, surely this is a joke?
Does anyone know if a.) This is for real? & b.) Was any alternative to full closure considered such as a reduced slot limit?
Everytime I fish Spencer Gulf I get snapper bycatch, I like to fish reefy ground in shallow water 5-6m max for a mixed bag (also it's where I find the bigger KGs) and snapper up to 60cm can be thick at times, surely out in their actual territory they are doing ok?
I'm not a scientist, I don't have the data but my personal experience tells me snapper are easier to catch now when not trying than they were targeting them pre bans, something about this doesn't seem right.

Thanks for that bjorn.
So not exactly bad news, just not the results they'd hoped for.
Reading some of the other articles it seems others have had the same observations as I have, still I'm willing to trust the scientists and am all for a healthy fishery.
My only concern is about the commercial sector, they're going to be propped up for the next 3 years then what? Open slather like before? Seems kind of crazy to go to all this effort only to trash everything again.
I guess only time will tell.

It looks legit! - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-17/sa-snapper-fishing-ban-extended/101784940
At a time where there are food shortages around the world with Australia soon to realise we haven't escaped this reality either it really doesn't surprise me that the powers that be stop the citizens from feeding themselves.

Good work Adrian. That second one was a cracker! Strange injury on its back for a freshwater stream? An angry eel maybe?
Cheers, 
Greg.

This trip to a small tannin stream gave up a couple of surprise size trout, something that doesn't happen all that often in small tannin waters.
cheers
Adrian
 

This trip to a small tannin stream gave up a couple of surprise size trout, something that doesn't happen all that often in small tannin waters.
cheers
Adrian
 

This trip to a small tannin stream gave up a couple of surprise size trout, something that doesn't happen all that often in small tannin waters.
cheers
Adrian
 

Your Saragosa has good and not so good impact on your rod choice I think. At around 700 grams it narrows down your options which is good in a way. No overthinking required! Its a big reel and is right at home knocking off a heap of larger models. It is overkill for snapper but like you said, you have it already. Doobs mentioned catching his first snapper on my gear and it was a nice fish but it was a tuna outfit and he made short work of it!!! That was a 6000 Shimano on a T curve Deep Jig 200.  Again, huge overkill for snapper but it is a brilliant allrounder for offshore work. Troll the tuna in the morning and bottom bash for nannies and whatever comes along in the arvo. Still sensitive enough to feel the bites on bait. The Terez range has a heap of rods in that 7 foot ish range in 1 and 2 piece. The TZS70M might be worth a look.  I'd head to a loaded tackle shop with reel in hand and try a few.

Hi Micky , I have a Savage 6'6 1-3 , which I use for KGW , great rod , light and have pulled 52cm KGW , my PB , but handled it no worries .
 

Hi Micky. If you were prepared to go secondhand check the local Adelaide TackleBox secondhand site. Every now and then a great rod comes up at an even greater price. Regards, HBt.

I'm using the new TTR Red Belly Fast action, ultra light 7' 2 piece 1-3kg rod for trout fishing the larger rivers and found it to be a beautifully well balanced rod.
Features of the Red Belly Series include premium 30T Toray carbon blanks with fast and responsive actions, Fuji Tangle Free K Guides with Alconite rings, Fuji reel seat and split hard EVA grips. Premium components, power and performance at an incredible price.
Available in both 1 and 2-piece models
Premium 30T Toray carbon blanks
Fast and responsive actions
Fuji Tangle Free K Guides with Alconite rings
Fuji reel seat and split hard EVA grips
TT Rods come with a 1 Year Warranty against manufacturer defect (Proof of purchase required).

This was certainly one trip that I did the hard yards to get onto a few trout.. pretty long spin session in the upper Mersey River..
cheers
Adrian
 
 

This was certainly one trip that I did the hard yards to get onto a few trout.. pretty long spin session in the upper Mersey River..
cheers
Adrian
 
 

Wow just wow 

That was quite a distance you ventured Adrian.
Nice to look back of some fishing adventures, especially when you remember how much it can take out of you 😃
Nothing ventured, nothing gained 😉

This was certainly one trip that I did the hard yards to get onto a few trout.. pretty long spin session in the upper Mersey River..
cheers
Adrian
 
 

Thanks Adrian whichever rod I get is my Xmas present family giving me a gift card tackle shop have given me $10 off a $100 purchase . I’ll look at this rod and the other one 

It's a great lightweight rod Micky, my arms are never tired after three hours of continued casting light weight lures in the rivers.. actually the fishing video that I just put on the site is one that I used the Red Belly rod on..
cheers
Adrian

Thanks Adrian something to ponder looks great 

I'm using the new TTR Red Belly Fast action, ultra light 7' 2 piece 1-3kg rod for trout fishing the larger rivers and found it to be a beautifully well balanced rod.
Features of the Red Belly Series include premium 30T Toray carbon blanks with fast and responsive actions, Fuji Tangle Free K Guides with Alconite rings, Fuji reel seat and split hard EVA grips. Premium components, power and performance at an incredible price.
Available in both 1 and 2-piece models
Premium 30T Toray carbon blanks
Fast and responsive actions
Fuji Tangle Free K Guides with Alconite rings
Fuji reel seat and split hard EVA grips
TT Rods come with a 1 Year Warranty against manufacturer defect (Proof of purchase required).

This is just a nine minute musical photo slideshow video from a few trips I had to a small "no mans land" tannin stream.. I doubt anyone has ever fished this area apart from me..
Sit back and relax while you watch it & hope you get some enjoyment from it..
cheers
Adrian
 

This is just a nine minute musical photo slideshow video from a few trips I had to a small "no mans land" tannin stream.. I doubt anyone has ever fished this area apart from me..
Sit back and relax while you watch it & hope you get some enjoyment from it..
cheers
Adrian
 

You truly are fishing some beautiful country, Thank you for sharing   

Although I don't like 'musicals', I think you have done a great job (yet again) in putting a great video together
Well done.