Hook a decent Australian salmon on light gear and you'll understand why people drive a long way to chase them. They run, they jump, they sulk deep, and a school of them busting up bait in the wash is one of the great sights in southern fishing. Pound for pound, few fish pull harder.
First, the name
Let's clear this up. Australian salmon (genus Arripis) are not Atlantic salmon and they're not related to them at all. They're their own thing, a hard-fighting schooling fish of the cooler southern waters. The two main species are the eastern and western Australian salmon, and the juveniles are often called salmon trout or "bay trout" when they're small.
Worth knowing because it shapes how you treat them on the table, which we'll get to.
Where and when
Australian salmon are a southern fish. You'll find them through New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. They like cooler water, so the further south you go the better the fishing tends to be.
They turn up in a few classic spots:
- Surf beaches. Schools cruise the gutters chasing bait, same water you'd read for any beach fish.
- Rock platforms and headlands. Deeper water close in and bait getting pushed against the rocks. Brilliant spinning country.
- Estuary mouths and bays. Where bait funnels in and out on the tide, salmon stack up to ambush it.
Autumn and winter are the prime months across most of the range as the schools move and feed hard. They're a cool-water fish, so the colder part of the year is when the big schools show up along the beaches and rocks. Dawn and dusk are best, but a feeding school will go all day if the bait's there.
If you're new to reading where fish hold, the same principles apply whether you're on the beach, the rocks, or working an estuary. Our guide on estuary structure, tides and patience sets out the basics that carry across.
How to catch them
The beauty of salmon is they're not fussy when they're on the chew. Find the school and you're usually in business. Two methods do the heavy lifting.
Spinning metal slugs
This is the gun method, especially off the rocks and beach. A metal slug casts a long way and lets you reach a school that's busting up out wide.
- Throw a chrome or white slug in the 20 to 40g range. Match the size to the bait they're eating.
- Cast into or past the school and wind back at a steady fast pace.
- If they're following but not committing, add a few twitches or speed it up. Salmon love a fleeing baitfish.
- When the surface erupts, cast to the edge of the school rather than right into the middle so you don't put them down.
Ganged pilchard
When they want bait, a whole pilchard on ganged hooks is hard to beat, particularly off the beach and rocks.
- Rig a pillie on a gang of three to five hooks so it sits straight.
- Fish it under a float around the rocks, or with a star sinker in a beach gutter.
- Let it drift naturally with the wash. Salmon will track a moving bait.
When a salmon hits, hang on. They run hard and often jump clean out of the water, so keep the rod up and the line tight to keep the hooks home.
Light tackle vs surf gear
This is the fun decision. Australian salmon are one of the best light-tackle targets going.
If you're spinning off the rocks or a smaller beach, a 9 to 10 foot spin rod with a 4000 to 5000 reel and 20 to 30lb braid turns a salmon into a proper sportfish. You'll feel every head-shake and run. A short mono leader of 20 to 30lb is plenty, as salmon don't have the cutting teeth that tailor do.
For the open surf where you need distance to reach the gutters, step up to a surf rod of 11 to 13 feet and a 6000 to 8000 reel. That gives you the cast and the grunt to hold a sinker in the wash and still control a big salmon.
Either way you're often out in raw southern weather, wind, salt spray and glare off the water. A cap that handles the conditions earns its keep, which we cover in our piece on fishing hats for sun, salt and wind.
Eating and handling
Here's where salmon get an unfair reputation. People say they're not good eating, but that's usually down to how they were handled, not the fish.
- Bleed them immediately. Cut the gills the moment you land one and let it bleed out. This is the single biggest thing.
- Get them on ice fast. An ice slurry is ideal. Salmon flesh goes soft and strong-flavoured if left to warm up.
- Eat them fresh. Bled, iced and cooked the same day, the fillets are far better than the doubters claim. They're also excellent smoked, in fishcakes, or as fresh bait.
Check your state's current size and bag limits before keeping any. Many anglers fish for them purely for the sport and release most of the catch.
Tips and common mistakes
- Watch for the signs. Working birds, surface splashes and dark patches of bait give the school away. Use your eyes before you cast.
- Don't fish into a dead spot. If the gutter or the rock ledge looks lifeless, move. Salmon are roamers and so should you be.
- Keep the lure moving fast. A slow-wound slug gets ignored. Speed triggers the strike.
- Mind your footing on the rocks. Southern ledges get hit by swell. Never turn your back on the sea and don't fish marginal spots alone.
- Bleed every fish you keep. It's the difference between a good feed and a bad reputation.
Last cast
Australian salmon are generous fish. They school up, they feed hard, and they fight like something twice their size on light gear. Chase them through the cooler months off the beaches and rocks, spin a slug or drift a pilchard, and bleed the ones you keep. They're also a great fish to cut your teeth on if you're working through the fish every Aussie angler eventually catches. And if the surf goes quiet, the same gear and the same gutters will turn up garfish and other bait-chasers worth a feed.