With the trout season still over for a couple of months, you would think it would be hard to find much to chase, but not on the northwest, be cause we are having one of the best winter salmon runs I have seen for a long time.

In winter some species tend to slow down but not the Australian salmon. They have plagued the northwest for the last month and they are here in size and numbers, with some anglers getting hauls of fish in the 1-2kg and the odd bigger specimen.

You can find them all along the coast but there have been some big numbers reported from the Burnie and Wynyard areas, also the Blythe, Emu, Arthur, Duck, Inglis and Forth rivers. A boat is handy because if things are not working in the river itself, it’s always an idea to have a look out in front of the river if conditions permit.

Needless to say there are still a good number of salmon being taken off the shore. As for tackle, there are ample lures that you can catch these salmon on, but silver slices, some soft plastics and minnow type lures are reliable. When using lures I find that bright and fluoro colours to be really effective.

Another method that anglers have been having success with on these salmon is flyfishing. Reports are of flyfishers having a ball and getting fish after fish.

I suggest Clousers in blue, olive and white for flies. Bait has accounted for a few salmon but hasn't been the preferred method. I remember last year we started to have a good run of salmon in the winter but they where washed away by some big rainfalls and they went very quiet.

Lets hope that there wont be a repeat this year, so enjoy them now or you might just miss out.

Although salmon where the main species hanging around the northwest coast there was a few other spices around that anglers where enjoying. There where reports of a few bream in the Blythe River amongst all the salmon.

There are still lots of flathead about and have been found consistently at a depth of 30-40m. A lot of things work to catch these fish but a big catcher is the Silstar Jig'em Rigs and I have heard of some success on soft plastics.

Another species that has been hanging around this winter are the silver trevally with Wynyard and the Inglis River being the hotspot, but have heard them been caught all over the coast.

I just love it when the trevally are around cause they are one of the hardest fighting around. Bait is an option with chicken being the main bait but they can be taken on bluebait.

But I feel the best way to chase these hard fighting fish is on lures, such as Berkley T Tails, Power Minnows, Strike Pro Reaction Baits and Squidgy Flick Minnows.

The Trevally aren’t huge but they are fun.

All these species should continue into July as long as we don't get to much rain. But if it is raining or looks like rain still brave the condition it well worth it.

The author with a nice Australian salmon taken on a Strike Pro Reaction Bait.