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Bumper whiting season in Welshpool
  |  First Published: May 2016



Even though the water temperature has cooled, the fishing has been hot and plenty of impressive bags have put smiles on the faces of boaters and land-based anglers alike.

I always check in with Welshpool Boat Storage where there is fresh bait and up to date information. Squid are still in great numbers and there is no sign of them slowing down and of course these squid will attract numerous other species of fish such as mako sharks, gummies, pointers and school sharks.

In the Lewis Channel there have been very good numbers of whiting caught on Bass yabbies, small strips of squid, sandworms and pipis. Nicholas Graham is just six years old and loves to get out with his dad and look for a fish. On a recent trip they headed to one of their favourite spots in the Lewis Channel to try their luck where there were reportedly good numbers of whiting caught up to the 36cm mark. It wasn’t long before the little master was into the fish, and after a battle he landed a very nice whiting. Needless to say he was a very happy young angler and can’t wait to get out there to do it all again.

In the Lewis Channel there have been a variety of other quality species caught such as silvers, mullet and flathead and they are showing no signs of slowing down.

The Franklin Channel has been very productive and good numbers of flathead and snapper have been caught on the last two hours of the run-in flow and first two hours of the run-out tide.

Out wide around Cliffy Island there have been positive reports of good numbers of gummies, which makes the effort of getting out there worthwhile. Paul Williams decided to try his luck in the area and managed to hook into and land a very nice kingfish on a micro-jig. There have been quite a few similar reports in the same area. Mixed in with the big fish have been plenty of rats but that is a good sign for future fishing.

The jetties are always worth a look and there have been very good numbers of garfish caught on the run-in tide. They have with them big squid, flathead, and mullet, and making a trip to the eastern end of the structure will likely be the most productive place.

Not far away to the east is the sister town or the other Port known as Port Albert where Rob Killury and his wife Ulla run the local general store. This is where most visiting boaters call in to get the latest as far as the fishing is concerned.

Rob told me that this is the best season he can remember in a long time, especially as far as whiting have been concerned. He says whiting are in big numbers and although not huge, (up to the 37cm mark) they are worth targeting. These fish are taking a variety of baits including Bass yabbies, squid strips, pipis, and small pieces of pilchards. There is a place about 300m out from the jetty where George Harrington and a mate headed recently and hooked into a school of whiting that were all around the 35cm mark on pipis.

As well as the whiting inside the entrance there have been good numbers of flathead and gummy sharks bagged on numerous types of baits.

The jetties have been productive with fish such as whiting, mullet, flathead, squid, and eels caught in big numbers. The best time to try your luck has been on the run-in tide. There are numerous other jetties in the area but some are privately owned and permission is required before you may fish there. This is not usually a problem, so get the owner’s permission to avoid embarrassment!

Manns Beach has been productive but there is only a sand ramp to accommodate boats – so be careful. At the time of this report a yacht became grounded, and all attempts to dislodge it from the sand have failed. The future of the yacht is in serious doubt.

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