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Grab a mixed bag off the beach
  |  First Published: April 2007



Now is the perfect time to catch a mixed bag, with a large range of species available right along Ninety-Mile Beach. Salmon, snapper, flathead and several species of shark are all being taken, so the beaches are a good fishing option for anyone looking to wet a line.

Salmon have been taken from Lake Tyers through to McLaughlins Beach; some have reached 4kg, while most have been between 750g and 2kg. Bluebait, whitebait, pilchards and surf poppers have been productive, however metal lures like Raiders and Lazers have also produced good numbers as well as some larger size fish. You never know what you might hook when you’re fishing these beaches – one lucky angler managed to hook and land a small yellowtail kingfish while chasing salmon using metal lures at Lake Tyers Beach.

Along with the salmon, anglers fishing between Loch Sport and Seaspray have taken trevally to 1.5kg, tailor to 1kg and flathead to 1kg. Tailor are also falling to metal lures, while bluebait, whitebait, squid and pilchard pieces are working a treat with trevally and flathead.

McGaurans Beach has produced snapper to 6kg; some anglers have been lucky enough to get two or three in a night, although most anglers would be happy to get one. These fish are taking fresh squid and salmon fillets. Around Easter every year a few snapper up to 8kg are caught from the beach, with the Golden Beach to Woodside area quite productive.

The most common catch lately has been sharks, either gummies or bronze whalers, with numerous others hooked but biting through mono leaders. Anglers who are prepared to paddle large baits 100m offshore using 24-37kg game outfits have been landing bronze whalers up to 100kg. Many more are lost because they are just too big!

Most bronze whalers hooked by surf anglers have been around 30kg, with some gummy sharks up to 20kg. Most sharks have been taken on squid, fresh salmon, trevally or tailor fillets, pilchards and bluebait. The best time to fish for these sharks is three days either side of the full and new moon.

The odd hammerhead and seven-gill should make an appearance in the next month or so as the water starts to change temperature.

With Easter almost here, it is worth getting out and fishing the beach before the colder weather limits the variety of species available.

Gummies have been a common catch lately, but you’ll need to make sure your tackle is up to the challenge.

Reads: 1996

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