Chasing Surf Zone Salmon
by Jarrod Day on 3 Jun 2011
When the salon are running, it can be standing room only. Jarrod Day
www.jarrodday.com
As the salmon scene hots up in Victoria, Jarrod Day hits the surf to sample what is on offer.
Beach or surf fishing is a common affair during winter in Victoria. When the water temperature cools, hoards of Australia salmon make their way down the coast infiltrating the surf zones. For land based anglers, this is the time to rug up and hit the sand in earnst of catching some quality fish.
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There are many different techniques surrounding surf fishing and while lugging a tonne of gear down to the beach isn’t favoured by any angler, all you need is the necessary items for your session, not every piece of tackle you own.
Providing you have a small selection of hooks, sinkers, surf poppers and leader that you can fit into a waist bag or small back pack you’ll be able to free up your hands to carry the important things such as a bucket filled with berley and bait.
Fishing the surf requires two main ingredients to be successful. Firstly, you need bait and berley while secondly you need to distinguish a gutter where fish will be found.
Understanding the surd scenario
Finding a gutter is easier than it sounds. A gutter can form in many different shapes and sizes and while so, generally start at the shore and extend into the ocean.
When overlooking a surf beach you’ll notice the waves breaking in certain sections along the coast. Between each set of waves, there is a patch of calm water which is usually green or blue in colour.
This coloured section of water is known by surfers as a 'rip' and it is the deepest sections of a surf zone. The depth of a gutter is gauged by the water colour, green or light green is often shallow while dark green or blue are much deeper sections.
Often, a gutter may not extend from the beach out into the ocean but can run horizontal to the beach or just be a hole. Either way, these are the areas too look for in order to be successful.
Berley, Berley,Berley
Berley is a great way to attract salmon and or other species to your gutter. Most surf beaches are quite a few kilometres in length and just one piece of bait on a hook isn’t going to attract an entire school of fish.
Once a gutter is located, load an onion bag with your chosen berley concoction. In my case, it is a four kilo bag of chook pellets which has been soaked in tuna oil over night. The bag can be tied to a long rope which is attached to your rod holder and staked into the sand. It can then be left on the beach so that with each wave that washes up the beach, covers the bag taking back with it small pieces of the berley.
Over a short period of time, fish will be attracted to the smell of the berley and move into the gutter. When you are berleying, there is no need to cast a mile. With the berley flowing from the bag the fish will move right into the shore break. This is where you should be casting too; just a short five metre cast will be more beneficial than casting a mile.
Gearing up
While the salmon targeted in Victoria tend to range somewhere in the vicinity of 300 grams to 2.5kg’s in the peak of the season, I still can’t understand why so many anglers intend on using 25lb line and 60lb trace. This type of tackle I tend to use when targeting gummy shark from the surf, not salmon.
As for salmon, lighten up your tackle and while you’ll still bring your fish in easy enough, you’ll also feel and enjoy a good battle. Surf outfits generally consist of a 12ft rod, whether they are fibreglass or graphite, the choice is up to you. Many anglers tend to place their rods in holders after making a cast; they often miss many bites from fish.
Personally, I choose to hold the rod. My surf outfit is a nine foot Shimano Shore Spin graphite rod with 4000 series Shimano Twin power 6000 reel. This light balanced outfit is spooled with 15lb braid and 15lb leader which is more than heavy enough for the fish encountered.
Casting into the surf often requires a heavy sinker ranging from three ounces to six ounces depending on the strength of the side wash. Each day the side wash will be different which is why a selection of these weights should be carried.
The standard rig when fishing the surf is a paternoster. Paternoster rigs can be tied from 15lb fluorocarbon leader with two droppers. Having two hooks on the same rig increases the possibility of catching two fish at a time. Each dropper contains a single hook, a Black Magic KL 3/0 circle enabling the fish to hook themselves. Long shank or bait holder hooks require the angler to set the hook and should the rod be in the holder, you’ll miss the striking opportunity. Circle hooks are designed so the fish hook themselves without the need to striking reducing the possibility of losing a fish.
Salmon will take almost any bait offered but they do favour blue bait, white bait and pipi. By using a paternoster rig, two different baits can be used giving the fish an option. If you’re catching numbers of fish and they are favouring just one bait you can then place the favoured bait on both hooks further increasing your chances at a 'double header'.
Productive Times
While you can go surf fishing at anytime of the day/night, there are actually times which will fish better than others. Tides are extremely important, especially the high which brings fish in closer to the beach. Often on sunny days, salmon tend to be a bit more hook shy and seek shelter under the foam wash or stay further back in the surf. Ideally, if you can combine an overcast day with a high tide preferably on first light, your success rate will increase dramatically.
Essentials
The last essential item is bait mate. For those not sure what Bate Mate is, it is a roll of very fine elastic. This enables you to wrap up your bait and attach it to your hooks. This prevents the smaller fish from entirely devouring your baits and allows the baits to last longer on the hook while in the water increasing your chances at hooking a fish.
While surf fishing is an extremely popular affair during the winter months, it is also productive during summer. The fish might not be as big but are still plentiful along the coast. Whether you’re a dedicated surf fisho, or just a weekend angler that enjoys soaking a bait, fishing the surf can be very rewarding especially when the fish are e running hot.
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