WHAT’S your favourite time of year? Mine would have to be autumn for any number of reasons. Autumn usually produces half decent weather most of the time and the cooler nights make sleeping a little more enjoyable.
The fishing in autumn is usually pretty solid where I live on the NSW South coast. It seems that most species are on the chew in March through May and at times it can be difficult deciding what to chase on any given day.
However, spring has also become a big favourite of mine over the past few years. Gone are the cold days and nights of winter as the weather warms and everything seems to come out of hibernation. It seems as if Mother Nature spreads her wings in spring with plants growing new shoots and birds and animals seeming to double in population. In my part of the world, spring means a whole lot to the local anglers.
The water warms and a variety of species start to become viable after a long and cold winter. Baitfish and prawns start to appear as the water warms and once it hits the high teens I know it’s time to start chasing the local flathead, bream and whiting on the flats. They’ll be up on the flats early morning and late afternoon chasing those prawns in amongst the weed beds and be prime targets for a well-placed bent minnow, stickbait or plastic prawn imitation worked slowly.
Last spring was completely different to any that I can remember. After eight months of the heaviest and most consistent rains that we’ve ever experienced due a La Nina weather pattern, everything was thrown into turmoil. Our estuaries had been flushed out numerous time in autumn and winter and that had a profound effect on the water quality, fish movements and bottom structure along with snags. That meant a complete rethink as to what was available but, more importantly, where, when and what lures to fish. The local bream were tough for quite a while but once everything warmed up they got back to normal.
The local river was filthy in October and November but the bass and EPs were biting their heads off. There was also a red hot kingfish bite at The Banks in November and the usual strong westerly winds never bombarded us until November and December. It really was a very different spring but the fish were there if you put the time in.
Spring is also a good time for our local estuary mulloway. They’ll usually be consistent during winter but as the water warms in October the baitfish appear on the scene and this seems to step the jewie bite up a notch or two. Finding the fish can also be a bit easier by marking the baitfish schools and looking a for a marauding mulloway or simply fishing around the bait congregations. Fish a little deeper in the water column and a good flathead is also on the cards. I like 80 to 100mm soft vibes for this sort of work but a 100mm paddle tail plastic on a ¼ ounce head and 3/0 hook also does the job.
Another spring favourite of mine is the humble blackfish from the local rocks. They move into the estuaries to breed in winter but come October or November and they move back out into the ocean and hang around rocky headlands where they can feed on sea lettuce growing on the rocks. On a calm and flat day when it’s safe, I’ll get out and fish a run up or run down tide with the old school centrepin reel and home-made float with sea lettuce (cabbage) for bait. I grew up chasing blackfish from the rocks and I still love doing it every chance I get. The fillets shallow fried in egg and Panko bread crumbs with a home grown salad are one of my favourite meals.
The warmer spring water also gives me a chance to wade the local flats for whiting and flathead. Once that water hits the high teens or 20 C the prawns start to move around and that gets flathead, whiting and bream on the chew. It also means I can wet wade and not have to don waders to keep warm. I like top water for the whiting with MMD Splash Prawns or stickbaits being my preferred lures but often a very lightly weighted Clone Prawn fished sub surface also does the trick. For the flathead I’ll usually fish swim baits or bent minnows on the flats. Another killer lure when the prawns are running is a 92mm Clone Prawn rigged up weedless and unweighted fished along the weed edges.
After a long and cold southern NSW winter I quite look forward to spring and the warmer weather but also the new fishing opportunities. Spring is when nature awakes from winter hibernation and everything seems alive and enjoying a little sunshine and warmth.
