Spot On Fishing and Outdoors

SPOT ON FISHING TACKLE AND OUTDOORS
MOUNT GAMBIER SOUTH EAST FISHING REPORT
17th March 2026

It’s never a nice way to kick off my weekly fishing report when the news articles come filtering through of fishos losing their lives while doing something we all love. Having been through it myself first hand, it hits close to home. My thoughts are with the friends, family members and all the first responders down in Beachport and surrounds in what is a very difficult time.

The weather wasn’t super kind over the weekend, we did see a bit more swell and wind than we’d perhaps have liked, but there were still some very nice fish caught. From the offshore to the sand and even up the river, there has been plenty reported already, so let’s get straight into it.

Last week we saw some glamour conditions for the offshore boaties. Many took the opportunity and headed wide to the shelf for some good results. Blue eye were on the menu for many, along with a good selection of ling, ocean perch and blue grenadier just to name a few. Anglers are reporting a few mako sharks out there over the shelf at the moment, it doesn’t hurt to have a set up ready to go if one should pop up, not only are they an incredible sport fish, they’re unreal on the table. In a bit closer, there has been some nice bottom fish caught this week in the 60mt through to 140mt depths. Gummy and school shark are still the primary targets and we’ve seen fish to 20kg of both species, but the snapper, nannygai, latchets and morwong have all been in good touch also. Tuna news is still predominately Portland and Port Fairy centric, anglers have reported seeing bait, birds and surface activity here off Port MacDonnell, but yet to see a tuna plucked yet.

Snapper fishing on the inshore kelp beds has again been solid this week. Fish to 4kg and around the 70cm+ mark have been landed, though the majority have been those perfect eaters around the 45cm – 55cm mark. As shallow as 4 foot of water has been productive for some anglers, while those who prefer it a bit deeper have found success in 30 feet or more. There are quite a few whiting in the same areas, along with salmon, squid and the odd shark too.

Off the surf this week, I’ve seen some more nice snapper hit the sand. Solid fish to 60cm haven’t been at all uncommon, and its very encouraging to see that they’re quite wide spread. from Piccininni, Browns Bay and the Woolwash at Port MacDonnell, through Nene Valley, Blackfellows Caves and into the Canunda NP. Shark are on the chew also, the majority being gummy shark, and most only around that 3kg – 6kg range. We’re seeing some nice salmon turn up off the beaches, but we’re not seeing winter numbers yet, so targeting them with lures is hard work at the moment.

Freshwater fishing has been good this week. Rocklands is producing some nice fish for the trollers and those throwing lures. Curtis Richardson boated some nice yellas over the weekend, his lure of choice being a Keitech Noisy Flapper surface plastics. Trollers have had their best luck on stumpjumper size twos, and anglers throwing spinnerbaits are also picking up a handful of fish. There isn’t a secret spot there, just trust your sounder is the only tip I’ve been given.

The Glenelg River has steadily risen again this week, now I’m hearing of a few landings starting to disappear underwater. The fishing is still red hot though, bream and perch are still in good numbers right along the river, and are quite happy to eat either a lure or baits. Lure fishos have found success this week on Hurricane Sprat 65mm plastics, Rapala Crush City suspects and Zman grubs in natural colours, while the bait anglers are using prawn, whitebait and cut crab to land their fish. Mulloway are still about, but they’ve been a little trickier to find this week. There’s no shortage of small mullies at the moment, which is very encouraging, it’s cracking the 60cm minimum that’s been tricky! Trolling live mullet is still the most reliable and productive, but even getting the mullet is proving to be a bit of a challenge for some.

The forecast for the coming weekend looks like we should see some very fishable weather. Wind and swell are both down, and the temp should creep back into the twenties. Fingers crossed it stays that good!

Until next week, safe fishing!
Coatsy.

SPOT ON FISHING TACKLE AND OUTDOORS
MOUNT GAMBIER SOUTH EAST FISHING REPORT
10th March 2026

📸 Flynn Thomas with a ripper mulloway

A ripper long weekend of weather around the Limestone Coast saw plenty of anglers taking advantage and hitting the water. We saw plenty of fish landed by the boaties and land-based anglers, so we’ve got plenty to report this week!

The offshore fishos had a little bit of sea to contend with a couple of the days, but when they did hit the water, the fishing was excellent. Chasing shark has been excellent this week, gummy and schoolies have been in good numbers through that 50mt to 100mt line, along with some great reef species such as snapper, nannygai, morwong and even a few dory of late. Out wide we’ve seen some nice blue eye from over the shelf, fishing that 400mt-500mt depth has been very productive and with the blue eye, you can also expect some nice pink ling, gemfish and ocean perch out there too. Still no tuna to speak of off Port Mac, but either side still seems to be producing fish. Once they turn the corner we’ll no doubt see good numbers, there’s plenty of bait around out there, so it’s just a waiting game.

The South East Amateur Surf Fishing Club held their March long weekend Coorong comp over the last few days and the boys looked like they had an absolute ball! There was a few nice fish caught too which always makes the trip! Flynn Thomas landed his first mulloway over a metre, a beautiful fish at 108cm and 9kg, Jackson Thomas managed a nice gummy over 10kg, and there were several other gummy shark, smaller mulloway and some cracking salmon to nearly 4kg! Locally we’ve seen some more nice snapper off our beaches, Orwell Rocks, Nene Valley and Paradise have been the most reliable and productive, though the fish certainly aren’t limited to only those areas. We’re seeing gummy shark in reasonable numbers along the Limestone Coast, along with whiting, salmon and a few flatties coming from the sand too.

The inshore fishing is producing some nice whiting this week, and although we mightn’t be getting our bags of fish each trip, the average size is still very reasonable. Green and Danger Point, Factory Bay, Port Mac Breakwater, Hutt Bay, Blackfellows Caves and Carpenter Rocks are all areas where I’ve seen and heard of fish being caught, but where ever the sand holes and w**d bed edges are is definitely worth a try. While you’re in there, snapper have been excellent once again this week, some more lovely fish have been caught, many of those up to and over 70cm. There’s no secrets to the snapper, just a nice uneven bottom, kelp nearby, steady burley stream and you can’t go too far wrong. Sharks have started moving down there too, while they’re not in the numbers yet that we’ll likely see in the coming months, we are seeing some nice fish already.

Gar have been hot and cold of late, but persistent anglers have been taking home some nice fish. Hutt Bay, Cape Douglas and Livingstons Bay have been the most spoken about, but other protected shallow bays with nice ribbon w**d beds such as Racecourse Bay, Port Mac Breakwater and Pelican Point would be worth a look too. Mullet and salmon trout are in good numbers through the same areas, though the hoards of tiny tommy ruff may drive you crazy.

The Glenelg River is steadily rising at around 20mm per day, I haven’t heard yet, but some of the lower fixed height landings would have to be getting very close to going under. The landings do get quite slippery once they get wet, so do take care if you are down there fishing, I’d hate to hear of someone coming a gutsa and hurting themselves! Plenty of the landings on the river now are floating pontoons, and such is the case for boat ramps, so blocked river boat launching is still a breeze at many locations. Onto the fishing! The Bream Master SA tournament was held over the weekend on the Glenelg and with 30 odd anglers hitting the water. Some cracking fish were caught, with the overall winner being Leon Leong boating 6 nice bream over the two days for 5.20kg. The biggest fish for the weekend was Peter Valenti with a nice 1.14kg fish. Plenty of fish came on cranka crabs and mussel vibes, along with the reliable grub and minnow profile plastics. Bait fishos have been doing well on whitebait, prawns and crabs fished along the rockwalls and deeper edges too. Mulloway are still being caught down there, trolling live mullet is still the most reliable and productive, but squid, pilchards and lures intended for bream or perch have also accounted for their fair share!

The forecast for the coming weekend looks like it’ll be fishable, though not perfect. We could see a bit of rain, but it doesn’t look there’ll be too much in it.

Until next week, safe fishing!
Coatsy

Spot On Fishing Tackle and Outdoors, 93 Commercial St East, Mt Gambier. PH: 08 8725 8825. Open 7 Days

SPOT ON FISHING AND OUTDOORS
SALISBURY COMBINED FISHING REPORT
6th March 2026

Metro Adelaide | Fleurieu | Yorke Peninsula | River Murray | Reservoirs

Weekend Weather Long Weekend
Saturday: Top of 27°C — Sunny with a High morning tide of 2.26m. @ 0706am
Sunday: Top of 27°C — Sunny with a High morning tide of 2.18m. @ 0726am
Monday: Top of 26C - Sunny with a High morning tide of 2.08m @ 0745am

Tip: Check Marine Webcams before launching to stay on top of sea and wind conditions.

Bag limits for Gulf St Vincent - limits have been halved for all Saltwater fish that have a bag limit Exempt are limits for Salmon 21-35cm bag limit 20 boat limit 60, more than 35cm bag limit 10, boat limit 30.

Australian Herring (Tommies) no size limit bag limit 40 boat limit 120

Bag limits for Spencer Gulf - only the following species have had their bag limits halved King George Whiting and Squid.

Metro Adelaide Big news is the return of Blue Crabs. Salmon Trout along the Southern Metro coast – fish of about a kilo – watch for bird activity. Salmon schools are also from Outer Harbor up to the lower reaches of the Port River. Rat Kingfish are following the Salmon schools. Kingfish size limit 60cm

Boat Fishing: Head Offshore from St Kilda - North Haven or West Beach to deeper water 6 -9m for a feed of Whiting, a mixture of sizes with a few 40cm in the mix and Crabs Glenelg – Brighton. Black Pole through to North West grounds.

Blue crabs of legal size and bag limit (10pp) numbers have been reported from north of the Black pole through to Grange. There are undersize and egg laden females that must be returned to the water. Keep your baits fresh and also have lots of ice on board to keep you catch in good condition. Wonga Shoal, Silt Grounds or outer Semi Reef are worth a try for Crabs and King George Whiting with a few Slimy Mackerel as well.

St Kilda Channel & Port River, Mutton Cove and North Arm - Salmon Trout and Bream. Yellowfin Whiting, Snook & Salmon Trout. A few Snook northern edge of the silt grounds.

Land-Based: Good lunch time low tide to rake crabs or try for Yellowfin Whiting on the flats of the northern metro beaches. Or for Yellowfin between Seacliff and the beach between Port Noarlunga and the Onkaparinga Mouth.

West Lakes: Try for Bream, Flathead and Salmon Trout small Mulloway–Trumpeters
Jetties: Local metro jetties and the Port River are still worth a cast. Big bream around pylons

Port Noarlunga Jetty – Yellowfin Whiting, Salmon Trout, Mullet, Flathead and Tommies. Onkaparinga lower reaches – Yellowfin, Mullet, Bream, Small Mulloway and Salmon Trout

Fleurieu Peninsula
Land-based options at Waitpinga (slow), Parsons, and Morgan’s Beach for Salmon and Mullet. Mulloway from Murray Mouth area. Rapid bay has Silver Trevally, Tommies and occasional Yellow Tail Kingfish.

Plenty of Goolwa Cockles available from the Murray Mouth, 3.5cm size limit.

Tip: Burley up for better chances of a catch.

Yorke Peninsula & Kangaroo Island
Algal bloom has been noted from the Ethel Wreck Beach and is spreading up toward Berry Bay and along to Hardwicke Bay. Now reported up as far as Wedge Island off Port Victoria. There is even mention of an Algae off Port Hughs

From Port Turton (offshore) to Pt Hughes, KG Whiting, Tommy Ruffs, Squid, Salmon, and Mullet. Algal bloom has severely affected the inshore grounds

Crabs off Port Victoria. Brian (Port Hughs) also starting up between Stansbury and Ardrossan.

- Boaties and charter operators still finding fishable water but having trouble getting past the Snapper schools.

Port Vincent has Salmon Trout, plump Tommies, Mullet and Crabs on the flats and also off Troubridge Island. Black Point has K G Whiting and Blue Crabs.

Tip: Burley up with pilchard pieces, bread and a bit of tuna or salmon oil.

K I – Bluefin Tuna at Saunders Bank 8-18kg Small Kingfish , Nannygai and other reef species as well

Eyre Peninsula – Reports of Kingfish up to 150cm from Port Augusta, Point Lowly and Port Pirie. Bluefin Tuna out from Sceales bay. Whyalla Jetty has Crabs, Yellowfin Whiting, Squid and Tommies.

Murray Cod: Season Open

River Murray & Freshwater
Good reports of Callop (Golden Perch) along the river. - Size: 33cm | limit: 5 per person / 15 per boat (Reservoir bag limits are different)

Great time of year for freshwater fishing. After the floods the fish are a good size now.

Do Not Return: Carp or Redfin – take Redfin home (excellent eating).

Murray Cod: Try local reservoirs: Warren, South Para, Myponga – Licence Required.

Bait & Lures:
- Scrub and Night Crawler worms are great for river and reservoir fishing. Try shrimps or yabbies.
- If water is murky, try lures with rattles – fish react to noise and the flash of a shiny lure.

Jetty Closures
Ardrossan jetty closed for major repairs
Tip: Check local areas for updates.

Wrap Up
The Algal Bloom continues to impact marine life and coastal communities. ALGAE BLOOM is now heading up to Wedge Island off Port Victoria and the Copper Coast.
But don't let that stop you — get out and cast a line: Local Metro, River, Yorkes, Fleurieu, or your Reservoirs – there’s a chance of a feed.

Support Locals wherever you are and whenever you can — it truly makes a difference!
Tight Lines, from the Spot On Team

Fishing Comp Reminders
Elliston Salmon comp on again this year from June 1st – August 31st 2026

Let’s Go Fishing Comp. Tagged fish have been released at various locations including Happy Valley and Myponga Reservoirs (south) and Aroona Dam and Bundaleer reservoir (north) Morgan, Blanchetown and Swan Reach (Murray River) - Golden Perch - Warren Reservoir.
Sellicks Beach and Waitpinga – Salmon
Also 100 tagged fish worth $100 each released in Lake Bonney..
Just another 101 good reasons to Go Fishing …….
2026 Elliston Salmon comp on again this year

Spot On Fishing Tackle & Outdoors, 1750 Main North Road, Salisbury Plain. PH: 08 8283 3111. Open 7 Days.

SPOT ON FISHING TACKLE AND OUTDOORS
MOUNT GAMBIER SOUTH EAST FISHING REPORT
5th March 2026

📸 Matt & Alex Bell with a haul of perch; Finn Coates with a lovely bream

A warm, calm but quite wet weekend across the Limestone Coast was a delight to many South East anglers. So many options are on the table when the sea is under 1m of forecast swell and there’s bu**er all wind, it’s great to see so many anglers hitting the water.

If you’re an offshore fisho, the last week or so has been just what the doctor has ordered. A bit of a swell spike late last week, but light winds have opened plenty of doors for anglers needing to top up their freezers. Whether it be out wide over the shelf chasing the blue eye, gemfish or the frustratingly-hard-to-find hapuka, or setting up a drift, throwing out some burley and having a look for a mako, there’s been some good action out there. A number of boats dropped the electrics in 450mt - 500mt of water on the good days and boated some solid blue eye, gemmies and pink ling without too much trouble, and the Johnstone brothers did a drift for a shark in 350ish metres and in next to no time at all a healthy little 70kg mako was headed for the dinner table. In a bit closer, there has been some nice fish caught through from the 50mt line, out to 100mt and beyond. Quality table fish from the reef out there include but definitely not limited to snapper, terakhi, flathead, knife jaw and nannygai, but this week I’ve seen a few dory, blue morwong, latchets and even some chunky sweep coming up from the depths, so you truly never know what the next bite may be. High on the priority list for the majority of anglers is always the gummy and school shark. Both are in great numbers out there at the moment, and the size is still impressive, many being up at that 20kg mark, though they do get bigger again. There’s no secret to the sharks, they love fresh baits. Be it a fresh fillet, or a occy leg, the fresher the bait, the better your chances of putting a shark in the boat.

On the topic of all things offshore, entries are open now for the Port MacDonnell Offshore Angling Clubs annual tuna and sport fish tournament which kicks off for a week in early May. If you’ve been on the fence about fishing or new to the whole offshore thing, it’s always such a fun week with excellent fishing, even better banter and plenty of events going on. All the info you need is on the PMOAC page, or pop into Spot On and we can point you in the right direction.

Speaking of sharks, its usually from around now onwards that we see those bigger gummies and schoolies head inshore to our kelp beds and protected reefs. While snapper are still in full swing right along the coast, we see inshore shark numbers start creeping up. Chasing shark in the shallows is pretty exciting, their long powerful runs and ability to find every bit of kelp, reef or the anchor rope means you definitely earn every one you land. The snapper fishing is still red hot, and the average size out there now seems to be a very solid 45cm - 55cm, though a few anglers are finding fish to the 70cm mark and better, which can be a bit of a handful to successfully get to the boat. Keep a squid jig, a small metal lure or a sabiki rig handy too, the amount of squid, salmon and mackerel that come cruising up the burley trail when we’re not prepared will pretty quickly drive ya mad.

Surf fishing was a great option for plenty over the weekend to make the most of the weather. A number of crews headed up the Coorong and spread themselves out from the Granites to the mouth. Seems like it’s shark city up there at the minute and you don’t have to work too hard to put a gummy on the sand. Mulloway have been a bit trickier, but if you’re prepared to cover the ground, find that good water, have good bait and put the effort in, you’re more likely to tip the scale in your favour. The South East Amateur Surf Fishing Club is holding their March long weekend competition up there this weekend, and I have no doubt there’ll be some nice fish and sore heads amongst that crew come Monday morning! Locally we’re seeing plenty of nice snapper again this week, and the fact that they’re well spread out along almost all of our fishing beaches means we don’t have to fish on top of one and other, which is nice. Piccininni, Browns, Orwells, Jones’, Nene Valley, Blackfellows Caves and Canunda have produced fish this week, it sounds like a lot of options and narrowing it down can be a bit overwhelming, but if your favourite spot is w**dy or someone’s beaten ya there, it means we can move, there are options.

The whiting haven’t been too bad this week, no massive catches or massive fish to speak of, just some nice feeds of solid fish. It is so good to see plenty being landed by the jetty based fishos on the Port Mac Jetty, not every fish is size, but more often than not you’ll get your 3 or 4 nice ones which is just perfect to feed the family. While chasing the ‘ting, there are plenty of salmon trout, silver trevally, sweep and snapper to keep you entertained, and top up the numbers if they are a little bit quiet.

The Glenelg River is steadily rising but the fishing is absolutely red-hot! If big bream and perch are something that gets you excited, well now is the perfect time to head and have a look. Theres no secret spot when it comes to the bigger fish, they’re all through the river, you just have to find em! My kids and I spend the weekend down there and between us we would have caught and released 50 or more bream and perch, the best bream a cracker at 43cm, and a pigeon pair of perch at 45cm. We put one day in down in Nelson and had no trouble finding the fish there, then went for a drive way up river to the Pines Landing and within 2 minutes of being there, my daughter had a 35cm bream on the deck. Whitebait was the stand out for us, but we did throw a few plastics and top water lures and picked up quite a few that way. Matt and Alex Bell have been having a field day down there at the moment along the full length of the river, the boys have taken a bit of a shining to throwing swimbaits and big flies for their bream and perch, and for very good reason! Some of the fish the lads have been landing in recent weeks are genuine trophy fish, the sorta animal most of us would be wrapped to catch one of in our lifetimes, these boys have caught and released 3 or 4 before we’ve even finished our morning coffees! The mulloway news this week is a bit light on, I’m sure there’s still fish about and being caught, I just haven’t heard. This week sees the Hobie Bream Comp rolling into Nelson for this stage of their Tour, so if you are on the water this long weekend and wondering where all the kayaks have come from, that’ll answer your question!

The forecast for the coming weekend looks like all the rain is behind us, the temps are creeping to the mid 20’s, and the wind is very fishable! Get out there and enjoy the long weekend!

Until next week, safe fishing!
Coatsy.

Spot On Fishing Tackle and Outdoors, 93 Commercial St East, Mt Gambier. PH: 08 8725 8825. Open 7 Days

SPOT ON FISHING TACKLE AND OUTDOORS
MOUNT GAMBIER SOUTH EAST FISHING REPORT
26th February 2026

A salubrious weekend of weather across the Limestone Coast saw many anglers head for the water. As I put pen to paper I’ve already heard of plenty of news from offshore, inland and up the river, so we’ve got plenty to get through!

The Port MacDonnell Offshore Angling Club held a champion boat competition over the weekend and it was great to see some nice weather for the two days. Plenty of boats hit the water and although some struggled to find big numbers of fish, there was still some nice ones weighed in. Saturday was won by Kym Barrett waith some nice snapper and whiting, while youngster Harry Cram won the junior section, boating a nice gummy shark and a terakhi, and also tagged another gummy shark as well. Georgia Barrett won Sunday, with a cracker snapper of just under 4kg. Official boat results are still coming, but it sounds like all club members had a great weekend down there. In other offshore news, a few boats headed out wide to the shelf late last week and found some nice blue eye and pink ling, also a few grenadier and gem fish mixed in there too. Tuna news is still filtering through from Portland, some big numbers of school fish are over that way, and I know we’re just waiting here now for them to come around the corner!

Inshore over the weekend we saw some very nice snapper boated around the reef and kelp beds. Some of those better fish have been in the mid to high 70cm range, though the majority are those ripper 50cm – 60cm models. A number of fish this week have been accounted for on soft plastics, 5 inch flick shads have been the stand out, and colour hasn’t really made all that much difference. Mix and match your jighead weights to suit whichever depth it is you’re fishing in, and you’re in for a good bitta fun. In around the kelp there are also plenty of other things being caught this week. Whiting, salmon, trevally, squid and a few sharks have been caught just to name a few. Areas worth a crack are Danger and Green Points, Orwell Rocks, Blackfellows Caves and Livingstons Bay, though the fish definitely aren’t only limited to those spots.

Off the surf we’ve seen some excellent snapper this week, some of the better fish have been up to and over the 60cm mark, which are awesome fish off the sand. Piccininni, Browns Beach, Paradise, Nene Valley and Canunda are all areas that are producing not only snapper, but a few shark and other bits and pieces too. There has been a few small mulloway landed in the last few weeks around the Limestone Coast off the beaches, some nearing the 82cm mark, though most well under. The South East Amateur Surf Fishing Club had a competition over the weekend and snapper were on the menu for most with some lovely samples being landed, but the comp was eventually won by Paul Moir and a nice gummy shark. The juniors section was won by Archie Hicks with a salmon, and Gary Lawes took out the mystery weight prize for the evening.

Anglers are reporting some better catches of whiting this week, some even managing to find their bags of fish. A little bit deeper that we might usually fish has been the common trend, anywhere from 6 to 12 metres of water is worth a crack, but like we’d always do, keep on the move if the fish aren’t where you are, you’ll come across them eventually. Cockles and fresh squid for the baitos, but plenty of anglers are getting the hang of using the new Y-TING soft plastics and VEXED micro meats to put a few whiting in the boat, saving baits from being pinched by other than the target species.

Gardies are on the chew this week, I think they’ve liked the settled seas we’ve seen and become a bit more active, hence why we’re seeing a few more decent catches. Cape Douglas, Hutt Bay, Petrified Forrest and Livingstons have all been productive. Wading or throwing the boat in have both got the job done, we’re even seeing a few fish too from the Port Mac Jetty, so you don’t even need to get your feet wet. Tommies, mackerel, salmon trout and mullet are all expected by-catch, so ya never know what you’ll bring home.

The Glenelg River has been busy with punters enjoying the weekends weather. From fishing, to skiing, kayaking, swimming or taking the jetski for a strap, it such a ripper spot and we’re lucky to have it on our doorstep. The mouth blocked up down there middle of last week and we’re already seeing the river levels start to rise. All the landings are still high and dry for now, so get down while the fishing is still red hot. The mulloway fishing has been hot and cold since the river blocked up, some anglers are finding plenty, while others are struggling. There is a massive presence of small mulloway (under 50cm) down there at the moment, one angler caught 30 in a single session on soft plastics! Trolling live bait is the key for the bigger fish, some of the fish I’ve seen young Joe Unwin catching over the last week have been absolute rippers, and I reckon that young fella has caught more mulloway in his life already than most of us ever will! The bream and perch are in good numbers and right throughout the river, the better fish seem to be in the lower stretches, but numbers are excellent everywhere. Prawn and whitebait are the pick for bait fishos, 2.5 inch grubs and 3 inch minnows will get the job done for the plastic throwers.

The swell backs off to bu**er all this weekend, bit there is a bit of a persistent northerly hanging around, so inshore will be a great option, as will throwing a rod in off the beach. We might see a sprinkle of rain, but the fish don’t mind, they’re already wet!

Until next week, safe fishin!
Coatsy

Spot On Fishing Tackle and Outdoors, 93 Commercial St East, Mt Gambier. PH: 08 8725 8825. Open 7 Days

SPOT ON FISHING TACKLE AND OUTDOORS
MOUNT GAMBIER SOUTH EAST FISHING REPORT
17th February 2026

📸 Hunter Bingham reeled in a lovely snapper

Quite a pleasant weekend of weather across the southeast allowed plenty of anglers the opportunity to wet a line, and between the sea, the river and a few of our inland lakes, there was a fair bit going on, so I’ll just get straight to it.

The offshore fishing seemed to slow up a little bit over the last week or 10 days, but that’s largely due to the Bonney upwelling sweeping through. For those in the know, it’s a natural thing that we see happen here on occasion, and it’s no cause for concern at all, to those who don’t know what it is, it looks like a big problem! The water is brown and filthy dirty, it’s freezing cold and looks very unwelcoming, but what it actually is, is very cold but nutrient rich water rising to the surface, the south easterly winds we see over summer push it from Cape Jaffa to Portland, and it creates a feeding frenzy out there for whales, seabirds and krill. So, if you have been down the beach in recent times and the water does look brown and yuck, rest assured it’s not an algal bloom or anything nasty, just our naturally occurring upwelling. Anglers are reporting already that the upwelling is starting to disperse, and the 4.5mt swells we saw on Friday would have played a bit of a hand in that. The fishing has been good considering, we’re still seeing some nice flathead, snapper and nannygai out in the 60mt - 120mt depths, along with gummy and school shark.

Inside we’re seeing no signs of the snapper slowing down, this weekend has seen some excellent fish boated in the Orwell, Danger and Green Point areas. Hunter and Paul Bingham boated some lovely fish on Sunday morning in an hour-long session, the best being a beauty at over 4kg! We’re seeing a few more anglers now dabbling with soft plastics for the snapper, and why wouldn’t ya, it works! The old gulp in nuclear chicken has been a standout plastic for ever, but that definitely isn’t all they’ll eat. 4” to 5” inch jerk shads matched with a 3/0 or 4/0 jig head in a whole spectrum of colours are worth a crack, but it wouldn’t hurt to take some a few options with you.

I’ve seen some nice whiting this week again, and although we’re still not seeing big full bags of ‘tings, you guys are managing some nice feeds. Danger Point, Pt Mac Breakwater, Hutt Bay, Blackfellows Caves and Carpenter Rocks are all areas I’ve heard of fish, but they’re definitely not limited to those areas. A few guys are now working out the effectiveness of the Vexxed micro meats and Y-Ting soft plastics, not only catching big whiting on them, but some chunky flathead, silver trevally and other mixed species.

Off the beach this weekend I saw plenty being caught. Up the Coorong, Brad Kain was having a blinder on the sharks, keeping one big fella, letting countless legal but smaller sharks go. Last I heard he had 1 just undersize mulloway, but the night was still young! Locally Ryan Kobes and Sarah Sander fished Sunday and landed some great snapper each and a solid whiting, and that’s a was all in the daylight. Piccininni and Paradise are producing gummy and elephant sharks, along with a few nice salmon too. Nene Valley and Blackfellows is again fishing well, snapper is main target, but we have also seen big whiting, a few gummy shark, and surprisingly a few big crayfish on the rods too!

The upwelling did slow the gar down for a few days there, but a few anglers did report that over the weekend the cooler brown water had dispersed in close and there were isolated areas where the water was warm and clear again, and with a bit of burley and some fresh gents, there was gar on the dinner table. Mullet and salmon trout are in no shortage of numbers, though I have heard that the little tommy ruff can be a bit of a nuisance at times.

Inland this week there was some nice fish boated at Rocklands Reservoir. Lots of redfin and carp but did happen to see some solid yellowbelly and a cracking cod which would have to have been every bit of 80cm just going by the photos! If trolling is your thing, it seems pretty hard to go past a purple or dark coloured stump jumper. A size 2 will catch just about every fish in there, so keeping one in the tackle box isn’t a bad idea! Spinnerbaits and top water lures are getting bites at dawn and dusk, but just keep moving when you’re fishing that style, a few casts on each snag then move to the next one.

The Glenelg has produced some more lovely mulloway this week, and it’s not only the mouth that’s firing! I’ve seen fish to 96cm this week from Taylor’s Straight, Donovan’s, Dry Creek, the caves and even as high as Sapling Creek. Live mullet are the best, if you can get livies, you’re in with the best possible chance. That said though, pilchards, squid, sauries or fresh fish fillet works well too, just check your baits frequently since the little bream are in great numbers at the moment. If bream and perch are your target, it’s a great time to have a crack, bait fishos are finding some nice fish on prawn, whitebait and crab, while lure guys have been using 2.5 inch grubs, cranka crabs and small jointed glide baits. Deeper rock walls seem to be the most productive at the moment, but we all know how quickly these fish change.

This week ahead looks pretty fishable, we might see a bit of swell mid-week, but that’s set to back off again by the weekend. Best bet is to have a look, make the call when you get there and if it’s a bit dodgy, there’s always the river!

Until next week, safe fishing!
Coatsy.

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