Beach fishing tips with Michael Guest
Grab your hat, your tackle and some beach worms for a beach fishing adventure with these tips from Reel Action host Michael Guest.
Leave the boat in storage, jump in your car and head to one of Australia’s beautiful beaches for an afternoon of beach fishing. Whether you’ve found the perfect spot near Augusta’s Skippy Rock in Western Australia or a quiet alcove in picture-perfect Coffs Harbour, we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to beach fishing spots in this country.
For Reel Action TV’s resident fishing expert and host Michael Guest, you can’t go past the New South Wales’ Mid North Coast. He reveals the spots in and around Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie and South West Rocks offer bountiful waters for anglers keen for an afternoon of fishing.
“Beach fishing is one of those great things where you don’t have to have an expensive boat. You don’t have to have a 4WD because you can generally park close enough to some beach access where you don’t need to drive on the beach,” he explains. “If you have permission or a permit to drive on the beach, fantastic. You can certainly explore some big areas just by walking along the beach. Having a look and casting out some fresh bait is a great way to spend a time at the beach and get a good feed as well.” If you do drive on the beach, make sure you have a permit and are aware of the tide. If it comes in, especially another metre and a half, it could be difficult to get your vehicle off some beaches.
Before you grab your tackle and run out the door, check out Michael’s tips below to make sure you return home with a bucket full of whiting or mulloway.
Gutter tactics
On top of fishing at low tide, Michael says you have to look for structure when you’re trying to read conditions for a spot along the beach if you’re going to have a shot at catching something. “Fishing in general is all about structure,” he says. “If you find the structure, you find the fish aren’t too far away.” However, when it comes to a beach, you’ll find it’s generally devoid of structure.
Don’t be disheartened because what you’re looking for are deeper sections that come close to shore, sand banks and gutters, which are deeper sections that run along the shore and which you find may run into a deeper hole. “There’s no point in picking a lifeless section of beach,” Michael says. “You need to find where the water is moving and flowing, and pushing into these deeper sections.” If you do, you’ll uncover some food: beach worms and pipis. These will attract the smaller fish, which will then attract the bigger fish and predators. Bingo!
The top five
For anglers at the beach, you’re going to run into estuary and shore-based fish, so bream, whiting and flathead. They’re your top three big targets off the beach. You’ll also come across tailor and mulloway. Those two species round off the top five fish you’re likely to catch off the beach. “Mulloway or jewfish can grow to enormous sizes and you can catch them up to 40 kilos off the beach,” Michael reveals. “Not that you’d want to get one that big but it’d be nice to get a photo and let him go. There’s certainly some amazing fish you can catch off the beach.”
You’ll also come across a few other by-catches, like tarwine and flounder, and sometimes salmon, but they’re not great to eat. “The same technique you use to catch whiting works very well for bream and flathead, and the same technique, but with bigger bait, so things like pilchards, slap bait and pieces of squid, are very good for your tailor or mulloway,” he says.
Tackle time
A two-piece beach rod is hard to beat when it comes to fishing off a beach. What makes them perfect is they’re longer, about 3 to 3.5 metres, and together with a side cast Alvey reel make ideal tools of the trade for beach anglers. “I generally use a monofilament fishing line, so start with a 12 to 15 pound monofilament on a big long spin rod, since you’ll sometimes need to cast them a bit further,” Michael says. “In saying that, always make sure you fish your feet first. Fish those gutters and get them into the holes.” By standing back a bit from the water, you’ll avoid scaring any fish darting around the shallower parts of the surf.
Fresh is best
When it comes to bait, you can’t go past fresh or, better yet, live bait. Michael says if you’re a bit of an old hand at catching beach worms, go for it. “Beach worms are my number one bait on the beach,” he reveals. “If you can’t catch them yourself, most good tackle stores around the beaches will sell live beach worms.” Pipis are another good option. After those two, prawns, pilchards and squid also work well.
Head over to www.michaelguestfishing.com.au for more of Michael's expert tips and advice.