Albany

Sting Ray at Middleton beach



 

Kalgan River

                                                                         
       
                          Trumpet                                                          Black Bream

Albany would have to be one of my favourite fishing locations and what a pearl of a place. Everything is close, convienient and the scenery is simply breath taking. On my first day there after a 4 hour drive from Perth I decided to have some rest and relaxation time, but the following day it was all about exploring the coastal sides and river banks for some hot spots. I took a drive to middleton beach where I spotted a massive sting ray feeding just off the rocks then I drove to Kalgan river and went down an old dirt road, the views along the river banks were spectacular there were so many good fishing spots to choose from. But after a good drive down the river banks I decided to park up and head off on foot. I followed a track to a beautiful fishing spot which I called the 'mouth' of the river. I decided to fish off the rocks, the location I chose had deep holes, there were submerged trees and weed beds which was a perfect location for bigger bream or mulloway because there was plenty of cover. I used size 1/0 hooks to begin with as I wanted to catch some bait fish and sure enough the first fish I caught for the day was a trumpet which I filleted and removed the skin to make it easier to place on the hook, nothing beats fresh bait. :) The bait I took with me was mullies and I also had some red meat which I had pre cut into small pieces, placed it in a container and added burley and fish oil to premarinate it. But I have also in the past used chicken leg meat which I have cut up into small pieces and added burley and soy sauce this also works a treat.
When I threw out my line I would not stick to one spot, I would throw it out across the river at varying depths to try and source where the bream were travelling. The burley I had marinated on the bait would entice them to come out from their hiding holes, plus it increased my chances of catching a big one :) 
I did catch a lot of bream but I decided to do catch and release as I was really hoping to catch a big mulloway, I did have another fishing rod pre-rigged in the hopes of catching a big mulloway I used size 4/0 hooks with about a 1m monotrace and a running bean, when I casted out the line I made sure the line was tight and just left it there for a good 10 minutes, when reeling in my line I did it very slowly, unfortunately I didn't catch a mulloway.... but I knew they were there. However I did have fun catching black bream, which are a big target for fishermen because they really like to put up a good fight on the line....lol Plus it is a nice, tasty, high quality fleshy fish. I personally would have to admit it's not my favourite fish to eat, I find that the bream caught in the river tend to be courser in flavour with a slight muddy after taste as opposed to the ones caught in coastal waters. The best way to cook bream is whole baked or pan fried. All up it was a fun filled action packed day. I broke a thong in the process and I even slipped and managed to fall in the drink....:) so my advice is if you end up going fishing there wear enclosed footwear, take your mossy repellent as the mosquitos are notorious there and enjoy the scenery because it truely is a beautiful place to fish.