Ben Caddaye's Gone Fishing: Why Australian salmon are almost the complete package

Not only do they fight hard, leap high and look great, they're accessible to just about anyone capable of casting a line.

For a fish with so much going for it, they cop a lot of unfair criticism, mainly because of their performance on the plate.

Sure, they're not as sweet as a snapper or whiting, but eaten fresh, they're right up there with many other species available at your local seafood shop.

And when you measure them in terms of their sheer pulling power, few fish on the South Coast can make a reel scream like a big Aussie salmon.

Right now, salmon are literally everywhere on the coast. Anglers are catching them from the rocks, beaches, jetties and even inside the estuaries.

They're thick because there's so much bait - mainly mullet, yellowtail, garfish and whitebait. Find a ball of bait and you'll more than likely strike a patch of ravenous salmon.

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Baits and lures are equally effective. Spinning with small metal lures between 20 and 40 grams is a great way to elicit a strike; you could pick up a bonito or tailor, too.

Pilchards and strips of tuna, yellowtail or mackerel are also irresistible and especially effective in the beach gutters. By-catch in the surf includes bream and trevally.

They're biting at all stages of the tide, and throughout the day, but the rising tide and low light conditions are best.

This fish vary in size from little tackers under one kilogram to genuine bruisers nudging 4kg. Hook one of the big ones on any form of tackle and you'll definitely know about it!

If you want to keep a fish for a feed, make sure you bleed it immediately and keep it on ice. Filleted, skinned and eaten on the day of capture, they are above average table fare, especially fish around the kilo mark.