Tag: Salmon Slam

Rods and reels ready as the 2021 Salmon Slam competition gets underway

And, they’re off! With today marking the start of autumn and the official start of this year’s anticipated Salmon Slam, anglers in the south of the State are preparing their rods, reels and lures for the annual salmon run.

In what could potentially be Australia’s biggest land-based fishing comp, thousands of salmon chasers are set to compete in the 2021 Salmon Slam and fish for the iconic southern sportfish.

Need the Salmon Slam 2021 code? It’s #SS2021!

For David ‘Fez’ Fairhead, nothing beats chasing salmon at WA’s amazing southern beaches.

With a top-prize of a dinghy, outboard motor and trailer worth $9,000 up for grabs, alongside many terrific weekly prizes, if you’re targeting salmon this autumn, why wouldn’t you enter the free, three-month salmon fishing comp?

Get involved and download the Salmon Slam 2021 app via Apple and Google Play stores!

Although the salmon run is yet to hit full swing, excitement has been steadily building among fishers ahead of the salmon migration.

Schools are beginning to build on the south coast, with Recfishwest State-wide Fishing Report writer and salmon fishing enthusiast Joachim Azzopardi reporting last Friday:

“Salmon have been passing at many of Esperance’s beaches with schools appearing at Salmon Beach, Fourth Beach, Roses, Alexander Bay, Thomas River and Poison Creek.

“Salmon have also been caught near Albany at Nanarup, Bluff Creek and Cheynes Beach.”

WATCH: Join Recfishwest on the run this Awesome Autumn of Salmon

Salmon Slam 2021 is part of the RFIF-funded Awesome Autumn of Salmon and is divided into seven phases and each phase has its own prize pool, in addition to an overall prize pool at the end of the competition.

The first phase, which runs from 1 March to 12 March, has many great prizes available including a $250 PENN Fishing tackle pack, sponsored by PENN, and a $50 Early Bird Bait voucher donated by Early Bird Bait in the open category.

Shimano have also donated a Shimano Saragosa 5000 reel and a Shimano Coltsniper 10ft rod!

In the adult category, anglers are vying for a $150 Halco Tackle pack sponsored by the Halco Tackle crew and another $50 Early Bird Bait voucher donated by Early Bird Bait.

For the youngsters under 16 years of age, a $150 tackle pack donated by Ben White and the team at Whitey’s Tackle and Camping in Treendale, near Australind, alongside a $100 voucher to Dunsborough Outdoor Sports Voucher donated by the fantastic South West store.

Western 4W Driver have donated the ultimate Western 4WD pack, valued at $160 and a $150 Richter Lures pack, sponsored by Richter Lures, can be claimed in the best photo section.

Want to be an Official Salmon Chaser? Buy the exclusive fishing shirt here!

Recfishwest’s Mike Minutillo, wearing the Official Salmon Chaser shirt, with a south coast salmon school last weekend.

Casting for Salmon Slam success

Get out there and give it a go, simply take a picture of your catch and log it through the Salmon Slam app to be in the running for these great fishing prizes.

Stay up-to-date with the Salmon Slam’s weekly winners and prize recipients via our website, or on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Scott’s Species – Australian salmon, a scintillating southern sportfish

Australian salmon, a scintillating southern sportfish sometimes dubbed “barra of the south”. With autumn and the annual salmon run fast-approaching, Western Angler editor Scott Coghlan takes a closer look at the hard-fighting sportfish, which have an important economical and social benefit to WA, in the latest edition of Scott’s Species. Continue reading “Scott’s Species – Australian salmon, a scintillating southern sportfish” →

Tagged Salmon Slam recapture lures prize for Scarborough fisher

Scarborough’s Jeff Cohen has scooped a Richter Lures lure pack after catching a salmon that had been tagged as part of our Salmon Slam competition – even though Jeff had failed to register for the comp.

Launched ahead of this year’s salmon run before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the Salmon Slam featured a number of tagged fish, with cash prizes of up to $5,000 for catching one.

The Salmon Slam unfortunately only ran for a few weeks before having to be cancelled for this year due to the pandemic and resulting regional travel restrictions.

Jeff with the tagged salmon on the left which won him a Richter lure pack but could have won him much more had he registered for the Salmon Slam.

Against all odds, Jeff actually managed to catch one of the tagged fish while fishing at Tagon Beach, east of Esperance, in mid-March.

Unaware of the Salmon Slam, he removed the tag and then released the fish back into the surf, later ringing Westag to report his capture.

It was only when he called in the tag that he was made aware that he could have won up to $5,000 had he registered for the comp.

No other tagged fish were caught during the Salmon Slam this year, so we decided Jeff shouldn’t go home empty handed for his amazing catch, so we gave him the Richter Lures pack – all the prize money for the tagged fish will be rolled over for next year’s comp, which we are planning to make even bigger and better with an upgraded app and even more fabulous prizes.

Undoubtedly, Jeff won’t make the same mistake next year and anyone likely to catch a salmon in 2021 should make sure they register for the Salmon Slam app first so they don’t suffer the same fate and cost themselves thousands of dollars.

This is just another example of what an amazing sport fishery the WA salmon run provides – some of the best sport fishing in the world off some of the world’s best beaches. This is underpinned by the abundance of the species in WA, which is something we will continue to work to protect and celebrate through next year’s Awesomer Autumn of Salmon.