North Australian FISH FINDER forums

Howdy All,

My brother is turning 40 later this year and to celebrate his coming of age I'm flying from Darwin to Adelaide on the 8th of November catching up with my Dad and were travelling across the Nullabor to Balledonia and meeting my brother, his father in law, our brother in law and a couple of his mates who are travelling from Busselton. Then we're heading over the dunes for the 60 odd Kms to Israelite Bay in the Great Australian Bight for a week of camping and beach fishing.

I know it's a bl..dy long way for a fishing trip but it will probably be the last time that my brother and I can share some time with our old man while he's still fit enough to enjoy it as we're all spread out across the country and we always seem to busy to catch up.

I've never been to that neck of the woods, has anyone ever been to Israelite Bay and fished from the beach? If so do you have any tips for a WA Fishing Green Horn - like do you use Pilchards or Mulies, is there any language skills that I need to refine before crossing the border into WA, are the Sand Gropers dangerous critters , what beer should I avoid in WA etc?

Cheers

Dicko

Looks like good Salmon water there Dicko. Most of the surf fishing down South, they use a pilchard on two or three ganged hook with a surf popper sitting about 1.5-2 foot above the bait and a star surf sinker on the bottom. The surf popper is a feathered hook embedded in a resin/foam filled head.

Have fun

Dex

Here is an image of what they look like.

Dex

Speak very slow and use a lot of hand gestures. Those from the west are a bit, you know, 'different'. I'd take a shotgun and or .303 just in case.
Best to avoid them altogether and definitely don't feed them!

Thanks Dex - Where do I get my hand on the Surf Poppers?

Thanks Bushie - Just as I expected, everytime I talk to my brother I turn the clock back 20 years! WA = Wait Awhile.

Any metal slices will catch salmon if they are there. Pilchards will work well too but keeping them cold and firm will take up beer space in the fridge. I would take 1 block of pilchards and when they are used up, move onto spinning for salmon. Pippis/cockles (found on the beach) will catch bream and all of your whiting species. Also if you find a good gutter, put on a slab of fresh salmon fillet for a jewfish.

Lats - Thanks for the advice.

We're salting tubs of plillies and as for cold beer, a few Engels, solar panels and generator should do the trick. I'm definitely not a fan of the Kimberley Koolie!

bushie wrote:Speak very slow and use a lot of hand gestures. Those from the west are a bit, you know, 'different'. I'd take a shotgun and or .303 just in case.
Best to avoid them altogether and definitely don't feed them!

Everyone knows they set the clock back an hour and a half in WA to give the Eastern States time to catch up.

I have been to Israelite Bay. It had an old telegraph station and is a point where they give weather warnings from, got me beat why as there nothing there! If you go to the bay itself be prepared there was some pretty boggy salt pan flats and very sandy rough tracks. The earth looks dead by day but at night the ground moves with all sorts of creatures not to mention SNAKES so wear good boots and be careful when taking a bog a night. I caught salmon, sharks, and goat fish but I reckon a big jew could very easily be on the cards. Have fun

Dicko, I picked the surf popeers up at the local tackle shop. The locals use them in the Gippsland area a lot. I seemed to pick up more fish on the popper than the bait. I've pulled the shed apart looking for one but no joy.

Have fun

Dex

Sit up high wait for the schools of salmon to come past and cast a lure at them. The salmon over there are big.

There is plenty to see on the way from Adelaide you can travel along the beach and back tracks from about the border of sa wa done it a few times awesome trip. Big whiting from the beach snapper and other fish. At the air bird observatory there is a beach easy day trip from the highway good fishing also.

Sounds great

Looooong rod, Alvey reel, running sinker (on a plastic slider), meter or so of leader below sinker (as long as possible while still cast friendly) with ganged 8/0 hooks at the end. Biggest star sinkers you can find; 30lb mono; quality swivels on sinker and leader.. Freshly caught tommy or salmon trout as bait (so take a small rod). Rod holders (PVC pipe will suffice). Glo-sticks for rod tip when night fishing. Long gaff. Pour tuna oil into a hole in the sand in the wash zone....retreating waves will do the rest. Gimble belt....battling stingrays and sharks will bruise your balls otherwise.

Silver and gold Halco twisters for salmon. Sweet chilli sauce on grill over fire on beach.........

Awesome country....very jealous.