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Due west from Adelaide, forty nautical miles across the sea lays South Australia's most popular trailer boat mecca - Yorke Peninsula. This leg shaped strip of land is bounded by the St. Vincent Gulf in the east and Spencer Gulf in the west and these waters present fishers with a myriad of angling opportunities. Ever since I bought my first boat I've been making the trip whenever I can. Sometimes I have gone for a day's fishing, other times for two weeks. It doesn't matter whether you have a 3.7 metre tinny or a 6.5m sportfisher there are places to launch, and get amongst the fish. You can dangle a bait for bream in a mangrove-lined estuary, or chase giant snapper 30 kilometres offshore.
Getting there:
For most fishos getting over to Yorke Peninsula entails a tow of 120-250 kilometres depending on the destination. It is an easy trip as there are only a few small hills to be negotiated. We usually stop at Port Wakefield to get a drink, then continue our trip. On any long weekend or holidays you will see a steady stream of trailer boats making their way to the numerous seaside towns along the peninsula.
Historically this is a grain growing area and in the past barley and wheat were shipped by ketches from these towns. This meant that many small ports were established along the coast, each with its own jetty. Subsequently these small seaside towns have become popular with holidaymakers with the jetties ideal for shore based anglers chasing tommy ruffs, Catfish and calamari.
Accommodation options in the area are many and varied with caravan parks, cabins, holiday fiats and motels all available. Many keen fishos also own holiday shacks. These can be identified easily by sheds fitted with high clearance doors so that large boats can be stored!
For the first timer or the angler who wants to stay up to date, regular information about what's biting on Yorke Peninsula is readily available late in the week on TV and radio. The Adelaide newspaper has a fishing guide on Fridays and there also lots of information in a local fishing magazine called SA Angler.
There are also several good books available about fishing in South Australia and the general stores can give advice as to best baits. Basic tackle is stocked just about everywhere.
Fishing:
Both the SA Gulfs are protected from the open ocean, but that does not mean calm seas! Both bodies of water are subject to sea breezes especially in summer. Typical sea breeze winds of 15-25 knots soon whips up a chop on the water surface. It can mean a bouncy ride back home especially in a tinnie. We do not get long ocean swells and conditions would be more similar to Moreton Bay or Port Phillip Bay.
The eastern side of Yorke Peninsula is generally more sheltered and you can fish a number of places in winds that would keep you off the water on the western side. If it is windy it is quite possible to travel over to the sheltered side if you want to fish. Most summer angling takes place before the sea breeze fills in, with boats returning in the early afternoon. Actually some of our best angling can be found in winter going after King George whiting. You tend to get cold overcast days in winter, but the water is calmer because there's little wind.
Air temperatures can be as low as 12 degrees in winter and any sort of shelter from the breeze is welcome. Not surprisingly centre console boats are not too popular and most fishermen go for a runabout or cuddy boat.
In these waters a good canopy and clear side curtains are most welcome addition during the winter months. Even in summer it helps to have a canopy for the hot days.
At one stage I did own a centre console, but it was fitted with a folding spray dodger which we did use on colder days and those times when there showers of rain.
When it does get cool your crew can be reluctant to open the hatch to pull the anchor and the cold water tends to make your hands numb, but a haul of big King George whiting can make it worthwhile.
Talking of anchors, the most commonly used type in SA is the grapnel, which does not choke with weed as easily and can still be pulled free if necessary. Much of our anchoring is on weedy bottoms, especially when chasing garfish and squid.
Boating facilities:
Most major towns around Yorke Peninsula have boat launching facilities, though they do vary in standard. The best ramp on the Peninsula is at Stansbury where there is a double lane facility with a wash down area and a large car park.
Other ramps on the eastern side are at Ardrossan and Edithburgh. In the west there are good ramps at Port Hughes, Port Victoria and Point Turton. There are many other places where there are beach launching facilities, but these require a 4WD, or tractor. Some ramps are prone to surge and most require you to get your feet wet.
The SA Ports Corporation tide book is available in most tackle stores and gives a complete overview of boat ramps in South Australia.
Species to catch:
There are a number of varieties of fish around the peninsula and most are tasty table varieties. The number one of these is the King George whiting. They are bigger than the East Coast variety and put up a good fight on light gear. The minimum size is 30cm and the two biggest fish I have caught both measured 46cm.
Larger King George whiting can be caught on deep water reefs, but their flesh is said to be a bit drier than the smaller ones. Most fish caught would be in the 30-40cm range. They are found around sand holes, limestone reefs and around deepwater structures. Whiting can be also caught in quite shallow water. At Stansbury, on the eastern side we have a favourite spot where the water is only about four metres deep.
Berley is important and razor fish, a large local bi-valve shellfish found in shallow water, makes an excellent
Form of berley.
In summer South Australian waters come alive with the southern sea garfish, a tasty fish that many people actually prefer over whiting. It has a finer, sweeter flesh and schools readily in a berley trail. Often you will catch tommy ruff at the same time. Both these fish are caught on float rigs near the surface.
All these fish can be also caught from jetties, and that's something to keep in mind on the days when it is a bit too rough for boat fishing. Garfish can also be caught on calm nights by dabbing, a technique using a spotlight and net to scoop up the fish swimming just under the surface.
Several other species are also commonly sought.
Snook, a fish related to barracuda, but better eating and even better smoked, can be trolled up using lead lines, or paravanes and lures. They are an aggressive fish that chase the gars.
Meanwhile for the deepwater adventurer the big 'reds' are the go, but there's not many places where they come in quite close.
I remember fishing on a rocky bottom about one kilometre from the shore at Wallaroo when the reel screamed and, by the head shaking the fish was identified as a snapper. It made a couple of long, powerful runs on my 10kg outfit and was coming up to the boat when, unfortunately, the hook pulled.
Fishing tackle:
I can suggest several outfits for fishing this area from a trailer boat. A light two metre spinning rod and reel with 3kg line is great for gar and tommies. The length makes it a bit easier to handle a float rig. For whiting, a slightly more powerful rod with 6kg line is suitable for these fish and small snapper. I use the same baitcasting outfits for whiting that I also used in the Top End for Barra.
A double header of large whiting can be quite a handful and a short powerful rod is an asset. If you are going after snapper an 8-10kg outfit will certainly come in handy. This can be either an overhead or spinning reel, but either way it needs a smooth drag.
Other tackle worth having aboard is handlines with squid jigs and crab nets. Often a calamari will follow a hooked fish to the boat. If you see the squid, quick cast with the jig will result in a calamari. They are very tasty and can also be used for bait, or berley.
In the upper part of the gulfs blue swimmer crabs are also available in the summer and can be caught with drop nets.
Try Charlies:
One Christmas while at Stansbury we decided to take an afternoon run to a patch called Charlies. The sea breeze was blowing and the tide was running in.
After launching we headed out across Oyster Bay and crossed the sand spit with a couple of feet to spare. The water became choppy and the sounder told us we were just outside the bar. We made our way to the drop, found the marks and began fishing.
The boat was pitching quite a lot at this stage as we rode at anchor. The first priority was to get a berley trail going. We use a plastic cordial bottle punched with small holes and filled with berley pellets tied to the back of the boat. For gar we tie on a small size 10 long shank hook below a single split shot. Over went our float lines baited with prime garfish tuckermaggots, or 'gents' as we call them.
Watching the red and white floats riding up and down the steep waves was difficult on the sunny afternoon. The telltale movement of the rod tip signalled that a gar had arrived. It always amazes me how they take the bait when it is yo-yoing up and down on the waves.
Garfish bite quite lightly and chemically sharpened hooks help the hook-up rate. As time went on we caught a number of gars as well as tommy ruffs which were destined for the barbecue that night.
After it was over we headed back across the white caps feeling very satisfied about our afternoon of fishing. So I would recommend it to a visitor.
One fine day:
Last winter my wife, Leonie, and I had arranged to spend 12 days fishing at Port Hughes on the western coast. We travelled up in the morning on a glorious winter day, but the forecast was for increasing wind and a change. We had arranged to meet two friends, David and Jan, who were camping at the Caravan Park and go fishing together.
Taking the opportunity of enjoying fine weather we prepared the boat and launched soon after lunch. Normally it would be fairly busy with four people on board the Stacer, but since it was quite calm we knew we could fish around each other.
We piled in, fired up the Suzuki and headed out of the small breakwaters that protect the ramp. As soon as we rounded the jetty we headed south toward Cape Elizabeth. Here we found a group of boats clustered on what is a limestone reef. It showed 28 feet on the sounder and when some undulations appeared on the screen we dropped the pick and berleyed with crushed cockles.
Lines baited with cockle quickly went over and soon I felt the distinctive bite of a whiting. They usually take the bait with a couple of tugs.
This time all it took was a quick lift of the rod tip and I was on. After a quick tussle I had my first whiting on board. They started to come for the others as well.
There were plenty of cheers except from Jan who was fishing with an outfit that looked as if it belonged to Noah. It was an old fibreglass rod with a centre-pin reel. However, even this old reel suddenly got lucky and bowed suddenly from a big hit. The reel handles spun furiously giving line so we know it was BIG. However, the reel lacked lubrication and Jan was struggling to wind it in.
Jan's battle became a tug of war and eventually the old line broke. Snapper or stingray, we'll never know the result, but the line break gave us the chance to put on some smaller hooks and give Jan her whiting as well.
As the bite slowed it started to get cool and decided to pull up stages and head back, thinking about fresh fillets for tea. We saved the spot on GPS, naming it after our friends and over our holiday we caught another 80 whiting here. We've been back to the same spot since and got more of those delicious white fillets!
Something different:
Earlier this year we travelled over to Yorke Peninsula to visit a friend who has a holiday house at Hardwicke Bay. I had not fished the area before so, naturally, the boat came along! It was a breezy day but on the sheltered side the conditions were quite fishable. We arrived in the late afternoon just as the boats were returning. Most had caught a few fish and it looked promising for the next day. When my friend returned he had caught some small salmon trolling along a rocky reef.
Next morning the boat was launched using my friend's tractor. The beach is wide and sandy and the tractors enable us to launch into the water from the sloping beach.
One of the unique aspects of this area is the 'drift grounds'. These are fished by using a small drift anchor, secured to the side of the boat so your beam to the tide, or breeze. When a pod of fish is found the main anchor is then deployed.
This time it was a calm day so we fished using a bucket for a sea anchor. On our drifts we caught a number of whiting and tommy roughs. Also whilst anchored during lunch a couple of calamari found our squid jigs so we ended the day with a tasty mixed bag.
There is a lot more to the Peninsula than fishing! The region has a rich history and a natural beauty. The area around Moonta, Kadina and Wallaroo is known as the Copper Triangle. Cornish migrants, leaving us an interesting historic legacy today worked old mines in the area.
There are museums to visit and plenty of old buildings to see. Also on both sides of the peninsula are sandy beaches, safe for swimming. On the southern tip is the Innes National Park, which has spectacular coastal scenery and surf beaches.
So if you or your partner wants a rest from fishing there is certainly plenty to do and see. Most towns have a caravan park with vans or cabins and holiday units are widely available. However it pays to book ahead in summer. The accommodation guides from most state motoring organisations will give you all the information you need.
This is but a brief overview of Yorke Peninsula, however I hope it's enough to show that Yorke is both a top fishing spot as well as a fascinating place to visit.
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