Milmo

Finally we have had a bit of rain here today and it's brought the bees out collecting honey, Bumble Bees & native bees were busy on a variety of plants a while ago..
 
I had time to get a few quick pic's before the rain moved in again.. hoping we get a lot more to give the rivers a lift and bring the trout on.. 
 
cheers
Adrian



Bumble bees...
 

Native bee... head buried into Banksia..

Common bees..
 


Rain clouds.. great to see..

Had a pretty good Christmas Eve sunset here in Sheffield tonight... Here's a couple of photos taken a few minutes apart..
 
cheers
Adrian
 

Here's a few before & after photos that I've put together since the June floods....
 
Cheers
Adrian
 

                      This was Dynan's Bridge at Weegena, Mersey River.
 

                  The Mersey River at Kimberley some 20 kms downstream from Weegena.
 

                The Mersey River on private property that I fish at Weegena..
 

                The Mersey River at Weegena where I cross over..
 

                     Mersey River at Merseylea 500 meters from where the bridge was.
 

                 Massive change to the Mersey River above where Dynan's Bridge once was at Weegena.
 

              Most of the foliage has been washed away on this corner of the Mersey River.
 
 
 
 

Ive always wanted to get a couple of 'bigger' bream in the onk on soft plastics/hardbodies. Having mainly fished hardbodies and weedless plastics around snags in the old noarlunga parts in the warmer months ive never come across anything bigger then late 20's.
 
I decided to hit the onk in the kayak to sound around and find some deeper parts as i have heard that as the day goes on the bream go deep. The past few weeks i did 5 sessions, morning, afternoon and midle of the day.
 
So first session i kayaked around with the fishfinder found some deep parts around river road. And some bits that drop off going south towards seaford. So it was a start for that area. Paddled to south road bridge afterwards remembering some likely spots aswell.
 
Had a land based flick one morning the other weekend and pulled one 33cm at sheep pilons and a little tacker. Got my first mulloway on sp's aswell 😃
 
As winter came to an end i actually concentrated in bits that were about 700mm to a 1.5m deep and found more bream waiting in these areas. I would drift over these areas looking at my sounder finding schools bunched up paddle to the bank and cast over them. If i was fishing plastics a would cast against the tide and bring my plastic back with it for a more realistic presentation. Hardbodies i would cast whatever way. I found the hidden weight jigheads by TT worked a more finesse presentaion and got more fish. Got 5-7 fish a session. Biggest went 39cm! Almost got my goal of 40cm. It will come soon. Heres a veiw pics. Happy fishing

Yesterday (Monday), the weather forecast was for moderate North Easterly winds along the coast, and a reasonably chance of rain.   So I decided to head for Waitpinga and Parsons to lure for Salmon, a bit of warm clothing and wet gear.  Even though the area hadn’t produced for me in a while, neither had metro southern beaches, apart for a few ST’s – so I had nothing to lose.
 
So the car was already parked - from the day befores outing for a couple of flicks around Maslins (for a donut) – and I headed off at 8.45am with intentions to have the line wet before 10am.  A cloudy day both here and all the way to Waits.
 
A high tide of 1.08mts at 12noon would have me there in time for the incoming tide and allowing some good distance of walking the beach until its peak.
 
A quick stop for a photo of Victor area.  It does look so much better when the sun is out.
 

 
 
Almost there.
 

 
 
A view over a water catchment towards Waits.  According to a local, this catchment lost a lot bream recently from heavy rains and apparently the outlet along the beach had dozens of dead bream.
 

 
 
The Waits viewing platform has not changed since the storms (no steps) and the way down is still to walk left onto the dunes.  Whilst I was there some workman just about to put some posts along the dune and had dismantled the remaining 3 steps from the damage.
 

 

 

 
 
Conditions looked great, no wind (so much for the weather forecast), but it started to rain quite steady.
 

 
 
I decided to park at the bottom car park for an easier approach to the beach.
 

 

 
 
Once on the beach I headed to the right where some nice looking gutters were and headed right to the end without any Salmon touching my lure.  I used a 40g Halco chrome lure at first then changed to a $4 cheapie from K-Mart for the walk back.
 
Once back at the platform area, and with the high tide about half an hour away, I could see the waves hitting hard against the sand dunes.  There was no way I could get past without being swamped and I wanted to get up by the reef that has produced well in the past.
 
So decided to get up on to the sand dunes and climb over the top of them until I got past these breaking waves.  Mind you I had second thoughts of doing this as a couple of the dunes did look kind of steep – but nothing ventured, nothing gained, so off I headed.
 
Just repeating this photo as it shows the area of concern just left of the 2 fisherman.  You might think that first sand dune doesn’t look too bad, and it wasn’t, but the next one behind the first was worse, but I soldiered on.
 

 
 
Well effort to get on to the beach from the ‘hazard’ proved to be a waste of time as again there were not hits on my lure.  It’s about 1pm now and from the reef I couldn’t tell if the waves were still smashing the sand dune, so decided to walk right to the end, knowing there was not too many opportunities to flick due to rocks etc.  But thought this will waste a little more time allowing the water to drop a little.  That paid off as the waves had subsided slightly and saving me another dune climb.
 
Now off to Parsons Beach and I wasn’t holding much hope of catching anything.
 

 
 
On my arrival, I took a quick photo of the beach and noticed one fisherman near the exposed rocks.  Mind you, those rocks (once I was done there) were absolutely fantastic in their worn formation.  Parsons doesn’t have too many gutters, but what is there are reasonably good, and I have have generally caught more fish here than Waits.
 

 

 
As I got back to the car to collect mygear, a couple of guys came up from the walkway with a nice 2kg and a couple of 1kg Salmon.  They had been at Waits during the morning with no result, but the mentioned they got these just on the otherside of the rocks.
 
Second before the rocks and watched an ST following the lure in shallows and grabbed it – yah, not a donut day.  He was over legal but released him as wanted bigger (not greedy or anything).  Another couple of casts and another ST and released. 
 
Walked further to try past the rocks (having a quick chat the other fisherman – he had a couple of ST’s only) and now hits were the previous guys got theirs.  So now for the usual walk to the end and about 150mts before the end rocks I get a hit in smallish gutter – which I was not expecting.
 
It felt big, the rod well bent and he started to spool me slightly, so a quick extra tightness on the drag, but he was fighting very well.  Next, out the water he flies – I just love that sight.
Once beached, he was fat and approximately 2.5kg and estimated close to 60cm.  Quickly bled and lure thrown back in.
 
On again, and this one seemed to be fighting harder and flew into the air a couple times and even though I just tightened the drag, this one spooled me for good 10mts – he wasn’t giving up – so tightened the drag even more and slowly got him to the shallows and dragged him with the waves.
This was a big Salmon for me and on first appearance was would a PB.   You can tell in the below photo a cut underneath the tail and I am gathering he cut himself on my line whilst fighting.
 
Again, quickly bled and ready for more.  Another 3 were landed around 2.5– 2.8kg and about 56 – 60cm and kept and all the fish looked healthy and were all plumpish. 
For extra fun, another 4 were landed and released and 3 threw the lure.
 

 

 

 
 
The time was about 3.30 now, so left them on the bite and the long and very heavy walk back to the car.  If the walk didn’t kill me the hill nearly did.  I was stuffed and stopped a few times on the hill to stop from having a heart attack !!
 
But what seemed could be a donut day ended up being some thrilling excitement.

My Monday adventure starts off from Sunday nights weather forecast of 22C and moderate Northerly winds – more wind than I like !!  However, on waking this morning and looking out the window there was not a breeze of air – weather forecasters get it wrong again, but good for me.
 
So during the night, I am kept awake assessing the plan for the fishing day.  I was contemplating going to Waits/Parsons but also maybe hitting up Southport.  In the end I couldn’t be bothered going all the way to Waits/Parsons  â€“ sort of ‘over the area’ at the moment.
 
So Southport it is, (not knowing that the day would bring a torn stitching from the clip in my waders, a treble hook becoming a single hook and 2 lost lures) .  The webcam shows lovely conditions so parked the car and off by 9.30am.
 
Once I arrived near Southport I noticed an Australian Flag in someone’s yard that was blowing with all its glory – yes, there was a Northerly more than my home surrounds had indicated – but once on the beach it was not so bad.
 

 
River mouth was not looking very clean (but looked great by the end of the day)
 

 
I parked South of the Pt Noarlunga surf club and strolled down to the water edge and lured towards the jetty first of.
Not much there so turned around and headed towards Southport.  It was uneventful with no fish as yet, but I need to remember to always check that the reel bail is opened before I cast !!
First lure sent flying. 
 
So set up with my Mr Reliable.
 

 
Just before the Surf club I received a hit and a nice just under 1kg / 37cm Salmon was proudly in the bag.  A few casts and 2 decent sized ST’s about 27cm to go with it.  Another cast saw my rod bend nicely but a lost ‘Salmon’ in the shallows was the result.  

 
 But I now notice that my Mr Reliable lure has a single hook instead of the treble hook.  Did the lost fish break it off?  So a quick lure change but nothing more happens.
   
Down to the mouth for no more hits and then a slow walk back towards the jetty.
 
As no other fish hit the lure it was time for lunch – and I had packed a nice gourmet lunch at that.
 
Gourmet multigrain bread with vegemite, a 2016 bottle of Adelaide tap water and 2 homegrown mandarins.  A well deserved luncheon.
 

 
Whilst eating my lunch I am continually scanning the water for any passing shadows, but none where forth coming.
 
I now decided to take a treble hook from another lure on put it on Mr Reliable and attaching the left over single hook at the lure nose.
 
So back to the water and repeating the same as in the morning.  Lure towards the jetty and then turn and head towards Southport.
 
When near the jetty I noticed a guy with rod in hand walking along the jetty towards the shallows and dragging a fish along the water. Obviously a heavy fish as he didn’t want to pull it up.  Once near the shallows I offered my help to drag his line on to the beach.  He had caught a Port Jackson shark.
 
After my help, off to Southport again but no action at all.  By the time I got to Southport there were half a dozen fishos in the area but no-one seemed to be catching anything especially as it was near high tide now.
 
I positioned myself just North of the surf club and starting getting good hits and was retrieving some good fish weight. Five lost fish was the result. For some reason they were not staying hooked and they just threw the hook close to shore.
 
Then I was devastated.  On retrieving a cast the line went soft!  My Mr Reliable had come off.  The swivel had opened up and the lure had dropped off – what am I going to do now without Mr Reliable
 
RIP Mr Reliable
 
 
So a change of lure, and by now it is 4.30 so headed back towards the jetty to head home.
 
So a long day in the area for a few fish but well worth it being outdoors and wetting the line.
 
Tomorrow I off to get more lures !!!
 
Ps: anyone know best way of stitching strap back onto waders?
 

 

Well conditions for Monday (yesterday) were going to be ok even though there was for generally Northerly winds at a moderate strength forecast – and I hate the wind, but thought I need to get out and find some more Salmon.
 
A low tide was for 12.30pm, so I had a plan to hit a couple of beaches with all intent of making sure I was at Pt Willunga for the low tide.  The reason being of 2 things 1) mainly Salmon but as a “by catch” I was hoping to recover a Gold Halco 40g lure I lost last Friday. 
I had snagged it not far out at all and with the line busting I thought just maybe at low tide I might find it. 
The low was for .5m so I wasn’t hopeful, which proved to be the case as not low enough – bugga.
 
So the car is packed, and my new first choice of rod is the Diawa Seabass 110MH (11’) is lured up and I head to Southport about 10.30am.
 

 
Conditions didn’t look too bad, only one noticeable gutter.
 



 
Normally I have been parking down near the Pt Noarlunga surf club and flick lures up to Southport and return.  But today I thought I would park by the Southport footbridge and spend about an 1 ½ hours between the club house and the river mouth.
 

 
On to the beach and no-one else fishing, so straight down to the water flicking my trusty old successful lure and casting close to 70 - 80mts with my new weapon. 
My lure looks well-worn but from using other lures like the Halco’s for example, this one has been my best performer in catching Salmon – it’s like, if the ‘other’ lures aren’t doing their job I get out my “Mr Reliant”.
 

 
Gradually reached that shown gutter and got a hit after a couple of casts.  It gave an ok fight so I knew it wasn’t big, but hey it was a start. 
 
But nothing more after that one, so started walking towards the mouth and with the tide low I was able to out in the shallows to reach hopefully a little deeper water.
 
I noticed now that someone else had turned up flicking lures as well.
 
Scanning the area there was a shadow, but it didn’t seem to be moving so it could be some weed – hopefully not. 
 
So first cast just passed it I retrieved a little faster and with rod slightly higher than normal making sure that if it was weed I didn’t get caught in it.
 
Bang !!  Lure taken and it was fighting very well.  Rod bent nicely, drag tightened slightly as it was taking a little bit of line and slowly side stepping back to the beach to land this sambo.
 
Retrieved the hook, bled it and straight back for more.  I signaled the other guy fishing trying to point out to come down here as there was a school and thought he should in the fun – he politely waved back but didn’t come down, so my signaling needs improving.
 
Just as well he didn’t come down as he must have known, as the next 20 or so casts there were no more Salmon. The shadow remained, so gathered it must have been weed with just unlucky Salmon strolling by.
The other fisherman had now left and wasn’t far behind, but first stop was to Fishing Wholesalers for a weigh in of .830g (40cm)– so not bad.
 

 
Off now to Pt Willunga for my lost lure (which as mentioned wasn’t to be seen).  Conditions were about the same as Southport but did seem slightly windier – did I mention I hate the wind!
 


 
Walked up just past the reef where I had caught a couple of dozen ST’s last Friday releasing the small ones and kept a dozen nice sized ones.
 
Bang !! Another fighter and of equally strength as the previous one.  Beached and bled and only just a little shy of the first one in weight but a few cms longer (43cm)
 
Unfortunately nothing else along the beach and by now it was about 2pm, so decided to gut this one.  It had just eaten with 2 small fish inside its gut.
 

 
On the way home I thought Maslins Beach is worth a try with all the new gutters since the storms. 
 
I had estimated close to 18 gutters along the whole beach from last visit and they all looked so fishable.
 
On arriving at the bottom carpark, I noticed the small creek outlet had opened up even more than last Friday. Previously it no drainage out to sea and was generally a little bit of ‘pond’ dirty water. Now it has had the sad sides carved away with a near 2mt drop and a nice flush out with a bit of a stream happening towards the sea.
 



 
 
Walked the beach with nothing even touching the lure but there was a nice calmness around – yes the wind had dropped significantly – at last, but I was on my way now – typical !!
 
Got home to clean up and of course the dog has her nose up and could smell there was something in this for her. 
 
She likes fish, so she wanted to get in on the act, she got her S&H beanie for a photo knowing she would enjoy some tea tonight.
 

 

 

 
Hope you enjoyed the read.

Just a little one from afew weeks ago.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kv2ibltt0nkq4k8/FSCN3770.MOV?dl=0

Ever since the first time I hit the Onk this season, I've been hitting it almost every week! It started off with a slow session on the salmon, so our plan B was to fish the Onk, although we didn't have the right gear, we emphasised and managed to land a few good fish! 4 fish were landed the first time between James and I. Biggest went 37.5cm.    
 




 
The fish turned off for a while so we finished the day off at the jetty. A nice school came by and James and I landed 2 fish each around 45cm! We were stoked and wanted to do it again.

 
The next time we headed down, it was a lot more breezy and cold.  The water was a chocolate milk colour and our hopes were lost. We started flicking and soon found a school! We both landed a decent fish each and dropped some too. We continued and found another school, same thing happens. Biggest fish went 39cm and FAT! But the majority of fish were over 35cm. Killa fun. 















 
Once the tides changed, the fish turned off so we decided to check out the jetty again.. Unfortunately, the salmon did not want to play this time. 
 
With the bloodworm run taking place around metro waters, we hit the Onk again!     This time the condition were nice. We were welcomed to the spot with a glassed off river and a slight breeze. The water wasn't as murky as last time, but it was still quite dirty. We fished the same spots, and soon found a school. They weren't as active today, but in the end, we managed a couple of good fish. James hooked a bream that would have easily tipped 40cm but unfortunately it spat the hook!   Loved the photos James took today, epic!!   







 
I had planned to fish with Nathan, Kwok and Kelvin on Sunday. Same plans! It was one of the best days (weather wise), but the fishing wasn't up to standards. As Nathan and I moved along, Kelvin and Kwok decided to hit another spot in the Onk. They caught a lot more than we did! We worked hard for the fish all day, but I only managed 3. Biggest went 35cm.




 
Now for my trip to Port Augusta! I'm sure there will be a report, unless I donut!!   
Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the report.     
 

So,

I get home from work with some holidays booked and keen as to get away for some time to unwind with the only problem being where to go, tossed around hooking up the boat for a river trip but when in I walked in to the shed and seen the surf rods that haven't had a run in close on 8 months my mind was made up a over nighter to Goolwa .


Thursday morning with last few items throwen in I hit the road at 6.30am. Pulling in to the beach car park around 8.00 am, I set about dropping my tyre pressures via the strawn's. It really drives me nuts seeing 4wd still running road pressures chewing up the beach for no reason. Anyway after a easy drive to the mouth, I spent some time watching the dredge working and at the unbelievable numbers of seals around . I picked out a nice little hole set up camp and had the rods in by 10
 
With the 1st rod loaded with a st fillet

 
2nd rod with a pilly and a popper

 
The first bite came around 1pm and  soon had a beautiful salmon on the beach ,bled and in the esky .

 
A long wait till the next bite around 5.30 and was surprised to have caught my 1st salmon on a popper

 
After missing a huge hit on a whole squid head, the cold and poor footy game I decided to  pack it in around 9.30pm and climbed in the swag.
 
Friday morning rolled around still bloodly cold but great conditions I had the rods back in by 6.30am. I fished hard again all day changing bait every 20mins till the next bite around 1pm again, this fish didn't fight very well the reason eviedent with a trace and hook coming out through the gills. I don't know how long fishing line needs to be in the water for the growth on the line to get to that stage but it couldn't have been pleasent


 
Come 3pm and I packed up for the drive home , with 20 hrs of fishing for 3 fish not the best, it was great to get away and enjoy some great weather and camping.
 
A quick pic of tea, fresh salmon patties yum yum

Coming from a background of lure fishing from the shore back in the US I've always used shoulder bags for carrying my tackle. My beloved Aquaskinz bag that I have used for years finally gave out from all the exposure to salt and sun and I needed a replacement.
 
Shoulder fishing bags don't seem to be as popular over here, and most of the ones that are available don't match what I want.
 
I had seen the Daiwa Trout bag online and liked what it seemed to offer, but couldn't find one in any of my local shops. I took a punt and ordered one from an online shop.
 
The bag is the perfect size for what I wanted, with easily accessed lure storage and spots for common tools and accessories without being too big or cumbersome.
 

 
There's a main compartment that holds tackle boxes, leader spools, sunnies, a beanie and gloves, some packets of sp's and my tagging kit. It also has a front flap pocket, another on the side that I use for a small tape measure and scissors, a pliers holder and mesh water bottle pocket on the other side and a small zip pocket on the front.
 

 

 
A feature that I borrowed from the US style surf bags that I've used in the past is a row of tubes for holding my salmon lures. Trying to dig through a bag for a tackle box and then getting the box open, getting a lure out and putting it away can be tricky while wading in the surf. I made this row of tubes out of 20mm pvc and taped it together with ordinary packing tape. It sits in the front flap pocket for quick and easy access.
 

 

 
One of the best features of the bag is the second strap that connects in the front and keeps the bag from moving around or falling forward when casting or leaning down. It has a quick release clip for when you want to swing the bag around and get inside.
 

 
Cost was $50, if you do a bit of catch and release lure fishing for salmon or bream or in the freshwater it's definitely worth a look.
 

Well my mate asked me along another Kangaroo Island trip last holidays! Arrived back home last week with an experience we will never forget. 

When we first arrived on Hanson bay, we got out of the car for a quick stretch and collected some fresh air on the front porch. We looked at the first bay to see a massive patch of "seaweed/reef" that was never there before? After a long analysis, I realised it was a salmon school that was incredibly close to shore!!    We quickly started to unpack but my mates mum told us to grab the rods and go so we did!   
It was the closest school I have ever seen and the salmon weren't small! We hooked up every cast for a good 25 minutes before the school moved out deeper. Biggest went 70cm and they were all around 65-70cm. Awesome fun while it lasted and we already collected a feed. lol   

 
The next day we woke up at 6:30am to find another huge school (possibly the same one) being chased in close by a couple of hungry seals!  
Same thing happened, we ran down and hooked up every cast for a solid 25 minutes before the school moved back out. Crazy stuff!! 




 
After had some time to relax and eat, we headed down to the river and realised that it was full of feeding bream!!! We used surface lures (OSP Bent Minnows) for the majority of the time, landing dozens of healthy fish including a 36.5cm one! 




 
Went back home for dinner and played a couple of board games before I headed back to the river for a solo flick. Caught another half a dozen or so before dark. 



 
The next day we woke up early once again, but this time we couldn't see any schools so we headed straight for the river. Within the first half hour of using surface lures, they seemed a bit slow because it was freezing!! So we switched to Zman grubz, cranka crabs and dragon maggots. This turned out trumps and we found ourselves catching one almost every cast in one specific spot.   Not huge but they were fun little fish. 







 
After about 3-4 hours, we went back to the shack to get our energy back, when my mates mum comes in and informs us of a big salmon school on the second bay! We grabbed the big rods and ran down to give it a suss. Standing on the cliff at the start of the second bay, I spotted the school! It was out far unfortunately so we waited (impatiently). 



 
After a long wait, we realised there was another smaller school further down the bay, but this one was closer! 
We followed it around the place, landing a fish every few casts into the school before one fish broke my hook! For the next 20 minutes, I was casting into the school with a hookless slug and watching them chase it all the way to the shore. It was an amazing sight. 




 
After the school moved out far and wide, we  decided to call it a day as we were buggered... 
 
The next day, we headed north towards Kingscote! Expecting the best, it ended up being rough and windy at the jetty but we fished it anyways. It was real slow but we managed to land 2 tiny squid (kept for bait), a few red mullet, a leather jacket and a troutie! 


 
On the way home, we stopped at Vivvone bay for a quick night flick. After landing about half a dozen nice tommies on plastics, along with a couple of tiny trevally, it was time to go. On the way home, a 4x4 with a barcrusher boat overtook us at high speeds. Then another one which looked quite familar? After a second look, I realised it was the Paul's boat, "True Blue" and the Ifish crew! LOL   Hope they didn't hit any wallabies. 
 
The next few days we only fished the river as there were no salmon schools in sight! 
We landed over 30 bream on the OSP Bent Minnows including some bruisers that were 35cm+!  We had clear visions on most of the hookups! It was insane!!!! 









 
Overall, it was one of the best holidays I've had! None of it would have happened without one of my best mates, John and his lovely family!   
 
And to finish this new thread, here's the longest video I've made on my YouTube channel!!  Cheers! 

 
 
 
 

Took this photo tonight from the back deck here in Sheffield.. it's a typical Autumn sunset after a wet day..
 

 
cheers
Adrian
 

So with the change we had the other day and checking the radar there was signs of lightning that could be heading through Adelaide. I checked the radar after I finished work and saw that most of the lightning was down the south coast, So i didn't worry about it. 
 
Then i get a message from my mate to get down the beach as the lightning was coming. SO raced off to Porties and met up with him. By the time I got there it was gone and my mate left, i thought id hang around to see if anymore was on it's way. 
 
I am glad i stayed! Even though I waited and sat through the periods inbetween flashes which was nearly 4 hours and not having my remote on me to use bulb mode for long exposures. I managed to come up with these 3 crackers.
 
Now bare in mind that there has been no editing or photoshop, this is how it came straight off the camera! Im pretty impressed with how they turned out. 
 
Hope you enjoy. 
 

 

 

What happen underwater when you drifting? This is the answer.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OukwY46po3s

What happen underwater when you drifting? This is the answer.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OukwY46po3s

What happen underwater when you drifting? This is the answer.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OukwY46po3s

I quick report and a few techniques. Nothing fancy but thought I'd just get this comp rolling.......
 
 
Had a call from my chief fishing buddy yesterday that he'd just bagged out squiding his local metro wading spot. Same as this time last year, where he recons they must have been spawning, were there 2 days and then gone. With conditions still favorable and hoping that '2nd day' was today,  I decided to check out his home grounds.
 
Water was lovely and clear and warm enough to leave the wetsuit behind. I was expecting wind to drop as it changed direction. Things were looking pretty good. A short wade out to the appropriate structure with a little 1.8 Yozuri. After a half dozen or so casts I hooked and bagged a little bait sized squid and took this for a good omen, with the session just commencing. Alas it was not to be. Walking all over the rocks and flicking everywhere yielded nothing.
 
Whilst deciding that it was time to give up and head in, i spotted a school well within casting range, of course with my jig way out in the opposite direction! In the short time i was able to re-cast the school had gone out of visual range so i worked the area around where i last saw them. Gone! Finally i hooked a decent sized one, pulling line with each surge. Quickly worked into the net, dispatched & bagged.
 
Unfortunately that was it so i called it a session. Not quite enough for Xmas stuffed squid ! http://www.strikehook.com/index.php/topic/26369-grilled-stuffed-squid/
 
 

 
 
 
Wading is my favorite style of fishing and can readily apply to squid. Clear waters and low current/tidal movements work really well and enable a real visual element to fishing, one of the major joys of wading!. I prefer around the low tide and immediately after, also when one can readily wade to more suitable areas. Basically anywhere there is seagrass or weedy reef works: Just past the 'blue line' around Yorkes, reefy stuff around Marino and further south........pretty well all over the place!
 
I don't usually specifically target squid whilst wading, instead wait until i see them following a SP or HB intended for something else. Being inquisitive creatures, they regularly oblige. Then its a quick changeover to a suitable jig, flick over and thru the area where the squid was last seen with fairly standard lift & drop retrieve. If they are still around they can be pretty quick and easy to find.
 
With the super light tackle and skinny waters, I opt for small 1.8 & 2 sized jigs with nothing too lairy. Anything bigger sinks too quicky and can easily spook your target. You often need to let squid run for a while with this style of squidding so back the drag off a little, this way potential squid can 'take' the jig rather than drop it straight away. If they do drop the jig you may not get another shot .
 

 
Once hooked, retrieve slow & steadily, letting the rod take the squid's surges, slip a net in behind while still in the water and hopefully aim that inky goo elsewhere ! I like to humanly kill straight away by squeezing the head prior to placing in the catch bag. Careful though, squid can bite quite well so hold from the tube and squeeze the head from behind with thumb & index finger. You will know you have done it correctly when there is an instant loss of the squid colours, to white.
 
Its worth while getting straight back out in the same area where the last one was caught as squid generally occur in schools. Sometimes it may be 1 or 3, other times i have had 4 in the net before dispatching the first !
 
I love eating squid but it's a can be a tedious pain to prepare. I adore salt & pepper squid, with a double coating of egg white/seasoned corn flour prior to deep frying . Otherwise stuffed squid (above link) is a fave. If im being 'lazy'  a simply crosshatching, light flouring and onto the BBQ grill with sweet chilli sauce & .

Hi all,  
With uni and working two jobs, fishing time has been very limited but I managed to get out for a quick fish after work today. Took the fly rod down to the Torrens along with a light spin rod and a bag of bread for backup. I drove for a while along the river and just picked a random spot for a look. Well I found a really shallow bit stacked with lots of good sized carp! Perfect fly casting territory. In the 90 minutes I fished, I landed three good carp, two on fly and one on bread. Sizes ranged from 3.62 to 4.85kg. Heaviest fish was taken on bread on the bottom but the ones on fly were way more satisfying.
 

 

 

Headed out today with James for a northern flats session! A massive thanks goes to Underpants and Sbarnden for hinting us in the right direction. We started off the day at 6am and arrived on the flats at 6:45am. 

The tide was running out which was good but the wind was blowing pretty hard. We set up our stuff and headed straight out. Once we got close to the gutter, James hooks up to a fat whiting on the GULP worms. At first we thought it was a good salmon with the first run but once it came up to the surface, we were stoked. After a quick photo, it went straight into the homemade livewell! 


 
We kept persisting to see if we could get a few more whiting but the toadies kept on chomping out soft plastics. We decided to fish the channel/gutter and that's when the action was hot!  We started bagging some average sized tommies and salmon trout but we wanted to find bigger ones.


We made our way out to deeper water where we spotted a few black rays, but everywhere we went there were only tommies, salmon trout and toadies. We decided to go back shallower to see if we could get a few more whiting, but that's when we spooked a couple of big flathead! (around 45-55cm). I managed to hook one whist flicking for tommies/salmon trout but this one was only a baby. 

 
On the way back in, we stepped on a crab and James was quick enough to snatch it up into the livewell. Just over legal! It was a beautiful day to be out wading (would've been better without the wind  ). Here's just a few more photos! 

DAY 1

In the first week of school holidays, a Kangaroo Island trip was a great way to settle us in thanks to one of my best mates (John) and his family, who are one of the biggest deaf families in Australia! We arrived on a beautiful day with nothing but blue skies and crystal clear water. As soon as we got off the ferry, we were straight into the fishing! I spotted a few good schools of tommies so I chucked on a small hard body to see if I could tempt a few.. After landing a couple, a tiny squid appeared to be attacking the lure! Hooked up to it but dropped it. The next cast the same thing happened but this time I landed it. It was only small but there were quite a few hanging around it so I quickly chucked on a jig. First cast with jig, it was smacked by a nice squid on the drop. Same with the second, third and forth cast!   I realised how many there were but we were only keeping a few for bait and the rest were released. For the next 1 and a half hours we caught close to 30 squid, sharing around a single rod!    John, his two brothers and mum all landed their first squids which they were stoked about!   




 
It was time to head over to our shack, which was in Hanson Bay. We unpacked and set off for a stroll to the second beach, carrying a couple of rods. We found a very nice gutter and whist John chucked a bait out, I was flicking metals and soon hooked up within the first few casts! After a couple of solid runs, it spat the hook but another one took it closer in! Once again it spat the hook but again, a school chased it into the wave breaks and I saw the hookup through the wave! This one was one of the larger models which took me for a huge run and spat the  hooks again!!!! It was one of the biggest salmon I've hooked and I was spewing!! I even saw it in the wave with another 4 fish following it and clearly, this one was the biggest.   

For the next couple of casts, I had no interest in the lure but once the sun started to go down, plenty of big tommies and small salmon trout were hitting the lure. I landed quite a few big tommies while John only had bites on the baits. It got dark and cold so we decided to call it quits. Fortunately, the alarm was set for an early start the next morning!   
 
DAY 2
 
6am, we got up and had a quick breakfast. Walked to the river in Hanson Bay which I believe is the South-west River? The scenery was beautiful with the early morning fog creating a blanket over the top of the river. At the first accessible spot, I had a practice cast which resulted in a hookup on the Ecogear SX40! It was only a small bream but a good sign!

 
We made our way up the river flicking at every spot we could access. Before it warmed up, I landed another 3 fish with my mate getting donuts, it was his first time using lures which was understandable but I showed him quite a few tricks! 


 We made our way up to the very top of the river where I had plenty of casts in a small pool, on the 10-15th cast, I had a solid hookup! This one felt bigger and almost got me into a snag. After a good fight, I lifted it up to the ledge and boy was this bream healthy!   It measured 30cm and after a few pics it was quickly released. 

 
 
We went back to the second bay after lunch where we landed plenty more tommies, salmon trout and loads of pesky wrass! 

 
We got bored and went back to the shack to get the kayaks ready for a relaxing paddle in the river. But knowing me, I had to bring a rod along.    I followed behind John with the SX40 being trolled behind me. It wasn't long before I got hits, and lots of them! At the first bend in the river, I managed to land around 3 small bream. We made our way all the way up the river where I had no hits at all so we decided to go back down. As soon as we hit the same bend, I had a heap of hits. I hooked up to a few fish which spat the hook. This time I only landed one before sundown which was just legal. A quick photo and release.

 
DAY 3
 
The next day, we went to Kingscote jetty. It was pretty windy and cold. We had plenty of tiny bites on the baits but no hookups, it was really slow. After an hour, John hooked up to something huge on my rod! It took a rather large squid tentacle and screamed off straight under the jetty. After a quick 20 seconds, it busted him off on the pylon..    We reckon it was a big salmon, small kingy or possibly a snapper. I tied on another rig which had no interest other than the odd small nibbles. In the last few minutes, I decided to try for squid. It was hard casting with the wind but I managed to land 2 small squid before we left. 

 
Just after dark, we made our way to Vivonne Bay jetty. it looked very promising with tommies swarming the lights. First couple of casts, we landed a couple of tommies on plastics! They were solid tommies going 28-30cm. After landing around 20, I hooked onto something that peeled line!  After a decent fight, I lifted it up and to my surprise, it was a nice Silver Trevally! A couple more tommies were caught and then I hooked up to another slightly bigger Silver Trevally! We were getting loads of tommies and before we were about to leave, I hooked another Silver Trevally which looked a lot bigger! It fought extremely hard and spat the hook before it broke the surface. Oh well, we landed a nice feed all up! 


 
DAY 4
 
After a long night, we woke up tired but we didn't want to leave the place without landing a big salmon, so we walked all the way to the third beach, both casting metals into the surf along the way. We both managed to land a few salmon trout each, nothing big and were released. We made it to the third beach which didn't look as good as I thought, the gutters were really shallow and we didn't get a single hit. On the way back, we flicked metals at the end of the second bay, next to the rocks. First cast we both had hits. We hooked up to some good fighting salmon trout but we both persisted through the smaller ones. After I had a talk with John about why persistence is crucial in fishing, we both hooked up to a big salmon each, at the same time!!!   Mine was doing plenty of heart stopping jumps but they both stayed on! We were so excited and shared an amazing experience together. Both salmon were our personal bests with mine going 55cm and John's going 51cm. 


 
We threw them onto the sand and our lures went straight back in, hoping for another 'real' salmon. This school moved way to quickly and we didn't hookup to anymore solid fish.. After another couple of hours flicking lures and catching salmon trout after salmon trout, we called it a day and what a day it was!!! 

 
After hard work scaling and filleting the fish, they made a lovely meal! This was when I realised how good they tasted fresh from the surf! 

 
DAY 5
 
It was an early start for me as I had to leave. Lots of hand shakes and hugs went around as I left. I arrived at Penneshaw jetty a few hours early which gave me time to fish! It was windier than the first day but it didn't stop the squid from biting! First cast I hooked up to a nice squid, followed by more.

 
I ended up catching and releasing around 20 and decided to try catch something else. I chucked on a Zman 2.5" grub to see what was hungry. Casting into the reefy shallows, I had a solid hit, quickly retrieving the lure in, it was followed in by a wrass which smashed it! They actually fight hard which was a surprise.  After a pic it was released. 

 
And of course! Here's the video!! My longest video yet, please enjoy  

 
What an amazing experience I had! MASSIVE thanks goes to John and his family for the awesome time. 
I would also like to thank a few Strike and Hook members that helped me get familiar with Hanson Bay! 
 
Cheers guys. 
Alex. 

The Plan: Start at 10am at Southport and hit most southern beaches through to Sellicks and return finishing aback at Southport.
 
Did it succeed: Nope.
 
OK, so decided to hit Southport at 10am leading to the low tide at 11.30am and to lure for Salmon all day.
Was not expecting to catch anything at Southport, as have not yet done so, plus the low tide was not going to help any.
 
The only thing happening or moving at Southport were the walkers along the beach.
(now I'm not talking walkers from "The Walking Dead" from the series for those who have watched it).
 

 

 

 
So after about an hour luring it was off to Maslins and still only half expecting anything to take a lure at this stage of the day.
 
But, some excitement for me....a green floating ball.
 

 

 
But that was enough excitement for me, and as not takers for my lure it was off to Pt Willunga.
 
Arrived at the carpark and had a bite to eat whilst surveying the area - looked good.
 
Then.....something caught my eye......another bloody ball.  Thought for a moment it got here from Maslins before I did, but a different colour, but at least it smiled
 

 
So back to luring at yet again something took my eye....
 

 
Then it all appeared.....a shark?
 

 
Nope....a friendly.
 

 

 
There was probably about a dozen dolphins swimming around about only 50m out and with some chasing something out there. 
 
So I replaced my Halco 40g lure to a Halco 55g lure for a little extra distance thinking they might be scaring some Salmon closer to shore.
 
Just purchased these Halco's so was hoping for results.
 
Third cast and twang, the Halco 55g travelled very well and sunk to the ocean floor
​
So here is a tip for all: Always make sure your reel latch is open before casting
 
The dolphins headed North - the way I was going anyway and then one dolphin leaped out of the water with wave - looked fantastic - I gave it a 10
 
They were then gone.
 
Maybe they scared some Salmon in close as this was the result near the Northern end.
 

 
So I was happy that, to get something was a relief, but then.........it happens again
 
Yep, another   ball.
 

 
What is it with balls today I have no idea, but they are following me
 
The few Salmon were then also gone and was thinking now to go to Sellicks, but this was in the distance
​

 
Now I was thinking I was not prepared for that much rain and seeing I had hooked a few at PW, why not stick to a good thing.
 
Got a little bored with no takers so I etched this into the sand.
 

 
If you can't make it out, it says 'Strike Hook.com'
 
So ended up staying at PW without going back to Maslins or Southport due to time (about 4pm now).
 
But a great day of weather and entertainment plus a bonus Salmon and ST.
 
 
 
 

I made sausage rolls over Christmas for the first time and turned out look weird. 
Might try your recipe. 

They look good still!!
 
 
I have a heap of eatable squid in the freezer... squid rolls maybe? lol
 
 
 
 
EDIT:
 
You have the same oven/cook top as me haha