4x4fisherman Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 Hi fisho's, I'm looking at putting together a small group to fish the west coast of South Australia during the first quarter of 2013. The locations I'm considering are Fowlers Bay and the areas just west around Yalata and Dog Fence Beach. This area has produced more big jew than any other sand patch in the country, the area is wild, there are dingos, snakes, BIG sharks, schools of salmon measured by the acre and did I mention the snakes? The down side The weather is likely to be stinking hot as the average for last January was 26 degrees with a top of 40, February was 27 Average with a top of 41.6 and March was 26.6 average and top of 38.8 and when I was there in the 90's we had 4 days in a row that hit 40 degrees. Also I don't recommend swimming at the beach as last time I fished there the sharks got 4 Jew and several salmon in a week. Winds can be onshore and blowey, bring moisturiser, hat and lots of zinc and sunscreen. Long sleeves and pants are highly recommended to avoid sunburn. The nearest hospital is not close, if you have a condition, mobility problems or are subject to heat stress this is not the trip for you It would be handy if you have a reliable 4wd, a vehicle recovery in this area would cost thousands and as I'll be towing an offroad camper trailer I wouldn't be a fan of driving to Adelaide to grab a car trailer. Even reliable vehicles have problems so you would want to have a spare of every belt, hose and fuel filter that fits your car, if it's diesel a water seperator will help as some fuel stops can be dodgy out the bush A quad bike is a great fishing tool on these beaches, towing a quad to the area behind a 2wd is a workable option. There is no phone or internet reception, a satphone and probably a HF radio will be fitted in my 4wd however you won't be able to wish the girlfriend goodnight, get the greyhound results or phone sex the missus. If you're a drinker you're not going to be a fan, the area is aboriginal land and is a DRY COMMUNITY so you can get in all sorts of strife taking grog and they do inspect vehicles camped in the area The up side The fishing is simply awesome If at least one jew over 60lb wasn't caught in 5 days I'd be shocked The scenery is absolutely breath taking The nights are so black and the stars look like one huge mass You may actually get to see the "Aurora Australis" or "Southern Lights" This photo sums the place up perfectly If you want to check it out on google earth use these coordinates 31°47'40.65"S 131°52'43.53"E For those that are a bit soft, you could book somewhere to stay at Fowlers Bay and drive to the various fishing spots day to day but you'd be subjected to childish and boyish ridicule and torment and nicknamed Nancy. This is early planning, if I'm not driving my current 4wd ute I'll have a new Nissan Patrol wagon. It will also be my intention to take lots of photos and write articles for at least 3 magazines one of which is a fishing mag. The trip length will likely be 4 to 5 days camped on the beach so I'll be packing a generator, car fridge and long term esky for myself and passengers. I'll be driving these from Sydney over a 2 or possibly 3 day period. So hands up those that think this might be the kind of adventure they'd like to go on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shak4g63 Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Wow sounds like an adventure of a life time, and that place is on my bucket list! But I couldn't do it at this point in my life! Damn! Tight lines, Shakeel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4fisherman Posted September 16, 2012 Author Share Posted September 16, 2012 Wow sounds like an adventure of a life time, and that place is on my bucket list! But I couldn't do it at this point in my life! Damn! Tight lines, Shakeel What makes you say that Shakeel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shak4g63 Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 I'm planning an overseas trip at that time around march, feb I'm busy at work, I also don't own a 4x4 and don't really have any type of camping gear etc, so yeah but I dream of those thick talaria jewies! Oh boy! Tight lines, Shakeel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shak4g63 Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 * yalata jewies , sorry autocorrect Tight lines, Shakeel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nautica Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Sounds like the trip of trips. What dates are you thinking ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4fisherman Posted September 24, 2012 Author Share Posted September 24, 2012 Sounds like the trip of trips. What dates are you thinking ? It should be epic, the dates looking the best is the week before Easter so I'd say depart Sydney Saturday 23rd March and drive to Renmark then to Fowlers Bay or Friday arvo and drive to Cootamundra then Saturday to maybe Port Augusta then arrive Fowlers Bay on Sunday. A 3 day drive would be less fatiguing and I'd prefer it. The trip home would be similar and getting home on the Sunday would give everyone a day to remove the crust of a week on the sand. I'll put together an itinerary and guesstimate on costs soon but I'd say $1000 per person would cover it comfortably. Here's some links if you want to research it http://www.yalata.org/camping.htm http://www.environment.gov.au/indigenous/ipa/pubs/video-yalata.html http://www.environment.gov.au/indigenous/ipa/declared/yalata.html http://www.yalata.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nautica Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Looks good mate. Would you mind if I brought my own 4wd and a mate? I can only get monday to Friday off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4fisherman Posted September 25, 2012 Author Share Posted September 25, 2012 Looks good mate. Would you mind if I brought my own 4wd and a mate? I can only get monday to Friday off. That would be great, I'm looking for people with their own vehicle hoping for a small convoy for safety reasons as well as company. It's a massive distance to cover in a short time, last trip there for me was on a long holiday and took me a week from Sydney to Ceduna. I may be doing the Oodnadatta track a couple of months after this trip so it looks like a big year in 2013. The wife is even making noises about a trip to Hawaii so looks like a year of being broke as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheap charlie Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Wow, what a trip. Sounds like a similar trip to how the All 4 Adventure crew would go about it. I would be in but have already committed to being a support vehicle in the 2013 Shitbox Rally. 200 $1000 or less cars traveling from Adelaide to Freemantle via Uluru taking the rough roads. Some 4200kms minus traveling to Adelaide and the return trip from Fremantle. All to raise money for the Cancer Council Check out our Face Book page; support 11, 2013 Shitbox Rally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4fisherman Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 I've had a long chat with a very well connected and knowledgable SA local and he advises me that reasonable numbers of Jew will be around at this time but not many really big fish. His advice is the move the date closer to the end of January, does late January early February make it an option for anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Squidy Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 I've had a long chat with a very well connected and knowledgable SA local and he advises me that reasonable numbers of Jew will be around at this time but not many really big fish. His advice is the move the date closer to the end of January, does late January early February make it an option for anyone? Hi Mate, As PM'd I'll be keen to try and make it whatever the dates, have the leave saved up at work and this is top of my dream fishing destinations. Cheers, Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4fisherman Posted October 16, 2012 Author Share Posted October 16, 2012 Awesome, looks like this trip has legs as I have a couple of expert 4wd types who are very experienced fishos keen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josamill Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 That's an awesome idea. How long (hours) is the trip from Sydney?? Would 2 x 12 hours days do it or am I dreaming? I'm not a pisshead, but shame you can't enjoy a beer at the end of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4fisherman Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 That's an awesome idea. How long (hours) is the trip from Sydney?? Would 2 x 12 hours days do it or am I dreaming? I'm not a pisshead, but shame you can't enjoy a beer at the end of the day. The distance from Sydney is 2200km so you could do it in 2 days driving, having driven the roads I'd strongly recommend a co-driver. There's a lot of flowing country road on cruise control but it's easy to get fatigued and lose concentration especially after sunset. There is camping closer to Fowlers Bay which is technically outside the Yalata peoples land and there is no ban on alcohol. I'll be looking to tidy up final details in December prior to Xmas and make decisions on camping sites and the itinerary as well as decide final numbers. It is the fishing trip of a lifetime if all things come together. The averages suggest it will be good but realistically you have to consider weather, local conditions etc. What I do know is that if it's not cloudy or raining it's going to be hot.. Very hot.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbo12 Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 I'm new to the site, is there any further news with regard to the trip, dates etc. I'm in Melbourne and would like to go depending on dates etc it's a busy time of the year with family committments. How does the $1000 work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchie Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 Mate you had me until you said no alcohol allowed. Being the elite sportsman I am, the beauty of the sport of fishing is you can have a beer while you are doing it and still become a champion!!!! Enjoy your trip, and look forward to your post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4fisherman Posted November 18, 2012 Author Share Posted November 18, 2012 Mate you had me until you said no alcohol allowed. Being the elite sportsman I am, the beauty of the sport of fishing is you can have a beer while you are doing it and still become a champion!!!! Enjoy your trip, and look forward to your post! There's good camping outside the Aboriginal area where you can drink, you just can't take it into the area and I'm flexible about the camping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbo12 Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 I've just realised this is a trip for one car load to go from Sydney hence the $1000. All good, there is plenty of stuff on youtube to help you out. Looking forward to the pics and story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4fisherman Posted November 30, 2012 Author Share Posted November 30, 2012 I've just realised this is a trip for one car load to go from Sydney hence the $1000. All good, there is plenty of stuff on youtube to help you out. Looking forward to the pics and story. Seriously, if people want to camp in an area OK for drinking I'm fine with that. If you're keen to go we'll work that stuff out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMCummins Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 (edited) I've been to Yalata a couple of time now and it's a fantastic place to go. Make sure you take everything you need as there is absolutley nothing available and it can be pretty hostile when it's hot. Apparently the hotter it is the better for the Jew fish, i've heard this from a few people? Last time I went we took an esky full of salmon fillets which the Jew fish love and they seem to last well if frozen when you start off. You can alway stop of at Locks Well for a day to get some salmon, one of the best salmon beaches in the country and you can stop in the caravan park at Elliston which is about a 20 min drive from Locks, at teh end of the day you can clean up and go to the pub for a counter meal. A good web site to visit is http://www.yalata.org/gettinghere.htm# I been to both the Hilton and the Granites and found the Granites far better for fishing and it's reasonably easy to get to, about 17kms past the Yalata road house, look for a gate on the side of the road. Fairly esay tack for about 20 - 30 km's or so then some easy sand work to a camp site, which is a couple of minutes from the beach, for the Granites I mean. Never saw the ranger either time and yes we took our chances with alcohol but keep it sensible. I've heard of others whom have come across the ranger and never had a problem having beer but there always a chance the range needs to stock his own fridge! Spent 5 days there each time which was just about right. Start feeling preety raggard after 5 days although we had a shower with us. Cheers Edited November 30, 2012 by Jewiehunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewhunter Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Thanks for the tips mate & to the site. Cheers, Grant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbo12 Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Did this trip finally eventuate? Any photos? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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