4x4fisherman

Warilla beach has nearly always produced good fish for me and whenever the flathead are on the chew the channels around Windang usually produce good fish.

I guess I better throw my hat in the ring as well. I've caught a few jewfish and spent years targeting big fish from the beach, estuary and the rocks and I reckon versatility and finding where they live are the key. The hardest I ever worked for a jew was at Hawks Nest north of Newcastle. I had a 10 day holiday and fished every night for them. I tried all the usual spots that produce on the beach and in the river and hadn't so much as gotten a bite. The water was crystal clear with offshore winds every day and I tried every bait available, live beach worms, live mullet, live yellowtail, live whiting, fresh squid with flouro still in the eyes, fresh mullet, tailor and pilchards for zip, nada and nought! On the second last day I deliberately left a couple of mullet and 20 odd pillies in a bucket of brine in the sun with a good squirt of tuna oil and that night planned to fish the slack high tide in the river then head to the beach. First bait was the most putrid brined pillie that I'm sure they could smell at Coffs Harbour and I lobbed it just into the channel near the boat ramp.. 15 minutes later the Alvey was screaming like a bungey jumper and I had the culmination of a weeks hard work. Fishing at Stockton beach for the 18 months I lived in Newcastle and the hundred odd other times I've fished there I never once caught a jew on a pilchard. Almost every one I caught was on live bait and tailor heads and fillets. The week I fished the beach west of Fowlers Bay I averaged 2 jewfish a day landed, smallest was 8kg and the largest I guessed at almost 30kg as it was as long as me and I'm 6'4". They bit during the day mostly on salmon fillets but the biggy took a whole live salmon of about 2kg. They bit in gutters a little over 2 foot deep and within 6 foot of the beach, that strike I actually saw the jew take the bait as it was just after midday. An old mate of mine swears tailor heads and the freshest squid are the best bait and seeing he has caught more jew than any other 10 fishos I know combined I'd have to agree. He fishes the Coffs Harbour area and in particular the Urunga Beach. He also reckons he catches 50% of his fish on the 3'0 keeper hook rather than the main 8-10'0.

G'day Fisho's, I'm Steve, I'm 47 and have been an avid fisherman for over 40 years. These days I specialise in beach fishing although I've done plenty of game and general offshore fishing over the years. My other passion is 4wd'ing and if I can combine both then I'm a happy camper. I've fished many places around Australia as I travelled in my younger days before marriage and mortgages such as Steep Point WA, Rottnest Island, the West Coast of South Australia beyond Fowlers Bay, and numerous other places through SA and VIC and up the east coast. These days I go for quality more so than quantity and try to organise one or two major treks each year to somewhere fantastic. Last year this was an extended stay on Fraser Island which was my 5th visit but the first for the family. My next major trek looks like the west coast of SA again after 20 years and I'm in the early stages of planning that one. My philosophy is the tougher the terrain to get to your spot the more likely the fishing will be sensational and if it isn't, getting there was still fun.

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.