Usually when you think of New Years you picture fi reworks, resolutions and festive activities; but for our

group it was all about the excitement of preparing for our annual migration to Yalata. The group consisted of Billy (me), Glenn, Manny and Rob.

Yalata is a far west coast fi shing mecca for enthusiasts targeting the elusive silver ghost, the mulloway and is located approximately 1000kms from Adelaide and just over 200km west of the town of Ceduna. For this once a year expedition I believe preparation is the most critical aspect. The checks of ensuring that vehicles, trailers, ATV’s, rods and reels are

in great condition is crucial to success. Our fi rst stop on our trip was a small

town called Fowlers Bay. We arrived at Fowlers Bay Caravan Park and were lucky enough to secure a grassed area. You can purchase bags of ice and block ice here too; however you can only obtain one bag of ice per person.

We camped at Fowlers Bay for two days and fi shed at several different locations including Scotts Beach, The Ledge and Fowlers Bay jetty. Fortunately we met a bloke that had been coming to Fowlers Bay and Yalata for a good number of years and was willing to share his wealth of knowledge. He was very well informed

of the local areas and he showed us a nice little spot out of the way of the normal traffi c to try our luck. No sooner had Glenn cast out from a reef did he hook onto a nice sized mulloway and bring it to the surface only to watch it spit the hook in the surf only metres away and slowly swim off.

Our guide took us on a trip to the cliffs and in particular The Ledge. This spot is well known for schools of salmon swimming past and is a great place to stock up on fresh bait for mulloway. We had news that a previous group earlier in the morning had bagged out on salmon, so we were hoping for the best. Whilst

west coastmully mission

BY BILLY PAPAGEORGIOU

waiting for the schools, we decided to put out our heavy gear and try our luck. Our bait had been out for no more than fi ve minutes when our reels started screaming. Unfortunately it only resulted in a series of bust-offs, fi rstly from a nice kingie followed by a number of large sharks.

After our two days at Fowlers Bay we then made the trip to Yalata. Our only stop was at Nundroo for pasties and Chiko Rolls and last minute supplies. We then turned off the main road onto the red gate track and proceeded on the long, hot and bumpy track to Geues Hole campsite. Half way down the track our four wheel drive overheated and the engine cut out.

We then switched from gas to petrol and after a short wait in the heat we continued on our way.

We arrived at the campsite and set up our tents, shade and outdoor camp pantry, which only lasted one afternoon before being devoured by mice. Once established we made the short journey over the sand hill onto the beach only to see a couple of blokes fi shing in our hole pulling out a snapper around the 15 pound mark.

Over the next four days we fi shed solidly from sunrise to sunset with plenty of hook-ups with large rays, bronze whalers and only undersized mulloway. For those not familiar with the local weather

conditions we were experiencing near 50+ degrees during the day and around 30+ degrees during the night. Shade is a necessity on the beach so remember to bring some sort of shade tent and strong tie-downs as it is always windy. On one of our many trips to one of the bait holes to gather fresh bait I hooked a nice fl athead which refused my offerings of lures and cockles. It fi nally slammed a live mullet which I managed to place directly in front of its head. After collecting a bucketful of fresh mullet and salmon trout we had our day’s worth of fresh bait.

With bait stocks replenished I cast out a whole 25cm mullet on a pair of 8/0

LOCATION: YALATA MULLOWAY

mully mission

» The scenery and wildlife is all part of the experience of fi shing the west coast for mulloway.

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Gamakatsu Octopus hooks. Sitting back in the 40+ degree heat I heard Manny yell “Billy, Billy, Billy”. As I looked over I noticed my rod buckling over with 30lb braid spewing off my reel.

As I leant back into the rod I instantly knew this was not another ray or shark with the telltale bumps and head shakes. As we’d previously been busted off by big rays and sharks heading for the gap in the reef over the past few days I wasn’t going to let this one get away. I put extra pressure onto this fi sh eventually turning him after a 100m plus run. Once I got its head turned I knew I still had a lot of work to do as I’d previously lost a big fi sh the year before in the same spot. It spat the hooks out because I didn’t keep the pressure on and as the fi sh appeared a wave broke onto shore and the hooks fell out the fi sh’s mouth.

With Glenn by my side we were both determined not to let history repeat itself. Glenn ensured I didn’t walk towards the fi sh in excitement. After fi ghting it for around 15 minutes I managed to get the fi sh near enough to the drop-off for

Manny to slip his hands under its gills and pull all 46 pounds and 131cm of mulloway safely onto land. It was a welcome reward for all of the hours we’d put in and it took the sting out of the disappointment I had faced the previous year coming back empty handed.

With plenty of photos taken it was time to get another fresh bait out. Not long after, Glenn’s rod had 44lb mono racing off his Saltiga, only to have the fi sh spit the hooks as he leant back on the strike.

The next day Glenn and Manny had decided to make the trek to the Nullarbor to replenish our ice stocks to keep our bait fresh. In an ideal world we would have a separate fridge/freezer to keep both our bait and food fresh, as ice in 40 degree plus heat doesn’t cope too well!

Moments after they left, Rob and I watched as a welcomed cold front approached. Down came the rain, hard and constant but this did not stop us from getting a bait out. Rob had managed to land a nice fi ve foot bronze whaler which we took some steaklets off for dinner and I had a couple of bust-offs from larger

sized sharks. I then rigged up a small live tommy I had managed to catch and cast it out into the head wind.

Six hours of being saturated and leaning up against my quad bike (the only protection I had from the thrashing wind) my 13ft Daiwa Sensor buckled over. After hooking up Rob called it for another shark. Ten minutes into the fi ght Glenn and Manny appeared back from their ice restocking adventure and watched in disbelief as I reeled in another big fi sh.

As I got the fi sh close to the drop-off Rob raced towards the water’s edge into the breakers trying to gaff what he originally called for shark. It was then that I knew this was not just another shark because knowing Rob as well as I do I knew that he would not have gotten his feet wet for just a shark. After three attempts he fi nally managed to sink the gaff into the fi sh. It weighed in at 46 pounds also and around 130cm. The rest of the trip was pretty much the same as the fi rst couple of days; catching plenty of sharks and rays and the odd salmon. But unfortunately the silver ghost was more elusive than anticipated and was not seen again. But that’s what fi shing for this species is all about.

Yalata ConsiderationsGeues Hole is one location that can be

reasonably fi shed by no more than 3-4 people at any one time due to its small size. All you need is one hook-up to cross everyone’s line in the hole and it becomes chaos.

ATV’s are a must for Yalata; they open up your options greatly and make transportation of eskies, rods and chairs simple. They also played a big part in our bait fi shing over the trip as it was very diffi cult to catch bait near our camp so we travelled to many nice lagoons which were fi lled with whiting, mullet and salmon trout. ATV’s need to be equipped with rod holders and trays to carry rods and eskies/tackle bags.

» Gummy sharks provide plenty of fun while you’re waiting for the jewies to come along.

» One of two big fi sh the author managed to land. More than enough to make all the hours of preparation worthwhile!

» Check out the calm conditions! The boys found that the use of four wheelers gave them the ability to cover enough ground to fi nd the fi sh.

LOCATION: YALATA MULLOWAY

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Be prepared for the weather at Yalata. On our trips we have experienced both spectrums of weather ranging from cold and windy nights to extremely hot days. According to many locals, weather plays a big part in catching mulloway as a drop in the barometer changes the feeding habits. This normally occurs after very hot weather and when a cold front is moving in. During our stay a group fi shing Bob’s Kitchen caught and released some 13 mulloway with 50lbs being the smallest and others up to 90 pounds, including snapper, sharks and rays. Sometimes just being in the right place at the right time can be half the battle won.

Gearing UpMost of us used surf

rods in the 11-13ft range. Glenn had his

rod custom made by a reliable rod maker at Fishermans Paradise located in Pirie Street, Adelaide. They have looked after both myself and Glenn for some time now. We would like to thank Keith and Nick for their help in our preparation and careful planning.

You’ll need a rod which will be able to cast 6-8oz weights with large baits. Rob preferred to use the good old reliable Abu 7000 loaded with 40lb mono. He has been using this setup for many years on a custom 5120 and it has landed him many fi sh up to the 90 pound mark time and time again. Glenn has a Saltiga Surf 6000 spooled with 44lb Shimano Technium which he prefers over normal mono due to its abrasion resistance and I prefer to use braid for extra casting distance and extra capacity on the reel.

During the trip I was using 30lb braid which is very thin and would recommend 50lb braid if fi shing in reefy and rocky areas. A long shock leader is needed for extra abrasion resistance as well as giving you a little stretch which is needed when fi ghting a big mulloway to prevent pulling the hooks. We used 60lb to 80lb Black Magic supple trace tied to the mainline using a Slim Beauty knot which had a low profi le which aided in casting.

5-6oz star sinkers were enough to hold our baits because there is not much surf in Geues Hole itself but when fi shing the more open gutters it is best to use a grapnel sinker.

Most of our casts were around the 50m mark. Long casts aren’t necessary because the drop-off and gutters are very close to shore. Hooks used were Gamakatsu Octopus in the 8/0 to 9/0 range. The larger sizes would defi nitely be better because even twin 8/0 hooks look small in an undersized mulloway’s mouth.

The most practical rig we found for fi shing with both styles of sinkers was a Paternoster rig with an Owner 3-way crane swivel. These are rated to 260lb and have never failed me like those standard 3-way swivels tend to do. A 1m length of lighter line is used from the swivel to sinker and about 60-80cm of 80-100lb trace from the swivel to the hooks.

Some people prefer to use a running style rig but mulloway on the west coast hit the bait very hard pulling the grapnel out and the resistance doesn’t really seem to bother them.

If you like fi shing like I do then start planning now for a trip to the far west coast. For preparation you should read as many articles as you can to assist in your planning process. When you’re pulling in that mulloway of a lifetime you’ll understand when I tell you it is one of the most exciting fi shing experiences you’ll ever have.

» TOP: Sharks are always on the cards. THIS PIC: A nice fl attie caught in one of the calm holes while chasing bait.

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