# SA: Wallaroo in May, hitchhiking pigeons & thieving dolphins



## Squidley (May 8, 2010)

I spent a week in Wallaroo in May trying to find a kingfish, mainly around the jetty.

I drifted and floated whole slimeys and threw all kinds of SPs and metals about the place while drifting, trolling and at anchor, and never saw one. The trips weren't uneventful though.

The first morning all I brought aboard was a wet pigeon, which I rescued while bumping and scratching my bow on the pylons, getting showered by wheat chaff from above as the workers cleaned the jetty in preparation for a grain ship's arrival. However it didn't bring me the same fortune as it did for Solatree when he rescued one and found the snapper. I went for an evening trip as well, and found some salmon trout so the day wasn't quite a donut.

Tuesday wasn't rough enough to stop a grain ship docking but it was too rough for me, so I chilled out and checked out Point Riley to the north.

Some workers on the jetty on Monday had told me to try the breakwall for kingfish and I figured they were giving me more than a hint about fishing, but when I got the same advice at the Compleat Angler, I decided to give it a go on Wednesday morning. I struck out at the rockwall and marina, and headed back to the jetty. There was a huge cloud of Salmon Trout there but the only things that seemed to be harassing them were the dolphins and I. One of them appeared and grabbed the whole slimey I had under a float at the same time I connected with a salmon trout. Much stress as line peeled off the loosely set reel, but it stopped and mercifully the dolphin had plucked the slimey off the twin snelled circle hooks without hooking itself.

Thursday I headed out for an evening fish at anchor with a tub full of berley. Wind, chop and swell made the anchoring process a bit hairy, but it settled down and I got to collect salmon trout again. I made a paternoster rig with a halco twisty as a sinker after reading one of Ado's offshore reports, and it gave me a couple of triple headers.

Friday morning, I brought berley again but kept the anchor on board and threw lures about the place. Seeing some snapper was a nice change from the salmon trout even if they were all undersize. I did manage to pick up a king george whiting on a 4" nuclear chicken gulp minnow which was cool to see.

Saturday, I had been invited to join Drew, Ian, Mark and Andy on an excursion to another part of Yorkes. It was just what the doctor ordered; a (very pretty) change of scenery from the jetty pylons, good company and lots and lots of hungry, naive snapper that couldn't seem to help themselves near a drifted plastic.

Heading back on Sunday, I got to join the parade of classic cars that had arrived for the Cornish festival. So while I hadn't seen a kingfish, I did at least get to see a Delorean; good trip in all 

I had the camera rolling for much of it and captured most of the highlights:









I went with Vimeo here since Youtube blocks it from playing on mobiles, but here's the 'tube if you prefer:


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## Daveyak (Oct 6, 2005)

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## Squidley (May 8, 2010)

Thanks Dave. I've been a bit envious of your bonito and tuna. Maybe you do have some inshore grounds? I didn't know about ours til one or two years ago, deepest I've caught any in was seven metres. And yeah, ST and snapper are 21 and 38 respectively over here.


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## Geoffw (Jan 23, 2011)

Hey Chris never mind the great fishing and-that's a great vimeo!


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## Drewboy (Mar 18, 2008)

Some sweet footage married to a magic sound track Chris. 
A delightful edit and great to have you on our little expedition.
Nice work on the snaps as well, particularly as so many were brought in on lures.


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## Pilch (May 26, 2013)

Great video mate, thank you for sharing. Love the ode to your little feathered friend - lol.
I love catching snapper on lures, no matter what size, and if you can pick up a few legalies its always a good thing. I'm stuck up here at work in the desert and your video has just made my morning.
Was that shallow water action out in front of "the Gap" a bit further down the coast from Wallaroo?????


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## Squidley (May 8, 2010)

Thanks Geoff. Wasn't that a brilliant day Drew? Those snapper got rowdy! I should've tried an octa jig for kicks.

Cheers Pilch. Not sure where the gap is. The spot isn't mine to give but it was fairly shallow, 4-7 metres deep. I hope you find your way out of the desert, not enough fish there.


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## snowymacco (Nov 3, 2009)

Nice video Chris with a feel good soundtrack. Those pigeons regularly fly into the jetty and drown or get finished off by the Pacific Gulls. That looked like a cracker snapper session, I'm sure the blood was pumping with the double hook up, I'm envious to say the least. Well done.


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## kaotikmonkey (Mar 1, 2013)

Loved it! Good report and some great footage mate. Keep it up


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## keenfisho (Aug 22, 2012)

Great video thanks
I'm heading to wallaroo next Monday with a few members from another forum
I love fishing there, hopefully I can get one of the big jetty snaps that have been straightening my jig heads the last few trips and fingers crossed i can find that elusive kingy


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## solatree (May 30, 2008)

Great vid Chris - love your persistance. 
And, like you, I too have had a hitch hiker at Wallaroo








viewtopic.php?f=17&t=52913&hilit=+wallaroo


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## Squidley (May 8, 2010)

I think you found the lucky pigeon Andy, it took me a long time to find anything besides STs. I'm still unsure of what jigging motion works for snapper. Most of my SP caught snaps at spot X were just floppy ZMans drifting while my hands were off the rod.

Good luck KF, mysteriously bent and busted tackle really lights a fire in the belly hey. Post pictures of the culprit if you catch it!


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## keenfisho (Aug 22, 2012)

Squidley said:


> I think you found the lucky pigeon Andy, it took me a long time to find anything besides STs. I'm still unsure of what jigging motion works for snapper. Most of my SP caught snaps at spot X were just floppy ZMans drifting while my hands were off the rod.
> 
> Good luck KF, mysteriously bent and busted tackle really lights a fire in the belly hey. Post pictures of the culprit if you catch it!


Thanks mate, i know at least two of the straightened hooks have been from big snapper one i got up yak side it saw me turned headed for the bottom and streightened me out, it would have easily been 80cm+

The straightened hooks will no longer happen due to not using crappy nitro jigheads any more.

In regards to working the plastics all I do there is flick the plastic in under the jetty, leave the bail arm open while i reposition myself and the double hop it back with long pauses. The good old Squidgy flick bait is pilchard colour is a local snapper favourite there.


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## Squidley (May 8, 2010)

Damn, more than half my jigs are nitros. Thanks for the tips on the retrieve. Do you reposition the yak for a longer retrieval?


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## redmist (May 6, 2012)

nice post Chris maybe a late submission to Cannes Film Festival? loved the Bette Midler moment on the beach at the end of the vid - should have used "wind beneath my wings" as a sound track.
Great snapper chaos footage - got to love it when you don't have enough hands to bring em in. Those days are what we take all the donuts for.


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## Ubolt (Dec 8, 2009)

Beautiful weather for your trip. Bad luck about the kingy action but double snapper hook ups are awesome


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## keenfisho (Aug 22, 2012)

Squidley said:


> Damn, more than half my jigs are nitros. Thanks for the tips on the retrieve. Do you reposition the yak for a longer retrieval?


Yeah basically mate, check out my mates video on YouTube, shows it perfectly






And another mate






Hope these help


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## Zilch (Oct 10, 2011)

Well done Chris !

Might be worth another try for a king when the water temp is up a bit ;-)

PS. my computer has been down for awhile with a virus but hopefully all good now 

Steve


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## Squidley (May 8, 2010)

Thanks for the examples KF, that could improve my odds.

Better in Summer eh Steve? Good to see you posting again.


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