# Pelican Point SA



## Geoffw (Jan 23, 2011)

Last weekend I decided I would explore a new spot, Pelican Point on the Port river and returned to it again today. 







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Access was via Pelican Point road past the power station turning left along dirt road opposite Archie Badenoch drive. On the pic the dirt track end just north of the ship were you can see mangroves meeting some sandy beach. Launching was quite easy with some sandy areas between mangroves at the end of the track. 








I notice that bait is available further north at low tide for those with a pump and also at the section bank which is about three or four k away. I reckon the cutting at the top of Garden Island is about two k north and across the channel. I trolled up to the power station picking up only two salmon trout before crossing the channel and going over the section bank which is quiet shallow. From here St Kilda break water is visible. The tide was on its way in and a lot of weed made trolling difficult. I picked up another two small salmon trout near the cutting entrance on the St Kilda side and then found going against the tide through the cutting was bit of an effort. The water runs pretty fast.








Once through the cutting I crossed the channel once more and headed back to Pelican Point with the tide. At one point I anchored up in about 3 mts of water and tried a bit of fresh bait. There were fish there .... kgw but all well under size .








While the fishing wasn't great that's probably due to me not being familiar with the spot. I did talk to a boatie who told me he was catching snapper in the evenings and there were a few land based anglers dotted along the shore. Given the parking at the end of a dirt track and no lighting I decided against an evening session. Smoked the fish and will make a chowder to have with winter Guinness during the week. I reckon I will give it another go some day. I would also be interested if anyone else has tried here and has any tips about best times.


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## Stealthfisha (Jul 21, 2009)

I like your style of writing GW.........
ive not been there in a yak but those mangroves look good for a flyrod for sure


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

theyakshed.com


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## Murphysegg (Oct 21, 2010)

I think i explored access roads to this area a few years ago & gave up as most roads were gated. It looks as though it's possibly been developed a bit more now & opens up a few short paddle options. I reckon if you pick the right times you'll have good success. I think a few boat fishos who have done the hard yards regularly fish the area for big bruising rewards ;-)


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## OldDood (Nov 6, 2008)

salticrak said:


> good report mate. I find it amazing that at those latitudes one can find mangroves. And you are a Guinness drinker...ipso facto you are a civilized man.Big kings live there.


We have lots of Mangroves in both gulfs, according to one source "The total area of mangroves in South Australia is around 156 km2, and there is only one species, Avicennia marina."


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## Zilch (Oct 10, 2011)

Good report Geoff.



Geoffw said:


> I did talk to a boatie who told me he was catching snapper in the evenings and there were a few land based anglers dotted along the shore.


What the boatie told you is correct plus schoolies are regularly caught at the "Bubbler" also at night and the occasional large one.



Geoffw said:


> Given the parking at the end of a dirt track and no lighting I decided against an evening session.


Geoff the whole area including Garden Island boat ramp is known as a car dumping ground and break ins for unattended cars. Go for a drive to Garden Island boat ramp and I will bet you will see broken glass there, although it doesn't happen quite as often as it use too. Many years ago I had my car broken into during the day :shock: :twisted: .

Here is just one of the photos I have previously posted.











Geoffw said:


> I would also be interested if anyone else has tried here and has any tips about best times.


I know the whole area like the back of my hand, boat and land base fished the area for 30 years. Plus lived at North Haven for several years, almost opposite where you went in to Pelican Point

Same here is just 2 photos (1 x boat and 1 x land base, that I have previously posted) of heaps of our captures in the good old days.

Just one of my mullies.









Just one of our land base ones












Geoffw said:


> I notice that bait is available further north at low tide for those with a pump and also at the section bank which is about three or four k away.


I found and rolled over several sticks of sweating explosives which resulted in all of Torrens Island and Garden Island access being shut for several hours. Too long a story to go into here but the SA Police Bomb Squad was surprised the explosives didn't exploded with me rolling them over. They wouldn't even detonate them with out first bringing in the ICI experts, as the packet had their brand on it.









Steve


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## snowymacco (Nov 3, 2009)

Well done on picking up the salmon, I launched at Garden Island yesterday and trolled a SP and a hard body bibbed lure for about 3 hours for zero fish. Its the first time I've fished the area so not really sure if I was in the right areas, but none the less disappointed not to get a hit. There were plenty of yaks and boats in the water and people in the car park, as well as a hire company doing plenty of business with yak hire there most of the day, so I reckon if you were to suffer a break in/damage to your car on the weekend you'd be unlucky. This was the first yak fish I've had in local waters since 2012, time is at a premium, so I would have liked to picked up a fish, oh well. Great report on a location I've not considered.


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## solatree (May 30, 2008)

Good report Geoff - its a pretty interesting area especially all the mangrove creeks. Here is a pretty good resource for those wanting to explore the area. http://www.users.on.net/~pcarter/canoe_ ... notes.html


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## Geoffw (Jan 23, 2011)

Thanks guys.

Steve, good info there mate. You certainly have been around and your pics of the big bruisers are amazing. I'm glad i wasn't anywhere near you when you rolled the jelly. As you say murphysegg many of the roads are fenced and gated. The track i came across was fenced and the post still has hinges........ I think the area may be used by those wanting to try their off road skills with their own and others cars. So for now at least evening sessions are out although I'm interested.

I'm tempted to say to those Queenslanders ...... it's not the top end. No big barra, no muddies, no jacks and Steve caught all the big mullies years ago! But then again you never never know if you never never go.


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