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Surf Casting and Angling Club of W.A. (Inc.)
Fishing Field Day Report, Cape to Cape - May 2005
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Our May field day is usually a trip to Rottnest, but this year the membership voted to tie our field day in with the AAA Rock and Beach State Championships held at the end of the month. Eleven of our members took part in the championships making up Junior, Ladies, Men's and Veterans teams.
The weather was kind to us over the weekend especially on the Sunday which developed into one of those warm balmy winter days that seem to soak right through to your bones. It was hard to head back to Perth after the weigh in and award ceremony. This meant that the whole Capes region was fishable for the entire competition. Most of our members fished the lower half of the West coast.
George, Vix and I fished down towards Hamelin Bay and found the going tough mainly due to a building swell and incoming weed. Later that evening we moved further south but then had to contend with a strong side drift. The combination of heavy weed and a strong drift meant that if your rig got entangled in the weed the drift would take you down the beach at a fast walking pace in order to retrieve the line. A few rigs were lost this way.
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Big bull herring were there despite the conditions and made a welcome addition to our bags. A different strategy was in order for the rest of the weekend so we left the west coast and tried Castle Rock early next morning.
We weren't the only ones thinking along those lines because we came upon Tony and Filomena who had had some early success with some salmon. I managed to snare a most unlucky salmon a little later that morning. A cormorant had become entangled halfway up my line. I had reeled in enough line to get hold of the bird and untangle it while the remainder of my line remained in the water at the base of the rocks, to become snagged and never seen again, or so I thought. The obliging salmon had picked up the bait from amongst the snags which meant that for a while I had a bird on one end and a fish on the other. Interesting way to catch a salmon and the cormorant flew off full of indignation.
Peter, Brian, Mark and Andrew fished Bob's Hollow but the only remarkable aspect about this location I was told was a very rough track in but never the less had some herring in the bag at the end of the day. Paul and John had more success with the salmon at Indjidup, catching and releasing a number of good fish as well as keeping a few for the bag. Jim Yeates fished close to Yallingup and was rewarded with a good bag of herring and a salmon.
The fish caught for the weekend included Herring, Skippy (which were a very good size and came from Tony and Filomena's bags), Blackfish, Snook, Salmon and Tarwhine.
Another great weekend away was had by all in one of the most picturesque parts of the State.
We will have had another field day to Rottnest before this gets to print, which means that the following field day will be back to this region on the 16/17 July, so there is another chance to fish the Capes and improve on previous efforts.
Best scale fish went to John Romano with a good size salmon.
Best bag of scale fish went to Tony D'Alonzo with his usual healthy mixed bag.
Hope to see you on the beach next time. Malcolm Harris, Field Day Officer.
AAA Rock and Beach Competition Cape to Cape and May Surfcasters Field Day
At 11.45 John and I walked into Yallingup Caravan Park, after a non eventful road trip in beautiful weather. The expectation was lots of club people signing on and waiting for midday, but the majority had been and gone. George was on the mobile talking to Peter and Mark and Jim were discussing where to fish. With 4-5 officials at the table counting down the clock, Peter was running dangerously late. Then Brian and Peter appeared after a very eventful road trip.
George by now was giving Jim some advice on fishing near the park, locations like Canal Rocks, Smiths Beach and Yallingup Beach, that area was very new to him. Mark was heading further south as was George, but John and I were heading for Wyadup area, next turning off Caves Road past Canal Rocks Road. With large patches of weed along Smiths Beach, we were not going to drive far. Wyadup was crystal clear and a slight northerly blowing - PERFECT.
When we arrived there was one fisherman on the rocks already to the left of the car park. As we walked down it was only 1 o'clock. We parked ourselves next to him, and asked the obvious question, but he had only arrived. While talking to him he admitted the tackle was his son's and had no idea what he was fishing for.
When he reeled in the rig John and I looked at each other then we asked him if we could make a small change. After looking in his tackle box a new rig was found and fitted and we explained why we had done it. The white blob and line leading to a fluoro green tube fixed to a new hook had herring written all over it. I had fished the spot many times and the herring had never failed being there. To make sure, one of his peeled prawns was slid onto the hook, he had no berley!
The lack of line on the reel did not stop him casting to where the fish were feeding, the blob disappeared, but the line was slack, one to the fish. A new bait was fitted and Keith cast again this time he was prepared but he did not strike, two to the fish. This went on until he got the hang of the dirty tricks the herring had up their fins. Then the first fish reached the grasp of his hand, he was a changed man, he was a fisherman!!
Now, time waits for no fisherman, so we collected our gear and 2 o'clock we were into some fun fishing. First cast the herring were all over my chrome slice and using my 6 foot graphite, it was bent over. John also on small gear and lure, who needs bait?
Keith tried our marinated ox heart strips which stay on the hook a lot longer, and he had plenty of fish for a feed. John fished the bottom with small Whiting and Skippy going for the red meat but all under size and returned, we had enough herring for a feed also. At 3.30 we all packed up and headed for the cars, Keith thanked us for our help and the company.
We drove around to Mitchell Rocks along Injidup Beach only 1 km away if that. From the car park the channel next to the rocks looked too good and no one fishing it. What a bonus. Fishermen were to the left and one to the right. I tried for small stuff but nothing was interested until a couple of Buff Bream gave me a tussle, time to change.
John had the big rod out and a ganged mulie was hitting the water, then the bites were on but no hook ups, what was it getting away with the bait?
I was casting larger chrome slices on my 8 foot Ugly Stick but the current was sweeping me around, then John was on the rod bent over and a Salmon flying through the air. Luckily there was a rocky platform to drag the fish onto, with the wave's help
It was landed and dispatched. John was on a mission and it did not take long to prove it was not a fluke. He was leaning into another nice fish and they were fighting well, but they knew how to unhook themselves, especially when they were airborne. The next fish John was prepared for but they could spit the hooks as well as throw them. Meanwhile I had re-rigged and I was determined to hook and land a Salmon on the Ugly Stick, distance was proving to be the biggest barrier. All the Salmon had fresh bites and serious scars on them, but how many were out there?
John had released three he had landed, and finally I had a big hit and I was on, you cannot beat a small light rod and tackle. That Salmon fought well, giving lots of air time, it was released after a photo.
We had decided to drive to Prevelly at the mouth of Margaret River to see if it had broken through with the rains, we arrived just on dark and the river was running.
The tide was dropping and some people were fishing already, so we got ourselves comfortable in the car park and heated up the meatballs! YUM YUM.
After washing up we walked along the beach to the people, along the way was fresh piles of seaweed and one of the group was sat down with his rod butt wedged in the sand holding on. The line was going out to sea with something large attached; they had lost all of their rigs, to seaweed and large rays.
The other guy had set up by the out flowing river mouth, but nothing was happening, only weed flowing by. We decided to return to our original area and turn in for the night and fish from three in the morning. Getting back to the Mitchell Rocks car park, we made ourselves comfortable. Reef boots off and straight outside, then into the sleeping bags, normally you cool down and add extra layers, the warm northerly kept it just right.
Apart from the CHAINSAW starting up now and then we slept very well, and then the phone alarm got us up. The tide had turned; slight easterly, smaller waves, and no one else, beautiful! The berley went in, diced up mulies, the lot, all we needed were the Tailor. I had some small bites, and then I hooked into a lovely fish and it was a fresh clean Salmon which I bled straight away and it cooked well.
Daybreak and John caught another Salmon and released it, none of the injured Salmon from the day before were around, and then the Herring came in. Nothing else apart from some Tarwhine was caught. The rays came in close and cleaned up the scraps almost beaching themselves.
John and I packed up after cleaning our catch and drove back to Yallingup for the weigh in. Lots of vehicles, people and eskys. We caught up with Jim and Maria and they had caught some very nice fish, and enjoyed themselves. We were the only ones that had picked weed free locations, and close by to the North Cape. Sadly our catch and release forms were not eligible for the AAA competition, something to improve on for the future!
Thank you to John and Maria for the wonderful meal of meatballs! And also to Jim and Maria for the invitation.
Paul Thompson.
Species caught on this field day were:- herring, salmon, western rock blackfish, whiting, skippy (silver trevally), snook, tarwhine, cod, wrasse.
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Results for the May 2005 Field Day.
| Angler |  | Weight | Species | Fish | Total Points |
| Tony D'Alonzo | | 27.855 kg | 5 | 30 | 379 |
| Filomena D'Alonzo | | 22.030 kg | 5 | 28 | 320 |
| John Romano | | 15.260 kg | 2 | 18 | 223 |
| Paul Thompson | | 7.470 kg | 3 | 13 | 155 |
| Brian Stokes | | 5.765 kg | 4 | 30 | 138 |
| Malcolm Harris | | 6.660 kg | 2 | 18 | 137 |
| James Yeates | | 4.800 kg | 3 | 10 | 128 |
| George Holman | | 3.755 kg | 1 | 18 | 98 |
| Mark Hansen | | 2.665 kg | 1 | 20 | 77 |
| Peter Stoeckel | | 0.855 kg | 1 | 5 | 69 |
| Andrew Stoeckel | | 0.990 kg | 1 | 6 | 20 |
Sportsperson of the Year Sections for May 2005.
| Best Scale Fish | John Romano | Salmon | 3.85 kg |
| Best Bag of Scale fish | Tony D'Alonzo | Mixed Bag | 27.855 kg |
Field Day Prizes for May 2005.
| Best Scale Fish | John Romano | Salmon | 3.85 kg |
| Best Bag of Scale fish | Tony D'Alonzo | Mixed Bag | 27.855 kg |
Copyright © 2005 Surf Casting and Angling Club of W.A. (Inc.)
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This page was updated on 9 August 2005.
Display of this page was updated on 21 January 2013. Contents updated as above.
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