Found myself back up at Cervantes yesterday afternoon to have another crack at it. After last weekend's efforts it deserved another look.

The Good - Plenty of bread and butter fish and they kept on biting well into dark. In amongst the blowies and trumpeter were plenty of gardies (some monsters too), the odd herring, lots of skippy (almost all undersize) and the occasional snook. While it was pretty quiet on the tailor front for all fishing the jetty, one fella did bring in a cracking fish that would have been about 45-48cm. His reaction 'meh' - that's pretty standard for here. There was only one other tailor last night and a solitary squid. I also met another of the locals and had fun chasing the gardies with him - a great fella and prepared to share some local nouse. Have picked up some great info in my two trips up that way.

The Bad - I had the big OzFlex rod out with live herring or gardies from about 6pm to 1am. I was casting a pillie on a smaller rod - no weight / slow retrieve - and worked that much territory it's not funny. Nothing...not even a sniff. This morning I went back after a few hours sleep and immediately hooked into a big gardie on the little rod. Slapped it on the big rig as a livey and let it swim - hoping for a morning tailor or even a shark. Hell....I just wanted to hear the ratchet go (I'm yet to land a fish on the SU7177 OzFlex rod and Fin Nor 95 reel combo). After about 20 minutes...finally....something has taken it for a run. I picked up the rod and had a feel - yup, something was running with my monster gardie. Looked out at my float....and a bloody SHAG had got hold of it....

The Ugly - I don't want to make this into a stereotypical attack on any particular ethnicity....but there is one culture that often seems to think it is perfectly OK to keep everything and anything you catch. Probably upwards of 15-20 undersize skippy in their bucket - and it's funny as soon as you try to talk to them about it their ability to speak english goes out the door. That's not the ugly bit though....it was the lady in the group who pulled in a 55-60cm Snook - easily the fish of the night. All I could do was smile and say 'well done' - but frustrating for those of us that do the right thing. Oh - I also picked up a bottle and plastic bag they decided to leave on the jetty.....

The Good II - another wrap on those gardies. They are just a fantastic size and their are plenty of them. If your fishing the area for tailor Cervantes jetty would make a great spot to catch you bait in the afternoon before heading out. The photo does not really do them justice - but some of these things are hanging over a dinner plate and fat too. Big tailor love the gardies (apparantly....) - although I'm just as happy to bring them home, fillet them a fry them in garlic butter....yummy!

The wife and I are heading to Jurien on 18/19 Dec - there are a couple of beach spots either side of Cervantes that apparantly really produce for tailor. I think I'll see if I can get the 4x4 bogged again after spending a day catching bait....and target tailor / mulla off the beach next time. Hill River is currently the leading candidate for an evening fish - and depending on how that goes the jetty at Jurien Bay is only 500m from the chalet.

Does anyone here fish the area and have any good advice about spots / baits / techniques that they would be willing to share?

Cheers,

Rob