So about 20 years ago I spent 4 years growing up in South Hedland as the ol man was in the police force and posted up there.  I was there from year 4 to 7, then back to perth for high school.

Anywho, a bit of background for those who don't know, one of Hedlands main businesses is the Leslie Slat mines where they mine the salt.  Can't remember how far north of hedland it is, but there'e a creek that comes in and what happens is there are a couple of massive (talkin like 6 foot diameter) pipes running from the creek into a big "pond" just on the back of the creek.  Up top on the edge of the creek bank are a couple huge caterpillar diesel engines, hooked to pumps that pump water from the creek and into this first big pond.  Well joining that pond is another huge pond, again with 6 foot diameter pipes joining and cat diesel pumps up top that pumps water into the second pond.  And you guessed it another pond, and another, and so on.  This is all on provate property of Leslie salt and goes for miles.  I'd love to know the size but if you are out there, its as far as you can see in any direction, and these ponds get bigger and bigger with each one.  The first few ponds are probably the size of an olympic swimming pool i guess, not sure how deep.  Now the kicker is, fish get sucked from the creek through the pipes and into the massive ponds, the pumps turn off and they cant get back into the creek, they're trapped, destined to live happily and breed in their own happy little pond :-)  As the ponds get bigger and bigger, the underwater ground structure changes too.  The first few are made of huge boulders similar like at a marina wall, some other ones have nice red muddy banks leading into the water, and others have shallow flats etc.  So what ends up happeneing is different type of fish end up being more proliffic in different ponds.

Well back then, not sure if it still happens today, but if you worked for leslie salt and had a bit of pull with senior management you could get a key to the gate for the "salt lakes" and go out there for a days fishing.  They also had the same deal for the police of Port and South Hedland, lucky for me :-)  So on countless weekends we would head up there with friends for a days fishing and it was just nuts!!  We'd fish some ponds and catch metre long flathead, I'd set the crab nets out and get huge muddies, there used to be tonnes of "wolf herring" about a metre long that you would see swimming along the surface of the water.  One of the larger, flatter ponds was great for huge queenies and trevally.  Also on most of the ponds you would find that in the huge 6 foot pipes that joined the two ponds, huge cod's would take up residence inside them, so you would stand on the bank and dangle a line striaght over the edge of the pipe and wait patiently until old mister cod decided he just better have your crusty old Mulie :-) It seriously was nuts!

It used to be wild being out there when the pumps were on and you would see thousands of litres of water just being pumped into the ponds per second, creating massive waves and disturbance in the target pond.  The wolf herring used to go nuts in the wash picking up the bait fish, almost like a feeding frenzy with the tails and fins breaking the surface.

I would love to go back there for a days fishing now.  Back then it was a cruddy ol rod and a set of gangs with a mulie, that was it.  Now it would be all sorts of lures, poppers, soft plastics, it would be wild!  I used to have a throw net and clean up using it out there.  I'd get one cast then spend the next 45 minutes picking out huge flathead, mullet and bream.

Unfortunately digital cameras weren't around so i dont have any digital pics to show, but do have some hardcopy photos somewhere.  I'll see if I can dig em out over the weekend and scan em.

So yeah, Hedland guys, ever been out there? :-)

New Recreational Fishing Arrangements

Modified arrangements announced in September 2009

Minister for Fisheries, the Hon Normal Moore MLC, announced modified
arrangements for recreational fishing management in Western Australia
in September 2009. Information about the new provisions and regulations
and how they might affect you can be found on this website.

Below
are some key elements of the new package but for further details please
read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) fact sheet attached as a PDF
on this page:

• No West Coast Demersal Scalefish Licence will be introduced;


• Possession of a “release weight” will be required when fishing from a boat in the West Coast Bioregion;


• A
  two-month seasonal closure on the take of “high risk” demersal
  scalefish by recreational fishers in the West Coast Bioregion will
  apply from 15 October to 15 December inclusive;


• A boat limit of two dhufish will apply in the West Coast Bioregion (six for charter boats);


• A
  state-wide Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence (RFBL) will be
  introduced with an annual fee of $30. Fishing from kayaks or other
  boats that are not required to be registered under the WA Marine Act
  1982, will not need a licence;


• Any fisher not holding a RFBL will be allowed to fish from a boat in the company of a licensed boat fisher within the bag limit;


• Charter boat passengers not holding a RFBL will be required to purchase a per-trip $15 Charter Boat Fishing Licence;


• The
  recreational ‘umbrella' licence will be replaced with individual
  licences to allow more comprehensive monitoring of recreational fishing
  activities and fisheries in WA;


• Fees for existing
  recreational fishing licences will be made uniform at $40 with a 10 per
  cent discount when more than one licence is purchased at the same time;
  

All funds raised from the sale of recreational
fishing licences will be placed in the Recreational Fishing Trust
Account and spent on the management of recreational fishing.

Zorba

Bob

just wonderind if anyone can give us a review on the new twinpower sw8000pg. im looking at getting one real soon but i dont like the new stellas too much so i want the twinpower. apparently they are %95 like the fa stella. please let me know if they are any good as i cant find any in any tackle store to trial.Thanks!

A New Zealand dog had a lucky escape after taking its owner's ute for a drive and crashing into a cafe.

It seems Wilco, a staffordshire-ridgeback cross, got tired of waiting for his owner, who had ducked into a shop in the South Island town of Cromwell.

Wilco pushed the gear stick into drive and the vehicle rolled about 15 metres before crashing into the Fusee Rouge Cafe.

Cafe owner Jacynda Wallace said it was a big shock.

"The dog was in the truck and the man was on the phone ringing his insurance company," she said.

"Everyone is talking about it. Lots of people from Auckland are talking about it and TV One, TV3 have rung me."

Ms Wallace says the front doors of her cafe will have to be replaced but she might name a sandwich after Wilco.

Courtesy of the ABC

Stormin Norman is talking on 6PR with Bob Maumill..... Want your say listen in and give them a call 9221 1882

Revised West Coast arrangements can be viewed at  www.fishforthefuture.com.au.

A few of us here in the South West have been thinking now for sometime about organising a Fishwrecked fishing comp.
Who would be interested?
When would you like to see it held?
All input is welcome and will be digested. Lets get the ball rolling so you can voice your ideas and we can organise what you want.

Just wondering if these closures that are supposed to happen between oct and dec include cockburn sound or is that still till the end of January

news just reported fishing fees to be scrapped to around 30 dollars a year yay!!!!

Does any one fish for Marlin out at rotto,when do the marlin turn up off rotto and what depth are they caught in,am thinking of having a crack this year.

hi all  i'm in perth on holidays from sydney luv the site we have one in sydney called fishraider much the same and managed to hire a boat for the weekend that allows me to travel 2 nautical miles around rottness and garden island i'm going bottom fishing targeting pink snapper but would luv to catch a dhu fish as we don't have them in sydney i just wondering if someone could give me some gps co-ordinates to target snapper/dhu fish around those islands i know its alot to ask but am willing to trade some good marks if you are going to nsw for a holiday to target anything from bottom fish to sport and game fishing from jervis bay to sydney

cheers warren

Does anyone fish the Murray River Mandurah for black bream?

Where abouts are they at this time of year and has anyone been getting any?

TROUT’S APLENTY IN THE GOULBURN IN TIME FOR NEW SEASON Friday, 04 September 2009
The status of the Goulburn River as a world-class trout fishery has been boosted with the start of a three-year Brumby Labor Government trout stocking program of the iconic waterway.

Helping stock trout in the river today, the Minister Responsible for Fisheries Joe Helper said more than 2300 brown and rainbow trout, all of a catchable size, would be released during the next 12 months.

“The Brumby Labor Government is taking action to enhance recreational fishing opportunities along the Goulburn River for locals and visitors to this stunning region,” Mr Helper said.

“Many of the fish have been released over the last two weeks in time for today’s opening of the trout season for rivers and streams.

“The stocking will enhance a great recreational fishery as well as providing a significant boost to regional economies trying to recover from the bushfires.”

The trout will move along the river after being stocked at eight key locations:
• The gates at Eildon Pondage;
• Thornton Beach;
• McMartins Lane;
• The Breakaway area;
• The bridge at Alexandra;
• Brookes Cutting area near Alexandra;
• Whanregarwen Rd between Alexandra and Molesworth; and
• Molesworth.

Mr Helper said not only would the trout stocking boost the chance of landing a catch, great prizes would be up for grabs for those who caught three ‘specially-tagged’ trout.

“Anyone catching a fish from one of these specially tagged trout will be able to claim some great new fishing gear,” he said.

“Details on the tagged fish and claiming the prize will be available on the DPI website and at tackleshops in Alexandra, Eildon and Thornton.”

Mr Helper said the stocking trial of the Goulburn would assess the benefits of stocking ‘ready to catch’ trout into rivers and the contribution they made to anglers’ catches.

“All the stocked fish will be fin-clipped so they can be easily distinguished from wild fish that spawn in the Goulburn River during the annual closed season,” he said.

“The trial will be carefully monitored using angler diarists who regularly fish the river for trout.

The Brumby Labor Government is investing $13.5 million to improve opportunities for recreational fishing in Victoria.

could anyone please tell me the the snapper ban in the sound starts and then when it reopens an is anyone heard of any being caught there atm

Dont want to bog down the fishing site to much about cars but i have serious fuel economy problems with my 100 series cruiser 4.5 lt petrol / gas  towing my 6.1 trailcraft 2000kgs on long runs,  generally 40 lts per 100 kms both LPG and petrol,  both motor, system and gearbox all tested by various people all okay ?,economy not much better when not towing 30 lits 100

I have looked at the  6.5 lt chevy V8 conversion , 125kw 400mn  1800rpm  against a diesel prado 4cyl D4 motor re chipped puts out 130kws and 420nm  Various pros and conns etc for both,  200 series cruiser  not an option.  if anybody out  there can suggest other directions or contacts to assist would be good 

I assume that it can be done, much the same with cameras etc. Buy it within 30 days of departure, present your receipt at Customs and claim the GST back - right?

Has anyone actually done it though?

The Banax Kingpin 5000 is nearly complete. Here are the final cosmetics of the reel.  Should be available next month.

Cheers

Steve

big whites spotted off Karratha,hey boys that dive,could make your days a it more interesting,imagine a turf war between tigers and big whites

Dear Pilbarra and other experts. What is the best crabs for these tasty critters. Havent had much luck with Gulp crabs. Should you just forage for rick crabs at low tide, or visit a beach at night and land yourself some ghosties. Also it it worth a cray leg or piece of blue manna. I think the value of the fish would probably cover the outlay for the more expensive options. Just interested in an opinion because we see heaps but squid, prawn and mulies just dont seem to fuss them to much.

Neels

how yous going was comming down the next couple of days i know the weathers a bit sad but was taking someone out that lives down there was thinking of bringing the boat & fishing in the harbour there somewhere are there any restrictions or would it be better to go to busso or dunsbrough & do yous catch much in the harbour was thinking there to stay in some flatter water cheers adrian

AM thinking of trying out the new tent and google earthed jurian bay it looks good from above :) how is it on the ground ? I see they have a proper marina so launching should be no problem hows the fishing there as the tent is the excuse to bring the boat (naturaly) :)

thanks

On the way in today saw this, the bloke copped a hit to the head, apparently swam to shore, and the rescue boys retrieved his rig while he went to Hospital. Hope youre ok mate.

does any one have any tips on redfin in the dams?? new to dam fishing .
or is it much like the wild fish were anything goes

are you allowed to use outboards in the dam still????
cheers brenZ

hey all

wen is the palm beach jetty going to be opened again??

cheers

The City of Wanneroo (beach gestapo) are considering a submission to ban fishing at the Yanchep Lagoon. People who wish to have a say can do so (and should) by going to the Wanneroo City web site  http://www.wanneroo.wa.gov.au/.

The period for submissions closes soon so please comment before this dumb submission is passed as a council by-law. WTF is going on? Why ban this spot? Surely fishers and swimmers can co-exist like any other beach. Do people swim off the reef? I doubt it. Banning fishing at this location, IMO, will be detrimental to the town of Yanchep. The lagoon is famous as a recreational fishing hang-out for locals and many tourists to the area. The City of Wanneroo is notorious for its attitude toward recreational fishermen/women and they have done everything they can to stop people accessing all beaches in the shire. Let's not let them get away with this.

Chasing a 4kg spinning outfit for my 15 year old son...he's not very comfortable using my array of abu and calcutta baitcasters but would like something that can handle dolphinfish, salmon and snapper out wide (mostly casting lures) as well as being light enough for estuary work on skippy/tailor/salmon trout. The plan is to use 10 or 12 pound braid. The budget for rod and reel is $600.

 Was introduced this morning to Fin-Nor's new Mega Lite range of reels....appeared to be well-engineered and the bail arm was held in place with magnets, as opposed to the usual spring which is a common breaking point. The 3000 model retails for around $200...they are just out on the market but was wondering if anyone had any inside info on them or the Fin-Nor range in general.

The 7 foot 3-5 kg T-Curve was a nice looking unit...I KNOW people have had experience with these and would appreciate any thoughts on the matter.

The forecast that the wind was going to drop off early this morning proved spot on, but so did the prtedictions of a big swell so when Sherbs and I arrived at Sherb's secret location this morning we found the waves pounding on the rocks and sending salt spray well over head high.

We met up with Uncle Stu and weren't surprised to see Tall Paul, his brother-in-law and a few of their mates there after their success last week.
The conditions proved pretty tough, with a huge surge of seaweed making it pretty tricky to put your bait in front of the fish.
I managed one very nice 50 cm tailor and that was it for the day, though two other chaps turned up later in the morning and didn't too badly with one guy landing a tailor of at least 60 cm and a nice mulloway of about 70cm. His buddy, unfortunately,lost a bigger mulloway because of the weed.

The big waves certainly made for some interesting moments, especially for Sherbs who lost a bit of skin on his legs after two tumbles.

Despite all that, Sherbs and I agreed later it was a great morning to be out and it was good to really have some exciting action, even though we all ended up soaked through.

gotta love the crows,snatching defeat from victory

and also who has got them and who will be getting them?