TIRED of catching tiddlers from the jetty? It’s time to head off the Yorke Peninsula, says BRAD CROUCH
SORE arms, sore shoulders, a touch of sunburn - pure bliss.

After days spent on jetties, beaches and rocks casting lines and waiting ages for a nibble, spending a day hauling in creatures of the deep was a great adrenalin buzz - even if it was hard work on the arms.

The place was the bottom of the Yorke Peninsula, and after days of limited success fishing from the shore we decided to take a day charter trip with Mark Graham, of Farout Fishing Charters.

The name sums it up - Mark heads a fair way out to chase big fish, far from most boaties who hug the coast.

In winter he is based out of Marion Bay, but in summer his boat is moored at Pondalowie Bay, a magnificent beach in the Innes National Park.

The 7.6m vessel is surveyed to carry nine passengers, but Mark takes a maximum of six to ensure everyone has plenty of room.

Rods, tackle and bait are supplied, as is local knowledge for half-day or full-day tours. Heading out from the little shack village at “Pondie” we tried a couple of spots not too far offshore, soon hauling in a few nannygai and a snapper to get the day off to a good start. Then it was time to relax for an hour or so as Mark put his foot down and headed to the far side of remote Wedge Island, with its eroded cliffs, sheltered sandy beach and attendant pyramidical islets.

This is in deep water - more than 70m - and our lines seemed to take forever to reach the bottom. Once they did the fun began almost immediately. Big, hungry fish were attacking the baits of squid and pilchards, and putting up a heck of a fight once hooked.

The main haul was large, tasty nannygai, an orange fish with big eyes and plenty of fight.

A few snapper were also caught, as were a haul of swallowtail and a couple of barracouta. Mark took us to a few different spots as the day wore on, and each time those on board were grateful to sit back and have a breather. This was a different experience to sitting around hoping for an occasional bite. This was about catching fish, and more often than not the bites were coming thick and fast within seconds of the line reaching the seabed.

By early afternoon we had reached our quota of nannygai and were content to sit back and enjoy the hour-long cruise back to Pondalowie Bay, looking forward to a cold drink, a shoulder-rub and tales of a great day on the water.

But back at the Corny Point Caravan Park there was also the little matter of scaling and gutting this seafood feast before finally relaxing. If your arms aren’t tired enough from the fishing, the cleaning will finish the job.

DESTINATION

Marion Bay is at the bottom of Yorke Peninsula, a little over three hours drive from Adelaide. Farout Fishing Charters are on 88544175, 0427120040, or at www.faroutfishingcharters. websyte.com.au.

Source: Adelaide Now