While travelling coastal W.A. in 1980,Christopher our 15 y.o. son appeared at our caravan door in his dripping wetsuit,flippers and mask,big smile and cradling a very large fish in his arms.This started a year long discovery of the many spicies,this one we feel was of the morwong variety.
While heading north from Albany we passed a big salmon on the side of the road which the car behind stopped and picked up.A few miles on we again saw a salmon,so Christopher leapt out,picked up the salmon and propped it on the back seat beside him.We passed a large bin truck later overloaded with these large fish we understand are assigned for the cat food cannery.We let the caravan park cats enjoy the salmon.
Canarvan on west coast has a mile long pier which we walked up on arrival.We passed a bloke with a sugar bag over his shoulder with a large tail protruding .We enquired from the assembly at the tip what was the drill for fishing,as they seemed well established with lilos,deck chairs,eskies and food and they suggested we come back around sunset with our gear.Back down for rod,reel with 35lb line and back up the pier.They informed me to catch a 12inch lizard fish for bait.Did this,cast my line and waited enjoying the company of the locals.A round midnight it happened.Their large hand reels with empty tinnies in the middle went berserk and so did the blokes now with work gloves on trying to stop their 100/200lb line.In the light of their tilley lamps my rod bowed and line snapped.Now I know how the catch Yellowtail King fish in W.A..and another walk back down the pier.
Having been casting in the shallows at Onslow that morning for black bream,I went on the usual local assembly at the pub around lunch time,after which most locals seem to knockoff and go fishing.The bloke next to me at the bar said,"been fishing have we",and put a bit of a gap between us.It didn't take me long to dicover that to leave a few well matured whitebait in your jeans pocket can be offensive.Went back to the van,got changed and went back and bought the bloke a beer.
Beth trying to get retrieve Blue Swimmer Crabs from the caravan floor when trying to aneathetise and cook same was also interesting and lively.