A Moment that made the Fishing Trip
I will never forget the squeal, the words “I’m on, I’m on, I got one!”, and the beaming smile of pure joy on my wife Val’s face as the realisation hit home that an Australian Salmon had taken her lure in the pounding waves at Greenly Beach on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia.
That moment alone made the entire trip worthwhile. Catching Australian Salmon was never something we thought we would be doing.
Yet over three weeks on the Eyre Peninsula not only did we catch Salmon, we caught King George Whiting, Southern Calamari, Blue Swimmer Crabs, Cockles, Mussels and Cuttlefish — far more than we ever expected.
From Tropical Waters to the Wild Southern Coast
We live in Cairns, the land of Barramundi and Coral Tout. Travelling 3,300 kilometres south to the wild west coast of South Australia to target King George Whiting, Squid and Australian Salmon was so far removed from our normal style of fishing it wasn’t funny. It was unfamiliar water, unfamiliar species and a completely different way of doing things. Like most fishing dreams, ours started with excitement — and then reality.
We had no idea where to fish, what tackle to bring, what bait works best or when to be there. Dreams have to start somewhere, but we were well and truly stuck.
Finding the Right Information
Fortunately for us, we watch YouTube. That’s how we stumbled across the Fishing Sister channel, run by the wonderful South Australian couple Linda and Martin.
Their videos are packed with easy‑to‑follow, practical information that walks you through everything you need to know — the location, the time of year, the bait, the rigs and how to catch the fish.
After watching plenty of their videos, we decided to reach out through the comments section.To our surprise and excitement, Linda replied and suddenly our South Australian fishing dream flickered into life.
We asked Linda and Martin which of South Australia’s three main peninsulas would give us the best chance of catching Blue Swimmer Crabs, King George Whiting, Australian Salmon and Southern Calamari?
Linda and Martin had recently returned from the Eyre Peninsula, which they recommended as the go-to location as it was loaded with opportunity for these species.
Our first stop was Lincoln National Park. At Fishermans Point we quickly ticked off Blue Swimmer Crabs and Calamari.
Eight Crabs and two Squid landed in just two and a half hours.
The next day produced the same result. We couldn’t believe how good it was!
Coffin Bay and a YouTube Coincidence
By pure luck, the very day we arrived at Coffin Bay was the same day Fishing Sister released a new Coffin Bay video. The video featured a spot called Seal Corner, so we decided to give it a go.
Armed with the information from that video, we caught 11 Calamari, two Cuttlefish, a 33 cm King George Whiting and collected a bucket of fresh black Mussels from the rocks. All of it was land‑based, easy to access, and achievable only because we knew exactly what to do.
Chasing Australian Salmon
At that stage, the only thing missing was catching an Australian Salmon. Another Fishing Sister video pointed us towards Coles Point at Greenly Beach, not far from Coffin Bay.
We thought it would make for a great afternoon session.
Within 30 minutes of arriving, we had landed three solid Australian Salmon — two on lures and one on bait. The locals nearby couldn’t believe it, and neither could we.
A few days later we returned to Greenly Beach and added three more Australian Salmon to our tally, with the biggest measuring a solid 60 cm.
The fights were incredible, and the green Salmon curry that followed was even better.
Taking It Up a Notch at Venus Bay
Our final stop was Venus Bay, a place we had been told was well known for King George Whiting.
While most of our fishing to that point had been land‑based, we had brought along our 3.3 m Tru Kit inflatable boat with a 9.9 hp motor — all of it fitting neatly into the back seat of the Prado.
For the next seven days we fished the channels and flats of Venus Bay and were blown away by our success. King George Whiting up to 37 cm, huge Calamari, Tommy Ruff, and more Australian Salmon kept the esky full. We ate so much seafood I swear we’ve grown gills.
When Fishing Dreams Become Reality
None of this would have happened without Linda and Martin and their Fishing Sister YouTube channel. We arrived knowing nothing about fishing around South Australia. Now people think we’re experts — mainly because of the photos.
Without a doubt, we will be return to the Eyre Peninsula. If you ever think fishing dreams don’t come true, sometimes all it takes is the right information and the confidence to give it a go. Thank you, Linda and Martin for your informative YouTube Channel.
Tight lines always.
