all-tide facility, too, which is important
along this coastline.
A substantial sand spit extends
eastward from just outside the boat
harbor, flanked by quite shallow water
when the tide is down. It’s along the
edges of the spit that drop netting for
blueys can be very productive in season,
with most crabs being large, meaty
males. There are also plenty of gar,
snook and tommies near the spit in the
warmer months, which provide a great
opportunity for small boat anglers when
conditions are favourable.
The Stansbury tug wreck has
traditionally been a deep water snapper
hot spot, but like so many other western
Gulf St Vincent grounds, the catch
has been anything but reliable of late.
Hopefully, those who regulate our
fishery will soon have some answers to
rectify what has become a dire situation.
Like most of the popular seaside
resorts on eastern Yorke Peninsula,
Stansbury is well equipped for
visiting anglers and their families. The
caravan park is large and spacious
with spotless amenities, and there is
the usual plethora of private rental
accommodation.
Just a short drive south along the
unsealed coast road is Klein Point,
the site of limestone loading by the
Adelaide Brighton Cement Company.
The jetty here is visited daily by the
trans-gulf transport ship MV Accolade
II, and fronts relatively deep water. I’ve
caught all sorts of goodies from Klein
Point over the years, including heaps
of school mulloway, big snapper, silver
drummer, sharks, King George whiting,
bream and salmon, but I haven’t wet
a line there in quite a while, so I’m by
no means up to speed on what’s biting
and when.
The public is allowed to fish on the
jetty with certain restrictions. First up,
visiting anglers have to vacate at least
half an hour before the MV Accolade II
comes in to berth and are not allowed
back on until well after the ship departs.
Arrivals and departures may vary daily,
so it’s hard to pinpoint exact times. Cars
may be parked in the dedicated space
immediately north of the jetty, but must
be taken back outside the main gates
before workers leave for the day. This
means a substantial walk for those
wishing to fish overnight.WOOL BAY
Rather than drive directly down the
main highway toward Edithburgh, it’s
quite a pleasant alternative to turn off
and follow the coast down through
Wool Bay and Coobowie. Wool Bay is
one of the most productive calamari
areas on YP, offering consistent
action from both jetty and boat. This
is where I spent many weekends in
teenage years, racking up impressive
squid catches, both in terms of size
and numbers. I can recall one Easter
Sunday many years ago when the jetty
squid were so consistently large, we
had to use crab nets to lift some of
them from the water!
Wool Bay also has a boat ramp
(tide dependent), a general store andsome high-end holiday units that are in
constant demand.
Just a short drive south of Wool Bay
is Port Giles, which boasts the longest
accessible jetty on YP’s eastern shore.
As mentioned earlier, Giles was once a
jetty fishing Mecca, attracting hordes of
hopeful anglers keen to do battle with
fish of many varieties and sizes. Access
was unrestricted in the ‘good old days’,
but things have now changed. The jetty
is open during the day on weekends, but
not at all when there’s a ship tied up or
other work is in progress.
Once it was possible to drive in and
park at the base of the jetty, but these
days you have to park right up near the
main entrance, enter via a small metal
gate and walk down the hill with your
gear. If the gate is locked, it’s a matter of
finding somewhere else to fish. And, of
course, you can only access half of the
jetty now, whereas it used to be a case
of fish where you like.EDITHBURGH
This delightful and historical township
has long been one of my favourite YP
destinations. From the jetty I caught bigWEEKEND GETAWAY - YORKE’S
Wool Bay is, arguably, the best Peninsula jetty for squiddinguoS
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