Well, what a week it has been in fishing and diving!
We had the best 3 to 4 days of weather and that allowed heaps of us out on the water and in the water for some epic, almost glass off conditions.
The boaties were able to clean up with great size dhuies, pinkies, nanny and a few others like break sea cod.
Amongst it were Bella and Karlee, who picked up their first ever dhuies. The women were stoked to pull in some good size fish on quite light gear.
The water is still very warm for this time of year and that is why we are still seeing Yellow tail kingys, tuna and the odd Macky down here in our waters.
Beach fishos are pulling in good numbers of herring and down Augusta way we have seen some thumping King George being caught.
The crabs around Augusta seem to be thinning out as we saw large numbers of people heading down that way to get amongst the action when they showed in big numbers recently.
Our freedivers are enjoying some great visibility, with more and more crew taking up this rewarding sport that allows you to choose the fish you wish to take - that is one very sustainable way to get a feed!
We have had large interest from the ladies lately and some of our newer freedivers are constantly looking to find new diving buddies - so if you or anyone you know want to go out with someone else, let us know at the shop and we will try to put you in touch with someone who is in the same boat.
Salmon - salmon - salmon!
The words on everyone's lips around Easter.
"Are they here, and where are they?" are the most common questions we get asked in the store.
Yes they are here - we have had a few schools through so far - one reported at Gas Bay and the other was around the Hamelin to Boranup Beach area.
For those who are not in the know, these large schools of fish move along our coast line, coming up from Esperance and Albany on their annual pilgrimage.
So far, the salmon are not in big numbers up here in this region yet as the water is still too warm for them.
When the ocean does eventually drop a few more degrees we should see some really big schools move up and down our South West coast, and the action will really kick off.
There has been some good footage from Cheynes Beach in Albany that saw the water frothing with salmon recently.
To catch these flighty fish you require either a lure - the best ones currently are Long Toms, Twisties, Richter plugs, all the Dr Hook range and the new Samaki jigs that cast a mile.
If you prefer to use bait, then try a mulie on a ganged hook with some bait mate thread wrapped around it to keep it on tight.
Just remember if you do catch one and you are not going to release it, be sure to bleed it straight away or the flesh will become red and this will not be nice to eat.
There are plenty of ways to eat salmon, in dishes such as fish cakes and fish curry, and you can even batter it and make it into fish and chips (it's a good test see if your family knows what fish it is!).
Over the school holidays, our beaches and especially the car parks will be packed out, so please be patient with others, don't park in the boat parking bays (unless you are towing a boat), and don't park on our natural bush land or roadside verges if you can possibly help it.
Another idea is to go down to your favourite spot with another family in the one car so that we can reduce the number of vehicles and the congestion down at the beaches.
Safe fishing and diving and we hope you had a safe and Happy Easter.
Until next month,
The team at Down South Camping & Outdoors