SA Water don’t seem to be able to help themselves when it comes to erecting fences, installing gates, blocking access trails and posting a veritable forest of terse signage spelling out all the things you can’t do!
Jo and I have just returned from an extensive road trip to South Australia with our two Native Watercraft kayaks in tow. We covered a little over 4,500 kilometres across three weeks in the trusty ute, and quite a few additional kays out on the water, pedalling the ’yaks.
Starlo & Jo kayaked South Australia’s Coorong… and loved it!
It was a fantastic trip, although our timing wasn’t ideal, considering current fuel prices! Our total diesel bill was a bit on the eye-watering side, which hurts when you’re on a tight budget, as most of us are these days.
On the plus side, we were able to save a bit on accommodation by camping in the fantastic Murrumbidgee Outdoors Australia inflatable tent we currently have on loan for extended field testing and evaluation. These things are brilliant! Having access to one has revolutionised our camping experience. If you’d like to find out more about these nifty tents, visit the Canberra-based company’s Facebook page here. You’ll also see the one we’re using pop up soon (literally!) in some of my YouTube episodes.
The Murrimbidgee Outdoors Australia inflatable tent is a mobile office, bedroom and dining room all in one.
South Australia was admittedly an interesting choice for a fishing getaway. The state seems to be very much the black sheep of Australian angling right now, thanks to the ongoing snapper ban and those much-publicised algal blooms and their resulting widespread fish kills. There’s been a lot of doom and gloom about the Festival State. To be honest, that was one motivating force in our decision to visit. We hoped we might be able to play some sort of small part in rebuilding South Australia’s reputation as a fishing tourism destination.
South Australia offers some fantastic fishing options.
I’m pleased to report that we enjoyed some excellent fishing, perhaps in part because we opted to take the kayaks and concentrate on estuary and freshwater venues.
This trip also provided a long-awaited opportunity for me to tick the iconic Coorong off my personal bucket list, and that fertile estuary system at the bottom end of the Murray didn’t disappoint. I’d love to get back there! (You’ll find a link to the YouTube episode we made on the Coorong further down in this newsletter.)
The Coorong is currently loaded with little mulloway. Let’s hope a few have the chance to reach maturity.
But the aspect of South Oz fishing I most wanted to check out were the reservoirs or water supply dams that have been opened to angling in recent years. I reckon these provide a fantastic model for the rest of the country, and proof that water supplies don’t have to be locked away from the public, if they’re managed properly and users respect them.
And the verdict? Well, South Australian reservoir fishing is thriving, and already producing first class action on Murray cod, callop (as they call yellowbelly down there) and silver perch, along with less desirable but still fun-to-catch targets like redfin and carp. In even better news, the authorities have recently allowed Australian bass to be stocked in at least one of the state’s dams. Things will only get better in coming years.
Starlo fell in love with Myponga Reservoir… it’s not hard to see why!
Sadly, it’s not all beer and skittles. As appears to be standard operating procedure for water boards right across the nation, SA Water don’t seem to be able to help themselves when it comes to erecting fences, installing gates, blocking access trails and posting a veritable forest of terse signage spelling out all the things you can’t do and the places you can’t go, on pain of prosecution and fines.
They have so nearly got it right, but in many instances, seem to have fallen at the final hurdle by enforcing ludicrous vehicle access perimeters that force kayakers to carry or drag their craft hundreds of metres to reach the water, or to park a ridiculous distance away from the less-than-user-friendly launch points. In many instances, it’s almost as if they’ve gone out of their way to reduce the appeal of these publicly owned waters with their love for bureaucratic red tape.
Native fish (and a few exotics) are thriving in South Australia’s reservoirs.
When you’re paying to fish via a permit system (which I have no objection to whatsoever), it seems fair to expect a slightly higher level of amenity and a few less deliberate obstacles. But, like I said, water boards just don’t seem to be able to help themselves. I actually made the mistake of trying to apply for permission to fly a drone for videoing purposes at two of the South Oz reservoirs. I reckon the pages and pages of forms I was presented with would’ve taken weeks and a team of lawyers to complete, with no guarantee of success at the end. I gave up and the drone stayed in its case.
Of course, anglers aren’t blameless, either. I was dismayed to find a fair amount of obviously fishing-generated rubbish left at several reservoirs: notably discarded line, bait containers and lure wrappers. That’s just not good enough, and is a great way to ensure we don’t get access to any more of these water supplies, or even have further restrictions placed on the ones currently open to us.
Close, but no cigar. SA Water have so nearly got it right with their opening of these reservoirs… nearly!
Allowing fishing, even on a limited and strictly controlled basis, in public water supply reservoirs right across the nation represents a vast and valuable potential resource, with the promise of massive social and economic benefits. But it needs to be done right, from both sides. The bureaucrats must learn to be far less authoritarian, and the end users (us!) need to value and respect the privilege we’re being offered. Sadly, with what I know of human nature after almost 68 laps of the sun, I’m not holding my breath on either count.
Meanwhile, however, there’s some wonderful fishing to be had in those South Oz reservoirs, as well as elsewhere in the state. We were blown away by just how good the action was and we saw no obvious signs of the algal issue. So, if you’ve been thinking about it, stop thinking and go! South Australia is (mostly) open for business.
Until next time, Tight Lines.
Steve (Starlo) Starling is an Australian sports fishing writer and television personality who has appeared in many of Rex Hunt’s Fishing Adventure programs on the Seven Network.
He has published twenty books on the subject of angling, as well as thousands of magazine articles.
Starlo has scripted and presented many instructional videos and DVDs, and been a Researcher and on-screen presenter for a number of Australian angling and outdoor television programs.
Follow Starlo Gets Reel on Youtube for some of the best, educational and most entertaining fishing viewing on-line.
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