Why do things always come in 3's?

[trout1105]

My last trip to Tamala Station in the Shark Bay area of WA was eventful.
When I pulled up at the camp/fishing spot I noticed that the L hand mudguard on the boat trailer had come "Adrift" So because I went "Solo" this time and the welding gear is stowed away in the tool boxes on the back of the Missuses truck I just "Wiggled" the offending guard off to be repaired when I get home, unfortunate incident #1
Before I could set up camp and pull the awning out I had to drop off the boat trailer on the beach so that I could launch it So I drove onto the beach which had a nice flat rocky area to enable an easy launch and dropped the trailer off.
After dropping the trailer off I had to negotiate some rather soft sand above the high water mark which necessitated a ten point turn due to how narrow the beach was and I inadvertently run over the antiquated tow hitch and wreaked it, That is unfortunate incident #2
The next day the weather was perfect and the sea was a "Glass Out" so I pushed the trailer into the water and launched my small tinny with expectations of a great days fishing around an island a couple of miles offshore But the 15hp Evenrude refused to run properly, It would start then starve for fuel, Back into the beach to see if I could fix it.
I checked the fuel pump and that looked OK then removed the carby ( A bugger of a job) and gave it a clean out the best I could and promptly lost both of the retaining nuts in the sand in my haste to get the job done So NO motor Event #3.
I had to pack the awning away to retrieve the boat and trailer and parked it in disgust next to the camp and set up the awning again.
As it was 2.30PM at this stage and the day was a write off as far as fishing goes I decided that sitting in the shade with a few icy cold beers was my best option for the rest of the day
The next day I was able to jerry rig the busted hitch using the only drill bit I could find in my toolbox and luckily it was just the right size for the job Win #1
As my only fishing option now was to fish from shore I armed myself with a beach rod and some coral prawns and searched for an area that would hold fish and I did surprisingly well with Yellow finned Bream up to 50cm and some nice blue lined Emperors in 3-4 foot of crystal clear water and had a great days fishing Win #2.
The jerry rig I used on the trailer hitch got me all the way home without incident so that was Win #3

Over all I enjoyed the trip regardless of the disasters with the boat and trailer "Stuff Happens" and as this was my first ever trip to Tamala Station ( I usually go to Carrarrang Station or up to Steep point) I was impressed with the location and the ease and professionalism of the way the booking was able to be done.
The fishing even though it was Land based was very good and as there was a good high tide in the evening the Pink Snapper were on the bite But the biggest I managed to land was only 45cm so no keepers But it didn't concern Me I had great fun catching and releasing them.
I saw quite a few small sharks and Dolphins working the shallows at high tide along with a pair of Dugongs feeding not far offshore and a snake (Dugite) that visited the camp while I was having a Beer.
I can recommend Tamala Station to anyone that likes to catch a few fish and prefers Not to have to share their camp spot, Most areas are also Kid Safe and most spots have boat launching as well.

[cjc_td5]

Hi Trout.
We spent some time at Tamala in 2013. See my trip thread below.

Tamala Station, Shark Bay

Which campsite did you stay at? I think we were at Little Nannas (26.4976S, 113.635E) which was nice and firm for camper trailer access but the fishing was not the best at it had a rocky bottom and was waist deep at best for several hundred metres offshore. The fish were definitely there though as you could hear them jumping at night....

Cheers,
Chris

[trout1105]

Hi Trout.
We spent some time at Tamala in 2013. See my trip thread below.

Tamala Station, Shark Bay

Which campsite did you stay at? I think we were at Little Nannas (26.4976S, 113.635E) which was nice and firm for camper trailer access but the fishing was not the best at it had a rocky bottom and was waist deep at best for several hundred metres offshore. The fish were definitely there though as you could hear them jumping at night....

Cheers,
Chris

I stayed at 3 bays north a long way South of where you stayed, There is a decent sized island not far out and the channel is just behind it.
The rocky bottom is perfect for big silver bream and blue nosed emperors, Use an unweighted fresh prawn and these fish find them nearly irresistible and I have caught these in the Sharks Bay area in water as shallow as a foot in depth.
There was a Cyclone trying to build up South of Cocos and that turned the weather on nicely with Glass outs Friday and Saturday But the skies darkened on Sunday so I Bolted because I didn't fancy going back across the salt flats when wet.
It was a shame the outboard went on strike But I have dropped it of at the marine workshop in Gerro to get sorted so I won't have any dramas next time.
The Demersal ban ends on Friday 15th so I will be heading up to Port Gregory for a couple of days and then on Boxing day I hope to head up the Tamala again to see what that island can produce
Mid January to mid March is usually scorching hot in the Bay and there isn't too much shade to be had either So I usually don't go there at that time of year.

[trout1105]

My outboard will be fixed tomorrow that includes fixing the carby problem, new impeller for the water pump, gearbox service and a brand new propeller
I have booked 3 bays North at Tamala from 27/12/17 - 1/1/18 to have another try at getting afloat and fishing around that island, Looking forward to the trip