SOUTHERN STONES

Down south the coast from Cape Naturalist round to Albany offers some of the best land based fishing and underwater hunting with the camera that WA has to offer.

It a fantastic region and one I never get tired of visiting, a small jewel that stands out in the Yallingup region is Canal Rocks.

You could strike anything from these southern stones, from herring to dhufish and everything between.

The bottom line is it’s got to be the easiest and prettiest location to wet a line from or to snorkel from on the south coast.

So jump in with me a lets have a look at what’s really down there!

 

Coming over the hill heading west from Smiths beach on that skinny single lane road Canal rocks is revealed. She sits at the bottom of that hill framed against the blue southern ocean with the afternoon sun shimmering like a burnished bronze road on her wide expanse. Off to the north the mainland is boarded with long and high granite cliffs shrouded in the mist of the swells that pound them. My stomach tightens in anticipation, I am diving alone, the ocean mocks me, she is like a closed book and I can’t wait to open the first page of a new adventure.

Pulling into the car park the truck has barely stopped before I am suiting up and clearing the mask. Gear check and I am sliding into the water on the left hand side of the little boat ramp, camera at the ready.

The water is cool and welcoming, there is a bit of weed suspended in close next to the ramp and I have barely gone 5ft when I spot a big flathead sitting right out in the open over the sand.

Off to a flying start, I can’t believe my luck!

Swimming out and over to the canal I come to a big sand depression that sits just out from the wooden bridge. It’s clear and full of sweep and reef fish, the odd silver bream and herring scoot through. The water is crystal and has a blue quality that keeps me coming back to the south coast time and again, its just such a pleasure to float around and de stress. A small blue groper fins past, he’s on a mission so doesn’t hang around, a quick snap and things are going pretty well. Following the line of rocks out to the inside corner of the bay the ocean becomes deeper, I have to equalize more as I drift down to the bottom, the sounds of the open ocean echo distantly as I sit on the sand and look for something to take a picture of.

I try not to think of certain nameless creatures, and that theme music starts to invade my sub conscious.

Ignoring it I focus on a pair of leather jackets and creep up to their home and take a close up. Swimming on I come to the northern entrance to the canal its self.

A strong current is pushing through and there are long granite gullies under neath me then a long sand road heading up the middle of the canal.

Honestly the things I do to try and bring you guys a few pictures!

A good size salmon bolts past and curves his run to come in for a look at me, I reach for the camera and wait for him get closer, he doesn’t and continues heading south down the throat of the canal. Bummer, no photo but promising.

A number of dusky morwong sit in the weed and peer out, I can’t help myself and take a picture anyway.

Kicking hard I reach the outer north- western end of the rocks and find myself sitting in a maelstrom of froth and bubbles. The granite slopes down and away from me, I dive under the bubbles and look for the bottom, it’s getting deeper and the outside edge drops away to 23 metres. My goal is get a dhufish on the digital, they do live on the edge out here but the swell and conditions have me working hard, my breath hold has gone out the window.

I turn around and swim back, over ambitious for my first attempt at a freedive of that depth, it’s disappointing but another day with better conditions is needed. Rounding the inside corner I swim across the canal and contemplate swimming down the guts, but with no dive buddy think better of it and continue around into the bay.

I take stock of the situation and decide to swim east across the bay where I know there are good ledges and bommies. I have caught good size western rock lobster from them in the past and seen the odd harlequin fish on patrol.

It’s a slow swim and I am relaxed by the time I reach the ledges, the first thing I see is a huge cobbler mooching about between the holes and weed. He is a big bugger so I follow him hoping to add him to the list. He disappears inside a long low ledge so I stick my head in looking for him when I spring another big flathead lying low amongst the sand and weed. He’s up for a picture and a nice specimen but I lose the cobbler.

Returning to my lobster spot I am not disappointed as a great specimen sits quietly in his grotto. Not an easy picture as I don’t want to spook him, but need to get close for a good shot. There is a lot of fish life in the bay and old wives and blue devils are very common. Roe’s abalone can be found in small pockets and although I searched hard I could not find any green lip abalone. Small skipjack swim in nervous schools, no doubt they get harassed by salmon in season, and juvenile blue gropers are abundant fining about the reef and granite boulders.

There is excellent numbers of lobster, southern and western at certain times, and big schools of salmon run through the canal late summer and autumn.

On the outside of the canal dhufish and large blue groper can be found as well as Samson fish and yellowtail kings.

Returning to the boat ramp a lone fisherman stands at the end of the small jetty and fishes for herring. The little silver speedsters make short work of his burly and the bait as his rod bends over and a herring dances at the end of his line.

It’s been a great way to spend an afternoon, but the suns getting low and its time to head home. Relaxing on the little beach I soak up the view, the south coast has a real magic that just soaks into every pore, its been a long day but I feel relaxed and energized. Driving back to Perth I spend my time planning my next adventure down on the south coast, maybe Sugar Loaf Rock, Hamlin bay or Augusta, time will tell.

 

Paul.