Welcome to all who visit Stanage Bay, Shoalwater Bay and the beautiful surrounds. The road into Stanage Bay is great at the moment.

I didn’t travel it for two weeks and in that time it had changed for the better. The small road crew were both fast and efficient. The corrugation and the potholes were gone. This week it could all be back; never lead yourself into a false sense of security with our unsealed driveway.

A little oops goes to the lads who didn’t do all their maintenance before getting to the road. You have two wheels that need checking on the trailer, not just one. They were lucky when they saw their wheel passing them on the road in the fog. They found the wheel, fixed the trailer and made it safely to the bay. Good job, fellas.

The estuary called Thirsty Sound has shown how versatile it can be, with a few sand crabs being caught around the west side and at the mouth of Big Creek. Stanage is not renowned for sand crabs, but over the years we have had a few lost ones visiting in the Thirsty Sound.

The tuskfish are still getting bigger and are venturing further up the Sound than I have even known them to. They’ve even been caught on the jew hole out from the boat ramp near Quail Island. Nice bream and grunter are around. With the westerly winds the southern end of Long Island and the west side should kick in for salmon.

July is quite interesting in the Stanage Bay waterways with the colder weather and big, blue salmon, which a lot of fishos mix up with tailor at first sight. Blue salmon are a beautiful eating fish. Simply fillet them, take the bones out, descale, put in a small plastic bag with flour, salt and pepper and shake. Then fry the fish in hot olive oil on each side for a couple of minutes.

Some people, once they realise they are not tailor and don’t know what they are as they can not be found on most fish charts, throw them back.

The mighty muddies are still in hiding; crabbers will have to be especially inventive with their crab pot movement, checking their tides daily for heights. Never go crabbing in Thirsty Sound as you would anywhere else, or you’ll catch zilch. Pop in and see me in the tackle shop and hopefully I will be able to send you in the right direction.

The reef and islands should be alive with legal fish. July brings small tides, which some fishers prefer, and only a couple big tides towards the end of the month. The weather conditions should be acceptable for the bigger boats. Come up and have a fish on the dark blue yonder called the Coral Sea.

It will be an exciting time with the armed forces having their usual big training exercise. You never know what is going to happen up at Stanage. The town also known as ‘Stone Age Bay,’ with no mobile service anywhere. We still use common sense and respect others, especially at the boat ramp and the parking arrangements. Please don’t park on the roadway – this happens to virgin visitors who don’t ask a local.

While fishing, expect to put in your icebox a mixture of Spanish mackerel, giant golden trevally, big grunter, cod, grass sweetlip, snapper, red emperor, large and small-mouth nannygai. Be sure to only take legal size fish. I sell stick-on measurers, and plenty of ice! If you have enough fuel storage, don’t forget we are the closest drop-off point to the Swains Reef. The green zone maps are available, so too are the best admiralty and camtas charts, and books on the area.

Come and experience the best adventures here at Stanage Bay, with the golden beaches, pristine blue waterways, and sensational, rugged islands.

•Don’t miss out on the amazing fishing and crabbing at Stanage Bay! Call us at Stanage Bay Marine & Accommodation on (07) 4937 3145, check out www.stanagebay.com, email --e-mail address hidden-- or chat to like-minded Stanage Bay anglers at www.facebook.com/stanagebaymarine. We have good, affordable bait, ice, tackle, angler accommodation, boat and caravan storage (accommodation availability can change)