Just as we’re thinking our fishing quests on this holiday were looking too optimistic, we were saved by the Haslam jetty.  A free camp with a jetty in walking distance was the drawcard for us to pay this place a visit and boy did it pay us back big time.

We were only the second caravan to pull into this unremarkable looking camping area, but by later in the day another three or more campers decided to stay as well.  Not being much more than a gravelled parking lot with a ring of trees on the edges, this area didn’t really look terribly appealing but it does have public toilets (in a rainwater tank) to use, a small playground complete with fitness equipment, a dump point and one prolific jetty.

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The first caravanner staying there told us that we’d only have to spend an hour or two on the jetty to come back with half a dozen squid.  Well he wasn’t wrong and we did come back with exactly 6 squid on our first attempt. Later in the afternoon we decided to try our luck again, as we were only staying one night, and again we were rewarded with 4 more squid, and one which was returned to the water to grow a bit bigger.

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What an amazing gem this jetty was, every person we saw on the jetty walked off happy with squid for dinner. The fish on the other hand were harder to come by, with only weedy whiting, leatherjackets and elusive tommies hard to catch. But with 10 squid in the bag and calamari for dinner, we’re not complaining.

Haslam also has a boat ramp for beach launching. The Haslam free camp costs $10 per night which you pay via an honour box in the campground, and you are practically guaranteed to catch squid for that it seems. We had phone reception on the jetty and even in the campground sometimes.

Haslam is 45 kilometres northwest of Streaky Bay, and is a 2 kilometre drive off the Flinders Highway.

Happy fishing

Glenys