#whiting

Start Seeing Monarchs Day

Monarch butterflies are fascinating, majestic creatures filled with grace and beauty given by nature. These black and orange migratory creatures can be found in prairies and grasslands, lighting upon various flowers to sip their nectar. National Start Seeing Monarchs Day brings attention to the threat these butterflies have to their habitat...

Monarch butterflies are fascinating, majestic creatures filled with grace and beauty given by nature. These black and orange migratory creatures can be found in prairies and grasslands, lighting upon various flowers to sip their nectar.

National Start Seeing Monarchs Day brings attention to the threat these butterflies have to their habitat and encourages humans to do more to help them thrive!

How to Celebrate National Start Seeing Monarchs Day

Learn More About Monarch Butterflies

National Start Seeing Monarchs Day is a great time to get more educated and informed about the different facts and bits of information that can be learned and shared.

Do a bit of research online to find out some statistics about these creatures, or check out a few of these shareable facts to begin with:

The monarch butterfly has an average life span of 6 to 8 months

This migratory creature heads south when the weather begins getting cold, sometimes making treks of more than 3,000 miles

A monarch flaps its wings approximately 5-12 times per second which is slower than most butterflies

Monarchs eat poisonous milkweed that causes predators to get sick if they try to eat them – acting as a protection for the species

Get the Family Involved with Start Seeing Monarchs Day

National Start Seeing Monarchs Day is a perfect time to get the whole family involved! From the youngest children to grandparents, everyone can participate in the activities of this important environmental care event.

Learn some facts, plant some flowers and participate in counting monarchs as just a few of the many opportunities for family activities in celebration of this day.

Enjoy Monarch-Themed Crafts and Activities

Teachers and parents can take this opportunity to get creative with their kids by making some crafts that reflect monarchs and butterflies.

Coloring pages, paintings, sun-catchers, string crafts and more can all be made to remind children about this extravagant winged creature.

Create a Butterfly Playlist for the Day

One way to make a day more fun and exciting is to make sure it has the right soundtrack to go behind it! Take some time to create a cool themed playlist on Spotify, Apple Music or some other platform that brings up all the songs related to butterflies for National Start Seeing Monarchs Day. Check out a few of these ideas for songs to get that playlist started:

Butterflies by Kacey Musgraves (2018)

She’s a Butterfly by Martina McBride (2003)

Butterfly by Mariah Carey (1997)

Love is Like a Butterfly by Dolly Parton (1974)

History of National Start Seeing Monarchs Day

The inaugural celebration of Start Seeing Monarchs Day took place in 2015 when it was founded with the purpose of drawing the public’s attention to this beautiful creature. At the time of the day’s founding, the Migratory Monarch butterfly was threatened and at-risk, listed by some as ‘vulnerable’ due to their falling numbers.

Today, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) continues to watch monarch, keeping tabs on its populations and other features that indicate how it is doing.

***

“How’s the orzo coming?” Kensi pressed her chin in the dip of Deeks’ shoulder, peering at the stove, covered in pots and pans.

“You tell me,” he said, scooping up a small spoonful from a medium sized pan and turning to give it to her. “Careful, it’s pretty hot.”

Kensi took the spoon, blowing a couple of times before she popped it in her mouth. “Ooh that’s really good,” she said. Kissing his cheek, she wrapped her arms around the waist as he resumed tending the pots and pans. “You know, you didn’t have to go through all of this trouble.”

“I figured it couldn’t hurt to start off on good terms for our first time hosting Whiting.” He shook his head slightly at the statement. Several days later, he still couldn’t quite wrap his head around the fact Rosa was dating Ellen Whiting’s son.

“You’re a good dad.” She squeezed him extra tight. “Because I have a feeling this evening is going to be all kinds of awkward.”

“Oh, it’s going to be awful,” Deeks agreed. He turned off three of the burners, leaving one in the back on low. “I think everything’s almost ready. Do you think Whiting drinks or would she consider that a sign of moral failing?”

“Mm, I could see it going either way,” Kensi decided while Deeks sorted through their modest liquor cabinet.

“I’ll go ask Steven.” They’d left him and Rosa in the living room to set the table—and probably take advantage of the momentary privacy to make out.

“Ok. I’ll get out the salad and fruit.”

“Hey Steven, is your mom ok with wine?” Deeks asked, poking his head into the living room, a bottle of Pinot Noir cradled in his arm. Rosa and Steven were cuddled up on the couch, watching some 90’s show.

“Oh yeah,” Steven answered with a chuckle, his eyes widening in horror almost immediately. “I mean, she likes a glass of wine after work but not that she drinks a lot or anything.”

Beside him, Rosa pressed her lips together, looking remarkably like Kensi as she patted his knee.

“He knew what you meant, Steven.”

“Yeah, I’m just going to disregard that last part and put this in the fridge.”

“I’m sorry. I just get so nervous,” Steven sighed.

As Deeks walked back into the kitchen, he heard Rosa murmuring something reassuring back to him.

Deeks and Kensi had just finished putting the last of the food in serving dishes when the doorbell rang.

“Showtime,” Deeks muttered grimly.

“It’ll be fine.” Kissing his cheek, Kensi squeezed his shoulders. “And if not, I will make sure your wineglass is always full.”

“Best wife ever.”

Rosa and Steven had already let Whiting by the time they made it out of the kitchen.

“Hi Ellen, glad you could make it,” Kensi said, going as far as to give her a hug.

“Ellen, thanks for coming,” he said, holding out his hand.

“Deeks, that almost sounded genuine,” she drawled. “And no hug?”

“Mom?” Steven gave her a questioning, slightly nervous look, picking up on the underlying antagonistic tone.

“Just kidding,” Whiting assured him quickly. Behind Whiting’s back, Rosa shot Deeks a look and he flashed her a quick smile.

They were doing this for Rosa and Steven, he reminded himself. He could keep the peace for the kids.

“Right. Ellen, would you like a drink? We’ve for water, wine, beer, soft drinks.”

“Definitely wine. In a big glass if you have it.”

“I think we can manage that,” Deeks said, genuinely smiling.

“I’ll go get drinks,” Kensi offered. “Rosa, Steven, you want anything?”

“No thanks, Mrs. Deeks.”

“I have some water, Kensi.”

“Ok. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Giving Deeks’ arm a discrete squeeze, Kensi headed back to the kitchen.

Rosa and Steven sat back down, murmuring among themselves, leaving Deeks to make smalltalk. Perfect.

“You did pretty well for yourself,” Whiting said, looking around the room. “I didn’t really notice last time I was here.”

“Yeah, makes sense with the whole “on the run” thing.” He gestured to the chairs across from the couch. “Have a seat.”

Whiting sat down, looking a little out of place in jeans and with her hair down instead of her usual business casual attire. Hell, the whole situation was bizarre. Deeks took the remaining chair, leaving room in case Kensi wanted to squeeze in with him.

“Marty, you should show Steven your surfboards,” Rosa spoke up, nodding encouragingly. “He’s been wanting to learn.”

“Oh yeah, that would be great. I wanted to learn when I was younger, but mom thought it would be too dangerous.”

“Sure. I’d be happy to after dinner. I can even give you some tips sometimes if you want,” Deeks offered.

“That would be amazing, Mr—I mean, Deeks. Thank you,” Steven said enthusiastically.

“Suck up,” Whiting muttered under her breath.

“Hey, I love teaching kids things,” he defended himself.

“Of course you do.”

The doorbell rang again, saving Deeks from having to respond. “I’ll be right back.” He checked the security camera first, since they weren’t expecting anyone else, frowning when he saw his mom on the other side.

He opened the door, not surprised that Roberta walked right in. “Mama, what’s up? I thought you had a big date with Arkady.”

“I did, but he cancelled on me,” she explained. “So, I figured I’d spend a little quality time with my family. Plus, I ran out of beer.”

“Mom, we’re kind of in the middle of dinner.”

“Oh, sorry. Well, I won’t take long. I just need to borrow a couple beers and the copy of “Moulin Rouge” I loaned Rosa.”

“That’s not—” Roberta pushed past him, ignoring his warning.

Crap, this was not going to be good. He rushed after her, clocking that Rosa and Steven had left the room, before he focused on the inevitable confrontation about to happen.

“Marty, why is the woman in your house? She’s the cop who arrested you,” Roberta exclaimed, way too loudly.

“Yeah, I’m aware.” He exhaled softly. “Ellen, you’ve met my mother, Roberta.”

“Oh yeah, she made quite the impression,” Whiting said sardonically, eyes roving over Roberta with something between amusement and disbelief. “If it’s any consolation, when I arrested Deeks, it wasn’t personal.”

“It was a little bit,” Deeks said, unable to help himself.

“Ok, maybe a little.”

“Alright, what the hell is going on?” Roberta demanded.

“Ellen Whiting is Steven’s mom. So, Mama, I’m begging you, please do not make a big scene.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” Roberta looked between Whiting, who seemed to have settled on amusement, and Deeks.

“Nope.”

“Alright, I have the wine—and what’s going on?” Kensi stopped a few feet short of the living room, three wineglasses cradled in her hands.

“We have a surprise guest,” Deeks shared with a tight smile. Kensi wordlessly handed him the fullest of the glasses.

“I still don’t know how you let her into your house after what she did to you.” Roberta crossed her arms, glaring at Whiting with everything she had.

“Would it help if I told you we buried the hatchet a while ago and I have no current plans to arrest your son?” Whiting wondered.

“No.”

“Hey, Rosa and Steven are going to come out her any minute expecting us to be getting along,” Kensi hissed, drawing a surprised glance from both of the other women. “So, you’re going to suck it up, put on a smile, and pretend we all like each other. Got it?”

“I can probably manage that. As long as I have wine,” Whiting decided. Kensi handed her a glass.

“Fine. I’ll behave myself. But only for the kids.” Roberta shook her head, muttering to herself.

By Simon Cardone

I love the places that fishing can take you. Getting as far away from the suburban grind as possible and connecting with nature is the best feeling. I have been fortunate enough to fish all over Australia, both inland and offshore, but it’s only in the past few years that I realised there was a lot of the great state of South Australia I had overlooked when it comes to fishing. So I set myself a goal of fishing as many new locations as possible every year going forward – I call it ticking the boxes and making memories!

With all fishing, especially the offshore kind, weather always dictates whether you go or stay at home. For example, my first trip chasing barrel bluefin tuna out of Port MacDonnell in 2021 was blown out, I had to wait until 2022 to tick that box. And so it was with a multiple day mission off Port Lincoln aboard good mate Tod’s seven metre trailer boat. The week we set aside in 2022 was a write off weatherwise, but a year later a window opened in February for us to get offshore.

The Plan

My last visit to Port Lincoln was in the 1990s and during my stay I had a day trip out to Dangerous Reef to hopefully see a great white shark. Unfortunately, we missed the shark by 24 hours, however we caught a great mixed bag of fish which kind of made up for the lack of shark activity.

With me being a complete greenhorn to this part of South Australia, Tod was the perfect skipper to show me as many of the sights as possible in the few days we had available, as he has skippered boats out of Tumby Bay and Port Lincoln for well over a decade.

In the days leading up to departure we watched with nervousness the forecast going from one extreme to another, with the Bureau of Meteorology, Windy.com and Willy Weather all predicting little windows of good conditions surrounded by longer periods of average conditions.

It was decided 48 hours before departure that we would make our way to Thistle Island, pushing into a 15 knot South Easterly then spend the night in Whalers Way, which should protect us from the ocean swell. We could then spend a couple of days fishing the inshore bays for whiting, squid and snook, as well as free diving for abalone. If the winds relented, we would push wider to chase some tuna further to the south before returning to camp and fish the waters around Memory Cove which lies within the Lincoln National Park.

Departure was set for Monday afternoon, with a return date of Friday morning.

Monday

I departed Adelaide for Port Lincoln at 530 am, having loaded up the Hilux the night before with the fishing gear and tackle supplied by Jarvis Walker and Tackle World Adelaide Metro. Tod was already in Lincoln as that is where he stores his boat at this time of year. He had already been out to Thistle Island with a mate for an overnight trip a couple of days prior to my arrival, so the boat was already setup for live aboard fishing, complete with bedding, eskies, fridge/freezer, gas stove, camp kitchen, 250 litres of fuel, 80 litres of water, hot shower, dining room table, toilet and of course all of the safety gear required and in date.

On arrival early afternoon I loaded in the fishing and camera gear, bait and a backpack then  we had a quick drive into town for ice, beer and fresh food before hitting the Billy Lights Point boat ramp at 330pm ready for the two hour run down the coast to Thistle Island.

As predicted, we were pushing into a two-metre sea, but travelling at around 20k/h per hour the Trailcraft 680 cut through the slop comfortably. We hugged the coast passing Taylor and Grindal Island on our port side before cutting across to Thistle Island where we found some relief from the washing machine seas once we rounded Observatory Point. The giant cliffs on eastern side of Thistle cast an impressive shadow as we made our way further South to Whalers Way for the night.

Arriving with enough daylight left we were able to pick out a good-looking piece of bottom suitable for whiting and squid so we dropped the pick then got setup for fishing and dinner.

A few squid hit the deck which would be our whiting bait for the trip along with some good sized snook casting Daiwa Double Clutch lures before it was decided to turn in for an early start.

Tuesday

During the night we had a change of wind direction and an increase in velocity too, which basically meant offshore fishing was off the cards for the time being. This necessitated a slight change in our position within the anchorage for the following night.

The fishing inshore however kept us very busy. The day started off with a giant school of huge salmon interrupting our cooked breakfast. We had multiple hook-ups on these acrobatic greenbacks as they peeled line off our whiting outfits that we were using to cast our Double Clutch lures.

We then spent the rest of the morning moving around fishing the sand patches and weed for a nice bag of squid, king george whiting and a few good-sized flathead. Fresh squid was getting the nibbles on the bottom rigs while a purple Yozuri jig in 3.0 was slaying the Kraken.

Fresh snook seasoned with lemon pepper with salad in wraps was devoured for lunch before we made our last shift for the day to an area which gave more shelter from the wind and swell and an opportunity for Tod to do his first dive for abalone. This turned out to be a resounding success, so it was planned to crack a bottle of shiraz to wash down our beef and reef dinner on Wednesday night at Memory Cove. I managed a couple more giant snook and some silver trevally on the lures, the latter which ended up being a sashimi entrée that night.

We decided to send out some big cut baits of fresh barracouta under balloons on the heavy gear that night for kingies and sharks, but unfortunately the only hook-up we had was brief.

Wednesday

Finally, the wind had abated enough for us to push back up the eastern side of Thistle Island then back down and across to Memory Cove passing between Lewis and Hopkins Islands. In all his years of traversing Thorny Passage Tod said he had never seen it so calm, so we took the opportunity to mark a couple of ledges and reefs for further investigation at a later date.

Tod had been talking up Memory Cove as one of the most picturesque places in South Australia so I was very eager to spend some time there and to say this place is magnificent would be a gross understatement. A pristine white beach bordered by rocky outcrops at either end with a magnificent canopy of green tree covered hills as far as the eye can see. Heaven on Earth for sure.

Early afternoon was spent nearby diving for more abalone and catching more squid. We then shifted to a likely whiting spot within Memory Cove and enjoyed our hard-earned steak and abalone dinner before we set about catching some more whiting and squid. I predicted a hot bite on dark being a full moon, and that’s exactly what we got, with literally a whiting every cast on my side of the boat while Tod was cleaning up on the squid on his side.

Thursday

By the time I had woken up Tod already had another six squid in the bucket so I entered the fray and completed our bag before turning our attention to processing our catch. The weather was looking mint, so given we had our fridge/freezer now full of fish and the ice had run out in the eskies, the call was made to pull in the lines in and make our way back to Port Lincoln with a following sea enabling us to cruise at a pleasant 50 km/h.

We arrived back at the ramp just after midday, gave the boat a thorough washdown, then headed back to base to unload.  I arrived back in Adelaide in the early hours of Friday morning much to the delight of my family who were expecting me back much later. This gave me the opportunity to vacuum seal my proceeds of the catch and fill the freezer with a nice basket of South Australian seafood to share. If you haven’t got a vacuum sealing machine I can highly recommend this piece of equipment just as much as owning a decent filleting knife!

The Wrap

This trip was a real eye opener for me in many ways, it is amazing what you can do in a small boat in capable hands if it is well setup. Our next mission is to head out to the Sir Joseph Banks group and Spilsby Island out from Tumby Bay in autumn.