This one was a Rowley Shoals trip with a difference: while most Reel Teaser charters are hard-core sportfishing enthusiasts, this one had four kids on board who were all keen to be a part of the action. After six days in sportfishing paradise, they came away with a string of captures the envy of many far more experienced adults! Reel Teaser Charters operate out of Broome from April to December, with most of the Rowleys trips in the July to November period. We went in the first week of October.

Seven-year-old Jack Harvey had already caught a few good fish in his time, but had never fished north of Kalbarri before. His first fish at the Rowleys was a coral cod on a popper, but soon after (and after a few false starts) he successfully battled this coral trout to the boat, ticking off one of the essential boxes for any Rowleys trip.

The trout was released of course - there are so many great eating fish in these waters, there's no need to keep the prettiest ones!

But Jack will need a few more muscles on him before he can expect to cope with a big giant trevally like the one below, that Jacqui Rushford successfully boated. This one fell to a popper on a big spin outfit, cast and retrieved across the abyss on the outside of the reef.  

Another fine trevally capture for the trip went to Jacqui's brother Christopher, when he caught his first fish on fly tackle - a black trevally, at night, on an eight-weight outfit! It was the third hookup over two nights on the new gear, which had arrived as a birthday present from his (fly enthusiast) grandfather, so it was no beginner's luck; the first two hookups had taken a while to achieve and had both resulted in break-offs.

Then... on to bigger things... Reel Teaser skipper Ross Newton is well known as the best sailfish skipper in Western Australia (he's won nine of the 18 Broome Sailfish Tournaments he's entered), so once we decided to give the sails a touch, it didn't take long for the action to be coming thick and fast. Reel Teaser trolls just two sailfish teaser chains, and Ross favours bait and switch using garfish baits on circle hooks. With the new boat's mini tower, he has a pretty good view of what's happening, and it would be a lucky angler on the back deck that ever spotted a billfish before Rhos did from the steering station.

The other half of Reel Teaser, Tracey Rushford is also well experienced with sails, having been part of the hugely successful Reel Girls fishing team for many years.

All the kids caught sails, including first-timers Jack Harvey and nine-year-old Elizabeth Harvey (below), who wasn't about to hang on to that bill but was very happy to know that now there's a sailfish out there with a billfish tag that has her name attached to it. 

The lagoons were revisited daily for a quick popper session dependant on the tides, and 'Critter' Rushford was a clear leader in the trout-on-poppers tally. However it was this maori emperor, a first for him, that tickled his fancy one fine afternoon. Like everything else in the lagoon, it took a popper on spin gear.

The Rowley Shoals is actually better known as a diving destination than a fishing spot, so snorkelling was also a part of the daily plan. While Jacqui and Critter are well experienced with mask and fins, Jack and Elizabeth were newcomers. By the end of the week they were doing everything the adults would do, including snorkelling out over the dropoff on the outside of the reef, and doing 'drift dives' through the channels. Wild stuff. 

Diving or even just snorkelling at the Rowley Shoals is very rewarding, with a plethora of marine life everywhere you look. Most of the fish look happier than the little red fella here...

There's also a large sand cay inside Clerke, the middle atoll of the three Rowley Shoals, called Bedwell Island. It's inhabited by a small population of red-tailed tropicbirds, and is a breeding station for them.

Back for another dive - this time just off the stern of Reel Teaser, in the lagoon. One big black trevally was remarkably active, given that they're more of a night-time proposition for anglers. The red bass are there all the time.

Then outside the reef for a troll to top up the fish supply for dinner, and young Jack caught a wahoo bigger than himself. His first of course, but not his last. No surprise that he didn't really want to hang on to it, so Mum (Liza Harvey) lent a hand.

 As the weather improved through the week (not that it was ever bad, just a touch windy at first), Reel Teaser was moored up outside the reef, allowing for fishing any time of day or night. Hal Harvey had a win with this big GT, which took a Black Jack Wahoo 150 stickbait, blind casting into the dark before moonrise one night.

While that was the fish of the trip for Hal, Ross went to the extreme on the last night, picking up a broadbill swordfish - his seventh as a skipper, his second personally, but his first to the boat out from his home port of Broome. He'd had them on the line off the Rowleys before, as recently as the month before, but had always seen the fish lost one way or another. Not this time.

A fitting finale for a great trip. Reel Teaser Charters, Ross Newton and Tracey Rushford, can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , and their website is here. The Rowley Shoals are 260km west of Broome.

The (new for 2009) Reel Teaser itself is a 65' West Coaster, kept in immaculate condition and typically sparsely filled with a skipper (Ross), cook, deckie, and six anglers. That makes for a very uncrowded trip, whether it be fishing exotic locations or cruising the magnificent Kimberley coast. We absolutely recommend the Reel Teaser operation.

Text and pics © 2009 Bluewater Tackle World