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The wind died down perfectly for the weekend anglers. Although, there was enough breeze for the yachties to get out as well. Alan and Sue Bishop took their yacht for a sail to the other side of the gulf and Alan caught a 90 |
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The Betta Billfish Bonanza was the biggest to date, with 22 boats and 73 anglers. Perhaps the extension to three days helped bring extra boats from out of town? Day one was rather windy with strong |
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With the Billfish Bonanza starting this week all the hype around town has been towards this weekend's comp. Sails have been there one day, gone the next but there have been promising schools of baitfish throughout the gulf. Good luck to all the competitors this weekend we will give a full report next week.
Crabs have been quiet down in the Bay of Rest but there have been plenty of squid reported down there with some big ones amongst them. With the warmer water we would expect the mangrove jack to start to be a regular catch along with the numerous cod that live in the mangroves.
Barracuda on Cubera for Eddie
Queenies have been raiding the bait schools at old Bundegi along with small trevally and mackerel. During the week Ben and Eddie from the shop went out in the boat to throw some poppers around. It was pretty quiet but Eddie did land a rather large barracuda on a Black Jack Cubera popper.
Brad from the shop and a mate took his dinghy out and got into some longtails, the biggest a six kilo fish taken on a Tango Dancer. The bottom fishing was hampered by the local shark population, the biggest being a two-metre-plus bronze whaler taken on 20lb.
Young Hayden Michaels caught a beautiful cobia just outside the marina during the week. The smile on his face was priceless. Great to see the younger generation getting into a few fish. The Bundegi boat ramp was officially opened on Thursday much to the delight of the locals, and the competitors in this weekend's competition. With all the new work being done around the ramp it has good congregations of bait around it during the week. We had a report of a bonefish caught on a squid bait, along with some big queenies and school trevally. The whiting have also been abundant in the area
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Text and pics © Bluewater Tackle World
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The biggest news this week is that the Bundegi Boat Ramp will be officially open this Thursday the 30th!!! Hooray. It will ready perfectly in time for the Betta Billfish Bonanza which starts on Friday. There is an open invitation to all residents and visitors to attend the official opening at 4pm at Bundegi. There will be light refreshments after the official opening. This will certainly make access to surrounding areas much safer for small craft, as well as shortening the extra miles to the marina for trailer boat users.
Thursday the 30th is also the briefing for the Betta Billfish Bonanza, while fishing commences Friday and finishes on Sunday. John Ericson from one of the Exmouth Game Fishing Clubs sponsors, Failea Wines, is competing in the fishing competition and is presenting a 'Fun Night with Wine' on the Saturday at the rec centre. These wines are preservative free (which means no headaches... I like it!) and his port just won a major award in WA. If you are not competing and would like to come along to this evening or the presentation night, then please contact Jeni on 9949 1315 for further information.
Lots of bait schools have been spotted out in the gulf with the likes of trevally, tuna, sailfish, mackerel and cobia feeding on them at different times. The sailfish haven't been showing up in large pods yet according to a couple of teams who headed out for practice days, although one boat raised over 20 fish yesterday, but they are keeping the location in the gulf secret! No doubt, the word will be out and hopefully there will be plenty for the many teams expected to participate. Bonnie McKinven and Jae Danks caught their first sailfish on Sunday. As you can imagine, both girls were ecstatic and got some happy snaps from the day.
Pictured this week is Bonnie, with partner Steve Moore on Steve's boat. The weather was so calm, that they even took their two dogs out for the day! Touch wood for the weather for the tournament! A few marlin have been hooked on the west side but only a couple have been landed. With the increase in air and water temperatures, as summer approaches, all sorts of pelagic fish have been showing up including large dolphin fish, schools of wahoo and large mackerel off the west side.
Youngsters Braden Cooper, Luke Collins and Luke's Dad headed out to the islands in the gulf over the weekend and managed to land some ripper cod, blue line emperor and a huge charlie using Atomic gold and glitter soft plastics and Roosta poppers. The cod took the popper off the surface with a spectacular strike, but shortly after spat the lure
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Text and pics © Bluewater Tackle World
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With the Billfish Bonanza just around the corner, there have been more boats out in the gulf getting in some practice and chasing the sailfish. There is plenty of bait on the grounds with gulf mulies and yellowtail. There have been some good signs of plenty of fish coming up to the back of the boats with the odd small marlin amongst them. The birds are a good indicator for where the fish are feeding. Make sure you watch out for the diving white terns, mixed in with mutton birds walking across the surface poking their heads in to the water looking for sailfish feeding and hoping to pick up a feed themselves.
Locals, Smithy and Mumsy tagged a small black marlin while out in the gulf on the weekend, while others on the same day reported pods of sailfish being raised on the teasers. If you missed the rigging session then get down to Bluewater Tackle World for some tips on what rigs have been working and what teasers and hooks, bait jigs etc to use.
Schools of tuna have been spotted out in the gulf feeding on the bait schools with mackerel and cobia feeding as well. Natalia from Brumby's caught her first sailfish and a 12kg longtail in the same day. Other anglers have been chasing these speedsters on fly.
Pictured this week is one of the tuna that spat out the bait it was feeding on. As you can see the fly used looks almost identical to the bait, which is probably why that angler was so successful.
Queenfish and trevally have been caught from old Bundegi with some of the fish around the 5-8kg. Small Halco Twisties and medium sized soft plastics have been working well on these species both from the shore and a boat at the back of the reef. Don't forget to take a squid jig with you on these outings, as the squid seem to always turn up when you aren't prepared.
The west side has turned up a few spangled emperors along with some good bluebone with one customer reported catching three bluebone around the 4kg mark from the beach. When he got them to the filleting table he found some had plenty of roe. Please try and use all of the fish in your meals: the roe can be used to make a mayonnaise or fish dip, while the head and frame of a bluebone has ample meat which is perfect for a seafood chowder. If you don't think you can use it, then try and find someone who can to save on waste .
Text and pics © Bluewater Tackle World |
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The Betta Billfish Bonanza is on soon. There will be a rigging session, held on the grassed area in front of Bluewater Tackle World Exmouth, from 5pm on Thursday the 16th of October. There will be a sausage sizzle. Make sure you bring a chair, and if you want help to rig your own gear, bring it too. There will be information on suggested rigs, suggested teasers and spreads, how to tag a billfish and fish handling boat-side.
No idea what that is? Read on...
Just yesterday, Eddy Lawler headed out for a practice and caught his first sailfish. The sailfish had been previously tagged, however the fish pulled the hook before the crew could get the tag number. If you are catching these fish, please look to see if there is a tag on the fish, as it is important for research. Often the tag can have marine growth on it such as the one pictured this week.
Mackerel have been abundant at the Muiron Islands, with sharks getting their fair share of hooked ones as well. Giving the mackerel a chance to outrun the sharks has been the best way to land a few. A few spear fishers were at the islands on Wednesday and managed to land a few, but also lost a few to the sharks. The best was a 30.5 kg monster taken by a local named Dan. The sharks were that friendly that the guys were pushing them away from hooked fish on the spears, and a couple were snatched out of the hands of the unsuspecting fishers.
With the water temp warming up, more bait schools are being spotted in the Gulf with the usual tuna schools attacking them. Spotting them is just a matter of watching for the water to erupt and seeing the birds working from above. Cobia and mackerel have been welcome opponents around the schools as well.
Dart have been abundant along the coast of the national park, and flathead have been taken along the Gulf side. Both these species work well with soft plastics, one customer reporting that the Atomics were not lasting very long in the water with both of these species taking a special liking to them. Queenfish, trevally and spangled emperor were also attacking the soft lures.
Text and pics © Bluewater Tackle World |
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Paul Dondas, from Rockingham, had a great time in Exmouth catching everything from cobia to chinaman fish, rankin cod and coronation trout. Paul will be back again for another visit in November and May next year. It's great to see people who enjoy their fishing return again and again to Exmouth.
Rachel White from Perth was fishing with her husband Darren for a two-week holiday. They preferred to use fresh local mullet to target the spangled emperor from the shore, and had success on dusk most evenings. During the days they enjoyed getting around the west side, when the weather permitted, to fish and snorkel. They used soft plastic lures and small minnows as they walked the beaches catching a variety of trevally, dart, and small cod.
Many new spearfishermen have been visiting the Exmouth area lately. Please make sure that if you are targeting fish on the spear, that you know the rules for this region. It can be confusing to a newcomer. Remember that if you are in the Marine Park you are not allowed to shoot resident reef species such as trout, cod and bluebone. Obviously, you are not allowed to shoot in a sanctuary zone. You are not allowed use a speargun or hand spear in the area between Tantabiddi and Winderabandi. Please stop in and ask at Bluewater Tackle World, Department of Fisheries or the DEC office if you are unsure. Meanwhile local residents have been enjoying getting out and into a few mackerel over the last couple of weeks.
Sailfish have made the move into the Gulf with many fish being sighted behind the boats towing teasers behind them. With the strong southerlies we have had in the mornings, the only time to chase them has been when the winds swing to the south west and the Gulf calms off. There have still been marlin and sails caught from the west side, and more reports of tuna coming in every day .
Text and pics © Bluewater Tackle World |
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The whiting have been showing up around Bundegi lately, holding up on the flats close to the new boat ramp. Schools of buff bream have been passing by as well, and the occasional queenfish has been attacking the hardy head bait schools.
Hardyheads spend their days considering the benefits of safety in numbers
Customers have been reporting catching the whiting on soft plastic lures, using really light outfits. The water has been very clear with the small tidal movement, and a stroll along the beach with some lures can be very rewarding.
The sharks have been thick lately, with people reporting many sharks coming up to their boat while anchored. The bait schools of mulies have begun moving into the Gulf, which may be a contributing factor towards the increased shark activity. The abundance of whales could also be influencing the numbers of sharks. The bait schools have certainly brought sailfish with them, as anglers have been reporting bait balls showing up on sounders and sailfish in the Gulf areas around Exmouth Reef.
Sascha O'Meara caught a sailfish on a practice afternoon out with an all-female team recently. Jae Danks tagged her first billfish and Shannon Dandie took a stack of photos. The girls are amped up to fish the event at the end of the month and are keen to get out a few more times beforehand for a practice. The EGFC will be holding a rigging session prior to the event and if you are keen to be involved, make sure you express you interest with Bluewater Tackle World on 9949 1315.
The marina has been producing good catches of bream and schools of hardy heads and large mullet have been smashed up by predatory fish along the rockwalls. Dolphins have even been seen cruising through the inner waters, and if you're looking for something for the kids to do these holidays, then the marina holds a good variety of species. Using lures and soft plastics helps keep the kids busy and constantly moving. These lures also work exceptionally well with the fish in our area. If you want to use baits, we suggest using the local prawns, which the fish can't seem to resist at times. If you berley up using the heads and use segments of the prawn on a small hook, most species will respond .
Text and pics © Bluewater Tackle World |
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