Maureen Forrest is the lucky angler pictured this week with her first-ever Spanish mackerel. The feisty fish was caught off Pebble beach using mulie for bait on the ‘last cast’ of the day. It measured up to be 1m25cm: well done Maureen!

The red emperor have been on the chew this past week with reports coming in daily of decent catches. Most have been in the 40-70m depths and the spangled emperor have been common in these areas as well. Many of the regular winter visitors have noted that the whiting have been thin on the ground this year. Early morning seems to be best time if the tide is high, but the winter chill can be hard to stand when the south-east wind blows. There hasn’t been many whiting in the lower gulf either, however it could just be a cycle and we hope that next year the whiting will be back in numbers.

The bream at the marina have kept many of the anglers busy lately, while the odd trevally and bust-up of bait by the queenfish has got a few hearts racing. The marina is a hub of activity, so make sure you are careful when fishing in this area. It is great for protection from just about any wind direction and please remember to be aware of what the minimum lengths are on certain species. Some anglers have also been catching unusual fish and not sure of the species. If you are unsure, then it is best to release the fish carefully.

People are already starting to enquire about entering for Gamex in March next year…! Phew, we’ve got to get to the Billfish Bonanza yet? The Billfish Bonanza is a tag and release event in October. If you would like to have an introduction to billfishing, this three-day event is a good start. There are plenty of people willing to assist with ideas and suggestions for the event and if you would like to be involved, then please contact info@egfc.com.au for further details.

This event and Gamex are both NEATfish accredited. NEATFish is a Standard for the National Environmental Assessment of Tournament Fishing. The NEATFish standard was developed by Recfish Australia to encourage organisers of fishing tournaments to develop tournaments which:
.. minimise detrimental impacts on fish stocks,
.. are environmentally sustainable,
.. encourage support from local communities,
.. provide safe fishing experiences for competitors and spectators, and
.. provide significant positive social and economic benefits to those communities in which they are held.

The Exmouth Game Fishing Club is proud to be a part of NEATfish and hope that you, the community, are proud too.