The bait schools have been stirring up all sorts of action with the predatory fish off norwest reef. According to the boys on Aqua you could have thrown a piece of wood in the water and it would have been eaten! The shark mackerel, Spanish mackerel and sharks were rife and the best action was achieved using poppers on the surface that got smashed consistently. The bait schools have also started to gather around Exmouth Reef and the sailfish have moved in with it as expected. Karen Cook-Barron caught her first sailfish last week-end while out on a practise day for the upcoming Billfish Bonanza. The excitement was high as the tag went in and the healthy fish was an estimated 30kg.

Taylor Clatworthy is up on school holidays from her boarding school in Perth. Taylor got out for a day fishing on Reel Obsession with her Dad west of Exmouth in 250 metres. Tayla (15 years) caught her first ruby snapper ever – which was a double header! A great effort in such deep water. Taylor was fishing an ugly stick rod with a Saltiga 30 reel. The light outfit helped her with the great depths.

The queenfish have been consistently coming in to the marina over the last week. They have even been seen right up in the canals. The canals have been a good retreat for many anglers with the strong winds. Small soft plastic lures and prawn bait has worked well on a variety of species including small bream, trevally and even mangrove jacks, now that the warmer weather is here.

Another good retreat from some of the strong winds has been the creeks in the bay of rest. Some punters have been scouring the mudflats in search on mudcrabs and finding the odd good one, while others have used the dinghy to get up into the back of the creeks and walk the flats. These crustaceans can be beautiful eaten fresh, so please try and only take enough for a fresh feed, so that you can go back again. There has also been whiting on the beaches inside the gulf this week. A drive along the foreshore is always a good idea and the use of polarised sunglasses will help you see the schools as they move up and down the coastline.