The squid have continued to run in the gulf with reports coming in that Learmonth Jetty has had the squid show up on the high tide.  A good sized cobia was hooked there too, but it had a healthy release when the hooks pulled right beside the jetty.

Spangled emperor around the west side on the incoming tide have also been continuing with a few medium sized fish attacking baits of squid and mullet. Soft plastics have also worked well with these fish, but the Charlie court cods are hard to get through at times.  The small cod do make for a tasty meal though and are a favourite with juniors and the seniors for a fresh feed.

The good weather that is forecast has created a stir around town amongst the boating enthusiasts.  There are at least four boats planning to do the trip to Long Island for a relaxing overnight stay aboard.  The water should be fantastic for a relaxing swim and dive and there are some good grounds out wide of there for reef fishing.  To top it off the crews could come home across the gulf and see the multitudes of sailfish that have been continuing to feed in the gulf.  We certainly didn’t expect the sailfish to be this thick at this time of year, however a few boats including Aqua and Weapon have seen up to as many as 60 fish a day! That’s amazing. With pods of ten fish a time at the stern smashing teasers and competing for bait, this would be a perfect time for fly fishing anglers to visit and try for a sail on fly.

The Gamex brochures are all around town and entries are already coming in for the six-day event. The event is planned to be held at the new clubhouse. There will be a two-day game fishing clinic for billfish onboard Reel Teaser, with lure maker Peter Pakula, on Wednesday 17th and Thursday 18th March. If you want to learn more about fishing for billfish during this clinic, call Jeni on 0408 905 448.  Numbers are limited, so be quick.  The weigh-in each evening is open to visitors from 6-8pm.  The EGFC expect the presentation night to be fully booked, however there is an opportunity for the town to enjoy one of the social evenings which is a Mexican Night with a live band on Tuesday the 23rd March.  It will be a dress-up evening with Mexican food and a good chance to tell fishy tales. Tickets will be available soon from EGFC.

Bait ball

PIC: A bait ball like this in the gulf is what you will find sailfish and other predatory fish feeding on.