The winter chill has set in and the dawn anglers are certainly feeling it through to the bone! On the bright side, the days are now starting to get longer as we have passed the winter solstice. Early morning anglers do get good rewards though, especially through winter with spangled emperor on the west side and whiting on the east side of the cape. The dusk fishing is also productive, although in some areas the mosquitoes have been rather busy during this time of the day, so make sure you have some repellent handy.
Shore based anglers have continued to do well with the queenfish and trevally through the day on the bait schools around the west side. Amazing scenes can be witnessed as predatory fish break the water surface while chasing bait schools through incoming waves. Many local sports fishing enthusiasts have been carefully catching and releasing various fish from these schools, while other visitors have been taking home a fresh feed.
The Exmouth Game Fishing Club held its annual reef fishing event called the Exmouth Classic last weekend, with 15 boats entered targeting various species. Fisheries did research during the event and despite the rough weather on the last day, the anglers managed to get a mixed bag of fish including mackerel, rankin cod, red emperor, coral trout, job fish, mangrove jack, dolphin fish and various tuna species. Champion Team was taken out by local boat Reel Obsession. The presentation evening was enjoyed by all, especially with the new heaters at the clubhouse! The club’s next event is the Ultra-Light tournament on 6-7 August.
Classic Champion Team
Richard Watts and his dad Greg are up on holidays from Mandurah. The pair are having some fun times fishing the inshore reefs on the west side and up the creeks in the gulf. They have been camping south of Yardie Creek and enjoying camping so close to the beach. While inside the reef, the boys have been drifting squid baits back in to a berley trail while on anchor prior to dawn and getting some great results. Through the day they have been casting poppers and soft plastics and making sure a squid jig is on hand for when the squid show up around the boat. In the gulf, the boys have had some quiet days, along with a few busy nights with midgies, but mainly some good fun in the outdoors and fresh air, not to mention great father-son bonding while fishing and camping in the northwest.