We all knew it had to happen at some stage: the strong spring winds are here. There has been some reprieve in the afternoons, however the mornings are a good time to sleep-in and slowly get ready to go out! A few of the ‘winter residents’ have already started to head south now, as the days heat up to above 35 degrees. Maureen and Tony Forrest are one couple who had a great time through winter catching all sorts of species and enjoying the Exmouth community.
Groups of mates have been making the trek up from Perth and staying for a week or two, while getting out on the water are targeting a variety of fish including billfish in preparation for the upcoming Betta Billfish Bonanza. The EGFC expect a large amount of entrants for this easy 3-day tag and release billfish tournament in late October. The sails have already been seen in the gulf in certain areas and Dirk Clatworthy caught one last week just five miles from the marina. Thick bait balls that usually appear around Exmouth Reef in the gulf during spring are expected to be early this year.
This week’s pic is an 11.5kg red emperor caught during the Mackerel Islands competition recently. Although I don’t like using pics of myself, this fish did win the largest red for the comp, and I was quite proud of the catch! However, I couldn’t have caught the fish if it wasn’t for the team effort on the boat and the skipper putting us on the right spot: Thanks Dirk!
Jeni red
The shore based anglers have been reporting some good catches of trevally, dart and queenfish around the west side this week. Soft plastic lures in the Gulp and McCarthy range have been successful and small hard-bodied bibbed and bibless minnows have also resulted in success. Lure fishing along the shoreline is very rewarding and you cover far more ground and get some exercise too.
Rachel Bennet and husband Michael are here on holidays from Melbourne and had a great day out on a charter this last week catching mahi-mahi, their first sailfish and marlin all in one day! The couple are on their honeymoon and have also enjoyed catching and releasing fish along the Exmouth shoreline using a light to medium outfit and soft plastics. They have been having such a wonderful time that they are booking an anniversary trip already!
The marina is always a great place to target fish and when the winds are strong on the shore, the marina can proved good shelter for you to throw a line in. Lures work well here, however if you prefer to use bait, then prawns, pilchard and hardy heads are what we recommend. If you have any interesting catches to report or a photo, don’t hesitate to drop them in to Bluewater Tackle for the weekly Northern Guardian fishing report. You could also enter the monthly fishing competition and put yourself in the draw to win a $700 Shimano Christmas fishing package.