How many striped turn up in Exmouth?

Probably more of the same: few more ooglies, more stickfaces, I'd like a really big tuna though, one of these days.

Ticked some off so far

LB PB jumbo tailor 74cm 4kg

LB PB Spanish mack 28kg

PB sambo 25kg + (boat)

PB baldy 4.2kg (boat)

Metro Mackie (boat) got a few this season, cant wait till next season

Just gotta crack a mulloway now

PB Dhuies of 16kg on jig, 11kg on SP.

PB Red Snapper (Nannygai) 3.5kg on jig.

Baldchin on jig and SP off Cape Nat, both 4kg+

One highlight has been catching YTK's, hopefully they hang around and we land one of the mega one's.

Only thing left is catching something on the Deep Drop. Not picky, as long as it's a Grey Band/Bass Groper/Harpuka/Blue Eye or Ruby Snapper

Tuna of some sort wouldn't be bad either.

Win big at Barra comp in Darwin! 

cracking the 50cm bream :)

was a big goal for me!!

80cm Bonefish in the cocos.

Tail bender Bass Groper!

Plus the sounder set up from research, purchase, fitment, set up, and testing. Really enjoyed that!

Metro billy was cool to see along side.

Sheesh theres plenty coming to mind! Yep was a great season!!

Looking fwd to getting a metro swordy, Any tuna over 25kg, Rubies, and back to take a better look in the gulf in exmouth for a snubby

Unfortunately it's been a bit of a lean year for me fishing wise but I've still achieved a few objectives. Cracked 40kg GT and it was a local WA fish too so that was a bit of a milestone for me, also got my first Dhuie on a jig so I'm hoping to improve on that once I've got my demersal jigging gear sorted out properly. Got a trip to the Monte Bello Islands in a couple of weeks and then a trip to New Caledonia a month after that so here's hoping for a good 3rd and 4th quarter!

Target for the year was 20 Billies from my boat and I'm still a couple short so that's the main focus for me.
Other than that I'll try and get a monties trip in before the end of the year.
Scored 2 new pb Dollies last week so that was a highlight for the year so far.

Just about ticked mine off. Trying to make it one whole year of getting my bag limit of dhuys every trip. Have done 30+ trips this year and have always got at least two sized dhuys.

Probably have three more trips to go before the ban kicks in.

Also would love to catch a marlin in Geo bay. Went close in March and will be trying my hardest over xmas. Hopefully have another year of warm water down here this year.

Mine was to get on the water!  Luckily I managed that!

No exotics on my list this year, but wanted a metro mackie and I managed 5 in 1 hour off Mindarie, in one hot, hot session.

still haven't managed a metro mackie or decent yft yet .     just have to go fishing more i guess.  bugger!

 Nothing in the GT/Billfish/Rubies/Big Dhuies or mackies but mine was to crack a 30cm hooded squid. And i did it twice in to sessions. 

I would really like to get a size dhuie but i dont like my chance's this late in the year but im keen to give mulloway fishing and trolling for mackies a go this summer.

Caught my first mulla big one too. First nannygai and got my skippers ticket and skippered a boat several times, once allll the way out to the derwent lol. Lots of fish on artificials also

This years main goal was to work out doggies. When a guy told me that they are extremely rare and he had only caught two in the last seven years I made that my personal challenge. I have caught eleven this year so far and am pretty confident I can catch one anytime I target them. Very happy.

As for the rest of the year I'll be having a real crack at a big marlin. Then once the dollies turn up I'll trolling 4kg bream gear for some fun. And big yellowfin and of course more doggies.

Achievements this year:

1. Meeting new mates.....definately the number one achievement this year, thanks in a big way to this site. Met some really good blokes, several who have become pretty good mates. My 13 year old daughter in some disgust has nicknamed Fishwrecked as Fish-Book......aka Face-Book. Very funny, but a great way to meet people.

2. Overseas fishing trip- my first ever at ONO Fiji with Daz and Sam. Sensational. Was so much fun, followed up with Chistmas Island with TimVB. Will definatley be doing at least one a year from now on. Even better, done with great blokes.

3. Upgrading the fishing gear to high quality stuff - good old Penns have been replaced with Stellas, Crystal Tips with T-Curves. Makes the whole experience that bit more special, the bank account that bit more empty.

4. Leaving the bait at home......a whole year now basically without bait. Big thanks to Daz for the coaching......a few pretty tough days 30 km offshore with no bait and no touches all day......but I persisted and am now catching more and importantly better quality fish on artificals. First time I met Chisp and seeing his jig collection, I thought.....dude, you have a disease......apparently it is very contagious.

5. First Metro Mac - something very special about this one......

AND THE BEST - Double +20kg YFT hookup on the 3 Mile with DazSam.........unbelievable moment, followed by high fives and a serious dry root on landing the 2 beasts.

Still to do:

- cracking the KG code.........dammm.....

- Yellow Tail King.......I have seen a few chasing lures, but no closer.

- greenback tailor on the 3 mile breaks.

- pink snapper on jig.

- Deep drop ooglie.

Upgrading boat to 5.1 side console Noble SuperV.

Now to exlpore the Kimberley and trips already scheduled.

Been scoring good Barra and learning new country, but the next target species is Black Jew

Hopefully put some FW crew onto some good fish when they arrive soon

Really should spool the fly reel...........

got my first SBT and Longtail

first salmon, even though it was in the swan and about 40cm

first year of tying all my knots without dads help, and showing him a few things too

landed my first and only dhuie at 40cm

started learning the ways of artificials, hoping to get something decent on jigs before the years out

other firsts were: blackass, skippy, harliquen, sambo

also had the joy of bringing my uncle out on the boat with us, teaching him all i know about fishing.

still yet to get a merto; mack, pinkie, KG and baldy

nothing really special to report, but still a decent effort being the first whole year with the boat

Mine two achievements I have been happy with

1. Finally getting to the abrohlos

2. Logging a couple of 40m dives. Cant wait for cray season to start again.

1. Getting my first boat a 5.3 razorline ally
2. First annual boys trip to wagoe, didn't get much but had an awesome time

 That was a major milestone and opens up the door to some fantastic opportunities for me. It has also given me a bit of extra time to fish.

• We managed to get back to Kalbarri this year and enjoyed that immensely.
• I have upgraded a couple of my rods to graphite and I am really enjoying the experience.
• I personally rebuilt the motor of my Disco and she runs like a dream now. Saved heaps and therefore more money available to fish.
• Not a fishing objective/achievement persay but we added a new Grandaughter to our collection.
• I also manged to meet a few more members from here and will contiinue to engage with them.

COMPLETED

Finally got to Broome to experience the awesome fishing..

Got my first Tuna, on a Bream setup no less :)

Got my first Saltiga reel, spent alot of time saving my poo change for that.

Found some good whiting grounds by myself

UNCOMPLETED

Didnt get that spaniard but the year still has abit to go

No GT yet :(

TO BE COMPLETED... HOPEFULLY

PB Snapper, 5.1kg is the mark

Completed:

Upgrade motor: for me safety first. I NEVER come home with less than 1/3 fuel left (120l capacity). Weird but I am here typing so surviving is numero uno to complete. Now the Johno 2S 115 was what I had on the boat when I got her. Now I have a ETEC 115 and my range has almost doubled. Now go wide and into them is an option. Still be 1/3 tank (even though I have 2 20l jerries full onboard aswell) F#@*ng weirdo I am.

First legal bluebone onboard (have been trying to nail these suckers and almost gave up) but this one ate a live squid on snell. Will now go back to crab baits and give it another serious go. No wonder many fish with handlines etc, because this rather large BB took a serious dislike to the Saragosa 8000 and Monster Mesh and had us calling it all sorts.

Robbo!!!! For some reason my favourite fish. It taste OK but not as good as others, looks OK but not flash, fights OK but nothing special. Dont know why. Just weird.

Incomplete:

Getting the SW fly rod out more. I just cant seem to get the idea that you dont have to whaft the wand to still fly fish. Its a little tricky on the boat, and drifting the fly down the line just isnt fly fishing in my book. That is untill you get something on the line. So I have to get over that, as anything on a fly rod and reel is unbeatable fun.

Any stickface!!!! My best friend and fishing buddy is my long suffering fiance. I said I wont get married until ALL Xwife shit is over, well it never seem to happen now doesnt it. Problem is she has gone a little green 2odd years back after seeing a lit up sail slice in to look at the teaser. She was so excited about this it took her almost 5minutes to stop shaking. BUT now she is adamant that we arent to chase or target them, because they are such a stunning fish and she wont harm them. Any one with a better approach than me about how to insist that C&R with circle hooks will not harm them in anyway please help. Knowing what a gun fisho she is I do know that if we hook one, it would be on, because she will want to make sure its OK and hence catch it. After that I am sure that the "Billfish Blindness" will set in, and then perhaps I can get into it. Now I routinely have a "popper" riding shotgun when we troll, and it aint what most of us will call a popper. She always sets the spread, but because the "Shotgun" ALWAYS (doesnt it) tangle I carefully set that and I am getting rather fast with the popper to pusher change over. She knows I am sure, because of the funny look she gives me, and she KNOWS the difference between a popper and pusher. I can hide it going out, its the retrieve that I cant. I think its a game now, but all we seem to strike so far on the grassy's etc is the razor gang. Damn sharp teeth they have, and I suffer a fair few losses because the fluoro leader is relatively light and I have a few tricks about getting the pusher "concealed" which can certainly cause the extra Ooops that happen with the shotgun compared with the others. We troll with braid with a very long wind-on fluoro leader so not ideal but if I change to mono she'll be on to me straight away. Funny how the wind-on has become sort of a braid backed rather than braid rig.

The game continues and for some reason the billies around Dampier much prefer bait trolled (or livies) than pushers, but I am sure that the event will happen and then you will hear the scream in Perth. I have her obviously on first strike on that one. She has the port Short corner and I have the long corner as other first strikes. She complains (I like this) that it gives her an unfair advantage fishing with it this way. My correct arguement is that since I mostly skipper, its important to clear the others in the spread to stop tangles. Ha Ha. All fun anyway.

Getting MY first legal Bluebone. Yes Yes it was hers. Bloody hell she is a good fisher in anyones books.

Getting this pain in the back fixed so that I can get back to fishing and sleep. Not fun and this painkiller stuff has knobs on it. How can anyone do this for FUN. Yawn.

My goal at the start if the year was to get a north metro beach mulloway, I managed that in march with a 20kg one along with a few others so now my target has changed to get a pb blue groper from the rocks down south and also a lb Mack wich I should be able to do later this year in kalbarri..

those NOR taste a little bit sweeter lol, nice capature chris

without a marlin, bugger

My goal for this year was to get a landbased spaniard over 20 kg on spin hasnt happened yet only a few smaller ones and a cobia off the rocks ive hooked one so far but dropped the hooks , ive had quite a few firsts this year though first spanglie , mulla , mackerel , and heaps more , also got my pb tailor which was 86 cm and round 5 or 6 kg , still got another quobba trip at the end of the year so hopefully do well then .

Still to catch a Sailfish, they are much more ellusive than the Marlin now for some reason. Land a Billy on my own boat for me not my deckies. Another Barra or 10 please. Reds and more reds the search will continue.

Crossed off the first marlin, actually two with Lastchance during the Damp Classic, something i will never forget, got the first Marlin on Las Vegas and got to play with a big one off Damps but i really wanna do this properly.

2012 will see a Monties trip, more billfish once the boat is set up and explore more ground to the NE.

My objective this year was to catch, photograph & release a nice billy at Exmouth. Well as things turned out we never realy got to have a crack at it. But what i did acheive was to bring my long time mate home & watch him recover from what could have been a lot worse cenario. He is now doing well (thanx to all concerned) & now my fishing goal for this year has become my goal for next year, so bring on Exmouth. I suppose when ya put it all into perspective, it's only a fish but good fishing buddies are a once in a lifetime catch.
be safe all
cheers Rob

 Caugth my first fish on fly (a skippy)

Also got my first swan river flatty earlier this year

Yet to get a 40cm bream (32.5cm pb)

Still chasing a mulla of 10kg plus, haven't really put in that many hours though

First squid first fish on lure bream etc