exmouth disaster

hey guys

just went up to Exmouth in the school holidays and we caught hardly anything. we fished in every known spot and the biggest fish was a 2 kilo flathead at wapet creek. the only northern fish we caught were a couple of moses perch, a queenfish and a stonefish on SP. we did some night fishing at bundige and we couldn't even manage a stingray. all the beaches were dead there wasn't even any bait fish around. the only place that looked promising was at learmonth jetty, at the jetty i think we saw just one queenie but there was some bait fish around so that kind of gave the feeling that there would be fish around. probaly the most productive spot would have to be the bundige boat ramp finger jetty, at the jetty we were hammering the yellow fin bream with the biggest at around 40 cm we caught some big eye trevally there too.

i sorry if i am going on a bit but i was looking forward to the trip so much that when we didn't catch much i was just so disapointed.


Brody's picture

Posts: 1024

Date Joined: 06/02/07

 Exmouth, like anywhere, can

Tue, 2011-11-15 20:22

 Exmouth, like anywhere, can be like that unfortunately. Off the shore especially. When we were up there 2 weeks ago, there was bugger all bait, and the shore fishing was very tough. Good work getting some runs on the board though, sounds like you tried bloody hard.

Posts: 918

Date Joined: 06/03/09

my first trip to exmouth this

Tue, 2011-11-15 20:37

my first trip to exmouth this year i caught one little trevally and 2 little mackeral, so you did better than me!

Posts: 197

Date Joined: 22/08/11

even still exmouth is suposed

Tue, 2011-11-15 20:43

even still exmouth is suposed to be the best landbased fishing in wa.

the sad thing is that the biggest fish i caught i can catch down south, ive caught a lot of flathead not that big but close to it.

dumper's picture

Posts: 1027

Date Joined: 03/04/08

 Don't know who told you

Tue, 2011-11-15 21:48

 Don't know who told you that. Sure your not confused with steep point or quobba. If you ever go back, fish the accesses on the west side on a rising tide for spanglies

Paul_86's picture

Posts: 1449

Date Joined: 27/03/09

Just like brody said mate, it

Tue, 2011-11-15 21:16

Just like brody said mate, it happens to the best of us sometimes. You just gotta try and enjoy the time up there and away from work and im sure ull have a cracker trip in the future. Ive also found that not getting my hopes up before a trip helps, that way if the fishing sucks im not bumbed coz i wasnt expecting much anyway (even tho it may be in exmouth or any other top fishing destination) and if the fishing is good then its a bonus! Thats how i look at it anyway

Posts: 918

Date Joined: 06/03/09

i was in coral bay b4 going

Tue, 2011-11-15 21:21

i was in coral bay b4 going to exmouth and  was having a tough time finding fish being landbased and completely new to the area, but we found a beach that had baitfish jumping, birds diving etc, and was getting either a fish or a hit every second cast. as i said when we got to exmouth, even though every single beach looks like fish heaven we just struggled. never saw any 'activity' like the baitfish and birds. easterly was howling nonstop so didnt get a shot at the east side.

everyone fisherman i came across (landbased) hadnt caught bugger all either. even saw some blokes at the caravan park filleting those 20cm charlie court things (or woteva their called) and they had a dhingy!

went to sharkbay last year in june and had a ball getting nice fat tailor and some small mackeral up to maybe 45-50cm just casting metals off the beach, went this year at the start of sept, the southerly howled evry day and i caught one decent tailor and a few choppers.

sometimes u just get the wrong conditions etc and theres bugger all can be done about it :/

Posts: 2925

Date Joined: 27/12/06

Unlucky

Tue, 2011-11-15 21:46

Unlucky there Pal.
I don't agree with it bring the BEST landbased fishing spot I WA though...... Search LBG on this site Barcelona.

Bodie's picture

Posts: 3758

Date Joined: 05/11/07

yep a bit unlucky. But like

Wed, 2011-11-16 09:43

yep a bit unlucky.

 

But like any fishing locations, you cant just 'rock up' and expect to start catching fish hand over fist. Takes a little time to learn the area. Did you fish the right tides, use the right baits and or plastics?

Straight down in front of the light house caravan park fishing sand holes produced spangles, GT's and many other northern species. BUT the key was the tide and location. Dont just fish 'the jetties' or an open beach. Look for places where fish would hold up, especially with northern fish, most like tidal movement, so where the current if flowing will generally produce.

Alanby's picture

Posts: 49

Date Joined: 14/10/11

Like most places north the

Wed, 2011-11-16 14:34

Like most places north the winds start getting serious July onwards so you have to be lucky going in September.

As we used to say on our many trips to Direction Island in the nineties, A good mob of blokes, some good tucker and heaps of piss.

The fishing is just a bonus!!

Adam Gallash's picture

Posts: 15641

Date Joined: 29/11/05

yep

Thu, 2011-11-17 11:05

Hit and miss it is indeed, definitely not the best lb fishing in wa, but it does have some quality spots if you are there at the right times.

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Gav475's picture

Posts: 397

Date Joined: 16/11/11

recent trip

Thu, 2011-11-17 22:48

Mate just got back from Exmouth last week. Took the boat up and basically tried bottom bouncing from the Murions to Nor west reef to both north and south of tantabiddi up to 100 meters depth with no joy. Tried all tides and times and basically only caught charlie courts, leather jackets and nor west blowies. Trawling for mackies saved the trip but the bottom fishing was appauling. I guess you have to have the local knowlwgde where and when. Its not a case of study the chart, pick likely looking ground and then fish it cause there is nothing there. While I was at the lighthouse c/v Park we were having a few bevies out the front of an evening and saw a large commercial vessel in very close to shore all light up. Couldt tell what they were doing but im guessing they were fishing. We were really disapointed with the bottom fishing but plan b, trawling saved us.

I have been fishing and diving Exmouth since the Americans were there and the preassure is definately starting to show.   

Bodie's picture

Posts: 3758

Date Joined: 05/11/07

Think everyone has bene

Fri, 2011-11-18 11:18

Think everyone has bene through that mate with the bottom bouncing.

 

Took us some time to find likely ground for any decent bottom fish (Reds, trout, rankin).

 

Altho we did well on the bottom species, couldnt trawl a mackie for the whole trip! had all the gear too, teasers, witch doctors the lot...for nada! Just how it is. 

Posts: 108

Date Joined: 30/09/10

ya shoulda

Fri, 2011-11-18 10:59

 ya shoulda taken the gear around to turquoise bay - always clean up there! hahaha

Gav475's picture

Posts: 397

Date Joined: 16/11/11

info

Fri, 2011-11-18 19:22

Just a bit of info that I thought was interesting. While I was there I was having a few issues with a new crazy deep halco lure that was unstable over about 4 knots so I rang the Halco boys and had a chat with a really interesting and knowledgable block from the factory. He was saying Mackies have an issue with their iris and cant tolerate alot of light. He asked me what time I was getting into the mackies which was funny enough, was early morning. After about 9 ish they would go off the bite, just as well both me and the missus were knacked from pulling them in. He was saying that as the light increases the fish tend to go deep which would explain them shutting down. As a note he did say that the crazy deep opimum speed is about 4 knots and little things like removing the hooks from the fish with pliers gan upset the anchor points under the lure which will effect the lures stability. Really nice blokes so if you have have any issues with your halco give them a call.