Exmouth Fishing Report 6th Jan 2006

Courtesy of EGFC - Scott Forbes

What a brilliant start to the year.  The weather has been sensational with light winds and hot temperatures.  The fishing has also been amazing with many different catches to report.

One of the most exciting reports has been the billfishing with loads of small black marlin in waters close to shore and even out in the deep waters.  Also there have been pods of sailfish and even striped marlin reports.  Pete Versteeg and crew onboard Sea Eagle raised 15 billfish in one day and managed to tag three.  Other boats on the same day raised nine or more billfish and Ben Knight spent four hours fighting a 200kg+ on 15kg line class.  Ben’s sure the fish didn’t really know it was hooked as it continued to cruise the back of the reef.  After that effort, fellow angler Shaun Brandenburg caught his first sailfish, then two black marlin-not a bad effort for someone new to billfishing. 

Anglers couldn’t keep a lure in the water for more than ten minutes before it was snavelled by a pelagic predator at at the back of the reef during the good weather.  Mahi-mahi, mackerel, wahoo, tuna and mackerel were competing with each other to lures ranging from Halco crazy deeps which troll at 7m deep, right through to surface pushers.  The ocean is well and truly alive.  Even a group of several boats from Perth ranging from 4.1m tinnies to large hire boats have been amongst it all, catching their first marlin and sailfish in two consecutive days.

The shore fishing has also fired with spangled emperor in large sizes being caught around the west side.  Threadfin salmon have also been reported along the west side on rubber tails.  Tony Ong, visiting fly angler from Perth caught a permit on fly which is a highly sought after species for fly anglers.  Local angler Ali (Wayne) Barber was spooled by a large milkfish along the Bundegi flats.  There have been many fly fishing anglers up here especially after the recent article on bonefish in Fly Life magazine.   

Steve Moore and partner Carrie have just moved in to town and both love their fishing.  Steve managed to finally land his first marlin after hooking many in the past, but never quite getting the tag in.  Steve is pictured this week with deckhand Tracey Rushford and the little black caught off the ledge.