Exmouth May 2013 Land Based Report
Hi Folks,
It's only been 5 months, but i've finally got round to writing up my trip to Exmouth in May 2013!
I left England full off hope and expectation, and made my way to Singapore. From here i transferred to Perth, where I arrived at 10pm. My flight to Exmouth wasn't until 6am, so i spent a rivetting time sitting in the internal flight lounge at the airport! I caught my flight to Exxy, and landed a short while later under clear blue skies and a warm sun. It only took 44 hours from a rainy England!
I picked up my hire car, and headed up to town. This journey didn't last long, as I couldn't resist stopping at Learmonth jetty to throw some lures. Despite still having all my warm clothes on from England, I spent a couple of hours chukcing out poppers and caught mangrove jacks, baby GTs and little queenies. I then made my way in to town, via the two tackle shops, and checked in at my basic, but the cheapest i could find, room at the Potshot Resort.
That evening i went back to Learmonth, spent some time spinning for not very much, and then decided to focus on sharks for the night. I was hoping to get a bite quickly, but it was several hours before I had a bite, and i missed two in quick succession.
After that trip, i then split my time between the gulf side of the cape north of town, and then at various spots on the national park side. The weather was pretty rough wuite a lot of the time, with heavy rain, and wild wind, but I managed to fish most of the time. On the east side, i spent two days on Bundegi flats, but only managed a few Charlie Courts here. Further up, i fished a lot of light lures between Bundegi boat ramp and the naval jetty. Along here I caught lots of small trevally of various types. I spent a huge amount of time popping for GTs (about 25 hours in this spot) around the naval jetty, but only had 2 hits, and they were on my first time trying!
Around the cape, I did more light lure fishing on the Oysters Reef areas, but just more small Trevs. I also did about 20 hours GT fishing here, but just one hit. So in all 45 hours fishing for 3 GT hits which all came off!
Further south from here, i fished most of the accesses all the way down to Tantabiddi boat ramp. I had my best fishing along this coast, and it was here i got addicted to fishing surface poppers. The amount of different trevs, plus queenies and long toms, was truly amazing.
I fished at Sandy Bay and some other areas in the national park a few times but I didn't do very well at all here.
I had intended to do a lot of fly fishing, but my fly rod was snapped somewhere on the journey out.
The only other fishing i did around the cape was for more sharks. I only had one bite in the daytime, but this turned out to be a massive spangled emporer! In the night, there were loads of sharks, and I had black tips to about 50lb, lemons to 100lb or so and one massive nurse shark. I also got spooled by some real monsters.
I've decided that Exxy is just too good so i'll have to go back! So i'm just starting to plan now. Targets are a massive Tiger Shark, big GT from the shore, lear to use soft plastics, and maybe even a bonefish and a permit on the fly! Here's hoping...
Tim
shorething
Posts: 241
Date Joined: 05/10/11
Awesome report mate. Sounds
Awesome report mate. Sounds like a beast journey to Exxy from England! I could happily spend many days up there land based..such a great place.
are you from here or uk originally? Had you been to Exxy before? Long way to come :) curious that's all..
cheers!
carnarvonite
Posts: 8627
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Well done
Sounds like you had a great trip in one way with the sharks but a bit quiet as far as your fin fish exploits.
There is always next trip and now you have an idea whats on offer and how to go about it the sky is the limit. Next time get on the site early and message the locals up there, they can point you in the right direction and probably go with you or take you on a boat ride for a change .
timwalden
Posts: 49
Date Joined: 14/12/10
The journey back was even
The journey back was even worse! Delayed flights meant it took 91 hours.
I live in England but I'd been to WA twice before so I'd heard about Exxy. I also know a chap who cycled round that part of the country and spent some time fishing there. I've also been lucky enough to fish a couple of places around the world, so was looking for something a bit different. The problem with travelling on my own, plus the simple cost of getting there, restricted me to land based fishing, so that why I did what I did. I really wanted to cast a fly at a bonefish or a permit, but didn't even see one of either, even if my fly rod had been in good working order.
As for the bigger fin fish, I had one golden trevally about 5 kilos, but other than that I had just had loads and loads of small trevs and queenies of 1-2 kilos. I really would have liked something bigger but I didn't manage that one.
I'm pretty sure ill be back next Easter, as long as I can get the time off, to try again. So that means the preparations will have to start soon!
I know it may seem mad travelling that far, but the fishing there was simply out of this world.
FISH-ON
Posts: 469
Date Joined: 19/07/11
really good work!! specially
really good work!! specially your not from australia and do you catch sharks in england
Be patient and calm - for no one can catch fish in anger
timwalden
Posts: 49
Date Joined: 14/12/10
We have virtually no fish on
We have virtually no fish on our seas compared to WA. All thanks to over fishing. To get a chance of a shark, you need to go about 60km out towards America to have a decent chance. And as for bottom fish we're nothing like you. And sport fish just don't exist!
Adam Gallash
Posts: 15610
Date Joined: 29/11/05
good stuff
Good stuff Tim, next time you're in Exxy make sure you try get there April to August, theres a good chance someone from the site will be there and they will give you a ride out in the boat. That will really open your eyes to exceptional fishing!! Great report mate.
Site Admin - Just ask if you need assistance
crasny1
Posts: 6986
Date Joined: 16/10/08
+1
Adam is correct. Next time just post and I am sure someone will give you a ride on the briny.
This may NOT be the case should you guys thrash us in the upcoming Ashes (we wont talk about the one gone)
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
timwalden
Posts: 49
Date Joined: 14/12/10
Thanks for the advise!I could
Thanks for the advise!
I could see how good the offshore fishing must be by all the massive mackie heads in the fish bins! Also, i could see big fish busting up schools of flying fish when I was stood on the beach.
I am very tempted to get my boat license some time in the next few months so I can hire a tinny when i go again. Only thing that concerned me was how rough the sea was most of the time I was there. I remember hearing about a boat being lost whilst I was there.
If I did go out in a boat, i'd be more interested in the sport fish (macks, tuna, billfish, GTs etc) rather than the bottom fishing. It really is time for me to start planning my trip in detail!
Bootboot
Posts: 67
Date Joined: 13/03/13
Cool report sounded like a
Cool report sounded like a real adventure for you, top effort!