Desmond, if you were strictly land-based I'd say you'd get most use out of the #8 and the #10 but the referance to sailfish makes me think you'll have a boat and in that case you'll be better off with the #10 and #12. Lines come down to personal preferance but make sure they're tropical rated as it will be plenty hot at that time of year.

The fishing can basically be broken up into two scenarios, shallow/flats fishing and deeper bluewater stuff. For the shallow stuff I personally use full inters and inter tip lines the most, lines like Rio tarpon (now called the tropical saltwater I/I) and the florida bonefish with the clear inter tip (now called the tropical saltwater F/I) as I even fish my surface/crease flies on an intermediate so I rarely bother with floaters if at all. Some guys prefer bonefish tapers but I really like the shorter, more agressive tapers of these lines for quick shots with big and/or heavy flies in the wind. I generally take at least four lines so make sure you have some spares as it only takes one big fish to run you around something nasty and you can destroy a line in no time.

For the bluewater stuff shooting heads are the go, if you're not a fan of throwing lead core then you can go with an integrated head like a rio deep sea or outbound. LC-13 or T-14 is definately the best value though for fishing berley trails/dredging as it doesn't hurt too bad when you lose it. Don't forget some single strand game wire for wire bite tippets for the bluewater also.

As for backing, the standard is 300 yds, my preferance is for 50lb but depending on your reels 30lb will do if you have to use it to get 300 on there.

There's not much you can't catch on clousers and deceivers so the sizes you've got there will be fine. For a two week trip I'll generally take at least 50 clousers, a nice mix of synthetics and bucktail in all white ,chartruese over white, and yellow over white in size 2, 1/0 and 2/0. As for deceivers basically the same colours except I'll substitute yellow over white for olive over white.

Bones are a hit and miss proposition, you may run into them and you may not see them at all so they're definately not something you want to base your trip on. It can't hurt to bring your bonefish flies along, they may end up coming in handy. The flies you've mentioned for sails sound fine.

That should give you a rough idea of what to expect and what you'll need, cheers Gav.

Hi,

Thanks Gav for the tips - good one on the single strand!
Yup we will have a boat in tow. Guess I'll be bringing a 9, two 10s and 12. Plus a 6pc 8 in my suitcase in case they loose the rod tube in transit.
Will post pics right after my trip. Possibly with pics of the flies before and after they've been chewed.
Usually in my excitement I forget to take pics, and they are usually of other people.

Another barrage of questions if i may impose. How long is the drive up from Perth? And how much should I budget for gas for the truck and the boat as well. Where's a good place to stay and is advance booking required? Shouldn't have a problem with road closures in Nov right? Worried about road closures if it rains. Canarvon would be a nice alternate then right? Two guys are going to be flying in from overseas so camping's not looking too practical.

Tight lines
Des

It will take you approx 10-11 hours from Perth to Carnarvon sitting on the max allowable for towing a trailer then another 3 1/2-4 hours from there up to Exmouth.A lot of travellers prefer to overnight here in Carnarvon then take off refreshed the next morning.

November is starting to get into the quiet season for accomodation here so you may get away with out making a booking,but for the cost of a phone call its not worth the chance of missing out.
Diesel and unleaded are around $1'37-$1'42 at the moment and I'm sure someone up in Exmouth can give you the prices from there.I suspect you'd pay an extra 12-15 cents a litre.

As always,

Good advice found over here. I was worried it would take more than a day's driving.
The stop in Canarvon is a good idea even with two driving. Safety first.
Will still set aside two days for going up and down - for Murphy when you least expect him!

Burnin drags to ye'all
Des

Desmond, the Lighthouse caravan park is popular and has chalets that while basic, they do the job fine. The other popular accomodation is at the Yardie creek homestead. There's a few real estate agents so renting a house in town is an option but won't be cheap if there's only three of you or so.

Getting rained out in November is highly unlikely so it would be wise to book some accomodation in advance, there's nothing worse after a road trip than having to hussle for somewhere to stay. Google Exmouth accomodation for contact numbers,  cheers Gav. 

Hi,

Thanks Gav for dropping a couple of leads for accomodation.
We will probably book early. Basic is the key as all my dough got spent on shiny round things.
Will probably have to scout out boat ramps, food (roadkill if we can't catch anything) and all.
I hear you're the chief, so olive over white it is!

It's Friday
Des

we towed a 23footer to exxy in may with a navara 4cyl diesel, the boat was loaded aprox weight 3tonne and we used just over $400 on fuel and nearly as much on foor for 4 people LOL , if you stop in cataby use the second servo as it was cheaper fuel and in geraldton go to the 440 just north out of town again it was the cheapest, carry jerry cans if you have them for the trip up as the fuel costs get a bit higher between geraldton and carnarvon, enjoy your trip

I've always stayed at the lighthouse as it's cheap and basic, and like you, I've already spent most of my money on gear! As long as I've got a cold beer and a barby at the end of the day and a soft bed to crash on I'm happy. Salt water showers aren't the best but they do the job.