Plenty of sharks
While not entered in to this years Carnarfin fishing comp the main thing that has been discussed between crews was the amount of sharks being hooked and eating hooked fish. The times one spent on radio duty and listening in it seem that at one stage there was at least 10-12 boats all hooked on to sharks at once up around Koks island.
I spoke to people down from Exmouth and an old bloke who is stopping on Gnaraloo for a few months and it was the same up that way as well. One rumour that came about was that a week back the fisheries vessel Naturaliste put out a 100 hook set line and caught 83 sharks, a figure I only could dream of while doing it professionally with up to 750 hooks in the water.
Either they consider opening the area up to shark fishing or its going to be a near waste of time going fishing because all you are doing is feeding the buggers.
tot
Posts: 1162
Date Joined: 31/01/10
Agree with fishing Gnaraloo
Agree with fishing Gnaraloo recently , out the back was only good for a coupla drops if lucky then time to go back in near camp . Will have some footage soon of a congregation of grey suits and friends attracted to a whale . Fishing with pe6 we were towed around a couple of times for over half an hour at about half a knott , lost a few wind on's and rigs . bastards!!
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johnno67
Posts: 408
Date Joined: 12/03/10
Yep agree
Was at Gnaraloo 2 weeks ago and evey one including us had the same problem I go every year and this was bad,not very often you would see 3 to 4 sharks hanging around your boat even giving it a little bump every now and then.
We like to fish the 100m for gold band but at the end of the trip that was hard without Getty smashed loosing to much gear all the time.
scotto
Posts: 2472
Date Joined: 21/04/08
Wait until hlokk sees this
There'll be 400 links to how they're numbers aren't increasing, with a 300 line post that not only doesn't make sense, but his 200 pointless replies further clogging the matter.
wade stenhouse
Posts: 132
Date Joined: 06/10/08
ditto for Scotto
ditto for Scotto
Xtreme Coolers
Posts: 725
Date Joined: 02/01/10
Water temp
Do any of you think the high water temp has anything to do with the increase in sharks? Curious as i head to Gnaraloo every year in July. Last year the water temps were coldish at 20 - 22 and we only hooked one shark the whole week. Just had a look at the sea water temps up your way Carnarvonite. Bloody warm all the way down to Gero.
Any thoughts?
Dave
Doooma
Posts: 791
Date Joined: 05/12/09
Agree
I fished ballast ground not that far from the beach 2 weeks ago and we were surrounded by 100's of sharks... blacktips, bronzies and a few tigers...
Honestly never seen that many there before!!! Took a couple of small ones just so we could have a feed..
Mate also just lost a crab net to a tiger shark almost within rock throwing distance of pelican point beach!!!
carnarvonite
Posts: 8673
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Closed season
Its been about 6 years since they closed the area north of Exmouth to shark fishing because of a severe drop in the numbers of sandbar whalers [thickskins] to allow them to build up again but the area down here has to my knowledge has always been closed from NW Cape through to Steep Point so it could be time to open it up to the pros but with the maximum size limit take on pros as well it won't make any difference.
For down south it is all because of the closure of shark fishing from Lancelin down to Mandurah about 7 years back and its only going to get worse as numbers continue to build.
marble
Posts: 778
Date Joined: 03/09/09
The brother just got back to
The brother just got back to Busso from a weeks fishing out from Carnarvon, basically bagged out on reds etc and never lost a fish to sharks and ony caught one about 3 feet long.
Exmouth is bad at the moment and I and plenty of others reckon the problem is largely caused by people continuing to fish a spot after the sharks move in. That just teaches the bastards that a boat in the area equals a free feed. If you get sharked move somewhere else, it may be a bit more work but will be worth it in the long run.
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johnno67
Posts: 408
Date Joined: 12/03/10
Have you tried it
Have you tried it fish up north every year and this was the worst for sharks.
Fished Gnaraloo 2 weeks ago and did average of 42 mile a day moving a way from the sharks makes jacks shit difference the water 26 degrees most days go there yourself and try moving from the bastards simpler said than done he must of been lucky cause when we pulled into carnarvon and stopped at the local tackle shop the owner there was tellin us this year was the worst they seen for sharks and also spoke to the local fishing charter business and he reckoned the same.
marble
Posts: 778
Date Joined: 03/09/09
Try it nearly every weekend
Try it nearly every weekend johnno :-) the perks of living here i spose. Fishing the more out of the way or less raped by the freezer filling once a year visitors helps heaps too . . .
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Faulkner Family
Posts: 18085
Date Joined: 11/03/08
i feel its about time they
i feel its about time they opened the whole area up for the pro shark fishos. even if only for 1 season , it would make a diff. seems to be for every fish landed people are loosing at least 1 to sharks so this will put more of a strain on the fish population. something has gotta be done before its too late if not already
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
Deckie
Posts: 1296
Date Joined: 03/04/09
Whalers
Fishing Exmouth in the F/W comp this year, for the first time in 14 years we encountered oceanic whalers. They were taking fish from 65 meters & we had to fight them all the way to the surface. Damn hard work when they are 3-4 meters long & they dont bite you off.
Two days later we returned to the same spot to try our luck & as soon as we pulled up they surfaced. I think it has reached the stage now that as soon as a boat pulls up it means a free feed.
We have noticed the sharks up there getting more & more prolific over the last 6 years & more agressive, especially the smaller bronzies in shallower waters on the west side.
At the risk of sounding like a selfish fisherman, perhaps a season of shark fishing is required to thin out the numbers a little.
cheers & be safe Rob
Cheers & Stay safe
crasny1
Posts: 7006
Date Joined: 16/10/08
Up here in Kcity
IMO its almost got to the point that fishing deeper than 15m-20m its killing fish. Then you dont have any sport even in the shallows, because its skull dragging fish to avoid the taxman. Using PE6+ to catch snapper, trout and others is not sport, and thats what I fish like if I can, a feed is secondary. But now its changed, skull drag for a feed.
Any sportiness dissapear down the gob off a shark. I also find that if you move spots, unless you drive like Fangio/Senna they simply follow you for a free feed.
I am not saying kill them, but it is starting to feel like if we dont do anything, it will threaten the stocks off the demersal targets we chase.
What is wrong with a well controlled shark fishery??
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
Sean66
Posts: 149
Date Joined: 18/09/11
The sharks have been bad
The sharks have been bad around Hedland as well. Normally we get mulloway off the jetty in town, but this season its been pathetic. We havent been losing fish to sharks, the sharks get to the baits before the mulloway do. We use 250-300lb handlines and they bust us off. The sharks have been around for sometime and seem to be building in numbers.
Side note...I was on Westmoore last year and the sharks were there too. When you can flick out a popper from the beach and attract their attention, it cant be good.
I'm here for a good time, not a long time. Lets go fishing!
Rod P
Posts: 725
Date Joined: 20/05/08
So it seems from most
So it seems from most people's post it would be fair to say the sharks seem more aggressive to get the bait or fish on the line?
carnarvonite
Posts: 8673
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Welcomed
When I was shark fishing up north between Hedland and Exmouth we would be welcomed with open arms every time we came back to Exmouth because of the number of sharks we would take ou in the couple of weeks we would be in the area.
Then we had an overseas market for any size shark as long as it was bone out , brine tanked, plastic wrapped and snap frozen. We had to cut them up so that no pack would weigh more than approx 9kg, this included tigers, hammerheads, dusky whalers etc of bigger than 5 metres.Tthe stomach, claspers, backbone and teeth/jaws also had a market so nearly nothing was wasted.
Opening up the area now would be good but wouldn't solve the problem because now there is a size limit in place that prevents bigger sharks being taken and they are the ones that are causing most of the grief that is coming from boat anglers.
Sean66
Posts: 149
Date Joined: 18/09/11
And thats why I dont go
And thats why I dont go swimming up north. Im wary of wading into the water when barra fishing...lol...if i dont go into the water, the sharks dont walk on land...its a very convenient agreement.
I'm here for a good time, not a long time. Lets go fishing!