Where is the Best Shore Fishing in Australia?
Hi guys,
I am writing to you from Ireland because after another incredibly crap summer here (~3 days of sunshine - no kidding) I have had enough and I am packing in the job and heading to warmer climes.
I am a fanatical shore angler here in Ireland - when the weather permits - but dwindling fish stocks and huge commercial pressure has left the shore fishing in this part of the world a mere shadow of what it used to be.
So the plan is to find a destination with some awesome shore fishing and build a job and a new life around it afterwards :-) I've been looking at the Exmouth/Ningaloo area on the NW coast but I am wondering if I am missing out on better elsewhere?
Have a look at my website, this is as good as land based sea fishing gets here in Ireland - trust me! I need more and bigger fish - where do I go!?
Cheers,
Liam
Ryan Thipthorp (not verified)
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 01/01/70
nailed it!
Liam, you've nailed it with your own suggestion! Exmouth is awesome, one of my favourite locations in WA.....a perfect spot for everything!
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flangies
Posts: 2547
Date Joined: 11/05/08
Gosh the fishing sucks! Cant
Gosh the fishing sucks!
Cant wait till ya get a taste of WA :)
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UncutTriggerInWA
Posts: 2692
Date Joined: 05/09/08
Shore Fishing in WA
If your planning on touring you can start at the SA border in the SE and drive and fish all the way up to Exmouth. You will be stoked with the varieties of fish and the different techniques required to be successful from the shoreline. Hire a winabago or something similar and bring your laptop. Tune in here each day for advice on the particular location. Learn the majical art of catch and release as most of us here have mastered. You can only eat so much and we are very focused on sustainability.
If your looking for work, this is the place to come!!!!
Cheers, Vince
http://vinceholt.spaces.live.com/
------------------------------
Work Smart - Fish Often
Vince.
Work smart and fish often.
Member and die-hard supporter of the mighty West Coast Eagles.
Colin Hay
Posts: 10407
Date Joined: 23/10/07
If you decide to have a look at the East Coast of Australia
I would highly recommend Hat Head on the north coast of NSW. Loads of different shore-based options from catching giant flathead from the beaches to big spanish mackeral and tuna from the rocks. And the tailor fishing. Unbelievable. Spent all of my holidays there as a youth and had some fantastic experiences.
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Shorty
Posts: 1549
Date Joined: 10/05/08
Swanbourne Beach is a good
Swanbourne Beach is a good spot here in Perth, good fishing off the beach for Tailor etc,,be careful of the White Pointers but they are every where.
Colin 3 > long standing and highly respect member of the prestigous Colin's club.
flangies
Posts: 2547
Date Joined: 11/05/08
If you go up north, can you
If you go up north, can you bring back original teenage? i dont think he took my warning bout the man eating nor west blowies ^_^
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Bodie
Posts: 3758
Date Joined: 05/11/07
Karratha is a pretty decent
Karratha is a pretty decent spot, with many locations in short driving distance.
Also with the mining boom, its a hub for many companies and many jobs.
tommo77
Posts: 461
Date Joined: 20/06/08
hillarys boat harbour
haha not ...
exmouth for sure
Colin Hay
Posts: 10407
Date Joined: 23/10/07
Apart from Flangies "killer" blowies (Lol)
Kalbarri is definately a great landbased option in WA.
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schecky
Posts: 1645
Date Joined: 25/08/08
you wont be disapointed with
you wont be disapointed with exmouth!
reuben.
mako magic
Posts: 5785
Date Joined: 03/08/05
even though there is some
even though there is some top coast fishing in WA i would have to agree with Colin Hay, some of the fishing on the far south coast of NSW is just out of this world, big yellowfin tuna to 100kg big marlin etc, just awesome stuff land based
The Tackle shack, for all your fishing needs
huge range of stock to suit any fisherperson.
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fishRamma
Posts: 195
Date Joined: 04/02/08
south australia's murray
south australia's murray mouth..Your gonna need some heavy tackle.
ody
Posts: 581
Date Joined: 30/12/06
Hi Ya Can see you'fe put
Hi Ya
Can see you'fe put some time into your web site Liam. Good job. Will be a pitty to leave it behind.
Cheers.
***** Proud RECFISHWEST member ****
Liamo
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 23/09/08
Hi lads, Many thanks for all
Hi lads,
Many thanks for all the replies. It looks like you guys have some great fishing right around the coast of Australia but I'm still being drawn to the NW!
I'm intending to travel but hopefully find work also, possible long-term. I'm involved in IT,databases all that kind of stuff for a company here in Ireland and I'm curious about job prospects over here in general and also in the IT industry? dream job - web development, fishing related of course!
Also could you tell me where are the main centres/towns on the NW coast where I might have better chances of finding this type of work? Karratha looks to be the biggest?
If I do end up going and do some travelling/fishing for a month or two first when would be the best time to come?
Liam
I fish therefore I am...
www.traleebayseaangling.com
Colin Hay
Posts: 10407
Date Joined: 23/10/07
Hi Liamo
Western Australia is in a major resource industry boom at the moment which should last at least another 10 to 20 years - provided the gobvernment and the mad american bankers don't stuff it up.
There is plenty of IT work.
Gaining work up north can be a bit tricky as there are accomodation shortages. For WA's north west, Karratha is a reasonable sized town. Port Hedland (just up the road in north west language) is another sizeable town. The issues you might find difficult to get used to if you moved straight to the north are isolation and the heat. Just up the road to the next town is 300 or 400 km. In summer Karratha normally sits it the very high 30 to 40s - for months.
If you want work in the north west towns you would need to get a job with a mining or an oil and gas company. To find work with them it would be best for you to do a search for recruitment companies in Australia that specialise in that area.
All the best, Colin Hay
(Colin 1 - Co-founding member of the prestigious Colin Club)
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Maverick
Posts: 1260
Date Joined: 06/06/06
Time
Best time for the Nor west is May to August.
PS Dampier with a boat is pretty good, Quobba is great, Steep point is good also but no work there for ya. Kunanurra would be worth a look lots of fishing to be done on the mighty ord river and there is plenty of work if you know where to look and who to contact.
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Dreamweaver
Posts: 4688
Date Joined: 01/12/07
Welcome
céad míle fáilte Liam
When you come over, if you are heading down towards Albany way (on the south coast of WA) I may be in a position to take you out in our boat.
We could always share a pint or two of the black stuff. Of course, as a Kerryman, you'd be wanting Murphy's
From an IT perspective, as (the other) Colin said, you'd probably be targetting the mining/resource center if wanting to live up north. If you are fortunate, you might be able to land a job with branches of state government up there, or local government authorities (councils). But, generally speaking, the better money would be in private enterprise.
Colin Molloy
(Colin 2 - Co-founding member of the prestigious Colin Club)
Soon to be de "dreamweaver" ed!
Liamo
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 23/09/08
On my way...
Hi lads,
It's me again. Alot has happened since I last posted. I'm now looking at leaving Ireland next March/April and travelling out to WA for a year at least.It's definitely happening!
My intention is to not find work straight away and to spend the first 2 or 3 months just travelling the west coast and fishing as I go. I've never not been working so this is my time now:-) I'll probably fly into Perth, hire a winnabago or whatever and take it from there focusing mainly on the area from Kalbarri/Geraldton right up to Broome?
So I'm looking for any advice I can get. First off, what about the weather? I know it's winter time for you guys but I'm hoping this might be an advantage at the start - give the Irish man a chance to acclimatise to the change in temperature over the first few months!
Fishing wise is it a good time/season? From the shore/beach what species can I expect - do you guys have some sharks and rays off the beach - and could you give me an idea of popular species?
Tackle wise, I intend to take some of my beachcatsers from home and a selection of multipliers. My beach gear here is typically 13ft pendulum rods rated to cast 6oz. Reel wise I was going to take a selection in size from Penn 525's to Daiwa Slosh 30's. A couple of lighter spinning rods and shimano reels in the 3000 to 5000 size will be packed also. Anything I need after this I will pick up when I get there, any pointers on tackle I might need especially for any LBG fishing as I have no experienece whatsoever of this!
Any websites/clubs focusing on shore fishing WA you could recommend would be great.
Cheers,
Liam
PS Colin, you seem to be very familiar with the Irish way of life - have you connections here? I'm not fussy about the black stuff mate, if it's liquid I'll drink it ;-)
I fish therefore I am...
Dreamweaver
Posts: 4688
Date Joined: 01/12/07
Irish...
Hi Liam
Both my family and my wife's family originated from Ireland, a heritage that we've always been proud of. My wife and I met through Irish Dancing and our love of Irish music. (Many years ago) - my '1 2 3 s' would be a bit rusty now
. I've also a keen interest in Irish (Celtic and Pre-Celtic) ancient (Mesolithic) and post ancient (Neolithic) history, as well as the mythology.
12 years ago we won a trip to Ireland and spend 19 days self driving from Dublin to Meath, Louth, Monaghan, Cavan, West Meath, Longford, Roscommon, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Clare, Limerick, Kerry, Cork, Offaly, Tipperary, Laois, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford, Carlow, Wicklow and Kildare. We booked all our accomodation through Boarde Failte in advance. Glad we did this because there were so many fantastic places and people (especially when you show you have an appreciation of the culture and previous family there), we would have stayed too long in one spot.
I must confess we drank a LOT of guiness and I then put on about 10 kilos LOL.
It was the most memorable and fantastic holiday we've ever been on.
Colin Molloy
(Colin 2 - Co-founding member of the prestigious Colin Club)
Soon to be de "dreamweaver" ed!
Adam Gallash
Posts: 15652
Date Joined: 29/11/05
G'day
G'day Liam,
Sounds like your going to fit in well here!! You are coming at the perfect time to head north, great weather and lots of fish. Keep your 13fter as it will come in handy at some locations, but generally your mid sized rods 8-9ft 8-10kg will be great for around Exmouth and Coral Bay. Definately make sure you head up to this part of WA, great coastline and plenty to see. When your over here make sure you keep this site in mind and jump on and give us a hello, will be a few of us that will be keen to point you in the right direction and might be able to squeeze you on the boat for a fish. I'll trade you a marlin or two for some backpackers you find on your travels. ;) (great time of year for that too if your coming with mates) hehehe.
Cheers,
Adam
Site Admin - Just ask if you need assistance
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18059
Date Joined: 11/03/08
just a thaught
if you are arriving march /april you might want to head to exmouth first weekend in may as we are getting a fishwrecked comp going ,sounds like its going to be a reel hoot .numbers are growing last count was about 40 (members at a gues without looking).great time to be up north weather will be nice and warm
RUSS & SANDY
"A family that fishes together stays together"
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
Liamo
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 23/09/08
Australian Tackle
Lads,
Can ye give me a rundown on some basic tackle requirements that will cover most types of fishing? 10kg class shore rods? Is that test curve? Jesus man, that' some serious beef from the shore, what kind of reels and lines do you guys match them with? if you had to shortlist maybe 3 or 4 rod/reel combinations that would cover me from the shore what would they be?
Also do you guys think I'd be better off starting around Broome and travelling south or start around Perth somewhere and come north. The months I plan just to travel around would be Apr - July/Aug roughly, I realise that's mid winter for you guys, I want some fishing but pretty decent weather too - as little rain as possible!
Liam
I fish therefore I am...
<url>www.traleebayseaangling.com</url>
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18059
Date Joined: 11/03/08
definately
start Perth then go north.
during winter in perth you get rain but going north its dry season.there is more rain up north during summer as its tropical .winter up north on the coast its shorts and t-srirt weather.
i was in exmouth in july and we were swimming
RUSS & SANDY
"A family that fishes together stays together"
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
Tony Halliday
Posts: 2500
Date Joined: 14/06/07
my 2 cetns worth
Kalbarri has been my luckiest and best spot, with Exmouth close behind.
No matter what the weather is doing, Kalbarri will give you something, from chinamans for tailor and mulla's and even pink snapper, to bream in the river, to Pot allie for more tailor and other snapper, to further up on the beach heads for mullawoy, shark and even big mackeral from the cliffs.
Exmouth is great, but you need to be a good fisherman and know your stuff.
Down south, I'd toss Hamlin Bay in as a prime shore spot.
Tony
Full-time piscatorial-idiot, in The Vines. "It is always in season for old men to learn." Aeschylus (525-456 BC) Greek poet.
Supporter of Meals on Reels
Tony Halliday: ~Meals on Reels ~
It takes a strong fish to swim against the current. Even a dead one can float with it
"It is always in season for old men to learn." Aeschylus (525-456 BC)
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sherbert
Posts: 4717
Date Joined: 10/09/06
Wagoe or lucky bay
Is a great shore base fishing or port dennison off the rockwalls only 3.15 from perth
steve
Born to fish forced to work
Assassin landbase fishing club
Colin Hay
Posts: 10407
Date Joined: 23/10/07
Liamo, you sound pretty well set-up
You may need heavier gear of you are going to try some of the cliff fishing spots.
Are you going to hire a 4wd? Some of the best shorebased spots are only able to be reached by 4wd.
(Colin 1 - Co-founding member of the prestigious Colin Club)
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UncutTriggerInWA
Posts: 2692
Date Joined: 05/09/08
Shore Based Gear
I am no purist Liamo and I do a lot of shore based fishing with a limited amount of investment. I have 4 ugly stiks ranging from 8 feet to 13 feet and all have spining reals of various types. Nothing flash mate, just simple stuff. Casting poppers is my favourite pastime albeit I get tired easily and tend to revert back to a bottom rig with the rod perched in a holder and a deck chair by the side of it (beer in hand of course).
The climate here is something you will need to get used to. You will end up looking like a fuggin beetroot if you get too eager too soon. Plenty of slip-slop-slap of the sunscreen and sensible clothes (not to keep warm but to keep the sun off).
As for work I can confirm that IT people are in reasonable demand here and earn good bucks with the right qualifications and references. I wouldn't discount the thought of picking up work in Perth initially as the climate is temperate and options are far more available. Fishing options from Perth are plentiful and it seems you are not short on resources to set yourself up with transport etc. A trip or two up north will make up your mind as to whether that's the right place for you to be as it can get quite severe and it's really hectic and expensive up there due to the resources boom. This is not to say that it's not a great place to be!
Cheers, Vince
http://vinceholt.spaces.live.com/
------------------------------
Work Smart - Fish Often
Vince.
Work smart and fish often.
Member and die-hard supporter of the mighty West Coast Eagles.
carnarvonite
Posts: 8673
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Work
If you want to work on your trip,if you do 3 months work in agriculture at the one place in that year I think you can get another work visa for 2 years.Lots of work on the plantations around here in Carnarvon or right up the top at Kununurra/Ord river area.
Exceptional rock fishing just north [70km]at Quobba/Cape Cuvier and only 3 1/2 hours drive up to Exmouth and Adam's territory
Liamo
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 23/09/08
I'm here
Hi Guys,
I'm here! Looking back over these posts I can't quite believe it, somehow I've managed to pull this off and am writing to you from a hostel in Perth as we speak. Will have a campervan bought by next week and will then be leaving Perth heading north.
So I'm looking for some advice as to where to spend my first few days, where should be my first destination outside Perth? Off to Campbells tomorrow can't wait!!!
Liam
UncutTriggerInWA
Posts: 2692
Date Joined: 05/09/08
Fuggin Irish LOL
I have sent PM.
Cheers, Vince
http://vinceholt.spaces.live.com/
------------------------------
Work Smart - Fish Often
Vince.
Work smart and fish often.
Member and die-hard supporter of the mighty West Coast Eagles.
bod
Posts: 2319
Date Joined: 03/05/06
Welcome Liam
to Western Australia. Missed these posts back in 2008 so they made for an interesting read...if you thought coming here was a big decision, you are going to be staggered at the adventure and choice ahead of you. I'm looking forward to some more reading...lol
Colin Hay
Posts: 10407
Date Joined: 23/10/07
I still think you should make Kalbarri your first stop
There will be some good fishing there at the moment. And it i a comfortable start-off drive.
Remember, if you are driving up north, watch out for suicidal kangaroos, goats, camels, emus, etc, - especially at dawn and dusk.
Make sure you check it out
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ody
Posts: 581
Date Joined: 30/12/06
Hi Ya, There are any number
Hi Ya,
There are any number of interesting spotsa along the coast if you have plenty of time on your hands.
Lancelin, Jurien, Dongara, Geraldton, a couple of spots between Geraldton & Kalbarri I cannot for the life of me remember the names of, Kalbarri, Coral Bay, Exmouth, for starters.
If you spend a week at each, youve already taken 10 weeks to get there and haven't even started.
Cheers.
RECFISHWEST member
kerryangler
Posts: 1
Date Joined: 27/07/09
Really sad to bring you guys
Really sad to bring you guys bad news, Liam sadly died in a drowning accident while staying in Exmouth back in the middle of May, I only knew him from the forums over here in Ireland, he seemed like a great guy.I am sure he would have wanted you to see these videos he posted while over there.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa5igKpsV1Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7YSNHPfs7c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljNMSjI2Zrg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ucoevhvwt4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IedXLykVork http://www.corkman.ie/news/liams-infectious-smile-made-the-world-brighter-1777899.html
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18059
Date Joined: 11/03/08
it was an unfortunate thing
it was an unfortunate thing to happen to a man that had so much life in him, i have seen a couple of videos he had put up and he was so full of energy . i will be sitting down later to watch these clips that you have kindly put up on Liams behalf
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
carnarvonite
Posts: 8673
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Coffee
Had coffee and a couple of chats with him while he was here in Carnarvon.H e was thoroughly enjoying himself in the time that he was here.
I pointed him in the Quobba direction and sadly the weather was crap or I would have taken him out on a trip to the islands.
Will do the same as Russ,sit down and watch him in action again
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18059
Date Joined: 11/03/08
just sat down and watched
just sat down and watched the videos on offer , they were good to see him having fun and catching the fish. i did read the final link and sounds like he was a man of many tallents and lived life to the full. im sure he is missed by many. it was a sad day on this site when the news broke about his misshap and i think the memories of those who met him over here in W A would be happy ones. Thans to Kerryangler for sharing this final post
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
H.S. Chan
Posts: 587
Date Joined: 04/01/09
I just was searching stuff
I just was searching stuff on the forum and came across this thread...
Sorry to anyone that met Liam. The thread made a really good read, its so unfortunate what happenned. He definately had alot goin for him and seemed like an awesome bloke. Definately someone I wouldnt of minded meeting. The efforts he went to pursue something he loved so much is a great inspiration to others.
I never met him, but reading this really hit a spot. His love for the fishing and the outdoors really seemed like he belonged here in oz.
Still, very sad thing to happen.
To everyone that met Liam, sorry for your loss, what a thing to happen. At least he made it count by following what he loves to do. Good on him.
Peace Liam have a good one.
vinicius dumitru
Posts: 67
Date Joined: 22/06/09
RIP
i saw liams vids on wa rock fishing on you tube and was wondering if he was at quobba when he got that tuna. one of the spots he was fishing looked like camp rock, im %100 sure of it.i couldnt belive how fast he cought on to this style of fishing. sad to haer of his passing, he loved his fishing and was bloody good at it too! RIP