So the boys are keen to get away from the girls for the night and have a night fish before a morning snorkle for crabs about Woodmans Point. Is there any chance of catching anything other than sting rays there at night? I've never fished there before myself but can't really be bothered fishing if it's only rays on the menu...

Sat morning is looking like a nice excuse to get out of bed early and hit the water!

Just going for a snorkle for some blue mannas but recon it would be a nice day in the boat to play with some fish. Let us know how you went if you got out and about.. love to hear some reports of squid action or out wide jigging!?

hey all

was just taking a long shot and wondering if anybody would be able to give me the Co Wards to the barge off hillarys. If any body could help my out that would be GREAT

thanks guys

cheers

luke

This is edited from Steve Lague of the West (24 November 2009).  Wish I'd been there to write it!

If we don't get to do or see anything else, it won't matter, it's already been worthwhile." That was the comment as we powered back to the 24m catamaran Odyssey, anchored inside Clerke Reef as the sun was setting on the first of a seven-day diving cruise at the Rowley Shoals.

He was sitting on the gunwale of a 12m dive tender, still on a high. On our first day, we had dived at a site called the Aquarium, drift snorkelled on an outgoing 10m tide and swum with a humpback whale while she fed her calf. 

The Rowley Shoals is made up of three coral atolls on the edge of the continental shelf about 260km west-north-west of Broome. They were named in 1818 by Captain Philip Parker King. He named Mermaid Reef, the most north-western of the three atolls, after his ship. The middle shoal was named Clerke Reef after Captain Clerke, who had reported it from a whaler some time between 1800 and 1809, while the south-western shoal was dubbed Imperieuse Reef after the vessel from which it was sighted by Captain Rowley in 1800.

All three atolls, which are each about 85sqkm, rise from very deep water with near-vertical sides that form shallow lagoons. Mermaid Reef rises from 440m, Clerke from 390m and Imperieuse from 230m.

They are renowned for their virtually untouched coral gardens, giant clams, inquisitive potato cod and abundant fish life. There are more than 230 species of coral, including 28 different species of staghorn, and 688 species of fish, including sharks that inhabit the shoals.  Clerke and Imperieuse reefs were declared marine parks in 1990, with the size of the parks increased four-fold in 2004. There are still areas at both these locations where fishing is allowed. Mermaid Reef has been declared a Marine National Nature Reserve and no fishing is allowed. Since 1977 charter boats have been taking fishing and diving enthusiasts to this remote location.

It is a 16-hour cruise from Broome over a stretch of water that can become both very rough and windy, restricting the season to October and November.  It is this isolation that ensures the Rowley Shoals remains one of the most pristine coral atolls in the world. It also means that fewer than 250 "tourists" visit the region each year.

After a long night and morning of cruising, fortunately for us on calm water, the first sign of the atoll was a slim white line on the horizon. The line is Bedwell Island, a small sand island that is home to one of only two colonies of red-tailed tropicbirds in WA, and the only land we will see for the next seven days. There is also a small island at Imperieuse atoll which is the most heavily fished and the only one of the three atolls that does not have access to the lagoon.

As we closed in on Clerke Reef, and Bedwell Island, the colour of the water started to change. It reminded me of the waters around Rottnest Island, only the blues are more vivid and the water clearer.  The destination is a site called The Aquarium, the only dive site inside the atoll and one of the shallowest. Falling back into the water was like easing into a cool bath on a hot summer's day and the water was about as clear, with amazing visibility up to 40m.

For the next six days we dived at least three times a day, and on two days added night dives to the itinerary. Despite the extreme depths of water we kept our dives to a maximum of 30m, which was more than enough to thoroughly explore the ever-changing landscape that includes vertical walls, gorges, swim-throughs and big caves. Most were also drift dives, where we allowed the outgoing, or incoming, tide to waft us along the outer wall, exploring on the way. 

The variety of corals, range of colours and abundance of fish life in all sizes and colours at the Aquarium was something I had never seen. The beauty of these natural wonders is enhanced by soft corals in every imaginable colour, massive gorgonians and coral forests that are home to an unbelievable variety of fish. Trying to adequately describe the fish life is difficult.

The shallower water is dominated by tropical fish, with pelagics also cruising just under the surface with sharks up to 3m and in healthy numbers, patrolling the vast schools. The first encounter with a black or white-tipped shark takes your breath away. Like most of the other fish at the Rowley Shoals, they simply ignore you, going about their business, even feeding on other fish. 

There were also giant clams, big turtles, eels, and in certain areas gentle, giant potato cod. The swim with the humpback whale was an unexpected bonus of the trip.

AFP
November 27, 2009, 10:59 am

Have been out and pulled our pots on 4 occations but no Crays we tried in shallow 4-6 metres and out to 8-12 metres using 4 pots moving them around but can't get any Crays in our pots. How are you guys doing with your pots?

Kev

As a kid mum & dad used to take us down to the Mandurah bridge to dab net for prawns does anyone know when they start running as i would like to take my kids & boat down and have a go at getting a few any info would be great,thanks.

What is the best way for me too upload new photos? I guess i need to crop as the last steep pt photos were way toooo big

Id like 2 add quite a few but im not sure what is the best way of going about this

Is it ok to ask for my own gallery or would it be better just postin a few at a time?

What's the best way to prepare a 10kg+ dhuie for eating (shallow frying).  Do you fillet or cut into cutlets?  Fillet and then cutlet?  Fillet and then cut the fillet in half, thickness wise?

Grey Band, puka and bass would be similarly shaped. 

What do you do?

is got one in woodvale re opening

whats biting from the rocks at the moment???

any stories or breif reports will be greatly appreciated

cheers redfin 4 life

G'day all, I've got all the line I need to spool up my Okuma for jigging. I've got some 24kg platypus nylon line for backing and want to top it up with 50lb Whiplash. Whats a good way of knowing how much backing to put on before getting on the full 300yds of whiplash?

Cheers
Dale

hey guys,im thinkin of going out with saltwater charters next week,either monday or wednesday,just wondering how are the feed back on em and if anyones that jigging next week?we'll be going out of hillaries.and if i do go ,ill be going alone,let me know,cheers :)

Has anybody tried these out yet?

seen them in the local and man these things have some balls!!! and they're supposed to be impossib;e to high stick, plus easy on the wallet too. i can see alot of one off sambo jiggers getting their moneys worth outs these rods 

where 2 find mulloway around south metro what bait and what rigs reely keen to get my first one this summer

Well they're finally here, the Fisherman Andaman "Super Deep" Jigs. These 600grams jigs are rare and very sorted after and with good reason.

There's no doubt the deepwater jigging is taking off here. The Sanme 650 being one popular model and the other being the Andaman 600g jig. A different jig than the Sanme, these Andamans are a short darting & fluttering type of jig that throw out plenty of flash & action to entice a bite.

Andaman 600 is perfect for Ruby Snapper, Bass Groper, Blue Eye Trevalla, Harpuku and many other species have been caught succesfully with these jigs.

These Japanesse handmade super premium jigs are worth the money, the detail, finish and proven fish catching has made this a must with extreme jiggers.

Oceanside Tackle and Marine have the only shipment to arrive into WA, we have been waiting 4 months to get these jigs and the wait worth it. Stocks are "very limited" with many already been pre allocated over the last 4 months to FW memmbers but we have a dozen left after that so get in quick as first in - best dress.

$129.00 is the FW price, PM us or call us on 9337 5682 for more info

Heading to augusta next weekend for a bit of fishing/camping with the workmates wondering if anyone could give us any help on locations whats biting and what rigs/bait you generaly use thanks!

Hi all,

I was wondering do you guys know of any software that we can put in GPS coords and it will show where it is on a map, similar to google maps?

I've been given a number of co-ords, and i want to have a look which ones are applicable rather that entering 1 by 1 on my gps plotter.

thanks!

Page 91, letter by Rhyss Johnson. He writes about the need to look after dhufish, and how he and his crew valiantly tried to revive/release a 21.5 kg specimen out of Busselton but ultimately had to keep the fish. "An absolute shame" and "how much fish do you really need to keep" were some of his exact words.

He then goes on to say that " few days later" he and some family members went out and caught 4 more dhufish ranging from "a smaller one" on up to 12 kgs before eventually getting a monster estimated at above 25 kilos, which WAS successfully released. I'm assuming the catches/letter occurred before the ban/new bag limits BTW.

He ends his letter by stating that dhuies should have a max size limit of 1m and bag limits should be decreased, as well as something about future generations of anglers being able to enjoy this sort of fishing.

So with all this concern this bloke has for dhufish, why would he go out and target them again after already having a big one in the freezer? If he's got a big family who like fish and eat it really fast, fair enough, but to give us the song and dance, complete with heart-rending violin solo, about protecting fish stocks, well I suppose it's alright to portray yourself as a great tree-hugging warrior defending the poor dhufish as long as the freezer is full.

Sherbs and I decided to go for a quick mid week fish at one of the local Perth metro beaches last evening to see if there were any tailor or mulloway hanging about.

We arrived at one of our favourite inner metro spots to find that the wind forecast was a bit off and it was absolutely howling - and there was still a fair bit of weed hanging about.

We toughed it for an hour or so and Sherbs managed a mini flathead and I landed a "horse" of a Wirra before we decided to head up the coast and give the north wall of Hillarys a try as it would be protected from the big southerly.

We hadn't been there long when Sherbs reported that he had a knock and that he was on.

He soon had this really weird looking, wiggling creature up on the rocks and was calling if for a baby shovelnose.

He soon found it wasn't one of those when he went to gently unhook it to return it to the water. He must have jumped a few inches off the ground when shock of the "Numb Ray" kicked in.

After that it was long nosed pliars and a quick toss back into the water so it could swim off.

Luckly it was only a little tacker and not a bigger version like the one pictured above or we might not have been laughing about it after.

That was about the highlight of the night as we only landed a few small fish between us after that and then called it a night.

I was recently at oceanside and saw the supreme , it felt stunning and is certainly on my maybe list for 2500 size, will be running 8lb braid. Despite the smaller line capacity than i am used to, I couldnt really find a downside for the reel.

Does anyone here have one and how do they go?

Will the carbon fibre handle be prone to breakages?

At the moment i'm tossing up between Twin power and Supreme, the twin power ends up at roughly the same price so price isnt an issue.

Hopefully putting on a T curve 2-4kg

Any and all info very much appreciated

When drift fishing where on the boat do you attach it to?  I've fished with guys that attach it to the stern cleat and others that use a central cleat which means you are side on to the drift / wind and others that will have two sea anchors off each of the starbord and port stern cleats. 

What do you do?

HI guy what rig do i use up at steep for catch like pink snapper gropers emperors anything like that and what bait. does anyever float mulies on 3 gangs and do anchor up or drift

Not many crays about but plenty of scallops.

Sudden change in plans. Instead of staying in Kcity (more like Karetaker city) over the Xmas have decided to go to Exmouth. 24-2nd Jan. Now question to take the boat or not!!!

Know the weather and D Archipelago well, but is it worth the tow to Exmouth at this time of the year.

Would be just as happy shore based but all the shallow NW snapper on plastics has the blood boiling for the boat.

Obviously fully aware of the Cyclone season living up here but would appreciate some views.

Cheers

Neels

i was just wondering if anyone has been getting in to some bream in the swan recently

i have gone 3 weekends straight and have had nothing except one bust off. (which i think was a bream)

if anyone has been getting into them, where have you had your success.

cheers

Dave

Sad day in Kalbarri today with a young humpback beaching itself on the Oyster's. Although alot of effort was put into saving the young fella he ended up perishing. Apparently he had a large wound consistent with an attack by a large bitey. There was also a large commotion a kilometre or so out to sea early this morning. This may have been the outcome. Alot of peple were visibly upset. RIP lil cetacean 

Went Saturday avo to beach north and got hammered by weed and wind, got some good bites but nothing landed. Sunday after Collecting abs in the beautiful weather decided to not waste the good weather and headed upto the sae beach again. No wind to speak off untill we baited up then the westerly came in and made casting difficult.

Managed to get 3 Tailor all on the 40cm mark after feeding the buggers more than half the bag of mulies.

Was a good day even with the wind. Got the day off tomorrow so will be there on sunrise to try my luck again hopefully the weather is like today..

Will try and put some pics up soon

I was wondering if you guys have a certain technique how to land monsters like rays/sharks. I hooked a ray on Sunday. Intentionally, not by accident. Stoped it after around 150 m and slowly reeled it in. Half a turn of the reel at the time. Probably the biggest workout I’ve had in years. (Well I’ve been lazy bastard lately.. :) ) It took me about 30 minutes to get on around 15 meters, when my line failed. Probably as I started to lift the ray from the bottom and it didn’t want to go. So it was bit disappointing after such an effort.I was thinking, with monster like this, as long as there is a tension in the line, what if I left it like this (have a rest) and let the fish to get tired, than fight it all the way. Would it work?

It was a good experience anyway.

just wondering if there is tailor around mandurah and how big are they best baits and rigs chers