hey guys, 

as the title sugests im heading up to exmouth in the middle of april

i have been plenty of times before, not at this time of year though, and i am in need of a bit of specific information as i am doing things a bit differently this time.

to begin with the plan is to before we ge into exmouth camp down in the gulf for 2 or 3 nights and and fish down there. i am wanting to hopefully camp on the eastern side of the bay of rest or maybe even further into the gulf. My question is that i am taking a 4.75m quintrex on a dunbier trailer, do you guys with any experience of the area and the tracks think i will get through ??

i am wanting to launch the boat and fish a couple of the closer/smaller islands and maybe head over to the east side (probably not though). I wouldnt mind trying to head all the way down and fish around doole island and the major creek that is south of it. agian is there any specific info that i am in need of for fishing down in the bottom of the gulf ( apart from watch out for the tide).

i would also like to get into a feed of prawns while i am down in the gulf, any specific info needed for that or just cruise around in the boat until i start seeing prawns jumping away and throw the cast net at them ??

any info would be greatly appreciated 

Thanks,

Nathan 

Well it's that time of year where many anglers head north for their annual fishing trip and some nice climate.

Having a good ice box is a must and having it filled with high density refrigeration foam (the cheaper versions don't have) is the KEY. It ensures maximum thermal insulation and WILL keep your ice/fish/food/beers colder for longer which is especially important for those long trips up north.

A great icebox that can handle demersal and pelagics like mackerel, wahoo, dolphifish etc is the Big Chill 100L Mackerel Box.

 At the end of the demersal season last year I was getting quite a few KGW in water from 3 to 5 mts deep.

My question is, when do they move in that shallow? Is it worth chasing them now?

Hey Guys,

I am heading down to Denmark at Easter time and will have the dinghy in tow for the first time.

Last year at the ocean beach camp grounds I noticed a few people cleaning some pan sized snapper that I am guessing came from the inlet.

Is there certain structure in the inlet that you look for when chasing snapper?

has anyone made up stretcher beds that go across the gunnel of their boats. Could you please put photos up of your designs.

Cheers Gibitah

 I have booked a charter with Mark Ridley's Reel Affair, leaving Geraldton on Tuesday 18 and returning on Friday 21 April. I had a full number (10) but I have been told today that one member has had to pull out. So there is a spot available if someone wants to take it up. The boat will leave Geraldton at 6.00am on the Tuesday and we can sleep on board on the night before. Mark has also offered to let anyone travelling to Perth sleep on Board on the Friday night after we get back into Geraldton. Mark provides a cook as well as the use of his fishing gear, or you can bring your own. Bunks are provided and the only thing you need to bring is a pillow and sleeping bag. The cost is $1,520.00 for the 4 days. If interested, please PM me and I can give you further details. You can have a look at this charter on Facebook under Reel Affairs. Don't forget the "s" in Affairs.

 Just seeing how safe it is to leave your car and trailer at fortescue river mouth when heading to the monties. Or what is the safest out of the three launching options. Damper, 40mile or fortescue. Cheers fellas and Sheila's

 Hi all,

I have had enough of loosing herring and tailor on trebles so l now want to give single hooks a go. But all the normal single hooks l have been trying to put on dont fit on to the split ring is there a different type of single hooks you can that have a bigger eye on to put on the split ring. Also with salmon season coming what do you guys use on your lures singles or trebles.

Thanks

Hi Guys,

Just after recommendations on a spinning reel to suit a Demon Blood 64C J rod to use for jigging.  Looking to spend around $400

Cheers in advance.

 WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING AT POPULAR FISHING LOCATIONS.

If you are going to fish in open ocean waters or from the rocks, please - wear a life jacket.

MANDURAH:

Reports from anglers fishing the Dawesville Cut indicate that there have been some big tailor taken from either end of The Cut during the last week. There has also been herring and some very big garfish taken here. Whiting and skippy have also been caught over the last couple of weeks. There are some good tailor and mulloway still coming in from the beaches north of the town. Locations such as San Remo, Singleton and Madora are producing herring, skippy, garfish and whiting early to mid-morning and late afternoon. It is a similar story from anglers fishing the southern beaches. They are producing herring and whiting during the day with tailor early morning and evening. Larger tailor are being caught around dusk and after dark. Tim’s Thicket and White Hills are the areas that have been producing some excellent catches. Small sharks are also a regular catch, particularly after dark. In the estuary, anglers have been catching some good tailor around 45 - 50 cm. There are plenty of crabs being taken by drop netters working in deeper waters. Further upstream there are some good black bream being taken by anglers using both fresh baits and a variety of lures. Several years ago most anglers would not have considered using lures to target bream, but nowadays it seems that if you want to catch a reasonable bream you use a soft plastic or hard bodied lure.

SECRET HARBOUR / PORT KENNEDY / WARNBRO / ROCKINGHAM / SAFETY BAY

Rumours of big tailor being taken from a few locations abound, and anglers are being very tight lipped over specific locations. Small mulloway are also being taken on a regular basis and there are reports of several larger fish to 12 kg being taken from the beaches in this area. Beaches around Port Kennedy and Secret Harbour are still producing tailor, skippy and tarwhine. Anglers ballooning from the beaches in Warnbro have taken a few spanish mackerel in the last couple of weeks. It requires a little effort and some good easterly winds to get the balloons moving but once out a couple of hundred metres, it could be anything that takes the bait. Anglers working over the weed banks have found some good squid, not big numbers but a good size.

COCKBURN SOUND:

King George whiting are featuring amongst bags of fish being taken from dinghies in the upper parts of the Sound and also out on the broken ground behind the Five Fathom Bank. In the Sound itself there are reports of some good snapper being taken by small boat anglers and spots to look at are on the various gravel patches adjacent to reef and weed banks out from Kwinana and down towards the Causeway. When fishing for these bottom dwellers, keep a squid jig handy and work it over the weed banks as there are still some very good squid being taken. There have been several spanish mackerel and tuna taken in the upper sections of the Sound.
KWINANA / NAVAL BASE / WOODMAN POINT / COOGEE:
Herring, pike and large garfish and scaly mackerel are making up the bulk of anglers’ catches at the Ammunition Jetty. There are also a few reasonable tailor being taken after dark. The various rock groynes have been providing some tailor action with mainly choppers being caught. Occasionally there are larger tailor being taken to make the outing a little more interesting.

FREMANTLE / INNER HARBOUR / LOWER REACHES OF SWAN RIVER

At Fremantle, anglers fishing the North Mole are catching a few herring during early morning and late afternoon, along with a few blue mackerel which have been taken from inside the Harbour. The tailor are more consistent at night along both Moles and there are still a few reports of mulloway and small sharks. Bonito have also been taken during the early morning. 
The South Mole is providing anglers with good fishing for herring and large garfish and a few skippy and tarwhine. Large whiting are also being taken just on dusk close to shore in the shallow water. South Beach has been producing some excellent sand whiting and a few herring and garfish. In the Inner Harbour anglers fishing from the E Shed wharf have landed a variety of fish including yellowtail scad, herring, skippy and mulloway. Up at the traffic bridge there are tarwhine and skippy being caught regularly.
PORT BEACH / LEIGHTON / COTTESLOE / SWANBOURNE:
With the “Sculptures By The Sea” exhibition on, access to the groyne is somewhat restricted for anglers however there are still anglers catching fish. A lot of smaller tailor have been taken from around the groyne at Cottesloe There have been a few big tailor caught, but only for those in the know as to where to find them. It pays to work the white water near the reefs and bait cast unweighted baits. Consider alternative baits such as sardines, small scalies or white bait in lieu of mulies. Along the Cottesloe to Swanbourne section of beach, anglers have found some good yellow finned whiting and tarwhine in the early morning. Evenings have also been productive, with tailor and small sharks being taken regularly. If you are prepared to walk into locations at South City Beach and Swanbourne Drain you will find some good fishing for a few herring, flathead, tarwhine, skippy and some very large sand whiting with fish of around 22 - 25 cm being caught regularly.
CITY BEACH / FLOREAT / SCARBOROUGH / TRIGG ISLAND
The beaches along this section of the metropolitan coastline have been producing some good fishing for the bread and butter species. Of an evening anglers can generally find a few tailor and an occasional mulloway. The beaches are still being formed and shaped by larger than normal swells and this is causing holes and gutters to form and then disappear just as quickly. When there are good gutters formed up just offshore they become hiding spots for mulloway and tailor. The smaller species also seek refuge from predators at low water. 
Don’t cast too far as the fish are often just at your feet. Read the beach and note where the wave breaks are and where the holes and gutters have formed. Being able to read the beach like an open book will definitely improve your catch rate.

NORTH BEACH JETTY / HILLARYS / OCEAN REEF / MINDARIE:

The three marinas have been fishing well, particularly during the afternoons. During the day there are herring, whiting, garfish and skippy on the bite in most spots. Tailor action is best during the late afternoon particularly when there is a bit of a sea breeze from the south west. Pinnaroo Point has been producing some excellent sand whiting and herring fishing along with an occasional sand flathead.

QUINNS ROCKS /YANCHEP / TWO ROCKS / MOORE RIVER

Anglers fishing the beaches to the north of Mindarie right through to Moore River have reported taking tailor to 70 cm. Although the exception rather than the norm, they are not as uncommon as people believe. Don’t forget that there is a restriction of two tailor per angler over 50 cm with a bag limit of 8. The prevailing easterlies have allowed anglers to bait cast unweighted or lightly weighted mulies, and this helps present the baits more naturally. It is a method that seems to take a lot of fish around this time of year. Anglers fishing further north up around Seabird have found a lot of weed marring their fishing.

SWAN AND CANNING RIVERS:

In the lower reaches of the Swan River there are still a few flathead and flounder being taken but they seem to be moving up further into the middle reaches of the river. There are still reports of a few mulloway being taken from the deeper holes in Mosman’s Bay. A couple of spots that have fished well for this species include a deep hole in front of the Bamboos in Freshwater Bay and the other, inside of the marker post at the end of the Point Walter spit. Several good fish have been taken from these spots over the last few weeks. Most of the bream being taken at the moment are coming from areas upstream of East Perth with lots of smaller fish becoming somewhat of a nuisance. In the Canning, anglers have been catching a lot of 30+ cm bream around Canning Bridge and up into Bull Creek. Other anglers fishing around the Casino have also taken some good fish. After dragging a prawn net during the week with my family as an escape from the heat and spending time with the grandchildren, it was interesting to only find three prawns for our efforts. There was a lot of detritus in the form of leaves and weed in the net and it was also interesting to note the number of juvenile black bream in the net. These were all kept in water and released as soon as possible. The future of bream in the river looks positive if this sample is anything to go by.

BOAT FISHING:

There are heaps of sand whiting close to shore for small boats. Numbers of large King George whiting are also biting well in depths around 30 metres. Big skippy and herring are also being taken in numbers by anglers with judicious use of an oil slick and berley. Small boat anglers fishing areas adjacent to the Three Mile Reef are also taking some good tailor by casting lures into the white water near the reefs. This activity requires skill and also requires that anglers maintain a careful watch on the sea swells as it can become quite hairy very quickly when a larger swell than normal bobs up while you are concentrating on a good fish. 
Still there are reports of a few good sized King George Whiting being taken from the lower end of Cockburn Sound and out on the broken ground around Rottnest. My tip is to try the region along the North West corner. Fairway Buoy is also worth a drift for whiting. Not only are there some good King George whiting here but also yellow tailed kings and their cousins, the samsonfish. You could also pick up a Westralian jewfish, pink snapper, and baldchin groper.
There have been some good snapper and Westralian jewfish caught in water depths of 28 – 32 metres about 5 Km out on the broken ground west of the Hillarys and Ocean Reef marinas. Bottom fishing has been relatively quiet but bigger boats venturing to the Bank and beyond are finding a few quality jewfish. More jewfish have responded to anchoring and berleying techniques north of Ocean Reef. Anglers fishing the back of the Three Mile have caught several mackerel and small tuna. Most of the pelagic action is coming from areas to the north west of Rottnest Island. 
Southern bluefin tuna, shark mackerel, yellowtail kingfish and spanish mackerel are all hitting baits and lures at times. Several anglers have reported catching small yellowtail kingfish while watching heaps of shark mackerel jump nearby. They have also hooked and lost some larger tuna. There are a lot of baitfish schooling out there at the moment and this is an encouragement to other species to get in on a good thing. There has also been a lot of good bottom fishing action reported from this region with Westralian jewfish, snapper, King George whiting and some very large breaksea cod being caught. Areas to fish seem to be over broken ground in depths of 28 to 45 metres.

 FishWrecked's Wicked Week - 11/03/2017

It's the 6 year anniversary tomorrow, things are looking grim for the Pacific Ocean, it could spread worldwide. What a disaster

 Bloke at work reckons he caught a 1metre plus King George off rotto,  I called bullshit but he insists he did. Do they exist? I read somewhere they can get 4.5kilos but the record is 2.5kilos. I recon bullshit but am happy to be put in my place. Cheers 

 Hi

Was given these by a fishing mate to try and find similiar. Thought they might have been purchased from bunnings but bunnings dont seem to have anything remotely similiar. Does anyone know where these (or similiar - not metal) can be bought

Cheers

Eric

 tuesday = rockwalls=huge swell= landbased pinkys who else agrees

Enjoy

Sea Breeze reckons wind conditions are favourable... pack the gear & esky.

Fishranger/BOM Meteye says otherwise.

How does one plan for Sunday with contradicting forecast? 

 Off to Exmouth for my annual fishing trip . Not fishing the comps but will be chasing billfish most of the time.

Anyone else heading up ?

Will be there for 2 weeks staying at the lighthouse caravan park. Boat is blue and white 21 footer called In Persuit . 

If you see us around , say g'day .

Cheers

Paul

What a nut....

thewest.com.au/news/wa/fisheries-car-rammed-in-frenzied-attack-ng-b88409224z

Hi guys

Almost cried the other day heading out when I thought I had lost all my marks only to zoom in and see the numbers and names were still there but no icons.

It's a HDS7m.

Anyone had this problem before? I didn't turn them off and for the life of me I can't work out how to turn them back on.

Any help appreciated.

Cheers

 It's good to see a lot of people are enjoying my Fishwrecked Wicked Week, posted every Saturday.

The reports summary has been going on for a few weeks now and I would like to hear what people would like to see added?  Such as:

Links to the original topic/report

Pics associated with the report summary etc?

Throw in some ideas please.  

 So we had our yearly fishing comp on the weekend and with some trying weather conditions but managed to get it done. There was beach and boat sections and all in all a great day had by all. A coincidental story in the morning where a lovely mum and daughter wander into the park looking for registration and I tell her it's all good I can organise that, after a brief chat she tells me her whole family has driven from Cunderdin and was it ok to join the comp? With that effort I said you are more than welcome and only to find out she was Rob B's partner. So once a again good to finally meet you mate and have a beer. Anway It was good to see Rob's kids take out the biggest Herring award so hopefully that will give them the interest to come back again next year. 

We ended up taking out the mixed bag category and my son winning the biggest Dhu first prize with this 10.8kg banger. He manged to get it on his Gomoku combo and a striped candy jig, so well done Rory. 

The rest of the bag with another nice Dhu, Gummy , Baldy and a few Sandwhiting.

 Drove 16 hours up to Exmouth for two days fishing with a mate in a tinny. Was worth the trip, a lot of fun.

 Managed to get a leave pass from the wife to go out the last two weekends the first weekend 25/2 I got out with the brother in law looking for a couple of dhus stayed in close until the wind dropped then headed out deeper the first fish was a 49cm dhu which was released then the arm stretching fun turned up, the first sambo I am guessing would of been between 12kg to 15kg the smaller one which was kept then was weighed at home was 9.5kg. After that it was just getting to hot out there having no shade so came back in for a beer.

Last weekend I went back down with the family because of a fishing comp that was on which we got the kids involved in and a big thank you  to Andrew streeter(aka seakem) for letting us participate they had a absolute ball and my youngest boy ended up getting a prize for biggest herring which his sister stole the glory for but he tells everyone he sees he won a fishing comp and my dad has never won one lol, very proud of him. 

I had the kids up at 5.15am to get into some tailor but nothing it was very quiet only a couple of herring and some small whiting at about 10am I went home grabbed the dinghy and took a mate out who wanted to catch his first dhu, talk about putting pressure on me.. I left the kids on the beach with the wife and said we would have a go for two hours then come in and finish fishing with kids off the beach for the comp. We get out just off the beach on some good ground and first drift we all get busted of by good fish so I line up for another drift and bang me mate hooks into his first dhu which went 6kg I thought he was going to cry he was that excited after that only a black arse then headed in to finish the day with the kids. It was a great weekend loved by all and some happy campers. I can't wait to get back down there.

unable to load up a picture of my son with his big smile and prize sorry but thanks again Andrew.

This Salmon season, trying some more adventurous rock fishing spots.

Just interested in hearing peoples rope set up and where to tie up.

I have invested in good rock hoppers, PFD, 6m gaff but still wanting that safety of being tied off. Just wondering where people get this sorta gear from.

Cheers

Hi guys, was in walpole 2 weeks ago, had a great time, but did not have a back anchor to stop the boat swinging, consequently the wife caught most of the fish on her side, I have a 7kg front anchor, was thinking to buy one of those small folding anchors from BCF, do you think that will be enough to stop the boat swinging? I have a 4.88 M quintrex, with a 60Hp Johson.

Regards Mal.

 I'm looking to take the kids to Mandurah for the weekend, exploring the area by boat. My general plan is to launch in Mandurah and have a cruise around there, and then head up the Murray to find somewhere to camp for the night. Along the way I will try for some whiting in the Peel Inlet and bream in the Murray... I have a few questions for the Mandruah locals, or those that have done something similar.

1. Where is the best/safest place to launch in Mandurah (where I can leave a car overnight and it will still have al the wheels and windows when I return)? 

2. Any must see places along the way?

3. How far up the Murray river can you go by boat? It looks like you get get to Pinjarra quite easily

4. Any good kids playgrounds close to the inlet or along the river?

5. Good/cheap place to get a feed along the way? Ravenswood Hotel?

6. Any suggestions on a place to pitch a tent by the river? Or do I need to stay at a caravan park, like the Pinjarra Holiday Park which seems to be on the river?

7. Open to suggestions about the bream fishing as well, I have never been fishing for bream before. I assume I can just cast a few lures in near the snags and hope for the best...

Any other points you think might be important....

Went out of Mindarie for the first time ever!  Below is the report. 

Mid last week, I got invited by fellow FW member Mark (keg) to go fishing today (07/03/17).  Readily agreed and asked my boss to give me an extra day off. No probs (as usual! Haha).  Have met Mark and a few others from the forum but never been on fishing trips with them, so today was the first time! 

Anyway, Mark hasn't been very successful the last few times he went out so I promised to help him bring home a feed..

We got to the ramp just before 8am.  After about 20 minutes of .......... (I'll let Mark elaborate if he wants to! Haha), we finally headed out. Water was quite nice even though the forecast seemed rougher!  Got to the first spot, Mark set the anchor and I floated a mulie at the back of the boat. Within a few minutes, it was nabbed by a decent size squid.  The mulie was on gang hooks and after a few attempts of hooking the squid and failing, I asked Mark to throw out a squid jig so I could "transfer" the catch.  One shot and squid was in the esky.  Things looked very promising indead!  

Two hours went by with a heap of hookups but for some reason our hooks weren't holding! Decided to change spots.  Same thing.. weird shit!  Mark did manage a "just" undersize pinkie.  After abit of persistence, it swam away to fight another day!

It was about 12:30pm when we decided to change to our final spot for the day.  Within 1 minute of dropping line down, we had hook up after hook up of different fish; flathead, blackarses, wrasses (western kings) and another undersize pinkie. I had a few big "thumps" on the line and the fights lasted about 10 seconds before whatever fishes down there spat the hooks! And then came THE DHU!

It's my PB Dhu ever........in the "smallest category". Haha!  Length was about 9cm.  If theres any smaller Dhu out there, it must be in the embryo stage. Lol

Sorry if I was abit misleading with the "PB" in the title.  Mark thought it was so funny that I should post it on FW...and I did. 

Anyway, many thanks Mark for a great day out! Even though not many really good fish were caught, I enjoyed being on the water and I delivered what I promised....you taking home a feed! 

Hopefully I lived up to expectations as a deckie and there'll be many more good fishing memories to share! 

 After some advice for a battery set up for a sounder/gps combo in a dinghy. I wont have it charging off the motor but was wondering do I go for a car style 12v battery to run a lowrance 4. How many hours/days fishing will the battery last before I re charge it? Am planning a 5-7 day camping trip so probaly need to charge it off the car or use a solar set up.

Any advice would be most welcome

 I know there has been a lot of discussion regarding comparing different brands and i have used the sewarch function but didn't find what i was looking for so here goes.

I'm looking to spend up to $2000 on a new sounder inc transducer. It doesn't need to be a plotter can be just a sounder.

What I'm looking at are the Lowrance Hook 9, Simrad S2009, Simrad NNSS7 Evo2 and the Raymarine eS Series e S 75/78?

We fish in up to 100M.

I would value your educated opinions and advise.

Thanks Mike