Karratha

EXMOUTH Barry Taylor

This month’s report has been supplied by Paul Bourne The bottom fishing has been really good lately, and the dollies like to hang out underneath it. If you see some weed, troll up the edge of the current line and follow the weed along, as could be some dollies under there.

There is still the odd whiting being caught off the

Mackerel catches should be picking up in the coming weeks. You can catch them by trolling diving lures (e.g. Strada Tracka 160s) or you can run garfish on gangs. If you haven’t rigged up a gar before, you can drop into the store and we’ll help you out. Some solid spangled emperor are being caught inside the reef. I haven’t heard many GT reports lately, but I have heard of a few longtail in the Gulf towards Exmouth reef. If you see a boil, cast out a tiny stickbait or chrome lure and retrieve as fast as you can. You should always have one rigged and ready to go for times like these.

The squid should start to come on now that winter is here. You can catch them off Learmonth Jetty, or slow troll for them – troll as slow as your boat will go in 2-3m of water. Good jig options include Shimano Sephic Clinches, which have little flashing inserts inside them, and Daiwa Emeraldas Nudes. A good size for jigs is 3.5 if you’re trolling, or 3.0 if you’re fishing land-based.

JUNE FISHING

June weather is usually pretty decent for getting out, after the change-of-season blow. There are some good targets at this time of year,

Josh Cheong holds up a hard-fighting queenfish.

and we’re also still seeing good catches of inshore black marlin and sailfish. Good results have been coming from 50-150m of water strolling 6-8” skirted lures, such as the Richter Soft Grassy.

A fair few dolphinfish (mahimahi) have been caught lately on trolled skirts meant for marlin. There is a lot of weed around at the moment, beach but they’re starting to slow up. The marina has still been fishing well for bream and jacks, but the jack catches will dwindle in the coming weeks, as water temperatures continue to drop. Bream will still be biting though, and you can catch them drifting down an unweighted prawn bait, ideally with a bit of berley to bring the fish to your area. Cooper Watson with a black marlin.

Josh Cheong with a GT that inhaled his stickbait. Image courtesy of @indepthangler_josh. including mackerel, inshore blacks and sailfish, squid, and of course all your bottom fish. • For all the latest news on what’s biting and where, drop into Tackle World Exmouth at 3 Maley St, Exmouth or give them a call on (08) 9949 1315. You can also view the range at www. tackleworldexmouth.com. au, and see the latest catch photos on their Facebook page. This family business stocks a large range of tackle, from light spin to big game. The staff have a wealth of local knowledge and expertise, and are always happy to help.

From page 114 by fisheries that that the southern squid are found this far north. Both species have a bag limit of 15 per fisher and a boat limit of 30, which is a total mixed bag.

Sailfish numbers are continuing to improve each week. Sports fishers working the ships, west to the oil rigs and east to Rosemary are raising the majority of sails but they are also turning up between Eaglehawk and Cod Bank where a few have been caught as bycatches by anglers trolling for mackies. Sailfish numbers will continue to increase as we progress towards the end of the dry season so if a sailfish is on your bucket list, then Karratha is the place to head for

Big reds is what dry season fishing in Karratha is all about. Using a Neap Tackle Chubby jig, hooking into big reds and rankins is common practice amongst all locals. from the shallower depths. Coral trout and bluebone are being caught in huge numbers both nearshore and just beyond the islands. Further out in the deeper water there have been coral trout over the 700mm size being caught by anglers targeting the red emperors and ranking cods.

June will be the month to catch a last feed or two of blue swimmer crabs and king prawns as the trawlers will be working the bays and reduce the numbers significantly. While the sports pelagic such as big GTs is quiet it is time to turn to spanish mackerel for a great family day of fishing and there is less risk of shark depredation so makes for the perfect target species.

your mid-year holidays.

When the wind allows, demersal fishing in Karratha has been spectacular with endless catches of red, spangled and blueline emperors, saddletail sea perch and rankin cod. Shark activity has lessened now the water has cooled off although they can still be a pest, especially on neap tides. Most fish have been caught in the 40-50m range but there are still some good emperors and cod coming