The Pilbara

The Pilbara

A LARGE, DRY, THINLY POPULATED REGION IN THE NORTH OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA HOLDS SOME OF THE BEST FLY FISHING OPTIONS ON THE CONTINENT.

Words & photos by Matthew “Cranky” Crnojlovic

Matthew “Cranky” Crnojlovic lived and worked in the Pilbara for 12 years, he now resides in Point Samson 60km north of Karratha.

The last few years he has fished fly exclusively as it offers up the most challenges and he finds it the most rewarding.

The Landscape, Climate and Tides

The Pilbara region covers an area of 507,896 km2 including offshore islands. The Pilbara contains some of the world’s oldest surface rocks, including the ancient fossilized remains known as stromatolites and rocks such as granites that are more than three billion years old.

The tides pose a real challenge. As a general rule there is a week of neaps (with as little as 1m movement), then a week of spring tides (with 5.5m of movement) in the warmer months. The spring low tide tends to dramatically empty out the creeks, which results in less water between you and the fish. Neap tides in the winter brings the billfish in and clears the water on the flats. Although possible to fish on all tides, the medium sized tides seem to create enough water movement to really get things going on the flats. The beauty of the constant hot summer weather is that the majority of days there isn’t a cloud in the sky which makes spotting fish on the flats a lot easier.

The temperature can be a real burden, especially in the summer months. This past March a town close by (Roebourne) surpassed a 44 year old temperature record set in Mexico with a sweltering 48.1 degrees. The heat is something you must endure to target Barramundi. Winter offers up more pleasant fishing conditions and the opportunity to chase billfish, but more on that later.

Creeks, Flats & Bluewater

Creeks

Barramundi. These are probably my favorite fish to chase on fly, as I’m sure those of you reading this would agree. The Pilbara Barra seem to get going around September each year, being triggered by the rise in water temps. They continue through to March although occasionally cyclones come through earlier than expected and drop lots of rain which can shut them down a bit. They seem to come out of the blocks hard in spring, eager to crunch flies, then slow down a bit coming into December. My only guess is they have all put on condition and water temps in the creek can reach 36 degrees which makes them slow down. They are still catchable, but you need to rethink your tactical approach (fishing the night time low tide for e.g.)

Another species in the creeks is Mulloway (Black Jewfish). They are not in all creeks but you will need to target the creeks with deep holes, normally found towards the river mouth caused by the large tides draining out. Mangrove Jacks are normally found around the mangroves (no surprises there) and close to various rock bars. Blue Salmon are more of a winter event but can be found in big numbers. Threadfin Salmon seem to produce a decent run once the water warms and can be an exciting bycatch whilst chasing Barra. But normally a smaller fly will be required and it can be highly frustrating watching large meter long “Threadies” smashing jelly prawns and showing no interest in your fly.

Flathead, Bream, Whiting, Javelin Fish, Estuary Cod, and Trevally can all save the day when blanking on some of the more prized captures.

Bluewater

Though I tend not to dredge deep, there are all the usual tropical species to be had such as Coral Trout, Red Emperor, various other Emperor species, Rankin Cod and the list continues. I hope to start spending more time trying to figure out this style of fishing. After seeing some spear fishing mates spear a massive10kg Red Emperor in 10-15m of water I think dredging up big fish could be a very real possibility. At present it’s just a case of too many fish and not enough time, not a bad problem to have I guess all in all.

Spanish Mackerel are an all year round proposition. I’ve found the winter brings in greater numbers of fish, quite often being seen launching meters into the air like missiles smashing bait. During first and last light, they seem to be on the surface and more active.

Winter also brings on large Cobia numbers with the arrival of squadrons of Manta Rays. On a flat and glassy day these Mantas work the current lines hoovering up all the “scum” found floating in the wash. You can easily maneuver the boat into position to get a good cast in as they tend not to deviate too far from these food highways.

Billfish: Sailfish & Black Marlin

The waters off Karratha get good numbers of billfish in the cooler months. This all varies with ocean currents bringing favorable water temps closer to land. The runs

of billfish can be world class, and the Black Marlin tend to be on the smaller side making them excellent fly rod targets. You can also find large numbers of Sailfish resulting in a lot of fun to be had for those willing to spend the time and effort. Dragging teasers and some skirts with belly flaps stitched into them seems to work the best, but there are times when you can see pods of free swimming Sails which if you’re lucky, can give you an opportunity to lay out a few casts on these impressive bluewater creatures.

The Flats

Finally the flats, I can hear you say. I am a bit of a newbie when it comes to the flats as all the other fishing opportunities have taken up a lot of my time. This has changed as now I actually prefer to fish the flats over everything else.

I guess for me the three main species I like to target are Permit, Blue Bastards & Blue Bone. Many other species can and will turn up, including big and small GT’s, Queenfish, Goldens, Jacks etc.

LET ME START WITH WHAT I HAVE HAD SUCCESS WITH:

Blue Bone These blue tractors tend to like the bays with a bit of reef and therefore they can cost you a few flies when you decide to target them. The cast needs to be highly accurate as the country you find them in can offer little chance of stripping to reposition the fly. They can be found out on sand patches and this makes your chance of landing one a lot better.

Blue Bastards These fish will be found in bigger numbers in bays which have mangroves nearby and they really know

how to find their home once hooked. I’ve been saved on a few occasions when the tide has not been high enough for them to find the mangroves and they stop thankfully a few meters short of finding freedom.

Permit Both Australian species of Permit are found here and so far, this has been the most frustrating yet rewarding journey for me (it’s funny to say that since I’ve yet to land one!).

At first, I couldn’t even find them, but after a lot of time on the water I started seeing them more easily. But getting one to eat has been tricky, with a few showing interest but no successful hook ups on the pointy end. Some friends have managed to land a few and there are a few fly fishos in Karratha who get them quite regularly, and hats off to them as they are obviously doing something I’m not.

What I have learnt from chasing them thus far is that it’s better to be on foot than in the boat. I use the boat to either get on the flat or, if I see them from a distance, I pull up and get out and use a light enough fly to get down quick enough but not spook them when it lands. Reading their body language to see if they are milling around or cruising along, and adjusting my cast and approach to suit what they are doing is part of the chase. The bigger fish tend to be solo or in groups of up to three with the schools tending to hold smaller fish. Also I try not to cast straight to them which can result in the fish following the fly right towards you in which case they see you and spook! And so the learning and the dedication to catching one continues for me…….

Tackle Tips

For the creeks, tackle choice depends on how light you want to go. I tend to use anything from a #7WT to a #10WT, depending on the flies you want to cast and the location you’re fishing in. The majority of our creeks are quite shallow, so full floating, sink tip or slow sinking intermediate lines work best, with the exception of dredging the deep holes for Mulloway. For fly choice, all your usual Barra & estuary patterns work well, but due to the large tidal influences the water is often quite colored so bright flies, ones that push some water and some with rattles can be successful. Some poppers for amazing top water boofs from Barra are fun to fish, but the hook up rates with these are poor. For leader choice I tend to fish fairly heavy nylon ( 30/60LB ), as I don’t think it puts the fish off, and they don’t need to be too long.

For Barra patterns of choice it’s hard to go past pink things, golden bombers, game changers and poppers. I like to use big flies which can rule out some bycatch, but you can also downsize your fly and still get Barra and all the usual local creek species.

Out in the bluewater, #10WT to #12WT’s reign supreme. For billfish I use a #12WT with a short heavy leader because when you’re ‘switching’ these fish to the fly, the leader only needs to be long enough to turn the fly over.

When dredging for Mackerel it’s wise to use some light wire tippet. You hook more without wire but lose a lot due to them biting through the leader.

Baitfish profile patterns for most of the pelagic targets work well, as do the usual tube flies rigged with either single or tandem hooks . Since the billfish are mostly juveniles the fly does not have to be huge, normally 6 to 8 inches will do just fine.

On the flats I tend to fish #10WT’s, though a #9WT is fine. I normally have two rods ready for choice, one with a full floater and longish leader (12ft approximately and sometimes a little longer) rigged up to a light crab or shrimp pattern, and a second rod with a sink tip and shorter leader (8 to 10ft) presenting a heavy crab fly. This tends to cover all water depths and current strengths fishing from either the boat or when wading.

It does pay to have a #12WT fully rigged up in case the big GT’s come on to the flats which doesn’t happen very often, but often enough to warrant having something ready. I’ve been caught out not having anything ready before and missed some fine opportunities.

Flies like VGDC, Alphlexco crabs, shrimp and all the other variants of these patterns will work fine. Shrimp variations are a pretty good bet each way, and as always your presentation and strip seems to be the real trick to bring flats fish into your hand.

Reading the fishes behavior

This part of the chase has taken me some time to master. Once you have identified a target fish you wish to cast to, you need to see what it is doing. By this I mean is it actively feeding; moving to a new location; sitting still; or tailing?

The first step is to identify which way the fish is facing so that you can get the fly in front of the fish. Sounds simple but at times it can be hard to tell. Positioning the boat with the electric, taking into account wind direction, current and water depth to allow enough time for your fly to sink are critical components for success. Next it comes down to the presentation of the cast. A fast presentation is paramount - quite often a roll cast or soft lob is all you will need. Other times with the fly dragging in the water behind the boat or from a starting position with fly in hand, flick forward and with one back cast deliver the fly. Multiple false casts will result in lost fish as the boat is moving, the fish is moving and the sink rate of the fly will have you over the fish and it will spook in no time. Think quick and accurate to increase your chances of success.

More thoughts on presentation - it is better to go long than short with your cast. By this I mean if the fly lands short in line with the fish it will sink back towards the boat which in turn will cause the fish to turn and be looking at you, your mate and the boat. By going slightly longer with your cast, you can get the fish to turn toward the fly away from the boat and reduce your chances of spooked fish.

This technique is not always possible, but a good thing to keep in mind.

Actively feeding fish are always a good sign as they can be distracted when looking for food. Some fish feed in random patterns making directional anticipation quite frustrating, but these fish tend to be higher percentage targets.

Fish moving to a new location are lower percentage fish and are often mid water or hugging the bottom moving to the next feeding spot with purpose. Lead these fish by quite a bit and make your cast long or past the line of direction. As the fly is sinking you can strip some line in if required to get the fly into the fish’s view.

For fish that are sitting still, I normally use a long leading cast as they can be spooky and mindful of surface tension. Sometimes they will offer up a couple of shots where I will work my way closer with each attempt if the fish hasn’t seen the first cast. Once each cast has settled I wait a bit and then twitch the fly on the bottom.

With tailing fish you can get surprisingly close with your fly without spooking them. Close casts of a meter or so will get their attention. Too far and the feeding frenzy will cause your fly to go unnoticed.

Now that you have the fish’s attention, pay close attention to what the fish does. If you are certain it has eaten your fly then strip strike, if you don’t connect wait and repeat. If you are uncertain of the eat, but you think it might of, I normally do a long slow draw and if you feel any resistance then strip strike.

You need to stay in constant contact with your fly as I’ve seen too many missed opportunities from slack in the system. The fish eats and the hook can’t be set. Small one inch strips can help keep you in contact with the fly, and there is also a fine line between moving it and spooking the fish, but you need to always be in contact with your fly.

I do have a disclaimer since you know that every species, location, and bottom type are different and fish don’t always play by the rules. These are some of the pieces of the puzzle I’ve learnt on the flats and you may possibly approach your flats fishing quite differently. If you have some additional tips and advice then please let me know, as after all, we all want to maximize our chances and ultimately catch more fish.

Things to keep in mind when fishing the Pilbara

Google Earth is every fisho’s best friend and a great way to do some research prior to getting here.

It can help identify likely flats, sand bays to camp on, and deep holes in the creeks in which to purposely get stuck during the big low tides in the hope of Barra holding up in there as well.

Not everywhere has phone reception so letting people know your plans and location is a must. Be sure and take enough water and supplies in the unlikely event you get stuck somewhere.

The tides of the region can be your friends and your worst enemies. I have on more than one occasion been stuck up the back of a creek in sweltering heat waiting ten hours for the tide to come back in. Thankfully each time the next high tide was as big or bigger and we got out. But if the tide is on its way down to neaps, there is a slight chance you could be stuck miles from anywhere for a week or more which would be life threatening in the summer months.

Summertime calls for covering up from the heat, drinking plenty of water, and eating some food which aids in maintaining hydration. If your boat doesn’t have shade, always bring some along to get some reprieve from the heat.

It’s a good idea to plan your trip to the Pilbara in relation to the species you are keen to target using time of year and tides. If you are ever planning a trip or travelling through the area, please feel free to get in contact with me for some local info and possibly a chance to get out and fish together. There are so many places to go and plenty of fish to target in this special place, so come and check it out for yourself.