Visiting angler hooks cracking mackerel in Exmouth

The land-based fishing here can be awesome at times and this week we had yet another sensational capture from a UK tourist who came here for the fishing.

Chris Tupper was fishing from the shore up near the Mildura Wreck using a Daiwa Saltist 962MH rod and a Penn Slammer III 6500HS loaded with 40lb Tasline braid and 60lb leader with 53lb wire trace.

He was casting a 75gm raider lure which got inhaled by the incredible mackerel pictured.

Tupper was on the rocks and we always recommend having good rock hoppers when fishing in this area due to the slipperiness of the surfaces.

Thankfully he managed to stay connected and upright while bringing the fish in.

It weighed an impressive 18kg and we are sure he will be showing the photo and telling the story to his friends back in the UK.

The recent rains have definitely helped the gulf to fire up and the crabs are on the run. Various other species have been in full swing in this area as well, including the school mackerel.

While these are not particularly tasty to eat, they’re fun to catch, especially for the kids out in boats.

You can cast lures when you see fish splashing on the surface, or troll lures past these schools of fish — look for birds fossicking nearby.

Of course, you can pick up many other species as well in this commotion including various trevally, queenfish, shark mackerel and tuna.

If poppers or stick baits are your preferred lure choice, make sure you have your camera ready for some awesome surface action when the fish strike your lure.

When the big schools of fish are hungry it can be very explosive to watch and experience.

The squid are still going off in all areas and we thoroughly recommend having a good selection of squid jigs in your tackle box.

If you get a stack and want an easy way to clean them, we recommend the tumblers for an easy option.

All you need to do is place the squid in the bag and tow it gently astern.

It is the quickest and easiest way to clean them.

Spearfishing anglers have been blessed with some great options in the gulf in recent weeks and plenty of trout and bluebone have been reported, including one bluey weighing 7.6kg.

The water is rather cool, so don’t forget the wetsuit and rashie, along with a hood and gloves to keep you warm.

The bluebone have also been showing up in decent numbers along the west side this week with reports of them taking a liking to prawn baits.