Tackleworld Exmouth weekly fishing report

What is it that is so good about living in the North West?

I think its the warmth of summer, which brings the town back to a local crew with more of a casual atmosphere.

The ramps are nowhere near as busy and you can get plenty of parking at the shops.

The fishing is good in all areas, which should allow you to target just about anything, provided the weather is calm.

Generally you can get strong winds up the whole coast through this time of year, but November 2018 has been noticeably different for all the right reasons, including many days of great weather.

Another thing to note is that on certain days it has been rather windy on shore, but very fishable out wide for those people targeting fish in deeper waters.

The marina has been firing of late with several crew getting into the various areas to target the jacks that seem to bite harder as the weather heats up.

The species you can encounter in this area astound me every time I go there.

On one occasion in winter we saw an incredible mass of baitfish the width of one of the canals and stretching along several house frontages that was getting periodically smashed by larger predatory species such as trevally.

On the weekend with no moon in the sky, about 8pm, the phosphorescence in the water with the baitfish and prawns about was like a natural fireworks show.

It was truly amazing to watch and had the kids captivated as small shrimp and worm-like creatures darted around and bigger bait fish flickered near the surface.

Beneath this we dropped in a few baits and were stoked to get into some decent fish, including a honker spangled emperor, a few jacks and decent cod.

There is a jack competition on now that involves measuring and releasing. We will get you all the details next week or drop into the store and ask.

The political fishing arena around Exmouth is running hot with suggestions of total bans off the west side and of salt mines on the gulf side.

Add in a project in the lower gulf and there aren’t many places to hide from it. If you are interested in hearing more about the planned salt mine in the gulf, there is a community invitation on this Thursday, November 16, from 5.30-7pm at the Potshot Hotel in the outside pool bar.

It is interesting to note that several years ago Kailis’ commercial fishing operation joined forces with the recreational fishing sector of Recfishwest and the Cape Conservation Group to form collective body Halt The Salt.

The plans was to have salt mines down the entire eastern side of Exmouth Gulf, which the group believed would affect the health of the gulf, which is so abundant with life.

Have you had a fresh feed of rock lobster lately?

There are plenty about and we recommend getting a few as they are delicious.

People have been travelling for miles to get them, but you’d be surprised how close they are to shore.