Exmouth mangrove jack competition heats up

Big yellowfin tuna have showed up in Exmouth right on schedule.

Several boats have been getting blistering runs on heavy gear while out targeting billfish in deep waters.

Captain Eddy Lawler has reached another great achievement after realising his 20th grand slam for billfish — including the amazing statistic of three species of marlin each day for three consecutive days, which we believe has never been done before in the world.

The International Game Fishing Association listed record for grand slams for a skipper is 17 and we are certain no other Australian skipper is even close to this amazing achievement of Ed’s. Thanks, Eddy, for showcasing how healthy and fantastic the fishery is here, and for the tagging efforts that help us learn more about the billfish that frequent these waters.

The mangrove jack competition is heating up, with more than 20 entrants aiming to catch a jack from the marina and get a picture of the biggest one on a brag mat before the end of February. It is $25 to enter and winner takes all.

Baits have been the most successful, but some anglers have been using slow-sinking lures.

The mangrove jacks have shown up in really big numbers in all areas, including the west side, gulf and marina, which again is a sign of the healthy fishery we have here.

Drop in to Tackle World for further details and to enter.

The Heavy Tackle Tournament is just around the corner, with many people already entering online.

This event is designed for 37kg and 60kg tackle targeting fish in depths over 250m.

There are some great sponsors and organisers of this event, which is growing to be another major tournament on the Exmouth Game Fishing Club calendar.

The target species is marlin, while other by-catch of large yellowfin tuna, sailfish and wahoo are expected.

There is a section this year for best-dressed team on Australia Day too, so it should be good fun. The baby turtles are hatching again, which means the shoreline is being patrolled constantly by predatory species such as spangled emperor, trevally and sharks.

There are a lot of turtle tracks from females laying on the beach each night.

Sadly, a lot of baby turtles don’t make it, but that is mother nature.

Some of the females don’t survive either, but again, that is Mother Nature’s way of working as a dead turtle can then feed many crabs or sharks that may have fed on baby turtles instead.

Surface lures from the shore are working well at present, and the waters have been crystal clear, with little swell, so we recommend using fluorocarbon leader.