Holiday fishing begins with a bang

April is one of our favourite months of the year, and it has started with a great few days already, with glass conditions, fish biting and clear waters.

The holiday-makers have come in, filling up almost all the accommodation in town and the ramps are busy with trailer boats, whaleshark operators and all sorts or water enthusiasts.

Almost all the canal holiday homes are full with boats on jetty’s and kids waving rods around madly from dawn to dusk.

Marina options can include mangrove jacks, bream, queenfish, trevally, cod, sweetlip, squid, barracuda and an array of species that can make any youngster excited to see, or catch.

We recommend using small prawns for bait, or mulies, if bait is your preferred choice.

Small lures also work really well and are less likely to effect the laundry department. Lures that can sink work exceptionally well, although really small poppers can work when the bait is pushed up in the canals.

Whatever you are targeting, make sure you have a species identification book handy, a pair of decent long nose pliers, gloves for handling the fish and a rag.

If you plan on keeping fish, make sure you have a brag mat or fish ruler to ensure correct sizing, along with the fisheries pamphlet on bag and size limits and some ice in an esky with a knife or iki-jimi spike.

The big GT’s have been showing up on many Facebook pages of late around Exmouth and these hardy fish are a tough species that fight hard and release well.

We recommend using barbless hooks when chasing them to improve the chances of fish survival and assist you with the release.

Most of these have been caught from boats of late, but there are still plenty that cruise the shoreline each day along the coast.

Jimmy Morton from Gingin took his nine-year-old son Lachie out to fish with friends Murray Teasdale and Jason Browning last week aboard Cin Bin.

Lachie managed to catch a sailfish and a black marlin in glorious conditions off the west side. It set a great vibe for the juniors and we are sure we will see much more of this father/son team in years to come in Exmouth.

Swordfish has been the talking topic for many this last week, as several people across the country got out to target them.

I was lucky enough to be one of those anglers. Aboard Reel Teaser, we managed to tag an estimated 70kg broadbill late at night, after a hook up at dusk.

The fish was insanely strong, living up to its legendary name of Xiphias Gladius, the gladiator of the ocean.

There were other swordfish in Tasmania tagged on the same day with satellite tags and we are looking forward to getting more information on these fish that have recently gained the spotlight in the recreational fishing fraternity.

Shark research is happening up and down our coast at present. Would you like to be involved? We need to get information to the scientists as best we can. As rec anglers, I believe most of us are aware of the increase in sharks over the past decade. We are trying to get a tournament up and happening with the ‘most sharks captured’ and ‘best shark captured’.

If you would like to assist with this event or participate, please do not hesitate to contact Jeni on 0408 905 448.