Exmouth Catches
Picture: Shark mackerel (funnily enough, not a shark) can be distinguished by its colouration of green and yellow but also by the intense ammonia smell when you pull it on board. Do not assume the smell makes it a bad fish to eat, it is a must to bleed the fish immediately if you want to keep it, this will help reduce the ammonia scent and will be prime for the table. (Photo courtesy of @dan.coughlan)
Game fishing enthusiasts continue to encounter good numbers of black and striped marlin in depths starting at 100m. Out farther, the occasional blue marlin has been appearing in the spreads. Sailfish are starting to appear in better numbers offshore and it will not be long before pods of the majestic creatures turn up in the upper regions of the gulf. Fishers casting stick baits and poppers into the bait boils have been picking up some nice yellowfin and longtail tuna.
Spanish and shark mackerel are continuing to respond well to trolled bibbed minnows along the back of the reef line. Red emperor have been picked up in depths as shallow as 30m while even shallower waters are producing some big coral trout and spangled emperor. Queenfish and trevally are the main species being caught from the west coast accesses. Try Lighthouse Bay and Jansz for bluebone and spangled emperor.
