Marlin Fishing

[Zinky]

Elton big game holiday link that we spoke about..

Big Game Holidays

[chevin]

DMCA:

This is not Exmouth in Devon I take it! (NW Oz?)

Yes, on the North West Cape in Western Australia. It's a place where big fish grow huge! For many years it has been an ambition of mine to catch a fish of over 100lbs from the shore, and I have lost count of how many of them I have hooked there only to lose them! The problem I have at Exmouth is hooking one small enough to land! The fish I have been hooking have weighed several hundred pounds - indeed in the area I fish for the big ones off the shore, I have seen a tiger shark well in excess of 1000lbs within a few yards off the beach. A couple of years ago, Vagabond called in here, I lent him some tackle, told him to have a look at Exmouth and told him of a spot the big fish frequent. He drove up there, went to that spot on his arrival and within minutes had hooked and lost a ray of several hundred pounds.

 

Thankfully Exmouth is a remote place and from Perth you are looking at almost the distance between Lands End and John o' Groats. No international flights go there so anyone wanting to visit the place has to leave from Perth either by driving or by our horrendously expensive commercial flights. Exmouth isn't a well kept secret, but its remoteness and conservation policies are preserving its potential as a world class angling venue.

[Zinky]

Chevin my son Ric was in Exmouth a few months back diving. I have some good pictures looks a fantastic place the sod hates fishing,

All the way round OZ just surfing and diving and no fishing :mad:

[Vagabond]

chevin:

 A couple of years ago, Vagabond called in here, I lent him some tackle, told him to have a look at Exmouth and  told him of a spot the big fish frequent.  He drove up there, went to that spot on his arrival and within minutes had hooked and lost a ray of several hundred pounds.

Chevin, that incident is seared on my memory. I could SEE that ray from Exmouth jetty ( a very small wooden jetty for pleasure boats) This fish made my 157 lb skate look PUNY ! It was about fifteen yards out in very clear water. I got Norma to keep an eye on it whilst I ran back to the camper-van for the stoutest tackle I had. Put on a largish pilchard and cast to the ray - which was still there when I got back. Watched it engulf the pilchard. It then moved forward. I struck, the rod arched over and the reel began to sing.

 

I turned to Norma and said something like "looks like we are in business"

 

At that point the ray realised it was hooked, and WHOOSH, it took off for the coral reef about 100 yards offshore, went over the reef, the line caught on the reef and parted. It is difficult, even with hindsight, to think of what gear might have held it. I think even if I had had 130 lb line with rod and reel to match, all that would have happened was that I would have been pulled off the jetty (no rails!)

 

Sight fishing for giant sting ray - mind blowing. Chevin reckons it would have been about 700 lb (he's seen several such when scuba diving) Certainly it seemed to have the area of a dining table - the size that seats eight people.

 

There are similar rays in the Tamar Estuary in North Tasmania. Norma's brother has a boat there, and next visit I intend to have a go with some big game gear

[chevin]

Originally posted by Vagabond:

 

It is difficult, even with hindsight, to think of what gear might have held it.

 

The gear isn't a problem, as you say those fish will just drag you into the ocean. At night, I fish from the beach to one side of that little jetty - it is Bill's Way Jetty - and on several occasions I have been dragged down the beach and into the ocean. At that point I just allow my self to be pointed and broken.

 

Exmouth Naval Jetty is less than a mile north of that little jetty, and that is something else altogether! It is rated as one of the ten best dive sites in the world. I have dived there on several occasions and you see fish that you can't believe. There used to be a grouper that had broken so many people, some wag set up with a piece of chain as a trace. His line was probably 200lbs/bs. He hooked it too, and from that day onwards the fish swam around with a length of chain hanging from the corner of its mouth! It was so big it could have swallowed some of the smaller divers, but it was quite friendly and gave no one any problems.

[chevin]

Dragonbat:

All the way round OZ just surfing and diving and no fishing    :mad:

I guess you are going to get out here and go up there with Alan and do some fishing there. Providing I am free to do so, I will join the two of you.

[DMCA]

Talking of getting dragged along by fish...when marlin fishing I had a harness attached to me and the rod was attached to the harness: as a result I was attached to a fish nearly three times as big as me and going as fast as a car...what happens if the reel jams? Have you heard of this happening to anyone?

 

I'm not much of a swimmer at the best of times...

[chevin]

Originally posted by DMCA:

 

...what happens if the reel jams? Have you heard of this happening to anyone?

 

I heard of something like that happening of Valencia Island in Co. Kerry. A woman was fighting a big skate while standing up in the boat. She was wearing a harness with snap clips to the reel. Something went wrong and she went overboard and headed downwards at a rate of knots. Those present thought that it was the end of her, but some how she got free, surfaced and was rescued. From that day on the skipper would only allow harnesses to be used if a quick release bar was used at the reel. Personally, I always have a knife strapped to my calf if I am using a harness. There is less liklihood of it moving there or becoming entangled with clothing. Being a snorkler and diver I am confident I would not panic during the first few seconds on immersion and that I would be able to cut my self free. Sadly though, most people who die because of unexpected immersion do so because of their actions in that first couple of seconds.