FREMANTLE BOAT TRIP- WESTERN KING WRASSE

 

Fremantle departing Leeuwin Barracks

 

Northwest Blowfish

From Top: Whiting, Butterfish & Western King Wrasse

                          

'With every drop of water that you drink,

every breath you take,

you're connected to the sea.

No matter where on earth you live'

Unknown

 

We docked off at Fremantle (Leuwin Barracks) at 7am in the morning for some serious fishing. The winds were blowing westly and conditions weren't the best as the water was a bit choppy, but we didn't care we just wanted to get out there and have a fish :). We had plichards as bait and I had my trusty, lucky, red fishing rod for the occasion. We journeyed out for 25 minutes until we arrived at a nice fishing spot which had some reefs so we decided to drop anchor and have a fish. I decided to rig up for herring I used size 1/0 hooks and did a running beam sinker. First cast in and we had many bites but the fish just weren't going for the bait after about 30 minutes into fishing I still seemed to have no luck and neither did my friend for that matter. So I decided to alter my rig set up and reduce the weight of the running beam in hopes of catching any fish. I changed the hooks to bloodworm hooks and did a double hook set up I recasted and bang this time I got Lucky. First fish for the day and I was pretty chuffed as I reeled up my fish in anticipation as to what it could be up popped a  Western King Wrasse fish. These fish are mainly found in offshore reefs close to sands and seagrass spots. These fish are interestingly cheeky in my opinion because they travel in groups and the group consists of 1 male and a school of females.....Thats a lota work for 1 male fish!  Like other reef fish they have the ability to change sex to female at any time. So if the male dies the bigger female of the group will change gender to become the new male of the group. This condition is known as 'protogyny'. Wrasse fish are not what anglers normally would go for but they are edible. I personally don't like the flavour of the fish but some people love eating them. The best way to eat these fish are pan fried with skin on. Two wrasse fish to nil later my friend decided we should travel further inshore and try our luck there. We found a nice sand patchy spot and not even 8 minutes into our fishing and I had hooked something huge I didn't know what it was but while I was battling to reel up my line the fish completely severed my line and I had lost my entire rig set up. I was spewing. As I quickly tried to re rig my line my friend spotted a Northwest blowfish also known as a pufferfish. These buggars have horse like teeth and can cause some serious bites. They are pretty aggressive fish and will pretty much go for any food on offer. We encountered 3 Northwest blowfish on our fishing trip and they are definately not shy. The blowy circled our boat for a period of time in the hopes of getting a free feed. It would flick it's fins out of the water as if to say 'Hello, I'm here, feed me'. The northwest blowy that circled the boat would have been about 60cm long but they can get as big as 88cm. We didn't stick around to fish when these buggars popped their ugly heads up. :) And I think that was what cut my line. We journeyed a good 10 minutes away from the location and sourced a better spot. This time I managed to land a whiting, as I went to soak the bag to put the fish in it. The fish slipped through the clenches of my hand and threw itself off the boat. My friend was indeed spewing our only whiting, one minute on the boat and the next minute....gone! But it wasn't all bad my friend finally caught a whiting which we managed to contain in the boat. :)  All up after catching many butterfish and one baby snapper which we had to throw back because it was well undersized, we finished the fishing trip with 2 Western King Wrasse, 1 whiting and a butterfish.      

 

  

 



PROTECTING SHARKS AND FISH FOR THE FUTURE!

In W.A they have put in place a new culling shark program releasing drumlines across the coast.  Sharks are the top predators of the marine food pyramid. They play a vital role in the oceans ecosystems as they regulate the natural balance of the ecosystems. The removal of these species which are on the endangered list would alter the ecological dynamics and thus be economically devastating. An example of the ecological domino effect would be fewer sharks would increase the octopus population which would decrease the lobster population. Decimated shark population would also decrease shellfish populations and since shellfish actually filter water the quality of the water would also decrease and the dominos list goes on. It takes 20 YEARS for a shark to reach sexual maturity and produce young ones. To me it's simply messing with the food chain. To put another funamental point across when we go diving, swimming or snorkelling we are going into their territory we are choosing to swim in their environment. So why must we set out to distinct an animal for being in their own territory. Every year more people die of car accidents and bee stings than shark attacks. Does this mean we should stop driving cars on the road and cull bees?
Maybe we need to be more aware of where and when we go swimming to reduce our risks of encounter and be more responsible? Some Anglers might think it's not a big deal but heres a thought to ponder on....If they continue the culling of sharks program into 2015. How much is this going to effect future fishing and the future generation....dissapointed Angler???  
Another issue that has popped up is the approval for coal companies to dump 3 million cubic metres of sludge into the Great barrier reef . A world heritage site which could well be on the 'dangered list' this year.

BLACKWALL REACH BLUE SWIMMER CRABS

Blackwall Reach, Bicton

 



 

Blackwall reach is a hidden Jewel spot for crabbing. The bushland and cliffs that surrounds you and the peacefulness makes you feel one with nature. We decided to head down there at 6pm for some night time crabbing. Upon arrival we noticed lot's of scuba diver groups heading out for a night time dive and some local Anglers. We set up the crab nets on the jetty and threw them out. The bait I used was chicken drumsticks tied down with a clip. The wait was on, an hour into crabbing and we had caught nothing. Meanwhile a scuba diving team were heading in and they had caught some monster sized crabs, so I knew at that they were definately there. After relocating to another spot on the jetty we decided to launch the crab nets out further and much to my excitement this time we were lucky, 2 female bumper sized crabs. All up I was pretty impressed with our catch. I had hoped to stay longer but our crabbing venture was cut short, my friend was getting eaten alive by mozzies and I was beginning to feel sorry for her :) yes we had indeed forgotten to pack the mozzy repellant. I presprayed before leaving however failed to mention that there would be mozzies where we were going to my poor friend :). So we decided to call it a night and head back to her place. My friend placed the crabs in the freezer and we sat down for a nice cuppa coffee. After about an hour we decided it was time to cook up the crabs. I opened the fridge to find no crabs. It was when I opened the freezer did I realise she had placed it accidently in the freezer and the crabs were frozen stiff....It's claws had launched onto the railing and it was indeed stuck. After much laughing and many attempts to pull the crab from the railing, We finally had to cut the claws to free the big buggar for tea :). So my big tip here is if you decided to put your crabs to sleep in the freezer put them in there for a short period of time as you don't want to spend another hour trying to defrost your crabs.   :)   

Penguin Island

SHOALWATER

Blue Manner Crabs

Shoalwater is an awesome spot for catching a variety of fish but on this fishing occasion I decided to hunt down my favourite, blue manner crabs and since at the moment it's crabbing season I simply have to make the most of it.  :) I used 3 crab nets and on this occasion I decided to use lamb necks as my bait, but you can also use tuna heads or chicken wings/legs which is also good crabbing bait. I secured my bait with a wire clip, some people like to use cages to stop blowies from eating the bait but I just let it free flow in the water, plus if there are other people crabbing on the jetty you've got that advantage of luring the crab to your net and not theres :) . I decided to crab just off the jetty so I secured my crab nets round the posts threw them in and checked the nets every 10 minutes. Doing the pull is always the fun, exciting part of crabbing, there's always a few seconds of suspense as to whether you've caught a crab or how many are going to be in the net. At times when I did pull up my nets I would sometimes find 2 crabs in there. I caught a lot of undersized crabs which I put back in the water straight away as you want to preserve the stock for future crabbing, however I did catch 4 big male ones which was enough for me. When measuring my crabs I used a crab gauge, however you can place a small indent in a coke can and use the can to measure the crab. The blue manner crabs have to be a minimum of 127 mm carapace width. It's best to always measure your crabs as the last thing you want to cop is a fine from the fisheries​. The catch limit for catching crabs are 10 per person per day. Whenever I go crabbing I always fill up a big container with sea water and take it home with me, as the best way to cook your crabs is in natural sea water. I put the crabs to sleep on ice or in the freezer, prepeel off the back, degutt and clean them out, bring the sea water to a boil then put the crabs in the pot for 7 minutes. Take them out of the pot and cool them in running cold water straight away, as you don't want to over cook your crabs. Serve it on a plate with your favourite summer salad. Delish!!  :)

Albany

                                                                            Albany

Breaksea Cod

Sargeant Baker

Packed and ready to go me and my fishing companion headed out at 5 am for some deep sea fishing we drove down to Albany marina and set out for king george sound and what a beautiful day it was for fishing. A bet had been made on this fishing expedition and I was pretty sure at the time it was going to be a challenging battle of the genders. Although my fishing companion had ...dare I say...more fishing experience than myself. I knew that in general I was pretty lucky and I did have a different fishing style, so maybe I could swindle a win in my favour :).  As we set out in search of a good fishing spot my companion noticed coral sprawls across the waters, but little did I realise at the time just how much this would effect our fishing. After a good 40 minute journey we finally anchored and got set up for some serious fishing. I moved quickly as I wanted to land the first fish there was no time to waste, we used pilchards for bait and some mullies, I dropped the line over as quick as I could and bang... first cast in and the lucky buggar had caught something, first fish for the day Break Sea Cod also known to many as a 'black arse cod' because there arses are black. These fish I must say are great eating, they make nice white fillets and go down well in a beer batter.
While he took the cod off the line I was quick to re bait and get my line out there but to no luck, the fish seemed to be nibbling at the bait but not really going for the bait. I couldn't understand it at the time I mean I didn't pack a banana with me so what was going on down there in desmersal lane! Then bang he got lucky again... another Break Sea Cod. It was Two to Nil... I knew at that moment the pressure was on and I had to pull up something or I would never live this fishing expedition down. Then it hit my line, the excitment set in and I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins as I was reeling in my line... preying for a snapper, up it popped and fish slapped the boat. It was a Sargent Baker. At the time I didn't actually know what it was but the fish looked exotic and interesting, when my companion told me it was good bait fish my interest in this fish quickly diminished. But bait fish or not I was glad I had finally caught something :)
What I did learn about the Sargeant Baker is where theres a sargeant there normally are snapper and they are excellent bait fish for Dhewi fish and you can eat them, but they are not good eating fish, probably only good for fish stock or fish soup.
By the end of the day we decided to end the fishing expedition the winds had changed and the fish weren't biting. 3 Break Sea Cod and 1 Sargent Baker, I did indeed get my arse kicked! Since losing the bet I have come up with a few new ideas that I will have to try out next time. Yep I think I will have to call a rematch on this one!  But it was still an exciting day, I just enjoyed being out on the water doing what I enjoy doing the most....fishing!!  Hands covered in bait, the fresh sea breeze hitting my face and the warmth of the sun. Simply paradise  :)

Albany

Sting Ray at Middleton beach



 

Kalgan River

                                                                         
       
                          Trumpet                                                          Black Bream

Albany would have to be one of my favourite fishing locations and what a pearl of a place. Everything is close, convienient and the scenery is simply breath taking. On my first day there after a 4 hour drive from Perth I decided to have some rest and relaxation time, but the following day it was all about exploring the coastal sides and river banks for some hot spots. I took a drive to middleton beach where I spotted a massive sting ray feeding just off the rocks then I drove to Kalgan river and went down an old dirt road, the views along the river banks were spectacular there were so many good fishing spots to choose from. But after a good drive down the river banks I decided to park up and head off on foot. I followed a track to a beautiful fishing spot which I called the 'mouth' of the river. I decided to fish off the rocks, the location I chose had deep holes, there were submerged trees and weed beds which was a perfect location for bigger bream or mulloway because there was plenty of cover. I used size 1/0 hooks to begin with as I wanted to catch some bait fish and sure enough the first fish I caught for the day was a trumpet which I filleted and removed the skin to make it easier to place on the hook, nothing beats fresh bait. :) The bait I took with me was mullies and I also had some red meat which I had pre cut into small pieces, placed it in a container and added burley and fish oil to premarinate it. But I have also in the past used chicken leg meat which I have cut up into small pieces and added burley and soy sauce this also works a treat.
When I threw out my line I would not stick to one spot, I would throw it out across the river at varying depths to try and source where the bream were travelling. The burley I had marinated on the bait would entice them to come out from their hiding holes, plus it increased my chances of catching a big one :) 
I did catch a lot of bream but I decided to do catch and release as I was really hoping to catch a big mulloway, I did have another fishing rod pre-rigged in the hopes of catching a big mulloway I used size 4/0 hooks with about a 1m monotrace and a running bean, when I casted out the line I made sure the line was tight and just left it there for a good 10 minutes, when reeling in my line I did it very slowly, unfortunately I didn't catch a mulloway.... but I knew they were there. However I did have fun catching black bream, which are a big target for fishermen because they really like to put up a good fight on the line....lol Plus it is a nice, tasty, high quality fleshy fish. I personally would have to admit it's not my favourite fish to eat, I find that the bream caught in the river tend to be courser in flavour with a slight muddy after taste as opposed to the ones caught in coastal waters. The best way to cook bream is whole baked or pan fried. All up it was a fun filled action packed day. I broke a thong in the process and I even slipped and managed to fall in the drink....:) so my advice is if you end up going fishing there wear enclosed footwear, take your mossy repellent as the mosquitos are notorious there and enjoy the scenery because it truely is a beautiful place to fish.  
  

DAWESVILLE DINGHY FISHING

    

Tailor

On the weekend I headed down to Dawesville for a fun filled day of fishing with Grandpa. When I got there the Dinghy was packed and ready to go with prawn bait and mullies. Armed with my trusty old fishing rod and old weather resistent clothing I was ready for a fishing challenge. We were on the water by 4.30 winds were blowing south westly and it was a gorgeous hot sunny day. We did a bit of trowl fishing to begin with down the esturary and through the bridge but we didn't have much luck. So we decided to find a nice fishing spot and drop anchor. The visibility in the water was murky, for about 2 hours I was pulling blow fish like there was no tomorrow. After about 25 blow fish catches I had earned the title of Blow fish Queen in the Dinghy and I was beginning to wonder whether I was actually going to land one edible fish in Dawesville. Grandpa was becoming increasingly keen on the idea of throwing me overboard and making me swim to shore. 7.30 hit the sun was setting and we still hadn't caught one edible fish as I was telling grandpa that we might have to source a seafood place ...hint hint....fish n chips for dinner. Bang grandpa's line got slammed by something and it definately wasn't a blow fish this time. The tailor were in, it was night time by this time so I had to act quickly or I was going to loose my opportunity and my reputation. I re rigged my line. put on my head torch and used mullie as my bait. I casted off and slowly drew the line in. The blowies had completely dissappeared by this time and the bigger fish were out. The first tailor I lost off the line as I was pulling him in much to my dissapointment, but the next one I made sure, it landed in the Dinghy. It was an exciting, intense hour of bite after bite, we even had a few dolphins swim by the Dinghy. By 8.30 the tailor died off and so did the bites. We caught 13 tailor but had to release 6 because they were undersized. Grandpa caught the most tailor but I had the biggest tailor catch for the night so we were pretty much even square I reakon. I was just glad that we caught a good feed for the night.   :)   

buggar another blow fish!