The weather is certainly warming up now as we head toward Christmas.  Hot summer days can be a good excuse to get out and on, or in, the water. Summer can also bring some strong winds, so if you’ve got a day off and the
weather is good, then make sure you make the most of it and get out.  That’s certainly what junior angler Jonah Freestone-Rowe did last week when the afternoon glass off in gulf allowed he and some parents and friends to get
out in to the Exmouth Gulf to chase the sailfish working on the bait balls. Jonah managed to switch a sailfish off a bait ball onto a skipping garfish and landed his first sail a short time later. Well done to yet another junior angler.

The interesting news this week on billfish is that a 25kg black marlin that was tagged during Gamex by angler Ben Miles aboard Azura on March 24th was recaptured off Sri Lanka on Sept 8th.  The marlin had travelled over 2529nm (in a straight line) in just 168days.  The fish weighed 40kg when captured (sadly by a long-liner!) and most interestingly, the fish was only 100nm miles from the black marlin that made the same trek in 2008.  That year, Geoff Moyle caught a 40kg black that was then captured off India at about the same time.  So, I guess that is good to show a pattern, but sad to know they are going up there to be slaughtered by the long-liners.

Mangrove jacks have been on the chew in the marina and down in the creeks in the gulf.  A few lucky anglers have also landed some barramundi on the other side of the gulf.  We know that a few barra do get this far south and have done for years, but it would be good to get more data on their patterns. Some people in the past had speared these species because they are so clearly visible in the clear water here and there are no crocs! However, it
is now illegal to spear barramundi, so a rod a reel is an option. Barramundi don’t really taste that good to eat, but they do make a great sports fish that jump and have a glistening shine in photos.

There has been lots of small to medium sized queenies around Bundegi. A fly-fishing angler was there at dawn (yes, 5am!) this week and landed about 8 of them north of Bundegi jetty. It is this time of year that they come in
thick at the Bundegi flats. These fish are another great sports fish, but not so flash for eating. Please remember good catch and release techniques such as using barbless hooks, releasing in water or handling with wet gloves
when targeting any sportsfish, so that the next person can enjoy it as much as you!

Jonah Freestone- Rowe