Last month I got the chance to get away with a few mates and head to Exmouth for five days.
The master plan was to get there on the first day and just take in the sights, the next 3 days spend them fishing and the last day to travel back home. Mind you we were getting there on the tail end of a cyclone but hey, you need a bigger excuse than that to cancel a fishing trip.
So the trip begins at Sydney Airport then to Perth and then the final destination at Learmonth naval airport.
From there we jump in the car and head to the apartment only 15 minutes away
Nice place and an awesome air conditioning unit. So we took to the streets wanting to see the town and find what there is to do. We did bump into some of the local birds and some really cute chicks
But this was the boys fishing trip so the focus was on fishing. After cruising the town [all of 30 minutes] we ended up at a Pub called the Thirsty Camel. Great pub, great food and even greater people. The staff were just the friendliest and even the owner spent some time with us having a laugh and stirring the pot. The place is decked out like an old American saloon with a couple of pool tables and country music playing all day. Needless to say we did spend a respectable amount of free time there.
Day 1 Fishing
CANCELLED !!!!! Four meter swell with nasty winds and not the place for a landlubber. Like I said we caught the tail end of the cyclone but hopefully tomorrow gets better. So..back to the Thirsty Camel.
Not wanting to completely miss out on a days fishing we decided to take on the local Jacks from the wharf down the road. So off to the tackle shop to buy some cheap rod combo and re-spool them with 30lb mono. Ive never fished for Mangrove Jacks before and boy did they surprise me. On the first hook-up I nearly snapped the el-cheapo rod and literally got smoked by a bruiser that had no intention of giving me an inch. It just buried me on its first run. A bit wiser on the second hit though and managed to turn this little one around quick smart [hit nowhere near as hard as the first]
Day 2 Fishing
ITS ON !!!!! Only a 2 to 2.5 meter swell [still not feeling the love here] So were off to the Tantabiddi Boat Ramp to meet our captain. We booked with a company called OnStrike Charters, A 32 foot center console with twin 200s on the back. Very nice and very professional as far as a charter operation goes.
After some quick intros and safety instructions we were off to the marlin grounds which by the way were only about 20minutes from the boat ramp. [Its weird to be fishing for pelagics so close to land.]
I gotta tell ya, trawling in a 2 to 3 meter swell aint fun in my books but I held out for a good 6 hours. We didnt manage to hook a marlin but did raise one to the teasers.
Being the well rounded adult that I am I calmly convinced the lads that we should call it a day after 6 hours on the high seas and not torture ourselves needlessly, for today anyway. I think the decision was unanimous after I promised them that I was going to throw-up in their backpacks, so we headed back to the ramp early. Back on solid ground.and back to the Thirsty Camel for a meeting.
After a good feed we were off to do the tourist thing. First stop the Vlaming Head Lighthouse
Some truly beautiful Australian scenery. In the background of the second photo you can see the huge communication/radio relay aerials the military has built there. The worlds largest Very Low Frequency [VLF] transmitter, and the 2nd tallest structure in the Southern hemisphere, Tower Zero is located in that area
And hows this for the local caravan park
Just walk across the street and jump into the crystal blue waters of the Ningaloo Coast
By this stage of the day we noticed that the wind had died off considerably and tomorrow was looking like a screamer of a day
We managed a quick swim and snorkel at the Oyster Stacks [btw the Visitors centre hires out snorkelling gear for $10 a day] and then off to Yardie Creekfor a quick sticky beak at the place.
Its places like this that they make postcards out of. Its just breathtaking.
I need to transfer some more pics off my phone tonight and continue with the story over the weekend.; Hope you guys are enjoying it so far.....
The master plan was to get there on the first day and just take in the sights, the next 3 days spend them fishing and the last day to travel back home. Mind you we were getting there on the tail end of a cyclone but hey, you need a bigger excuse than that to cancel a fishing trip.
So the trip begins at Sydney Airport then to Perth and then the final destination at Learmonth naval airport.
From there we jump in the car and head to the apartment only 15 minutes away
Nice place and an awesome air conditioning unit. So we took to the streets wanting to see the town and find what there is to do. We did bump into some of the local birds and some really cute chicks
But this was the boys fishing trip so the focus was on fishing. After cruising the town [all of 30 minutes] we ended up at a Pub called the Thirsty Camel. Great pub, great food and even greater people. The staff were just the friendliest and even the owner spent some time with us having a laugh and stirring the pot. The place is decked out like an old American saloon with a couple of pool tables and country music playing all day. Needless to say we did spend a respectable amount of free time there.
Day 1 Fishing
CANCELLED !!!!! Four meter swell with nasty winds and not the place for a landlubber. Like I said we caught the tail end of the cyclone but hopefully tomorrow gets better. So..back to the Thirsty Camel.
Not wanting to completely miss out on a days fishing we decided to take on the local Jacks from the wharf down the road. So off to the tackle shop to buy some cheap rod combo and re-spool them with 30lb mono. Ive never fished for Mangrove Jacks before and boy did they surprise me. On the first hook-up I nearly snapped the el-cheapo rod and literally got smoked by a bruiser that had no intention of giving me an inch. It just buried me on its first run. A bit wiser on the second hit though and managed to turn this little one around quick smart [hit nowhere near as hard as the first]
Day 2 Fishing
ITS ON !!!!! Only a 2 to 2.5 meter swell [still not feeling the love here] So were off to the Tantabiddi Boat Ramp to meet our captain. We booked with a company called OnStrike Charters, A 32 foot center console with twin 200s on the back. Very nice and very professional as far as a charter operation goes.
After some quick intros and safety instructions we were off to the marlin grounds which by the way were only about 20minutes from the boat ramp. [Its weird to be fishing for pelagics so close to land.]
I gotta tell ya, trawling in a 2 to 3 meter swell aint fun in my books but I held out for a good 6 hours. We didnt manage to hook a marlin but did raise one to the teasers.
Being the well rounded adult that I am I calmly convinced the lads that we should call it a day after 6 hours on the high seas and not torture ourselves needlessly, for today anyway. I think the decision was unanimous after I promised them that I was going to throw-up in their backpacks, so we headed back to the ramp early. Back on solid ground.and back to the Thirsty Camel for a meeting.
After a good feed we were off to do the tourist thing. First stop the Vlaming Head Lighthouse
Some truly beautiful Australian scenery. In the background of the second photo you can see the huge communication/radio relay aerials the military has built there. The worlds largest Very Low Frequency [VLF] transmitter, and the 2nd tallest structure in the Southern hemisphere, Tower Zero is located in that area
And hows this for the local caravan park
Just walk across the street and jump into the crystal blue waters of the Ningaloo Coast
By this stage of the day we noticed that the wind had died off considerably and tomorrow was looking like a screamer of a day
We managed a quick swim and snorkel at the Oyster Stacks [btw the Visitors centre hires out snorkelling gear for $10 a day] and then off to Yardie Creekfor a quick sticky beak at the place.
Its places like this that they make postcards out of. Its just breathtaking.
I need to transfer some more pics off my phone tonight and continue with the story over the weekend.; Hope you guys are enjoying it so far.....
