I've never been but thinking about doing a fishing/diving trip. Probably rent a house and head out west side when conditions are good and the gulf side when they're not.
I'm just after general info about the area not secret spots. Like how clear is the water on the east side and what species might I get there. I've read that pelagics are common but are there good reef systems and what's it like for bottom bouncing? I'll probably launch at Tantabiddi boat ramp when heading out west. I'm not looking at filling the freezer, just like to catch a few good fish and spend some time in the water.
Feel free to pm if you prefer.
Thanks.
what size boat are you taking. Tantabiddy can be difficult for larger boats on a low tide or a large swell. Bottom bouncing is good around there but you have to head a fair way away from the boat ramp. A good sounder is essential. My last trip up there was July 2014 fishing out of a 28 foot Jackman ali. The first week was blown out completely. The second week was fantastic. What month are you heading up as the wind there can wreak havoc with your plans.
Just in the early stages of planning but it'll be between April and July to get the best weather. I've heard the ramp can be unusable on low tides so I'll be planning around the tides as well as the weather for sure. The trip will be a week to a week and a half so I'll be happy if I get out a couple of times. I'll probably spend more time in the boat fishing out from Exmouth but I wasn't sure if it's any good for diving that side or if I'll have to head out to the west side for good visibility. As for the boat we can either take my tinny (which is set up well with sounder etc) or my mate has a 6+ metre plate boat. It's not going to be a full on hard core trip by any means, those days are (probably) gone.
Gulf waters are pretty cloudy, with heaps of tidal movement. Diving anywhere along the inside of the reef is rewarding. Even if its blowing a gale on the outside, there is plenty of bombies and structures inside the reef that are great to dive with really good visibility. The tinny will work well inside the reef, plenty of queenies, charlie courts, spanish flag etc. A bigger boat opens more options however my first 3 or 4 trips fishing exmouth where in a 12 foot savage snipe and i had a ball and always managed to catch a feed.
Wilderness island on the other side of the gulf, did a run over in my dingy, it's approx 26
Miles, best all round fishing spot IMHO,
Deep water, reef, mangroves, sand bars , flats,
A sport fishers paradise, bone fish, to mud crabs and tons of species in between,
But just got back from a spot, fishing 4.5 ft of water , 3 of us hooked over 100 pinkies in a couple of hrs between 450 mm and 700 mm, dived with
Hundreds of baldies in 3 ft of water, if you get over say hi to jim
