On the stones at Exmouth – The Fishing DVD

A classic morning on the rocks below the lighthouse at Exmouth WA. Shore based fishing is something many of Fishing DownUnders’ viewers have told us they want to see, and we’ve been getting some great rock fishing action.

The first time I fished this particular rock ledge was back in the mid seventies, and I’m pleased to say things haven’t changed much as far as the fishing is concerned – but Exmouth itself sure has! With a middling to strong offshore wind blowing in from the desert, it was a case of pulling the 7’6” Saltist travel rod out of the space cab. These rods are a must-have when travelling – easy to pack and so versatile. Matched up with a Daiwa Procargo 4500 reel, this combination was the first I packed weeks ago before we headed off on this extended road trip from the Sunshine Coast to WA. Believe me, a lot of thought went into the choice of fishing gear for the different scenarios we could encounter on this trip – we had limited space so what we packed had to be very versatile.

Back to the rock ledge… it was a case of tying on a reasonably heavy popper, and covering as much water as possible. First appearances were good – a shoal of very nervous baitfish weaving their way along the shallows under the ledge.

The length of the 7’6”rod was getting that popper well out, and with the assistance of the wind it was almost reaching the edge of the limestone reef. It wasn’t long before the popper was inhaled by a Golden Trevally that managed to get his head under a couple of rock ledges, making for a fairly exciting fight before being washed up on a small sandy beach.

The decision to include the Saltist 7’6’ road and the Procargo reel on a trip like this was never in doubt, a very versatile combination, particularly for casting poppers off the stones, when anything from Spaniards to GTs could turn up. The Procargos drag is outstanding, it’s Magsealed and is a great all round quality reel for rock hoppers and beach fishos chasing mid range to large species anywhere around our coastline.

Check out the great stories available from Fishing DownUnder on DVD, or download straight onto your computer! Go to www.fishingdownunder.tv and enjoy!

John Haenke – Fishing DownUnder