Chartering in Exmouth: Feature

It is hard to describe accurately the sound of a game-fishing reel being spooled of line. But it is unique, unmistakable and addictive.

It’s like an alarm that snaps you out of the almost hypnotic state you often find yourself in after listening to the rhythmic sound of engines, as you troll for what can be hours in search of big game fish.

We were just two hours into a two-day marlin fishing charter at Exmouth when we heard it for the first time.

The noise, and line peeling off the reel so fast you are sure it is going to start smoking, has you lunging at the reel in an adrenalin-fuelled frenzy.

At the same time, the crew is up and winding in lines, strapping on the harness and tidying the deck in preparation for the fight.

In those first frantic seconds the line continues to disappear from the reel at an astonishing rate. All you can do is hang on and wait.

Then, if you are lucky, the fish reveals itself for the first time, leaping from the water in a series of twists, turns and flips.

It is impossible not to let out a screech of joy as you watch the magnificent beast do its best to break free.

And for just that millisecond, it is also easy to become completely entranced, giving it that small window of opportunity to shake off its shackles.

Then, some small part of your brain that has remained calm and controlled sends you a message: keep the line taught… wind.

And the battle begins.

It is a fight that tests you physically, sapping your energy at a surprising rate. Within minutes your arms have turned to jelly and your legs are not much better.

But you know the struggle has only just begun, giving in is not an option.

The fish fights with the same tenacity.

It is a battle that can last from just a few minutes to what seems like a lifetime.

For me, my first encounter with a billfish lasted about 15 minutes before the 35kg sailfish was alongside the boat.

It was then time to put in the tag, take the obligatory brag photos and make sure the fish was ready to fight another day.

It is like a surreal bonding session when fish and fisher spend time getting to know each other with tender handling and gentle petting as it swims alongside the boat regaining its energy before being released.

Watching it swim away brings as much enjoyment as the initial hook-up. As it disappears into the depths it’s high-fives and hugs all round, as well as a celebratory beer, with the skipper just as excited about our success as us.

Then it is time to get the lines back in the water and start trolling for the next one.

Over the next two days, we were sprung into action by the sound of line peeling off the reel 11 more times. It was an emotional roller coaster of extreme highs, as we achieved many fishing firsts, and equally intense lows as they ‘escaped’.

LIVING THE DREAM
Catching a marlin has long been on my bucket list and this year my son, who is too young to have a bucket list but was as keen as me to catch his first marlin, provided me with the opportunity to fulfil my wish.

For Christmas, he booked us both on the charter with Exmouth Marlin Charters, a relative new-comer in the charter industry though skipper, and owner, Paul Kennaugh is a fanatical, and experienced, marlin fisherman in the area.

Exmouth is a remote seaside town, located on the tip of the North West Cape, 1270km north of Perth and boasts one of the country’s most diverse and accessible fisheries.

Its close proximity to the continental shelf, the famous Ningaloo reef and Exmouth gulf provides anglers with a diverse range of fishing opportunities.
It is also regarded as one of the world’s best marlin fishing grounds with three of the four different species, striped, blue and black, in abundance. The only species you don’t get is the white.

The season runs from October to April with the annual Gamex fishing competition, one of the biggest in Australia, held every March.

This year, organisers are expecting boats from all around Australia and fisherman from around the world to enter.

Last year, 62 boats competed in the six-day competition and tagged an incredible 601 bill fish in what has been described as the best tournament result in Australian waters.

GETTING THERE
We booked our two-day charter in January, a time of the year when many tourists stay away because of the extreme heat, after hearing that plenty of fish were being caught.

We were not greeted with the greatest weather when we arrived in Exmouth, it was hot (just over 40 degrees each day) the wind was around 20knots and the swell was 2.0-2.5m.

But we quickly learnt, and later appreciated, that Paul is not easily put off by weather or how difficult the fish are to find.

His never-give-in approach and positive attitude resulted in a hugely successful couple of days.

We also booked the second day on Paul’s advice, instead of a one-day charter. His reasoning was that it was a long way to travel from Perth to Exmouth and have everything riding on one day of fishing. He also said that while there are quiet days on the water he rarely went two days in a row with finding fish.
It turned out to be sound advice with most of the fish, including a 120kg blue marlin, caught on the second day.

Over the two days we caught and tagged the blue marlin, three black marlin and a sailfish. We also had the added bonus of catching a 40kg yellowfin tuna.

We also hooked another three black marlin but failed to get them to the boat and had a couple of fantastic runs before losing the fish without seeing them (apparently that does not count with real marlin fishers but it was still pretty exciting for us).

We spent close to 12 hours on the water each day and on the first day went seven hours without a hook-up — a period that not only fully tested our resolve but made us extremely grateful for the extended Bimini Paul has had fitted to his custom-built White Pointer 263L hardtop that provided much-appreciated protection from the sun and spray from the 2.0m plus swell and strong winds.

The second day, which saw conditions ease slightly, was far more action-packed with eight hook-ups, seven of them before 2.00pm, which resulted in us tagging the big blue marlin as well as two blacks.

According to Paul, while the weather may have made it slightly less comfortable in the boat it was ideal marlin conditions (as proved by our catch).
It certainly provided a lot of firsts for me and my son.

Catch a marlin, tick.

For more information on Exmouth Marlin Charters go to www.exmouthmarlincharters.com.au.