Expect Exmouth FADs to fire fast!

Some positive news for fishers in or heading to Exmouth – we were delighted to deploy three new FADs off Exmouth as part of our ongoing three-year trial Statewide FADs program launched in November.

Despite all the challenges of the current time, we continue on our mission of making the fishing experience even better in WA and were able to deploy the devices in time for the start of the Gamex tournament last week.

Nat Hutley with one of the first dolphinfish caught of the Exmouth FADs!

Three FADs went in west and north-west of Tantabiddi on Saturday and given how highly productive these tropical waters are, we have not been surprised to already hear of dolphinfish and tuna to be turning up on them within days of deployment.

CLICK HERE FOR THE EXMOUTH FADS COORDINATES

Exmouth FAD deployment underway

Consulting with the community

As with all the FADs in the statewide program, the locations of the Exmouth FADs was determined in close consultation with local community fishing experts and we hope they create some great new fishing opportunities for local and visiting fishers soon.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE FADS TRIAL HERE

The FADs trial is getting really exciting now as we begin to move into relatively unchartered waters in the FADs space, if you’ll forgive the pun.

This is what makes the three-year trial such a compelling program – with dolphinfish and tuna already being found on the Exmouth FADs, potentially you can find yourself out there hooking up to a plethora of awesome sportfish such as wahoo, as well as billfish of all kinds.

On the other hand, it maybe that some of the FADs we are deploying around the State might not fire up as we’d anticipated – this is the nature of the trial.

Trials and tribulations of running the FADs program

Clay Lewis with a beautiful dolphinfish caught on the metro FADs

We’ve already had a couple of FADs in Albany and the metro get battered off their moorings by high swell conditions and we’ve replaced one and looking at replacing the others as soon as possible.

We’re also looking at ways we can strengthen the FADs moorings for future deployments.

It’s all part of the trial which has pre-determined objectives against which we are monitoring the trial’s success.

It’s a responsibility we take very seriously as part of our mission to create great fishing experiences for the WA community and to ensure that your licence fees are effectively reinvested to make fishing better.

With Broome and Geraldton FADs to come, we are confident that the trial is going to provide even more exciting fishing opportunities – as well as provide an opportunity for us to learn how to best establish a permanent statewide FADs program into the future.

You can help us throughout this trial over the next couple of years by telling us about your experiences of fishing the FADs and sending us your FADs fishing pics. So, drop us a line and enter our FADs fishing photo comp for the chance to win a Shimano Stella SW500XG – click here for more details.

Continue Reading

April 10, 2025

Recfishwest’s latest TV and radio commercials encourage fishers to stick to the beaches when chasing salmon this Easter

As thousands of fishers are heading to WA’s Southern and South-West coasts this Easter to chase massive schools of migrating salmon, Recfishwest is urging fishers to “keep the sand between their toes” by fishing…

Read More

April 01, 2025

Recfishwest welcomes new Fisheries Minister

Recfishwest welcomes the recently appointed new Minister for Fisheries, the Hon. Jackie Jarvis MLC.   Minister Jarvis was appointed the new Fisheries Minister following a cabinet reshuffle after the recent State…

Read More

April 01, 2025

Billfish tags and fish samples galore at GAMEX 2025

For 57 years, GAMEX has cemented itself as one of Australia’s biggest and best fishing tournaments. Recfishwest Operations Officer Levi De Boni, an avid game fisher himself, was on the frontlines with our Fishing…

Read More

March 27, 2025

King Reef’s “underwater laboratory” boosts scientific understanding of artificial reef benefits

Exmouth’s King Reef is proving a win for both recreational fishing and marine science, with a growing body of research highlighting the ecological value of artificial reefs built with repurposed steel structures…

Read More

March 26, 2025

Recfishwest in national media – AUKUS defence must not come at the expense of Cockburn Sound

Recfishwest has joined growing calls for a full public environmental review of the AUKUS submarine development’s impacts on Cockburn Sound.  In an Australian Financial Review article earlier this month, Recfishwest…

Read More

March 24, 2025

Fishing leaders welcome long overdue national workshops on tackling shark bite-off

WA fishing experts and Recfishwest have welcomed the opportunity to have their say on beginning to combat the wicked problem of shark bite-off at a series of workshops throughout WA and several other states.   The…

Read More