Tag: kimberley fishing

Broome Billfish Classic sees ‘unprecedented’ number of sailfish captures

Broome might just have sailed into record books and cemented itself as one of the best billfishing destinations in the world, with a staggering 1,078 sailfish caught and released during the recent Billfish Classic. 

These eyebrow-raising numbers from just 21 vessels have captured the attention of fishing enthusiasts and experts alike, positioning the three-day competition among the most prolific in the world for sailfish numbers.  

It’s also testament to the health of these waters supporting large baitfish abundances that in turn draws in the big aggregations of these highly coveted sportfish.  

According to Club Billfish Coordinator Simon Heard, this achievement marks one of the highest numbers of sailfish caught at any fishing competition globally, underscoring the extraordinary fishing opportunities off Western Australia’s northern coastline. 

“I’ve done some digging and I can’t find any other comp Australia-wide that has ever caught more sailfish than that. We’ve never seen anything like it and these captures mostly came from smaller boats under six metres,” said Simon. 

“I found one competition from decades ago in Costa Rica that caught more, but that was significantly more boats over more days.”  

One of the standout performances was delivered by a single vessel, which remarkably released 70 sailfish in just one day.  

Numbers like these are unheard of in angling circles, and Recfishwest asked Simon on his thoughts as to why so many captures rolled through this year.  

“One major factor was a lot of the boats fished south of town and this was thankfully shark-free, so it was pleasing to see these sailfish landed and released safely. There was also a lot of baitfish around which had the fish excited,” said Simon.

World renowned game fishing researcher Dr Julian Pepperell has a long history with the Classic and was excited by the results.

“The number of fish caught demonstrates the significant role recreational fishers can play in collecting data to learn more about sailfish and inform appropriate management of this amazing fishery”.

It’s hard to believe this was just one of 1,078 sailfish landed across the five-day Broome Billfish Classic, with all fish safely released to fight another day.

Broome’s rich marine environment 

The exceptional success of this year’s Classic can also be attributed in part to the healthy and diverse mangrove systems in the region, which act as a nursery habitat for smaller fish and provide a critical role in nutrient cycling and water quality.  

When it rains, nutrients are flushed out into the ocean from these mangroves, creating an inviting environment for a variety of marine life such as large schools of baitfish, which in turn draw predatory sailfish to the area.  

It’s why Recfishwest wants to ensure the protection of WA’s crucial mangrove systems from industrialisation projects, which would have negative consequences on the environment and a significant impact on fishing experiences and amenities. 

“The world’s largest salt company K+S recently scrapped their plans to construct a salt mine 55km north-east of Exmouth. Given this would’ve seen a rich mangrove system 52 times the size of Kings Park removed or impacted, this scrapping was welcome news for fishers,” said Recfishwest Operations Manager Leyland Campbell.  

“The flow-on effects from removing or damaging wetlands and mangroves situated on WA’s northern coastline could have major effects on the environment and fishing. Recfishwest will always look to protect these areas from industrialisation so great fishing comps like the Billfish Classic can continue to thrive.”  

For a full rundown of the Broome Billfish Classic, click here.  

Mangroves not only provide great fishing opportunities, but they also help flush out vital nutrients into the ocean, which in turn attracts bait fish and larger fish species such as sailfish.

State record smashed again by Barra Bash with 1,400+ anglers and epic catches!

For the second year running, this weekend’s Apex Kununurra Barra Bash has smashed the State record for most entrants in a fishing competition with 1,412 anglers registering for the popular community fundraising angling extravaganza!

The East Kimberley competition has gone from strength to strength in recent years attracting all ages (more than 300 juniors), genders, backgrounds and fishing abilities with anglers coming from as far as Tasmania to participate!

And despite high tides and the odd tropical downpour, the fishing did not disappoint with 393 barra entered – five of which were over the magic metre mark – with the biggest fish caught by Ben Quinlivan measuring in at a hefty 1.085m.

The comp, supported by a Recfishwest community grant, also had 207 catfish entered – one measuring 1.1m falling to Kelly Ejai – along with 136 sooty grunter.

IF YOU WANT TO GET AMONGST THE EPIC FISHING THE EAST KIMBERLEY HAS TO OFFER – MAKE A PLAN TO VISIT KUNUNURRA FOR THE BARRA BASH IN SEPTEMBER 2025

The awards ceremony was filled with excitement as local lad Harry Flatt won the 4.18m Seajay Creek Masta with a 30HP Suzuki engine, while Susan Swan claimed a luxury three-night stay at Kimberley Coastal Camp for the mystery barra prize. A Quadbike and other great prizes added to the draw, with the modest entry fee of $60 for seniors and free for juniors, making it a hit for fishing families.

Ben Quinlivan’s winning brilliant barra fell to a popper – imagine the BOFFFF!

Organiser Aaron Macnamara credited the event’s success to the high-quality competition and fantastic fishing on offer. “We’re thrilled to have smashed the record with 300 more entrants this year,” he said. “It’s become a destination event with participants from across the country including Broome and the NT and as far away as Tassie. The Lower Ord and the lake are fishing brilliantly, offering plenty of great, accessible spots for anglers.”

“It’s a really great event for the town and we’ve got to thank our incredible sponsors. As our main fundraiser for the year, the event growth has meant we’ve been able to donate more than $75,000 to the community over the last couple of years from the proceeds of entry fees, shirt and food sales – so it’s a win-win-win for everyone.”

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland praised the Apex team for their efforts, highlighting the event’s role in supporting regional communities and the benefits of the long-running barra stocking program in Kununurra. “The Barra Bash keeps getting better and shows how vital fishing is to Kununurra. Long may it continue!”

The Apex Barra Bash continues to be Kununurra’s social event of the year with hundreds of anglers flocking from all over the country to the East Kimberley town with the awards ceremony the highlight of the event for many.

Scott’s Species – Long-nose emperor, the forearm burners

Long-nosed emperor

Lethrinus olivaceus

Eating: 3 stars

ID – Extended snout, mottled blue/grey colouration.

I will never forget my first long-nosed emperor. We were fishing off Ningaloo Reef in around 50m and I had put an unweighted bait out, with a whole mulie on ganged hooks.

I was expecting a Spaniard or other pelagic and instead caught a thumping long-nosed, the first I have ever seen. I took a picture of Andrew Pickard holding it and it became a cover shot for Western Angler. That was a remarkable day, as I subsequently caught a dolphinfish and sailfish on the same outfit, making it something special.

Steve Palumbo had a ball on long-nosed emperor on the Rowley Shoals flats.

It was a long time before I encountered this species again, but a trip to the Rowley Shoals showed just how much fun they can be. The bluewater fishing at the Rowley’s was slow, but we had incredible fun inside the lagoon, where we found big packs of long-nosed that were willing lure takers.

We could often see them in the shallows and they had no qualms chasing down our offerings. One day we were all standing on the gunwales of Steve Palumbo’s boat when we spotted a big school of them right up in the shallows, leading to some frenetic action for the next few minutes. It was some of the best flats fishing I have done.

Andrew Pickard with a good Ningaloo long-nosed emperor.

Like most emperor, long-nosed have brutish strength and fight hard for their size, with those typically dogged surges towards any nearby cover. They also used their broad sides well to make them tough to pull to the boat.

We found they were responsive to most types of lures in the shallows, with sinking stickbaits probably most effective. Soft plastics also worked well. They can also be caught on poppers at times. We didn’t need especially heavy gear for them, but there was lots of structure so we lost a few battles. There were often other bigger fish such as GTs and maori wrasse that would suddenly appear and do us over. A spinning outfit around 7-9kg with some heavier leader was our preferred approach.

Long-nosed would usually be an occasional catch offshore, as with my Ningaloo fish, and would hit baits such as squid and mulies aimed at other bottom fish, or jigs and soft plastics.

There seem to be one or two caught on our annual Mackerel Islands trip each year and often in good sizes. Found from Ningaloo north, long-nosed are known to grow to about 10 kilos, but the ones we caught at the Rowley’s were mainly 3-4kgfish. They are primarily an inshore fish, but do find their way out to 200m of water.

Scott Coghlan used a sinking stickbait to catch this long-nosed emperor at the Rowley Shoals.