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Heaps of smiles, bent rods and a feed of fish – it was the perfect recipe for happy local kids who took part in Recfishwest’s Karratha fishing clinics at 40 mile beach, Gnoorea Point.
The Santos-sponsored clinics gave the opportunity to 18 boys from the Clontarf Academy and 26 girls from the Stars Program at Karratha High School to fish using Recfishwest gear while guided by Recfishwest Senior Operations Officer, Sam Russell, and Recfishwest Operations Officer, Levi De Boni.
And the fishing session was a cracker with some monster whiting, flathead and squid caught, not to mention some plump oysters plucked from the rocks making for a super seafood feed for all the kids who took part!
“They caught heaps of good fish and everyone had a great time,” said Sam “They were a great bunch of kids who absolutely loved fishing.”
Levi added, “Their local environment knowledge was pretty impressive too and I reckon we learned as much from them as they did from us!
“There was healthy bit of competition, and the girls in particular were gun fishos out-fishing the boys – although the lads would probably dispute that!”
Before the fishing got started, Sam and Levi both shared their expertise with the kids on fish handling, catch care and career paths in Recfishwest and the fisheries sector making it an educational event as well as a fun one. Talks on careers at Santos and the City of Karratha were also given to the school students.
The clinic was one of five run by the pair in the region over two weeks including clinics in Dampier and Onslow as part of the Dampier Classic and Onslow Mack 10k fishing comps and supported by Ashburton Anglers and the King Bay Game Fishing Club.
“It’s been a fantastic couple of weeks,” said Sam. “We’ve been made to feel so welcome by the local communities up here and seeing the smile on the kids’ faces is just a joy highlighting the benefits fishing brings to these young people.”
Thanks to an innovative jetty design, Port Hedland’s new land-based fishing platform will adapt perfectly to the ever-changing conditions, so land-based fishers won’t have to!
What’s more, the Pilbara Ports Authority (PPA) has safely deployed six mangrove jack, cod and coral trout-attracting reef balls, donated by Rio Tinto, under the smart-design jetty to further enhance fishing opportunities.
PPA placed fishing considerations at the fore of its ongoing construction of the Spoilbank Marina, with better flexibility to fish during Port Hedland’s large tidal swings implemented into the jetty’s design and build.
Given the difference between the low and high tide mark in Port Hedland is frequently around six metres, PPA constructed two levels on the platform that allows fishers the freedom to wet a line either during the low or high tide mark, with wheelchair accessibility included.
Drawing on our artificial reef expertise, Recfishwest assisted PPA in the configuration of the six reef balls, providing tips on how to maximise the effectiveness of the reef modules.
Six reef balls have been safely positioned under the innovative dual-level fishing platform and slightly off to either side to create an inviting habitat for fish and boost the abundance in species for land-based anglers.
The pylons of the jetty themselves will help provide shelter and structure for the settlement of marine flora, algae, crustaceans and bait fish, further encouraging multiple species that fishers love to target to congregate and move between the pylons and individual reef structures.
We have also advised PPA on deploying additional reef ball modules and other reef structures around the marina parallel to the breakwall on the inside of the marina.
By providing other areas of habitat enhancement within the marina, this will help reduce overcrowding on the fishing jetty upon its completion, while also increasing catches of sought-after species.
An artist’s impression of the Spoilbank Marina fishing platform being constructed by the Pilbara Ports Authority. The platform will give recreational fishers improved access to fishing the fluctuating low or high-tide mark in Port Hedland.
Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “It’s great to see that the Pilbara Ports Authority have taken the interests of recreational fishers to heart in designing this marina and fishing platform – we’d like to see other Ports Authorities’ follow this example providing better access for land-based fishers.”
“Not only does the design take advantage of the fluctuating tides in this region, but the modules positioned in the marina will eventually house a wide range of species the community loves to catch.”
It’s good news for Port Hedland’s boat fishers too in the $187.5 million construction of the Spoilbank Marina project, funded by the State Government, Town of Port Hedland and BHP.
“Once complete, the marina will feature a four-lane boat ramp, 22 boat pens, fish cleaning stations and barbecue facilities,” said Pilbara Ports Authority General Manager Engineering and Infrastructure, Charles Kretzmann.
“The Spoilbank Marina will improve safe access to deep water by providing a separate entrance channel for recreational boaters and fishers to use away from large commercial bulk carriers navigating in and out of the port,” added Charles.
Recfishwest will continue to consult with PPA on the ongoing Spoilbank Marina construction, which is expected to be operational by late 2023, with landside completion expected in early 2024.
Port Hedland has always been an attractive land-based fishing destination for many anglers given the wide range of species on offer and the new Spoilbank Marina development by the Pilbara Ports Authority aims to enhance fishing accessibility in this region.
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.