Fly Fishing Ningaloo Reef and Exmouth Gulf - Western Australia
Fly fishing with True Blue Bones for trophy bonefish at Ningaloo Reef and Exmouth Gulf. Most of our guests come with the main aim to catch trophy Aussie bonefish. It is an exclusive group of fly fishers that have landed bonefish in Australian waters. For the trout fishermen that don’t know much about the fish species that inhabit these flats, there are some great saltwater fly species amongst them. Until a few years ago, bonefish were thought not to exist in catchable numbers in Australian waters. Our discovery of big numbers of trophy bonefish cruising the large sand flats inside Ningaloo Reef was recently described by the editor of FlyLife Magazine, Rob Sloane, as ‘one of the most significant events in the history of salt water fly fishing in Australia’.
trophy bonefish, permit, golden trevally, giant trevally, blue trevally, goldspot trevally, queenfish, spangled emperor, milkfish, giant herring, tarpon, cobia
The Fishing
As the water warms up from late September through the summer and autumn, the permit turn up on the bonefish flats in bigger numbers. There is nowhere else in Australian waters that you can cast at bonefish and permit on the same flats and expect to catch either! Giant herring and tarpon are seriously ballistic when hooked. The backing knot disappears half a second after setting the hook, and the hooked fish spend almost as much time in the air as they do in the water.
I rate these two species right up there with bonefish as the best light salt water fly rod species available- except the aerial acrobatics add a different dimension! These fish are seriously crazy when hooked. Milkfish are very abundant in the area and are the must catch species for fly fishermen in the north. In the past milkfish captures were considered a fluke. They are now becoming a more regular hook up. Queenfish are a regular catch of fly fishos in the north of Australia.
Inside Exmouth Gulf there are marauding schools of XL queenies. Some of the giant trevally that cruise the local waters are just too big to catch on fly unless you are seriously into self punishment. Offshore there are plenty of pelagics including longtail, mack and yellowfin tuna, Spanish mackerel, wahoo, dolphinfish, sailfish and marlin. Every October/November/December sailfish turn up in good numbers in Exmouth Gulf. Fly fishing simply does not get any better than catching a billfish!
Fishing Gear. Fly rods from 9 – 10 weight, a 10 weight is the best all rounder. Clear sinking tip fly lines are best, either the Scientific Angler Wet Tip Clear, or Scientific Streamer Express (orange with a clear tip). All leaders for bonefishing should be fluorocarbon. We normally use about 6 feet of 30 pound fluorocarbon as a butt section and attach about 6 feet of 20 pound fluorocarbon tippet. If in doubt about leader connections, wait until you get here and we will do it. Bluewater Tackle
Fly Fishing for Bonefish - Ningaloo Reef - Exmouth
Guided fly fishing for trophy bonefish at Ningaloo Reef and Exmouth Gulf. Join an exclusive group of fly fishers to catch trophy bonefish in Australia’s first and only bonefish fishery. Plenty of other great fly rod species also available. North West Cape is about 1200 km north of Perth in Western Australia. Ningaloo Reef fringes the western side of the Cape from the tip for about 250 km south.
Ningaloo Reef
The reef lays anything from a few hundred metres to a few kilometers offshore- thus forming a giant lagoon with extensive shallow sand flats and crystal clear water. The area inside the reef holds numerous fish species including our recent discovery of trophy bonefish as well as permit, golden trevally, giant trevally, blue trevally, goldspot trevally, queenfish, spangled emperor, milkfish, giant herring, tarpon, cobia, and sweetlip (blue bastard
Bonefish - Permit
Most of our guests come with the main aim to catch trophy Aussie bonefish. It is an exclusive group of fly fishers that have landed bonefish in Australian waters. We estimate that 95% of bonefish captures on fly in Aussie waters have been while fishing with us. We would also be so bold to estimate that 100% of fly fishers that have caught a bonefish and permit on the same day in Aussie waters have done so while fishing with us!
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Fly Fishing Ningaloo Reef and Exmouth Gulf - Western Australia BonefishAUSTRALIA Member: TrueBlueBones Rating:
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