Abrolhos Islands Fishing Magic

Our group this week was made up of a bunch of mates from Perth, that love fishing. Scott and Baz had been to the Abrolhos Islands a couple of years ago with us. The rest were newbies to the Abrolhos Islands and to us here at Blue Lightning Charters.

Bottom fishing surprises

We departed the Batavia Marina on day 1 making our way out to the beautiful Abrolhos Islands. We started out the morning with some bottom fishing and within the first drop of the day Tyran was hooked up, Stewy calling it the “catch of the day” before it was even brought up. Tyran was stoked to land his first ever Pink Snapper and I’m not surprised that Stewy was right, it was an awesome size. Toli was ecstatic to catch a Red Emperor, which is pretty awesome seeing this kind of species down this far south. We are used to getting these when we head further north between June-December at the Montebello Islands, but down here at the Abrolhos Islands it is almost unheard of. Abdus was equally happy to score himself a Dhu Fish on a soft plastic. We finished the bottom fishing session off with a great range of fish including Pink Snapper, Dhu Fish, Spangled Emperor and Baldchin Groper, along with Red Throat Emperor and Honeycomb Cod.

Anemone Lump Exploring

On the way to our next session we stopped at the Anemone Lump so we could show the guys the Spangled Emperor and Pink Snapper coming up to feed. A few of the lads jumped into get a closer look and they weren’t let down. The fish here are very smart, they know this is a sanctuary area and wait for their feed. It’s pretty cool coming to a place like this and seeing them feeding and coming very close. Often close enough to make you jump a little.

Shallow Water Fishing

To finish off another magical day on the water we tried fishing in the shallow water. Unfortunately it was a bit quiet this time, however the crew still caught a few Baldchin Groper.

Big Pigeon Island Adventures

We made our way to Big Pigeon Island, thanks to Macca for letting us use your jetty once again. Before we made our way up to the local watering hole, the guys decided to have a Squid comp. Shannon took this out by catching a couple of nice squid. We were all looking forward to an entrée of squid tonight! The guys made their way up to have a couple of beers at the pub before dinner. Stewy was right with his earlier call, the guys agreed the fish of the day was Tyran’s good size Pink Snapper.

Day 2 begins

We started day 2 with trolling, not having to wait too long before the line went peeling off, unfortunately the hooks pulled and the session went quiet. Sometimes these fish are just too clever.

Trying our luck

The second session for the day was a bit of shallow water fishing. Scott and Tyran, the father and son team on board, got themselves a good size Pink Snapper each. After a play around in the shallows it was time to make our way to deeper water to see if we could raise some Pink Snapper and maybe even a Dhu Fish or two. The winds were blowing 18-25kn for day 2 and we were drifting at 1.9kn so it was pretty tough going for the guys to try and hold the bottom. This crew and their love of fishing prevailed though with a couple of Pink Snapper and Baldchin Groper. Sometimes the weather just doesn’t quite do what we want it to, and since we were drifting at such a fast rate of knots, it was decided to head back into shallower waters. What a good call that was!

Shallow Water Fun

The shallow water fishing was hot and the boys had an absolute blast catching Baldchin Groper. There were multiple hook ups at the same time catching Baldchin Groper and Samson Fish. A few guys even mentioned to us later on in the trip that this was their favourite session, and we can absolutely see why. Catch of the day went to Shannon for the biggest Baldchin Groper of the day. After a good feed it was time to call it a night but before we did, Captain Chad decided to catch an Octopus on soft plastic while brushing his teeth!!! Now that’s something you don’t see everyday!

Day 3- Magic of the Abrolhos Islands

Once our stomachs were full from a great cooked breakfast to kickstart day 3, it was time to go off fishing and see what the last day would bring us. It turned out to be a beautiful morning at the Abrolhos Islands. We started the day with bottom fishing which produced some nice Pink Snapper. The boys decided to make our way back into the shallows after they had such a great time the previous day. Once again this was a hot little session, catching Baldchin Groper. It simply does not get any better than this, the sun was out, there wasn’t much wind, and the water was glistening in all its WA beauty. The water was so inviting that the guys decided to go in for a snorkel to go get some Crayfish for lunch and why not in this paradise of a place. It was a sensational way to finish of their fishing trip to the awesome Abrolhos Islands! The guys were stoked to getting Crayfish, while the other lads caught Baldchin Groper at the same time. With all this excitement and fun onboard, there was not much wind so Baz decided he would put his drone up in the air, and wow he took some amazing photos and videos. Thanks Baz J. (Check the photos out below)

Home time

What a magical day to finish off the charter, we were stoke that the weather turned on for them. Sadly though, it was time to make our way back to Geraldton to finish off another great charter with an awesome group of guys.