Montebello Islands- Fishing Paradise

Spanish Mackerel Montebello Islands WA fishing charter

Montebello Islands- Fishing Paradise

This week we celebrated the beginning of our 6 month Montebello Islands fishing charter season! Having arrived at the Montebello Islands to prep for the season last week we were more than keen to get out on the water and enjoy the sensational fishing and fish species that the Montebello Islands have to offer. The crew this week travelled all the way from the ACT to join us for a 5 day fishing charter.

 

Day 1- Terrific Trolling

As we left Dampier we had a group of very excited fisherman on board Blue Lightning III. For the first session of the charter we decided to try our hand at trolling. The boys caught a mix of Grassy  Trevally and Spanish Mackerel. Pat also got himself a good sized Rankin Cod on a white plastic. Before long it was time to mix things up a little with a bottom fishing trolling session and what a session it was with the boys managing 3 &4 way hook-ups on Mackerel. By the afternoon we had safely arrived at our Montebello Islands home, the pontoon affectionately known as “The Cod Cave”. We were all ecstatic to be welcomed by our favourite Montebello Islands mates Kodak & Fuji the Queensland Groper who live around the pontoon.

 

Day 2- Montebello Islands Red Emperor, Long Nose Emperor & Rankin Cod

As day 2 arose we headed out for another awesome day showcasing these incredible Montebello Islands. Chris was first up landing himself a Red Emperor on light gear. Before long Pat caught a very nice Long Nose Emperor while John caught himself a sweet Rankin Cod. The boys were impressed that both plastics and bait were working well for them during this fun little morning session.

Monties species on show

It was time to make a short move which proved to be particularly rewarding. Con bagged himself a big Spangled Emperor. Then Mike caught a magnificent Coral Trout, followed by Paul who also caught himself a nice Coral Trout. After a brief break Mike picked up another big Coral Trout. Con, not one to be outdone was next up catching himself a VERY nice Rankin Cod. Con was definitely having a good day following it up catching a Chinaman. Mike also had a smile plastered on his face catching a nice Rankin Cod.

 

Montebello Islands marine life

We decided to make a move to see more of these spectacular Montebello Islands. While trolling towards our next fishing spot Chris caught himself a Yellow Fin Tuna. We were lucky enough to spot a group of whales putting on a fine display, breaching nearby. It was yet another reminder of why we love the Montebello Islands and the marine life the call the islands home.

 

Rankin Cod Session

As we arrived at our next fishing spot Arthur and Paul were quick on the rods, reeling in a nice Rankin Cod each. Once again the boys were impressed that both plastics and bait were working well together. The crew caught plenty of Rankin Cod with Mike and John adding one each on the final drop. Rankin Cod proved to be the species of the day with most caught on plastics.

 

Day 3

Day 3 started well with a Con scoring himself a magnificent Sea Perch. A short troll between fishing spots produced a frenzy on the deck with the crew reeling in some medium sized Mackerel, with Pat & John claiming the crown as instigators of the frenzy.

 

Fish galore

Our move proved to be a good one with Pat landing the first Chinaman of the session. It wasn’t long before Mike and Paul caught themselves a monster Coral Trout each. Paul also landed a large Sea Perch, before Con bagged himself another nice Coral Trout. It was proving to be a great session with the incredible Montebello Islands really showing their true colours.

Montebello Islands fishing fun

For their next session the boys could not believe their eyes. Con kicked off with a very nice Rankin Cod, and very quickly John bagged a Cobia and a large Coral Trout. Paul followed up with Red Emperor and Mike with a nice sized Chinaman. Chris also bagged a nice Long Nosed Emperor. The boys were all blown away by the size and array of fish species they were catching. For the Blue Lightning crew it was a stunning reminder of why the Montebello Islands hold such a special place in our hearts.

New spot immediately rewarded

We decided to mix things up a bit and make a move to a new fishing spot. It was immediately rewarded with the first drop resulting in 3 good Rankin Cod and a Spangled Emperor. We were so happy with the variety and size of fish we were catching and were definitely celebrating as we sat down for lunch.

 

Mackerel Fun

In our last drop before heading back to the pontoon for the evening the boys landed a good Red Emperor with plenty of photos. We decided to make the most of the day trolling our way back to the pontoon. Chaos broke lose again with a monster session on Mackerel. Upon arriving at “The Cod Cave” the boys put in a line catching a squid and managing to get “inked”, it was a funny moment to end a sensational day.

 

Day 4

Unfortunately the weather turned a little with some wind blowing but that wasn’t going to stop us enjoying the islands. Mike started the day off with a Rankin Cod, with Arthur following soon after with a big Coral trout. Not to be outdone Paul landed himself the fish of the day a very nice sized Coral Trout. Shearwater/Gulls/Mutton birds were a plenty so we set out the trolling gear and the wait was on. The first two strikes proved fruitless with the boys not managing to land any GT. But before long the boys caught a Rankin Cod on a training rig. Chris continued the mixed bag with a medium sized Blue Fin Tuna with all of the fish returned to the big blue to enjoy another day. The variety continued with the boys landing some Shark Mackerel. Chris was on fire yet again catching himself a Broadbar Mackerel. The mayhem continued with a great group of catches which were all released for another day.

Trolling

The next trolling session produced some nice  but undersized Coral Trout which proved fun but were released unharmed. As we made our way back to the pontoon the boys took some time to take in the awe-inspiring scenery of the Montebello Islands and said that “this scenery will live in all our memories for life”. And that is exactly why we do what we do J

 

Day 5

The final day of the charter was already upon us. We decided to start the day in the best way we know how, with a delicious cooked breaky. Before we knew it, it was time to depart the magnificent Montebello Islands and head towards Dampier. As we made our way back to the mainland we stopped for a number of catch & release sessions as well as enjoying a great trolling session which resulted in triple and quadruple hook-ups. It was  a great way to end another breathtaking 5 day Montebello Islands fishing charter with the whole crew already talking about their next trip.

 

Until next time, happy fishing

Leah 

 

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For more information on one of our incredible WA Fishing Charters to the Monties check out our Montebello Islands destination page here or contact us at via our contact form.