Exmouth Fishing Adventure 2025: Chasing Giants on the Ningaloo Reef With Hand‑Made Tackle You Can Trust
The Long Road North: A Journey Every Fisher Should Experience
There’s a moment before every Exmouth trip when excitement takes over your whole body. You feel it when you’re loading the boat, checking the bearings, topping up the fuel, and running through your mental checklist for the tenth time. Because once you commit to that fifteen‑hour drive from Perth to Exmouth, you’re not just going on a holiday - you’re chasing something bigger.
The drive itself is a rite of passage. Long stretches of open road, the hum of tyres, the occasional rattle from the trailer, and the constant awareness of fuel consumption as you tow a fully loaded boat north. It’s tiring, sure, but it’s also strangely grounding. Every kilometre brings you closer to the Ningaloo Reef, and with it, the promise of world‑class fishing.
By the time you roll into Exmouth - dusty, sun‑tired, and buzzing with anticipation - the fatigue disappears. The coastline opens up, the air feels warmer, and suddenly the long haul feels worth every second.
Destination: Exmouth, Where the Ningaloo Reef Meets Endless Possibility
Exmouth is one of those rare destinations that never loses its magic. Sitting on the doorstep of the Ningaloo Reef, it offers some of the best fishing in Western Australia - deep‑water structure, reef edges, bluewater pelagic runs, and endless opportunities for trophy fish.
We’ve fished Exmouth for years, and somehow it still feels new every time. The reef shifts, the currents change, the fish move, and every trip writes its own story. You launch the boat knowing anything could happen - that the next drift could be the one you remember forever.
Target Species: The Heavy Hitters of the Northwest
This trip was all about chasing the iconic demersal species Exmouth is famous for: Red Emperor, Rankin Cod, Goldband Snapper, Coral Trout, Coronation Trout, Pearl Perch, Robinson Sea Bream.
And when the conditions lined up, we pushed out for the pelagics - tuna, Spanish mackerel, and wahoo - the fast, powerful fish that turn calm days into chaos.
There’s nothing like the mix of deep‑water thumps from a big demersal and the blistering runs of a pelagic. Exmouth gives you both, often in the same session.
Tackle: Hand Made
Fishing in Exmouth is not gentle. The bites are aggressive, the fish fight dirty, and the terrain is unforgiving. This is exactly why we hand‑make our tackle - because when the bite is hot, you need gear you can trust without hesitation.
We don’t build tackle in a factory. We build it by hand. We build it because we use it. And we build it because we know what it feels like to lose a dream fish to gear that wasn’t up to the task.
Deep Water
In 80–120 metres, our Heavy Duty Double Paternoster Offshore Rigs (100lb) were unstoppable. Pink squid skirts, 8/0 Gamakatsu circle hooks - a combination that handled every violent hit Exmouth threw at us. Rankin Cod and Goldband Snapper came up thick and fast on these rigs.
Shallow Water
Around the bombies, our Snelled Running Rigs with 8/0 Gamakatsu octopus hooks paired with light ball sinkers were deadly on Coral Trout.
Jigging: The Most Addictive Technique of the Trip
Jigging in Exmouth is something special. The moment the jig hits bottom, you know you’re in the strike zone.
Our Slash Jigs and Scraggy Jigs were the clear standouts: Slash Jig - fast, aggressive, irresistible. Scraggy Jig - slow‑pitch, fluttering, hypnotic.
The Bottom Basher Hybrid Lure - The MVP
One session on the west side proved it. Three anglers. Two using paternoster rigs. One using a 200g Pink Bottom Basher in 90 metres.
The Bottom Basher didn’t just win - it dominated. Baited with a fresh strip of red‑throat emperor, it landed four Red Emperor in the 5–6kg range in rapid succession.
Weather: Cold Beers, and Sunset Steams Back to the Ramp
April and May are prime months for Exmouth fishing - warm days, cool mornings, and a rhythm of weather that keeps you guessing but rewards you often. Out of seven days, we comfortably fished four full days.
But the magic wasn’t just in the fishing. It was in the long steams back to the boat ramp, the sun dropping behind the range, the sky glowing gold and purple, and the boat humming across calm water. Someone cracks a cold beer. Someone else starts retelling the same story from earlier - with a bit more enthusiasm this time.
Final Thoughts: Why We Keep Coming Back to Exmouth
Every Exmouth trip leaves a mark, but this one felt special. Maybe it was the weather. Maybe it was the company. Maybe it was the fish that kept coming over the side. Or maybe it was the reminder that places like this - wild, raw, and overflowing with life - are worth every kilometre of the journey.
Our tackle held up flawlessly, proving once again why we build it the way we do: by hand, with purpose, with pride, and with the understanding that when the bite is hot, you don’t get second chances.
We want our customers to feel that same trust - to know that the gear they’re using was made by fishos who live for moments like these.
We drove home tired, sunburnt, and completely satisfied. Already planning the next run north.
