North Australian FISH FINDER forums

Hi All,
Was wondering if anyone can tell me if mid October is too late for the Billies in Broome, ie if I go there what sort of numbers could I reasonably expect to raise this late in the season, just trying to be a realist about late season cost/effort versus action. If there are still adequate numbers of fish around at this point I will be towing my boat down to have a crack. This Billie fever is getting to me!
Cheers,
John.

G'day John

I've never fished there that late in the year, google Roebuck Bay fishing club & e-mail them/phone their contact number, they will be able to give you the local info on that time of year, it just won't be the premium time for their Billie action, cheers Balls

GO MATE The winds can be a pain but thats when the sh*t hits the fan over there. Only problem is you might have to move up the coast as broome might be a bit far away from where the fish are by then.

Thanks for the info fellas,
Accomodation is booked and I have five days of neaps to find some fish. What is bait availability like there, Should I bring my own?
Cheers,
John.

I'm pretty sure that last year or the year before the fish were thin early but came late, right into November.

Ya nailed it dick, a mate over there was getting into 20-30 a day n tagging up to 10. Dont know whats happening there at the moment but ill call him next then get back to you db. As balls mentioned go have a beer down the club n have a yak to whoever is there. As for bait db follow the road around from the jetty to gantheaume point n half way along there is a couple of spots where you can walk down to the beach n berley up gars. We used to put the small dingy in at gantheaume after dark n head over to the biggest boat with lights on then just drift past castnetting.

Fellas,
This is the impression I am getting about this year also, that the sails are turning up later than usual, perhaps this is due to the abnormally cold conditions they had during the comp in August? The reality is that if I get Mrs DB onto her first billie then it will be mission accomplished. I would have tried for a trip in September during the last set of neaps but work got in the way. DH, thanks for the tip about the Gars, I am planning to take a freezer full of baits but as you know fresh local is always better. A week of , and more , It can't come soon enough!
Cheers,
John.

Db just got of the phone to old mate in derby n broome is fireing on all cylinders. Looks like its the same as last yr, the wind is playing havoc with conditons. Most fo the bait n billies are between barred n the peanut. If it was me heading over there id base myself up at middle lagoon.

Hi Double Haul,
Mate, once again you have come up with the goods, Thankyou.
You originally inspired me to change from lures to bait and switch after your tutorial on it and I can't thank you enough, it has been a total shift in the way I approach my gamefishing. To anyone else reading this, it takes a leap of faith to tow lures around the place with no hooks in them, but trust me, it will change the way you appproach your Billfishing forever. Now, fingers crossed that the Broome Billies keep firing for another month....
Cheers,
John.
PS.. DH, where is middle lagoon? is that the estuary just north of Broome?

Its roughly 2hrs drive. They have basic cabins n camping the only thing is no fuel, but the fishing more than makes up for it. 3rd trip up there i went out 1 arvo n threw out a set of teasers only 200mtrs offshore n raised a sail in under 3 minutes, n this being basicly my first attemt at them i sh*t my pants n threw the boat into netural so naturaly everything stops spashing n the fish lost intrest. If you soley want to go to the peanut n the weather turn to poo you could also go to barred creek but you will have to work out the tides there as it nearly drys out on the low. Another option is echo beach or port smith but thats another story as far as tides go getting access offshore.

Hi Double Haul,
I can relate to the sheer panic of the first fish in the spread! No one had informed me that cruising Blacks can actually look dull brown on the back and so one on the surface out North Gutter got mistaken for a monster Cobia from a distance. So here I am up the front of the boat madly chucking a chromie at this fish which sounds and appears lit up like a christmas tree in the spread bashing the snot out of a Pakula Softie. A banshee wail of Marlin on the left as I rush down to the back of the boat and manage to knock the controls into neutral on the way past. So exit marlin stage right taking the right flat line as it goes but because we are now in a dead boat the hookup was cr@p and we lost the fish a split second later, And that right there was the start of the fever.
Cheers,
John.