Fishing GLOMAR SHOAL | Pushing Our Boat to its LIMITS | $$$
After 2 years of checking, waiting, and wishing, for all of the moving parts in life, and the perfect weather forecast to align. It was finally here.
A day, or a week, of weather that would finally allow us to stretch our boat beyond its tested capabilities, to fish new waters that we've only been able to dream of until now.
With wind speeds averaging 2-8 knots for an entire week, and coming into neap tides, we were able to make the call, take the day off work, and reach the Glomar Shoal.
At its closest point, the shoal is approximately 130km from Karratha, Western Australia, making it twice the distance offshore of anything we'd previously fished in our 17ft vessel.
What separates this shoal from the likes of neighbouring Barrow, or the Montebello Islands, is that there is no land or islands to shelter into should things turn south. It's one way out, and one way home, with a whole lot of hoping the weather man got it right.
Loaded up with our 95L onboard fuel tank, and additional 160L in Jerry cans, we were taking no chances with fuel consumption being any issue, and making the most of our time and day in the area.
Time restricted due to life's commitments, it was a 3am departure, driving into total darkness for 3 hours on the open sea, where we reached our destination perfectly timed for sunrise. We then fished throughout the day and into the afternoon, heading home with the sunset and reaching land safely after dark.
With no previous fish marks or experience to go off, it was a textbook case of finding the sweet spot between searching for the optimal ground to fish, and actually having a line in the water to catch them, with the clock constantly ticking.
In all, we had a great day, we caught plenty of good fish despite having to work for them through the sharks, and we'd do it all again. Eden saved the day as always! We got a taste of what we hope it'd be, and it's left us wanting more.
We're soon coming into Whale season in our waters where they'll be migrating through, and this makes for very difficult boating in the hours of the night. It may very well be another year or two before everything aligns once again for us to reach this location in our little humble tinny and try it all again, but we look forward!
Separate notes:
Total fuel consumption: approximately 150L, averaging around 1L/nautical mile. This meant we only had to use 3 of the 8 Jerry cans we allowed for reserve fuel.
Our vessel: Quintrex 520 Top Ender Pro with a 115hp Yamaha 4stroke outboard. Garmin Force electric trolling motor (this greatly reduces our fuel consumption around idle speeds)
Depths fished: 40-90m. Most productive depth; 45m, but also most troublesome for shark bite offs.
Fish species caught: SHARKS, Long Nose Emperor, Common Coral Trout (Blue Spotted), Red-throat Emperor (Sweet Lip), Cobia, Yellow Spotted Cod, Frostback Cod, Tomato Cod, Red Emperor, Saddle Tail Snapper (Large Mouth Nannygai), Rankin Cod, Mackeral Tuna, Rosy Jobfish (Sharptooth/Goldband Snapper).
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