Kev Macdonald, Perth flytier, working a Pilbara flat.

I guess one of the biggest hassles associated with fishing the Northwest is the tyranny of distance. It's a costly exercise for "East Coasters" (as they're affectionately known over here in the West) to simply get to Perth, let alone to the Kimberley or Pilbara, but for those prepared to make the commitment, either in time or cash, the rewards can be extraordinary. Its not only the fishing possibilities that are there to tempt the angler, the area is picturesque in its own unique way, the contrast of red rock, white sand , and blue sea is something very special. The interested visitor has the opportunity to access petroglyph sites dating back a possible 50,000 years, marine creatures are predominant in these rock carvings, demonstrating that the original fishermen also appreciated the rich harvest on offer. This is contrasted by the massive development taking place on the Burrup Peninsular with its huge Liquified Natural Gas and Petrochemical plants currently going through a rapid expansion phase.

Of course these days angling is not simply a matter of survival, the modern angler has the luxury of enjoying what the ocean offers, just for the sport and enjoyment of it, whilst being surrounded by nature, where the spinifex meets the sea.

The Northwest has received a lot of press lately, there have been reports covering the fantastic Billfishing out from Broome, the Mega Barra of the mighty Victoria River, and there are always those action packed stories covering the wonders of Exmouth and the Ningaloo Reef.
But, sometimes, for the average traveling or visiting angler, some of the charter options can be a bit pricey, guides are thin on the ground, hire boats are not all that common, and the big tides and desolate surroundings can make the visitor feel in a foreign situation indeed.

1.6kg of very unhappy Jack from Johns Creek, near Point Samson. Taken on a Chartreuse/White Clouser.(Breakfast!)

For the sake of this exercise, lets assume you've arrived here and you're 'sconced in Karratha, nice and central in the Pilbara and you have access to a set of wheels.
As a matter of interest, Karratha is served by daily flights from Perth, and has a wide range of accommodation choices to fit most pockets, it's a good idea to book ahead in the cooler months.

OK, its a lousy shot, but you have to be quick to get A giant Herring in frame, let alone focus! Caught on a Yellow/White Clouser at Johns Creek, near Point Samson,

A good tip before leaving home, is to access the 'net and check out some of the Sportfishing club websites, even if you're not into the ANSA thing, you may find that establishing contact this way is a shortcut to improving your "strike rate" (love the pun!) when visiting the Northwest. It might even get you a trip out in a boat.

Log onto the main ANSA website and simply follow the links to WA clubs. The Karratha/Dampier based club is a great example of an excellent club site. There is a small group of talented and dedicated swoffers living in the area.

Fishing/Boating/Offroad sites like this one are another invaluable source of information, and an excellent tool for planning and implementing fishing trips, I have personally been part of several "big trips" that were 100% organised on the 'net. Coordinating travel, food, accommodation, individuals' particular likes and dislikes, fuel, storage for rigs, all the zillion details, and then sharing the photos, lies, and stories later, can all be done right here on the net. Fantastic fun, and often the beginnings of lasting friendships, right there in front of you, "net fishing" ya gotta love it! Another option is to check out the WA Tourism Commission website for the area you intend visiting, this can help you access a guide, (a pretty good idea if you have the time) organise accommodation, a car, or a charter , and provides information on some of the more "touristy" aspects of the area.

Sunrise on my favorite flat, nearing low tide, and 1 minute from the carpark and as close as you'll get to a "never fail" spot

My "patch" covers the coastline from the bottom of the Exmouth Gulf, to almost Port Hedland, a couple of hundred kilometers of island speckled, fish rich Indian Ocean, even after visiting and living here in the Pilbara for over 15 years 0n and off, I've still only managed to view (let alone fish) about .5% of it!

I reckon the traveling flyrodder is pretty lucky, he/she can carry a fairly comprehensive armory of flyfishing gear as hand luggage! A couple of 3 or 4 piece rods, a reel, a few lines, a box of flies, some tippet/leader material, and away you go, ready to take on anything (well almost anything, anyway) on offer.

A decent pair of Polaroid's, some portable shade (in the form of a hat!) and some wading footwear sets off the fashion conscious swoffer to a tee.

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Don't forget the bug cream, preferably something with DEET, long sleeved shirts are handy in summer, and if you arent too fashion conscious, grab one of those silly looking flynets to pop on your hat, the bush flies up here have to be seen to be believed , particularly in the hotter months, the little buggers are a real pain, they don't bite, but 3 million little black flies, all intent on fitting into your left ear at once, kind of ruin your concentration! (Does wonders for your casting as well)

I find a small backpack useful for carrying a camera,a couple of fruitbars, some water, and other odds and sods. The low humidity and high daytime temperatures mean it pays to watch your fluid intake, even in winter, dehydration can sneak up on anyone, watch out for a nagging headache, and as a rule of thumb, if you're not peein' you need to drink more!

Gary Frayne nailed this nice Oz Permit on the Burrup Peninsular.

With all the kit and kaboodle sorted, and looking either very fashionable, or like a complete dork, its time to find somewhere to fish!
Access to the coast is fairly limited, if its not a public road, it'll probably have a locked gate, thanks to past indiscretions by visitors, don't even think about entering onto a property without formal permission.

On the up side, nearly all the access points are passable by conventional vehicle with a little care, if you do have a 4WD steer well clear of saltpans, and be aware that spring tides can cause some embarrassing moments.

The shore-based angler has one big advantage, he/she is fishing right where boaties try to toss their lines, right in the snag zone!

It's always best to try and arrive at your chosen spot towards the last third of the runout, spend a couple of dollars on a local tidebook to ensure you're at your spot at the right time.

Generally I find the best tides to fish from shore are rising from neaps into the springs, most of the accessible spots have steep sandy beaches fringed with rocky points, and either mud or sandflats which can be exposed for 100's of metres at low tide.

A few of the easily accessible spots within reasonable distance of Karratha are Dampier Harbour, 20km East, Cleaverville Beach, 23km North, Point Samson, 40km North, Cossack, 35km north, Settlers Beach located near Cossack, and Nickol River, about 10km from Karratha. The Burrup Peninsular has quite a few beaches accessible on foot, but most of the Burrup Beaches are 4WD access only (except Hearsons Cove, which has easy access, but very average fishing)

To the South you'll find 40 Mile Beach, Cape Preston, and Fortescue River, to name but a few.
There are the usual tropical species on tap, including, Queenies, Barramundi, Giant Herring, Jacks, GT's, Golden Trevally, Indo Pacific Permit, Golden Snapper, Flathead, Threadfin and Bluenose Salmon, Various "Snapper" ( NW Snapper, Grassy Snapper, and anything else that looks "Snapperish", really members of the Emperor family) There are also a couple of species of Bream, and more whiting than you can poke a stick at for a bit of variety, as well as the plethora of ooglies that inhabit the reefs. Coral trout are well within the capabilities of the shore-based swoffer, particularly with the judicious use of a bit of berley.

A "Blubber Lip". A hard fighting fish occasionally taken deep dredging Clousers through the snags, as strong as a Jack, but bigger, this specimin about 3kg, taken from Johns Creek

Just as an example, and to demonstrate that I'm not talking about the sort of fishing that involves anything too exotic, this morning (mid February) I fished Johns Creek at Point Samson, a 1 minute walk from the carpark and scored 2 Barra, 4 giant Herring, a nice bar tailed flathead, a Javelin fish, 2 GTs and a nice Golden trevally, fairly average for this time of year, all in 2 hours at the bottom of the tide. Its not hard to do, just keep an eye out for likely spots, and as a special tip, don't always try to cast an entire line. Sometimes the action is right at your feet.

Generally it's a good idea to fish your way out with the runout tide, wading, or working the waters edge, keep a lookout for nervous water, as it usually means bait being balled up prior to a predatory Smash and Grab attack, quite often, unsettled water, adjacent to a mudbank or dirty water signals the presence of Giant Herring, the true speedster of the tropical estuary.

There are many spots that lend themselves to sightfishing the flats, and there is certainly no shortage of blue sky days in this part of the world, but our old mate the wind is usually there to keep us on our toes.
I think it was Scott Mitchell (of the Alpine Angler) who said "If it isn't blowing 20 knots, then you aren't flyfishing".

I wish I had never read that! (Its haunted me ever since......thanks Scotto!)

It's a fact of life in the Pilbara that the wind will be a factor for flyfishermen. May - August are the windiest months, but a quick look at a map or chart will reveal where its possible to get out of that wind, Summertime is generally much better, with most mornings providing beautiful conditions, (even if its a tad warm). The afternoon breeze usually kicks in around lunchtime with a howling West-Southwesterly possible by 3 pm. An early start means a good session is possible, whilst you can be home for a cold refreshment by lunch.

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Ideal conditions would be a low tide at around 0700, be at your spot at around 0530, and you will enjoy 3 or 4 hours of prime time fishing. Just a cautionary word about the tides, keep a sharp eye on the tidal movement, as its easy to get cut off by rapidly rising waters, and whilst we don't have Croc's, it can still be hard swimming 100m with your rod in your teeth!

Queenies, Goldens, and GTs provide some heartstopping action on the flats, particularly on the run in tide, GT's smash the water to foam in pursuit of nervous Mullet, often crashing in with their backs out of the water in an effort to beat their mates to a feed. Queenies cruise the edges, dark shadows, just waiting for unwary baitfish to make a fatal mistake. Big Queenfish often travel singly or in pairs, so when you're fishing the flats or walking a beach, it's a good idea to keep an eye out for the characteristic black shadows of larger Queenies which often work the shallow edges like hunting dogs. Many's the time I've been tricked into thinking that black shape was just another reef shark, only to find out too late that it was a good sized Queenie.

GT's like this regularly lead raiding parties across the flats or into the estuaries, this one taken by Peter Morse only yards from the beach.

Queenfish are the swoffers friend, they are aggressive, yet clean fighting fish, in their smaller sizes they can be a pain, snaffling your fly at the worst possible time, but the biggies are a wonderful fish to catch, get your fly out in front of a cruising Queenie, wait for the right moment to strip, and get ready for action. Any Queenfish over 5kg will put on a good show and provide lots of memorable moments. (In case you didn't guess, I love 'em! They've saved many a day when things are a bit on the slow side)
Golden trevally are often visible as nothing more that a patch of brownish discoloured water, to the uninitiated its sometimes not until that patch of weed moves, that the angler becomes aware that there are fish there. The Goldens mooch along the bottom, sometimes tailing to perfection whilst sampling tasty morsels from the sand or rubble bottom but are very receptive to a well presented Clouser, and are so aggressive its sometimes hard to believe.

When flats fishing, always keep an eye out for cruising Lemon Sharks and Rays, quite often there will be a few Goldens, or Gts accompanying them as they forage across the bottom, even if you cant see a fish, it's good policy to have a cast anyway, as nothing ventured, nothing gained!
As far as tackle is concerned, a 9wt would have to be the most versatile, a reel capable of holding at least 150m of backing and having a decent drag, is essential.

For the flats I like the Cortland "Ghost Tip" lines, they are cheap enough to not break the bank if you manage to destroy one in the coral or oysters, whilst the XLR lines are handy for that extra bit of distance on the flats. I understand that the "Quad Tip" lines are excellent, offering a very versatile line system in an easy to use package, at a reasonable price, both SA and Rio have them on the market, there are probably others available, ask your tackle store for advice.

Its always a good idea to bring a spare rod, as a breakage can ruin not just your day, but your entire trip, as there are very few stockists of flyfishing tackle in the North, some basic gear is available, but on a very limited basis.

For the type of fishing we do in the Pilbara, there's not a lot of point in getting too sophisticated when building leaders, as the fish tend not to care too much. For the average 8/9wt line, a butt section of about 6ft of 50lb, then 3ft of 30, then your tippet, is about all that's required, A shock tippet is a good idea, I find Hard Alloy and Penn 10x as good as anything. The bite tippet is essential when there are Giant Herring or Threadies on the prowl as their sandpaper jaws will shred normal mono in no time at all. Jacks will annihilate you on the snags, regardless..... if you're not quick enough!
Barra can cut you off on their gillrakers, so a bit of tough mono' like Mason/Alloy or10x is good insurance.

An average Queenie taken by Arron Davies at sundown, just look at that sky!

In the fly department, its pretty much a personal choice, but the old standby the Clouser Deep Minnow reigns supreme as a "one fly for all" prospect, favourite colours are Chartreuse/White, Yellow White, and just plain white. Size 1/0 and 2/0 covers most run of the mill situations.
Leftys Deciever is a close second (another personal opinion of course, bound to cause some raised eyebrows) in white, and any other variation.

Candies are also handy, and if you want to play with some bream and whiting bring some Crazy Charlies, or simply tie up some mini - Clousers on #4 or #5 hooks.
Most locals swear by the legendary Pink Thing for Barra, and I cant argue with that, but my personal choice is for a "mullet"grey/white Clouser in 2/0 ,dredged very slowly through the snags, tie the fly about 100mm long with a dash of Crystal Flash , like leader construction, keep it simple, flies don't have to be Penthouse Centerfold material, if it is presented well, and moves at the right time, it'll get et!

I'm pretty new at fishing the crab fly, but there are some massive Sweetlip (AKA Blue Meanies or Blue Bas..rds because they stand out as a blue blob on the flats, visible for miles, and are difficult b…ards!) which feed across the flats in their characteristic zig-zag pattern. These fish are a real challenge, but they will take a craftily presented crab pattern.

When discussing Sweetlip, " Challenge" equals frustration!

I must have cast at these fish two thousand times for just one real demonstration of interest , I'd finally given up on the Blue B's when I saw Peter Morse nail a ripper fish on a crab fly, first trip out after these enigmatic blue shadows!( was I jealous?) Now I know they can be caught I view them in a different light. Sweetlip can rip 100m of line from your reel in seconds in their mad dash for the coral, hence the need for a decent drag, they are very strong fish, one day so spooky that just rod movement, or the shadow of your line, will spook them, the next, they will come up for a look at the funny two legged thing wandering around the flats!

I've personally caught them to 17lb and hooked them much larger, In my opinion 25lb is well within their size range.

A strong fish that size in knee deep water is a buzz that stays with you! The Gt's are just plain mean, Queenies jump and put on a wonderful display, Goldens are pretty and fight like mad, but Meanies are cunning, frustrating, highly visible, and unpredictable. The "Blue Meanie" is a fantastic fish that I think we are bound to hear more about.

The author with 17lb of rampaging Blue Meanie

If you're fortunate enough to visit the Pilbara, keep an open mind, take your opportunities as they present, and enjoy the variety on offer, an angler with experience polaroiding in any scenario will have no trouble tapping into the flats and creek fishing we have on offer, you may not catch a truckload of monsters, but the variety and number of species on offer is extraordinary.

The average size fish the angler can expect to encounter is somewhere between 1 and 3 kg, pretty good fun! Then there are always the odd cruising Monsters to keep you on your toes, mega GT's to 20kg and metre long Queenfish frequently make lightning forays into the shallows to grab a tasty feed of mullet or mud herrings, and Barra are an all year round possibility, often caught from seemingly impossibly shallow water.

When you're fishing the flats and the water besides you explodes into a mass of foam and terrified bait, it gets pretty interesting!

The intent of this article is to point out that even tho' a boat is a huge advantage in the Northwest, there is still a terrific amount of fishing easily accessible by the shore based angler.
If you're heading this way on a business trip, passing through, or even heading this way on holidays, chuck a flyrod in your kit and get ready for a fat time!

Drop me an email at pro-zack@kisser.net.au and I'll be happy to provide any advice or assistance I can.