However, on the track out we had the misfortune to cut a tyre side wall on a sharp rock. My morning exercise was a tyre change on a sandy track!
We arrived at High Rock about half an hour late and walked out to the fishermen, four blokes from farms south of Perth. They have been coming to Quobba for over twenty years and caught a fish or two during their visits. The fishermen were very social and taught us a lot about balloon fishing.
We stayed with them for a good 3 hours and watched in amazement as they hooked 1mt+ Mackerel, fought them a fair way in only to have a sizeable shark take the whole Mackerel. Once the shark was on the hook it put enormous load on the line, nearly pulling the fisherman off the rocks until the rig finally broke. Out of all the hookups they had today only one Mackerel made it onto the ledge and then, with the aid of a 10mt gaff, into their hands. What a big fish, well over 1mt in length, very heavy and very exciting to catch.
Ilse saw a big shark swimming in the water below High Rock and they told us yesterday a couple of sharks got their Mackerel by leaping up on the rock ledge! The sharks here are plentiful and bad news for the fishermen. The largest shark spotted in this area is estimated to measure 24ft (8mt). It has been seen numerous times by different people and is believed to be a Tiger shark.
We returned to the Homestead and I was lucky enough to find someone to put my extra tyre on the rim with the damaged tyre so I've still got a usable spare.
By the time we had lunch and a little rest it was after 1pm when we drove a bit further north and walked down to a rock pool for some of our own fishing, albeit not quite as exciting as what we've watched this morning.
Ilse and the kids caught heaps of fish around the 20cm mark, mainly Moon Wrasse's and Black Spot Sergeants, right in the little pool where the water movement wasn't too bad. I tried for bigger fish a bit further out where the water was surging in and out with great speed and force. I caught one good size Surge Wrasse (see photo) which is probably the prettiest fish I have every caught in my life. The fish we catch here are all tropical species which seem to be more suited to an aquarium with their pretty colours and patterns.
After a fun afternoon at our very own private fishing spot we returned to the caravan and when I caught up with the fishermen from this morning they handed me a bag with fresh Mackerel fillet. Once again, we're eating fresh fish for tea, albeit caught by someone else.
As it turns out we could have kept my 40cm Surge Wrasse, its not a protected species and the book tells me it's very good eating - anyway, it was too pretty to kill.
A few days ago we bought the "Field Guide to Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-East Asia", a book published by the W.A. Museum, as the fish identification book we brought with us from the east is totally inadequate over here. At least now we have a much better idea what we're catching and wether it's any good to eat.
By the time we finished dinner, transferred photos to the laptop, geotagged them, identified the fish we caught and written our blogs it was pretty late and time for bed.
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