Northern Super Deep Jigging?
Submitted by jay_burgess on Thu, 2010-03-04 12:29
Ok so I've been looking at some charts for a while and I'm pretty excited to be looking into what is a fairly untouched fishery. As super deep jigging grows in popularity in the southern part of our state I'm wondering what the possibilities are up here? The edge of the shelf is a lot further from the mainland here but if based at the Monties it puts you within range of some super deep water. Although popular for marlin fisherman and those few that like to target broadbill, little is heard about the bottom fish in these depths. What I do know is that relatively good fishing for big ruby snapper can be had but what else can be caught out there?? I'd be interested to know.
SamC
Posts: 2013
Date Joined: 30/08/06
So keen
To give it a crack.
After jigging down here and knowing the potentials of the deep, you'd have to think up that way would be mostly untapped.
Speaking to mate about the deep stuff behind the montes have mainly done well on the XOS ruby's, but said sharks can be problem though, which is mostly the case.
A mate also recently jigged the oil rigs of Exmouth recently with 600g Andamans and picked up good Ambers and what looked identical to a GB cod (didn't think they went up that far, but who knows).
Spose on the shelf, jigged marlin and doggies wouldn't be out of the question either on the retrieve up!
Cheers,
Sam
Tim
Posts: 2497
Date Joined: 26/09/06
GB Cod
Sam when you look thru the pro catch records the GB cod is caught right up to exmouth. Seems to be very widely spread.
Goodz
Posts: 2332
Date Joined: 20/07/09
Yeh I'd be interested to see
Yeh I'd be interested to see what is caught in the depths up there. Get into it and show us the goods!
dodgy
Posts: 4588
Date Joined: 01/02/10
Might have a crack over
Might have a crack over Easter if the weather is kind. Looks likely I will have your brother in law on board Goodz so Im sure he will fill you in.
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
Goodz
Posts: 2332
Date Joined: 20/07/09
Ah yes... you lucky
Ah yes... you lucky bastards! :P I'm sure you guys will have a great time... more stories to make me jealous headed my way!
jay_burgess
Posts: 4648
Date Joined: 18/08/05
Yeah I've always wanted to
Yeah I've always wanted to jig the rigs off Exxie for ambers, would be awesome. I reckon over decent structure should be able to pick them up off the Monties too. Oh, and I've spoken to a very reliable source about doggies to 20kg consistently caught out there too so looks like there's plenty of possibilities.
Hopefully should be getting a boat at the beginning of next year, a while off yet but I'll be looking for people interested in deep jigging, popping etc so I'll keep ya posted Sam.
Webby
Posts: 835
Date Joined: 24/09/08
Keep me in mind for the
Keep me in mind for the popping mate, not sure about the deep water jigging as i dont have the gear, but maybe by next year who knows...
I live with fear every day... sometimes she lets me go fishing.
jay_burgess
Posts: 4648
Date Joined: 18/08/05
Yeah of course mate.
Yeah of course mate.
Feral
Posts: 1508
Date Joined: 01/11/06
wish i lived up there near
wish i lived up there near you lot Jay ..... id be very happy to tow my rig up there to enjoy the popping and jigging.
Adam Gallash
Posts: 15665
Date Joined: 29/11/05
sounder
Before you do anything Jay, get a really good sounder coz thats half the battle. The guys are into some serious rubies here at the moment, not on jigs that I know of, but the schools are massive. Only issue is there is a lot of ground between them!
Site Admin - Just ask if you need assistance
jay_burgess
Posts: 4648
Date Joined: 18/08/05
Thanks for the advice Adam,
Thanks for the advice Adam, yeah a decent sounder would definitely be on the cards.
Kasey L.
Posts: 1390
Date Joined: 02/03/06
Hi Jay, In the tropics
Hi Jay,
In the tropics you'll encounter gray-banded cod, lots of ruby snapper, maybe oilfish. Amberjacks are a bit more specific on structure - but are probably the fish most fun on jigs.
Dogggies seem to congregate best where there's reef adjacent to a big seamount.
Of that list, only doggies and amberjacks of reasonable size would make it worth my time to divert from casting...
jay_burgess
Posts: 4648
Date Joined: 18/08/05
I know where to catch
I know where to catch doggies, it's just a matter of finding them :)
Lucky Tim
Posts: 2536
Date Joined: 28/11/07
That would be awesome to
That would be awesome to pull off but it'd take some planning and luck with the weather. The 200m is a minimum of 30nm from the northen tip of the Monties with the 1000m mark another 2-3 miles further. It would be nice to pull it off but personally I'd tow to Exmouth or Onslow and try it, unless it's going to be a trip to the Monties with a run wide only if the weather comes good.
Otherwise, and I know it loses a lot of it's DIY charm, but you could get a few guys together and book one of the Monties charter boats and insist you want to hang out wide. I'm sure someone like Blue Lightning would be keen to explore and add deep jigging to their bow. Anchor up on Rankin Bank or drift wide each night, it'd make for a pretty exciting trip.
Also Sam, were your mates jigging the actual rigs or structure nearby? I thought most rigs had exclusion zones of at least a few miles about them, don't quote me on that though.
jay_burgess
Posts: 4648
Date Joined: 18/08/05
It'd probably be a trip to
It'd probably be a trip to the Monties with a run wide if the weather allows, at the right time of year it's definitely do able. Exmouth doesn't appeal to me too much, it's accessibility loses it's sex appeal... but some exploration wide of Onslow is something I've been thinking about for a while as well. Don't forget though, a trip to the fortescue river mouth is far closer for us than towing all the way to Exmouth or Onslow for that matter.
Lucky Tim
Posts: 2536
Date Joined: 28/11/07
Yeah I know exactly what you
Yeah I know exactly what you mean with the remote appeal. You could head wide of the Monties then around to Rankin and towards the rigs near there, you'd have to find some good fish along that stretch.
I'd be stocking up on cheaper heavy jigs too (500g R2S Knife jigs etc), losing Andaman's and Sanme's to sharks will end up costing you more than your fuel!
jay_burgess
Posts: 4648
Date Joined: 18/08/05
Indeed, cheaper jigs
Indeed, cheaper jigs definitely need to be thrown into the mix.
SamC
Posts: 2013
Date Joined: 30/08/06
Yeh, Tim, thats what i said
Yeh, Tim, thats what i said to them as i am almost 100% sure that there is exclusion zones around them. You would think they would have to...
They said they were jigging in the vasinity of the rigs, so i don't exactly know where that is..
Cheers,
Sam
HuggyB
Posts: 2515
Date Joined: 03/08/08
the rigs
normally have a minimum 500m exclusion zone from my understanding.
The Terrorist - coming to a fishing spot near you.........
Lucky Tim
Posts: 2536
Date Joined: 28/11/07
Also just for info Jay, and
Also just for info Jay, and you might have done already but I just checked our chart system, the nearest point (straight line) from the Fortescue River mouth to the 200m line is 80nm, 1000m line is 83nm, and from Dampier the 200m line is 85nm and the 1000m line is 97nm.
jay_burgess
Posts: 4648
Date Joined: 18/08/05
Don't know where you're
Don't know where you're looking Tim but my chart shows 65nm from fortescue river mouth to the 200m line. Although, like I said before, if you're based at the monites it's easily done in a day trip from the islands (weather pending of course).
Lucky Tim
Posts: 2536
Date Joined: 28/11/07
well I'm a little bored so I
well I'm a little bored so I just checked then re-checked. Our electronic chart as well as paper chart Aus415 tells me that the closest 200m depth from the Fortescue River mouth is 76nm west just beyond the Woollybutt installation, this same spot is only 50nm WNW of Onslow. The closest 200m depth to the Monties is NW of the islands and just WNW of Pluto (19° 57S 115° 10E approx). This spot is 30nm from the north tip of the Monties and 80nm straight line from the Fortescue mouth. This same spot is 95nm from Dampier.
Send me your email address and I'll scan a photo if you want.
It's definitely do-able, I'd love to have a crack at it.
Tim
jay_burgess
Posts: 4648
Date Joined: 18/08/05
sorry Tim, you're right... I
sorry Tim, you're right... I was looking at depth in feet... haha my bad.
Lucky Tim
Posts: 2536
Date Joined: 28/11/07
ha ha imagine finding that
ha ha imagine finding that out the hard way when you got out there...."I could have sworn it was meant to be deeper!?!"
There's some pretty awesome contours fairly close together out there, so yeah like you said it's do-able from the Monties provided you have the weather and fuel.
By the way, if you launch at Cape Leveque, Scott Reef is only 150nm away.....
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Mmm scott reef, now that
Mmm scott reef, now that would be hot!
Lucky Tim
Posts: 2536
Date Joined: 28/11/07
yep one of my favourite
yep one of my favourite spots of all time. Worth every effort to get out there.
jay_burgess
Posts: 4648
Date Joined: 18/08/05
I only just switched the
I only just switched the depth to feet because I wanted to look at distance units in nautical miles... aaarrrgghh
ditto on those contours, looks wiked.
dodgy
Posts: 4588
Date Joined: 01/02/10
Ive been looking at the same
Ive been looking at the same contour lines off from the Montes. Looks like the Easter trip is all go, now just looking for the break in the weather to get out there.
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
Lucky Tim
Posts: 2536
Date Joined: 28/11/07
make sure you chuck up a
make sure you chuck up a report if you make it out there, got my fingers crossed you get the weather.
Kasey L.
Posts: 1390
Date Joined: 02/03/06
thats a long way out
thats a long way out jay
unless you're talking 50kg amberjacks or doggies.... a couple of rubies each and you're done. AJs can be really picky about their structure.
too warm for bass groper!