Broome Jetty

[DaveTheBoy]

Hi guys - am about to head up to Broome for the very first time - and due to the last-minute nature of the trip I find myself very un-prepared! Whilst a little bit of work will be on the cards - I'm told I'll have plenty of time to myself - which for me will be fishing time. I have heard of the wonders of Broome jetty - wondering if anyone could share a bit of knowledge/tips that might help put me on to a few fish. I'll have a couple of outfits - my light spinning rod through to my baitrunner (30lb braid normally used for jews in Sydney).

Any advice would be much appreciated & will be sure to post some photos should I land any winners.

Thanks,

Dave

[gtattersall]

Hi Dave, I live in Broome and often fish around the Broome Jetty from my kayak and there are usually lots of fish around. I don't fish from the jetty itself as I have never bothered with things like cliff gaffs etc that you need to lift the fish 15m. The best type of gaff is the grappling type that you can pick up from the local Fishing World for about $20 plus rope. Plenty of people land huge fish, mostly queenies, from the jetty and there are a couple of resident gropers with eyes the size of dinner plates. I have watched one gulf a 10kg golden trevally for an entrée! One gulp and it was gone - completely! I have also seen a photo of a marlin in amongst the pylons and I have a mate who has caught quite a few sailfish with 50m of the shoreline.

Gear wise, I now use mostly large high speed spinning reels (Okumas v-sytems and trios) although I am leaning towards a Van Staal because kayak fishing kills reels and a Stella wouldn't last 6 months getting continually dunked. One of my favourite reels is a ABU Revo-S - it could handle the fish but not the salt - waiting on parts. I use 30lb braid with a 40 or 60lb flurocarbon leader although there are times when I fish 80lb braid for the 40kg+ GTs I chase in the kayak - loose to many lures with lighter lines.

There are also times when northern blues/longtail tuna come in (I caught a 20kg one high-speed spinning from my kayak under the jetty), Spanish mackerel (narrow and broadbar), trevally (GTs, Golden, Gold Spot...), reef fish including emperor and blue bone, gars, longtom (up to 1.25 meter long!) and just about anything else.

The pelagics can be picked up high speed spinning with various metal lures (size does matter) although my preference is a yo-zuri crystal minnow from 110mm or bigger in a flashy blue style although the clown (yellow/red/silver) has produced at times.

The most consistent producer of course is livies. You can usually get a few on bait jigs bobbing from the pier or using a cast net in the shallows. (you will need a netting licence for a cast net but well worth it.) Just drop a livie over the edge with an appropriate weight and hold on. A float or balloon for larger baits can also work. The currents can be really fast here - especially on the bigger tides.

next there is bait - pilchards, prawns, ..... , on the bottom. An unweighted pilchard can pick up all sorts and prawns would have to be the most consistent producer.

After all this is said - the most important thing is the tide. The best times are with the medium tide movements (2 or 3 days before the lowest) on a falling tide. I often fish the last 2 hours of the falling tide and the first hour of the rising. All that said, fish can be caught there 24x7 and I have a mate who regularly does an all nighter for sharks, queenies and all sorts of larger reef fish. I have never done much good on high tides although there has been a few exceptions.

the rocks under the jetty (north side) are accessible on the lowest tides (no of full moons) and spinning of these with big poppers and other lures can account for huge queenies.

The thing about Broome though is to get around - the rocks to the right of the 2nd boat ramp fishes well on the rising tide (don't get stuck - the water comes in fast!) while high speed spinning into the bay. I have caught huge queenies here and also off the rocks just left of the boat ramp. The beaches along there can be great - spinning I have caught just about everything including 4ft mackerel and queenies. The old jetty near town beach can also be hot - about 2 weeks ago - every cast accounted for a 3 or 4kg queenie or trevally for around an hour. Just had to be there as the tide was falling and the bait fish were being forced out of the rocks and structure.

During the wet, be careful of irukandji jellyfish, usually not a problem but always be mindful. Crocs are usually not a problem but every once in a while one goes by and there have been cases when people have been grabbed at night - just don't stand to close to the waters edge.

Places like Willie Creek also fish well - particularly the last two hours and first hour of the rising tide. Spinning or live baiting counts for many fish and prawns and pilchards account for many (I landed a barracuda over 5ft long on a small piece of pilchard) Fish here include queenies, barra, jacks, trevally, king and bluenose salmon, all sorts of reef fish (gold snapper, emperors ....) '

Feel free to ask me anything else you would like to know.

[hookerbruce]

Hi guys - am about to head up to Broome for the very first time - and due to the last-minute nature of the trip I find myself very un-prepared! Whilst a little bit of work will be on the cards - I'm told I'll have plenty of time to myself - which for me will be fishing time. I have heard of the wonders of Broome jetty - wondering if anyone could share a bit of knowledge/tips that might help put me on to a few fish. I'll have a couple of outfits - my light spinning rod through to my baitrunner (30lb braid normally used for jews in Sydney).

Any advice would be much appreciated & will be sure to post some photos should I land any winners.

Thanks,

Dave

Hi Dave

Ive fished Broome jetty a few times over the years I'll next be there at the end of july with all the other tourists. The posting about all the possibilities of the jetty and the rocks just past the ramp sound right Ive lost a lot of fish there. If you can get some live bait (usually garfish and long toms at the beginning of the jetty) you increase your chance of hooking up. Yes you need a cliff gaff to get the fish up onto the jetty.

When you hook up on the jetty don't be in a hurry to get the fish back in near the jetty play them out wide away from all the pylons and posts till they're tired and then work them back in. Because the jetty is high above the water (10 m ) its very hard to control them in close.

Also if there are any bottom bouncing charters try and and get a trip out, but most only operate when the tourists are in town.

Good luck

Bruce