DESTINATIONS: MONKEY MIA, WA
68 fishingworld.com.au | September 2019structure available to bust you up on it was all
fun and zero stress.
That afternoon I got to witness something
else I will never forget. You may find it
surprising to learn that this shallow eastern gulf
of Shark Bay is also home to the largest cobia in
the world. Cobia of a staggering size. If you
don’t believe me look up the IGFA all tackle
world record. It is a 61.5kg fish – taken at
Monkey Mia. And on that first afternoon I got
to see one up close that would’ve given that
world record fish a solid nudge.
We were heading back across the f lats when I
spotted a large stingray in the shallows being
tailed by a two-metre “shark”. I turned the boat
around to have a look and it wasn’t until I was
almost on top of them that I realised this was
no shark – it was a cobia of immense
proportions. Well over 50 kg. And in only a
metre or so of water.
I grabbed one of my light outfits that
was rigged with a small Gulp plastic and cast
near it. The huge cobia lazily turned to look
at my offering, thought better of it and then
both the ray and cobia spooked and headed
with speed to the nearest deep water.
The size of that cobia still staggers me and
given the light gear I was using maybe not
“You see, the Monkey
Mia pink snapper
(quite literally) is a
different breed.”
hooking up to it was the best outcome –
I might still be playing it!
I have caught very big cobia to 35 kilos in Shark
Bay. I suspect the one following that big ray was
waiting to leap on any disturbed crabs. Certainly
the biggest one I have caught there had been
feeding on them – in fact it was full of them.
And, perhaps, this is why Monkey Mia is home
to the biggest recorded specimens of cobia in the
world. The Shark Bay blue swimmer crab fishery
is the biggest in the country with an annual catch
of many hundreds of tonnes.
So if you are into a feed of crabs don’t forget to
also bring your crabbing gear. In WA we can’t
use pots, only drop nets – something to consider
if you are coming from over east. The crabbingat Monkey Mia at the right time of the year
can be very productive just a few hundred
metres from the caravan park. In October
we managed to get a nice feed within an or
two in the middle of the day and it was a
nice change to potter around in the lee of
the land once the ubiquitous southerly
started blowing.
Since my very first trip to Monkey Mia
I've been fortunate enough to experience
some simply outstanding fishing sessions,
primarily on pink snapper (including one
memorable day where a school of big pinks
literally blacked out the sounder in ten
metres of water and gave us non-stop action
until the sharks moved in) but also on big
mulloway, golden trevally and black snapper. The
opportunities are there with a bit of exploring.
But it's also a very special place that
unfortunately got impacted to the extreme by
recreational greed in the past. In fact, it is often
cited as perhaps the only oceanic fishery that
was almost driven into non-existence through
solely angling pressure.
So, with this in mind, it is paramount that the
follies of the past are not repeated. This unique
area and its stock of snapper are still vulnerable.
Take only what you reasonably need. And treat
the place in a way that will not allow authorities
an excuse to stop angler access to this World
Heritage listed site. ●LEF T: Denham pink snapper (from the
western gulf) look the same but are in
fact a completely separate stock of fish.
BELOW: Cape Peron is a picturesque
place and worth a drive from Monkey
Mia on a windy day.