EXMOUTH, AUSTRALIA THE NEXT FRONTIER DOWN UNDER

For those of us who are obsessed with the pursuit of billfish, our thoughts often wander to the next far-flung destination that has yet to be discovered. In our imaginations, it is a tropical island miles from the nearest landmass, with a name we can hardly pronounce or in a country we’ve never heard of. But sometimes, these places are in familiar territory—they’re just not where we’re used to looking.

When marlin fishermen think of Australia, the famous giant black marlin fishery of Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef is usually the first thing that comes to mind, and for good reason. But in the past decade, another fishery has emerged on the opposite coast of the land Down Under. Enter Exmouth.

This coastal town of about 2,500 year-round residents is located on the point of the North West Cape in Western Australia, about 790 miles north of the state capital of Perth, and 2,092 miles southwest of Darwin. The majority of WA is spread out and sparsely populated, which is why this region is considered the wild side of Australia. What makes Exmouth special is similar to what has made Cairns hallowed ground in the world of big-game fishing: the proximity of a major reef system