Is that the weather is just plain rubbish 90% of the time. The northwest is good in the fact you can usually get several days ina row of good weather. The Midwest can be glass in the morning, and blowing 25 knots in the afternoon. I often find the weather is sh*t but as a result the fishing is good (because you can’t get out that often).

 I guess as mentioned in previous posts you need to adapt a little, i fish a up north a few times a year usally no less than 10 days each time. I dont fish to fill the freezer and mostly fish top water so this might be the difference as i never use bait or bottom fish. I always get a feed and find the fish im looking for!  If i do run into sharks i move on to another spot last trip a couple of months ago i didnt see a shark at all while fishing and i could have bagged out most days on trout, spangos, spanish, mahi mahi, tuna.

I guess if you fish all the same spots as others and use bait and the like its going to attract sharks imo. 

Im not saying there's not a shark problem cause i believe there is all im saying is you can go up north and fish and have a heap of fun if you fish differently i guess. 

Just my 2 cents

 I guess as mentioned in previous posts you need to adapt a little, i fish a up north a few times a year usally no less than 10 days each time. I dont fish to fill the freezer and mostly fish top water so this might be the difference as i never use bait or bottom fish. I always get a feed and find the fish im looking for!  If i do run into sharks i move on to another spot last trip a couple of months ago i didnt see a shark at all while fishing and i could have bagged out most days on trout, spangos, spanish, mahi mahi, tuna.

I guess if you fish all the same spots as others and use bait and the like its going to attract sharks imo. 

Im not saying there's not a shark problem cause i believe there is all im saying is you can go up north and fish and have a heap of fun if you fish differently i guess. 

Just my 2 cents

 Bit of extra effort to be more self sufficient and travel to the spots that nobody else goes. The adventure is half the fun. 

 Lake Joundalup is pretty good, not too far north and no shark problem at all :)

Sounds like you are chasing the northern species, but have you considered going south.
My neighbour just returned from a three week trip to Walpole.
He loved it & bagged out most days with no sharks.
That was the best thing about it, added to the plus size Pinkies & Blue Groper. Maybe worth a try, I know I will.

Were you using rods? -I can nearly guarantee you were :)

If you catch one (or possibly two) fish, if you then get sharked move spots. Everyone drop at the same time, get one or two fish, then move again (and not 100 meters- but a km or 2 at a decent clip-sharks follow your boat if you go slow)

100lb handline, go like the clappers and bingo!~ fish in the boat. Get kevlar "cut resistant" gloves to wear.

Sort of seems counter-intuitive to put away the $2000 Stella or Saltiga Dogfight combo, but a sure-fire way to limit the losses. I have a 6500 Dogfight and tried it vs mate on handline catching 5-6kg Spangleds. No deal...sharked vs boated fish by my mate using a handline...you live and you learn. It just takes some preparation to ensure the deck is ultra clear, and all those snagging items are stowed away nicely away from the cockpit.

You're welcome ;)

Happy fishing

 The handline theory might work on some occasions but unless you can pull it in faster than a shark can swim you would still be wasting your time on most occasions.

I just spent 6 weeks in coral bay for the twelfth year in a row and after this year I am not sure I want to go again. I have always got heaps of fish without travelling far but this year I was just wasting my time trying to catch them. The only good days were when we travelled huge distances to get away from them.

In years past we always lost some fish but now it is just ridiculous. Also in years past if we hooked a shark we could generally get it to the boat and they were usually sandbar sharks or whalers around 2.5m. Now they are nearly all unstopable.

There is no way you could get a fish past them on most occasions as they are gone almost as soon as you hook them.

They will let you keep the shitfish and cobia and I am sure cobia and sharks go hand in hand.

 Everyone should move south with their trips away. No fish north only sharks. 

Ill do the right thing thou, I’ll keep going and I’ll tell you when you should all start going back

Theory is actual success and is a proven method. Many people did not believe, and have now moved (back) to handlines. Yes, no good for deep water etc, but I can get quality fish in 30 meters or less in Exmouth. I still use rods for the deep drops on Rosy jobfish etc. manual reels up to 150 meters of water.

I think the key is for people to not keep feeding the sharks by fishing PE2/3 line on 4500 size reels up in Exmouth/ Coral Bay etc. Once the sharks know where to get a free feed, they hang about. Hell, I couldn't even get a 5 kg Spango up on 80lb braid with my Saltiga Dogfight! (in 30meters)

Go over to Peak island. Not much "sharking" goes on there...It's a looong way from home, but must be the absolute right weather and multiple boats for safety to get there. No "Memory" from the sharks as to the regular free feed zone.

I am with ChrisG. move about a lot. Limit drift length, use strong gear and skull drag em in. Once sharked, move on.

Real life example-fishing Exmouth gulf

4 people fishing in my boat- 100lb handlines, and not FG*^#) about when you hook em~seriously...one slip on the line and you are a goner!

First drop- 3 or 4 fish.

Second drop- 2 fish/ 2 sharked.

Third drop (theoretical) would be one fish at best (I don't do the third drop for the record) 

Move on, repeat.

Not trying to pull it in faster than the sharks, but time things to perfection- and cut our losses when things go awry. Weight of numbers helps- say 3-4 lines in vs one or two.

I like to see who's catching what at the cleaning stations also. A lot of the time the old timers have the best fish. I think they use handlines (most of them)

Pretty quick to get your fish if you use this methodology.

Just my observations/experience. Everyone seems to have a boat nowdays, and if people continue to fish this way it will only get worse. I think there was a heap of shark pro boats up that way once upon a long time also...I heard that they have all gone now- may be some correlation here. Try to follow the charter operators way of working. A few fish off multiple marks spreads the load.

Cheers.

 ...and I've done it plenty, been doing this a long time,including for a living, you can't beat an Alvey Reefmaster. You'll get it in a lot quicker and easier, if it's just about meat fishing. And braid has made them even more viable. But a word of caution on just using a heavy handline--fine for fish to 10 or 20 kg, but, if something genuinely large grabs it, you are in serious danger of injury if  you try to hang on, even with 200lb mono, unless you are using heavy gloves.  One of these 3-4 metre long bullsharks that are getting increasingly common up north grabs your hooked fish, and gets hooked himself, you'd better be able to get a quick turn around a handy bollard to snap him off.