Fishing Lure

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Recfishwest
Fishing Report

19/01/24

Heading west of Rottnest? Make sure you have some lures out the back because monster marlin were hooked this week. The FADs are also red hot at the moment for pelagic species such as dolphinfish and wahoo in the Metro area. You can find your FADs coordinates here.

Our contributors

Sam Bock

Sam Russell

Jarrad Lawford

Sedin Hasanovic

Want to know the best tips for taking great fish photos and also on how to handle fish out of the water? We've got you covered with our r esponsible fish handling and photography tips page. The page gives a perfect explanation on the types of images we love to use in our weekly Fishing Report and why.

If you've got a cracking fish photo you want to send in, remember to keep sending us your catches by tagging #recfishwest in your online posts! You can also follow and private message your catches to our Instagram page @recfishwest and make sure you let us know where and how you caught it!

Keep up to date with events, clinics, news and amazing catches across WA by following our Instagram page @recfishwest and give our Recfishwest Facebook page a like!

For your photos to appear in the weekly fishing report, please make sure they reflect our responsible fish handling practices (so fish held horizontally, no blood, hand under the belly, no fingers in gills, etc), just like the images below.

If you're planning to head out this week, stay safe, take plenty of photos and have fun!

William Bennett

RECFISHWEST FISHING REPORT WRITER

Pic of the Week!

This 121cm horse of a barra landed by Jono Ellis @j3llis in the Kimberley region just makes all of us want to pack our bags and head up north to chase these silver slabs. Check out Jono's page to see his collection of other mighty barras landed.

Your fishing photos

If you want to be included in our weekly State-wide Fishing Reports, message your best fishing photos and a description to our Instagram page @recfishwest.

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Denmark's Rainbow Classic back on!

The 2024 Rainbow Coast Fishing Competition will be kicking off this weekend on the 20th and 21st January. This is a weekend of fishing for some great prizes, for more information contact the Denmark Boating and Angling Club on 0427 445 135. The weather is looking decent too!

Broome catches

Yes, it is indeed another barra snap, but we're not apologising given the epic Kimberley backdrop. Great snap and an awesome fish via @reelteaserfishingadventures.

Boats

Most boaties have been targeting barramundi in the Fitzroy River as the action in the local creeks has slowed, with threadfin salmon becoming the main catches in Crab and Dampier Creek. Northern mulloway have been at the entrances off both creeks and trolling on the neap tides has been productive for them. Both creeks, the Fingers and the edges of Roebuck Bay have held plenty of mud crabs, although getting to the Fingers has been hard work at times. There were however plenty of threadfin salmon turning up at the Fingers this week. Northern mulloway have also been caught at Black Ledge and tripletail have been taking prawn baits and small soft plastics around the moorings in the bay. The moderate westerly winds will hang around this weekend but Tuesday afternoon onwards could see some very calm conditions if you wish to punch out wider.

Shore-based

Barramundi have been widespread in the Fitzroy River with both dinghy anglers and shore-based fishers getting amongst the action. Plenty of fish around the metre mark have been landed at Langi Crossing, Telegraph Pool, Willare Bridge and Cockatoo Creek. Back in town, the rocks at Willie Creek have fished well for cod, bream and blue-nosed salmon. Barred Creek had similar species but caution is urged getting there as the track has been treacherous at times. The left side of the Port Jetty was good for a feed of whiting and a few bream, while the Port Jetty itself offered queenfish, trevally and the odd bluebone off the walkway. The rocks to the right of the double boat ramp at Entrance Point fished well for queenfish and trevally on the high tide, while the Town Beach Jetty held small queenfish and trevally and the odd blue-nosed salmon.

Big thanks to the crew from Tackle World Broome for their tips! Make sure you pay them a visit for the best gear and advice for your next fishing trip.

Exmouth catches

Freediving instructor and underwater photographer Lorena Hrbut @salty_rena speared this solid blackspot tuskfish recently off Exmouth and she has some great snaps on her page showcasing the best species and scenery on offer along the Ningaloo coast, give her a follow!

Boats

Billfishing activity has waned and most boats were fishing out of Tantabiddi and targeting spangled emperor on the reef line and trolling for Spanish mackerel out wider. At the Muirons, school mackerel and a few Spanish mackerel have been caught on the troll and red-throat emperor and Charlie Court have been the main catches for bottom fishers. Trolling in Exmouth Gulf has produced grey, school, shark and Spanish mackerel species, often quite close to the town marina in 10-20m depths. Coral trout up to 75cm and blue-lined emperor have been the main fare in the Gulf’s 8-15m depths, with 12m+ depths fishing best for the bigger trout. Squid catches have improved south of the marina, out from Bundegi and off the industrial estate. Unfortunately, the choppy conditions will continue throughout this week thanks to the 2m swell and strong south-westerly winds. Fishing within the sheltered areas is your best bet.

Shore-based

Catching a GT on fly is right up there on the bucket list for fly fishers and the stars aligned recently for Mischa, who finally landed his dream species within Exmouth Gulf. Pic courtesy of @shallowwatersafaris.

On the shallow flats between Learmonth and Wapet Creek yellowfin whiting have been smashing poppers fished on light gear during the incoming tide. The whiting bycatch has been impressive, including bream, small trevally and even the odd mangrove jack. The Learmonth Jetty has produced bream and Charlie Court along with a few squid, while Bundegi saw queenfish and trevally with bigger trevally landed near the naval pier. At VLF Bay a 1.2m Spanish mackerel was caught on a stickbait, providing plenty of entertainment. Around the Lighthouse, Charlie Court, queenfish and longtom have been the main catches. In the Exmouth marina school mackerel and the odd small Spanish mackerel have been landed, along with queenfish to 50cm and mangrove jack. A range of lures flicked around the prawn farm, including soft plastics, Vexed Buckabou jigs and stickbaits accounted for golden trevally, small giant trevally, queenfish and bluebone this week. Bream have been caught in Wapet Creek, while down towards the Bay of Rest the mud holes have harboured mud crabs and fly-fishers have encountered trevally and queenfish.

These great tips were courtesy of the friendly team at Tackle World Exmouth. Swing by their store for the best advice and gear ahead of your next trip!

Kalbarri catches

Boats

As the water clarity improves so does the pelagic fishing with reports of Spanish mackerel landed at the Sand Patch in 30m depths along with plenty of tuna jumping around the Three-Mile Reef. Bottom fishing has been steady on both sides of town, mainly for pink snapper and baldchin groper in 20m depths, while boats going out deeper around Bald Face have added dhufish to the mix. The southerly winds will stick around this week along with the 1.5-2m swell but if you're thinking of heading out, early in the mornings should see the preferred windows.

Shore-based

Cliff fishers around Rainbow Gorge and Goats Gulch have landed baldchin groper to 3.5kg, along with pink snapper and big tailor. Just make sure you wear a lifejacket, tether yourself to the rocks and fish with a mate if you head out there. Pink snapper and big tailor have also been caught at Frustrations and Oysters along with the odd school mulloway. Beach fishing has also been good with Wittecarra slightly more consistent than Red Bluff. Both locations have offered decent tailor and dart to 50cm. Wagoe and Lucky Bay have also produced good tailor and school mulloway. In the Murchison River good yellowfin whiting have been caught at the Sand Spit, along with chopper tailor in the evenings and the odd school mulloway. Soapy mulloway have also shown up at the marina jetty in the evenings and tailor and mangrove jack have also been reported there. Decent hauls of prawns have been scooped from there as well, providing an easy and delicious feed. Bream have been mainly up river and Castle Rock has produced the most mud crabs.

Shout to to Dean from Kalbarri Sports and Dive for his tips! Feel free to venture into his store to ask for advice if you're wetting a line around Kalbarri!

Geraldton catches

@bluelightningcharters customers Kristen Ross, Leah Mills and Celeste Mills had a tasty cookup aboard their Abrolhos charter recently and you can frequently find the shallow reefs around the islands crawling with these critters even when the sun is high in the sky.

Boats

A wide range of quality species have been caught both north and south of town. Pink snapper have been in big numbers from Drummonds Cove to Coronations, from just size to 70cm with most in the 55-65cm range. Plenty of baldchin groper have been among them, averaging 40-50cm with a few up to 70cm. Coral trout around 60-65cm were also landed, along with a rarer bar-cheeked trout. Bait schools have been plentiful north of town and were attracting plenty of tuna, with the odd decent Spanish mackerel, school mackerel and bonito among them. South of town at the South West Bank towards Dongara fished very well for dhufish, with 12-15kg fish landed in good numbers along with 50-60cm sweetlip, good-sized coral trout and baldchin groper. The FAD off Greenough has been quiet, but the 30-40m depths out from Port Gregory and Horrocks have fished well for Spanish mackerel. It will be a bumpy and wet ride out on the boats this week with the strong southerly winds and 1.7m swell sticking around.

Shore-based

Shore fishers have enjoyed plenty of variety too. The beaches at Dongara have fished very well for school mulloway and big dart, with a 70cm dart landed this week. Just south of Dongara school whiting have been in good numbers, averaging 20-30cm. Tailor catches have been consistent from Dongara right through to Geraldton and herring in the 20-30cm range have been plentiful at the Greenough River mouth right through to Southgates, Separation Point and St George’s. Small dart and flathead have been among the bycatch. A 40cm fingermark perch was also caught at the Greenough River mouth this week. Young anglers have been targeting flathead on lures in the fishing boat harbour and the sheltered areas of Separation Point and Drummonds Cove. They have also been doing well on 40-60cm cod around the marina rock walls. Small pike have been in good numbers around most Geraldton beaches and blue swimmer crabs have been caught from the jetties and marinas in Geraldton and Dongara.

Thanks to the team at Geraldton Sports Centre for their tips! They will happily provide you with great gear and the solid advice for your next fishing trip.

Lancelin catches

Chris Hartano landed this solid snapper while trolling his soft plastic behind the kayak off Lancelin this week and had Peter Fullarton fooled, he thought they were going to see a Spanish mackerel pop up based on how hard it ran!

Boats

Boat fishers were spoiled with the weather over the holidays, making it easy to travel out to Direction Bank and beyond. Deep droppers have been catching eightbar, trevalla and hapuka, while some huge dhufish around the 20kg mark have been landed off some of the deeper lumps. Baldchin groper have been a common mix in the bags and they were also being being landed inside the White Bank under 10m depths, where snapper have been enticed into the burley trails in the early mornings. It’s best to get out at first light as once the sun rises fish have been timid to bite in the very clear shallow calm waters. Tuna have been widespread throughout a range of depths with a mix of skipjack, bluefin and yellowfin. The bay has also seen an increase in herring size and numbers. After a string of great weather windows, the southerly winds and swell of around 1.2m will make it more choppy out on the water but the mornings should be your best bet if you wish to head out.

Shore-based

Lancelin jetty has been very popular with tailor fishers bait casting pilchards as the sun sets being rewarded. The beaches have also fished best on the sunset sessions, with typical summer choppers dominating in the 30-40cm size bracket. Snapper, school mulloway and small sharks have been taking the larger baits during the hours of darkness until early morning. Drone fishers were doing best on pink snapper when sending the baits out before 6.30am. The bay’s beaches had schools of herring, yellowfin whiting and yellow-eye mullet in the wash among the many blowfish on their breeding migration. Rather than using bait, small lures can catch the more aggressive whiting and herring while avoiding the blowfish.

A big Recfishwest thanks to Peter Fullarton for his tips on what's biting around Lancelin each week! If you want Peter to put you on to the fish directly, make sure you check out his Tailored Treks Tours page. Always a great time and Peter knows the best spots around Lancelin like the back of his hand.

Esperance catches

Billy Vibart @fishingbv made the three-hour journey east to picturesque Israelite Bay and enjoyed wetting a line once again in the gutters, with this nice gummy shark and a shovel nose landed in the evening.

Boats

Nannygai catches have been good at Boxer and Figure of Eight islands, while queen snapper to 8kg have been landed at Sunday Patch. Sunk Rocks produced breaksea cod to 2.5kg and towards Mondrain Island big Samson fish have been active. Esperance Bay offered plenty of squid in 5-7m depths and King George whiting to 50cm have been caught at Lovers Cove. West Beach held big sand whiting in 10-15m depths but the bite has usually been over by 8am. Big sand whiting have been biting later into the day at Wylie Bay in 15m depths but were in fewer numbers. Thankfully the great weather should return over the coming days with lower winds and swell expected. The sun might finally come out to play as well after a number of weeks of overcast conditions.

Shore-based

What an epic turnout for our SunSmart Southern Tour of fishing clinics with 350 kids turning up to 10 fully booked out clinics! It just highlights that fishing and the land-based access to do so is so crucially important for the mental, physical and social wellbeing of our south coast community. If you want to see some of the action on GWN7's recent news piece and see some of the great snaps taken from the Duke of Orleans, Esperance and Hopetoun clinics, click here!

The Town Jetty was firing for squid with holidaymakers having no trouble getting 10 in a single session. White or red squid jigs have worked best. At sunset, garfish and herring have been the jetty’s main fare. At the town foreshore flathead have been taking soft plastic lures and King George whiting have been in good numbers, while Bandy Creek Boat Harbour has offered King George whiting and skippy. The first carpark at Fourth Beach has been a salmon hotspot and 10-Mile Lagoon has been good for salmon and skippy. Out east, Thomas River and Dunns Beach have produced gummy sharks, salmon and mulloway. The mulloway have shown a liking for shallow gutters rather than deep holes. In the Young River and at Stokes Inlet bream to 40cm have been caught on lures.

Hats off to the very knowledgeable team at Southern Sports & Tackle for their tips! These guys love their fishing as well, so make sure you swing by their store for the best gear and advice before wetting a line around Esperance.

Great Southern catches

The strong winds didn't stop 70 kids from wetting a line off one of the jetties in Oyster Harbour on Saturday and it was great to see a bunch of kids enjoying catching and releasing plenty of black bream, leatherjacket, skippy and trumpeter! You can find some of the best fishing clinic images from our Southern Tour by clicking here.

Boats

There’s been little relief from the howling south-easterlies although a few people who got out in King George Sound caught King George whiting, sand whiting, herring and flounder. Water clarity has made squidding difficult, while drop-netting for blue swimmer crabs could be worth a try in the Wilson and Nornalup inlets. Bigger boats taking advantage of rare weather windows got out to the coral grounds and caught nannygai, dhufish, pink and queen snapper, while out from Cheynes crews encountered Samson fish, queen snapper, breaksea cod and dhufish. A few smaller boats fished inshore at Cheynes for herring and King George and sand whiting with good results. Most of Saturday through to Tuesday morning could hold some lovely fishing weather, so get out there and make the most of it before the gnarly wind and swell returns.

Shore-based

Click on the image above to watch GWN7's news piece covering our 10 booked out fishing clinics between east of Esperance and Augusta!

350 kids all enjoyed wetting a line across 10 fully booked fishing clinics on the south coast - what an epic turnout!

Our Southern Tour of Sunsmart fishing clinics were jam-packed between 6-17 January. It once again highlights how crucially important fishing and land-based access is to the social, physical and mental wellbeing of our south coast community.

A big thanks to Healthway, Shimano and our volunteers for their tremendous support for these great community events. Check out the clinic highlights in the 7NEWS Regional WA news piece above!

Read more about the clinics and check out some of the best images here!

Shore fishers too have been limited by wind, weed and water clarity. A few squid, herring and whiting may be possible from the town marina or Emu Point and sheltered bays and beaches such as Fosters and Ledge have at times offered small resident salmon and herring. A few yellowtail kingfish and small breaksea cod have been taken from the rocks in areas sheltered from the wind when the swells have been down, just make sure you wear a lifejacket, fish with a mate, avoid the wet rocks and analyse the conditions before deciding to fish off the rocks. At Cheynes Beach herring and sand whiting have been caught and skippy are always a chance there. The King and Kalgan rivers, although dirty, are an option for bream fishers and mulloway could also be a chance. In the Wilson Inlet pink snapper, King George whiting, bream and tarwhine have been caught, while Nornalup Inlet has held yellowfin whiting.

Cheers to the Trailblazers Albany crew for their tips this week! Swing by their store if you're after some top gear and advice ahead of your next fishing trip. Remember, you'll also catch just as many fish off the beaches than the rocks and it is always much safer to go with this option on the south coast.

South-West catches

@levi_bowman_fishing and @theaverageangler got stuck into some squid recently off Gracetown and these tasty critters are not only in great numbers, but you would be surprised how much meat you can get out of them, especially the bigger krakens.

Boats

Crews heading out from Bunbury have been doing well on demersal species with good dhufish catches coming from 40m depths with decent baldchin groper and queen snapper among the bycatch. Strong northern currents have made fishing difficult at times though. Pink snapper have been closer in and catches have been good, although the sizes are nothing special. King George whiting fishing has been excellent north of Bunbury with good catches from 10m depths to way out deep, with early mornings the best times. Squid have also been in good numbers in 3-4m depths and plenty of decent sand whiting have been caught in the same areas as the sand whiting. Squid have also been caught in 8-10m depths from Busselton and in closer blue swimmer crabs have been active, especially in Port Geographe. Divers have been doing best on crayfish with the 20m depths producing the best numbers and sizes. Trolling for tailor in the estuary in Bunbury has been popular and produced good results but blue swimmer crabs have been the main game, with catches decent around Bunbury Harbour and in the Leschenault Inlet. Blue swimmer crabs have been caught from the Blackwood River in Augusta and yak fishers south of Bunbury and around the capes have caught small pink snapper, skippy and breaksea cod. The mornings over the coming days should see the return of great weather windows so enjoy yourself if you decide to head out with friends or family.

Shore-based

Beaches north of Bunbury have been relatively quiet, perhaps because of a recent lack of sea breezes but Preston, Myalup and Buffalo beaches have produced herring, chopper tailor and sand whiting. Stratham and Peppermint Grove beaches saw better tailor and also herring and sand whiting. The Bunbury Cut held small tailor, herring and a few whiting. Mulloway around the metre mark have been caught in the Collie River but bream numbers have been down. Scooping for crabs in the Bunbury estuary and at Australind has been hard work at times, while yellowfin whiting have been firing up on the estuary flats on hot days. At Wonnerup, bream, yellowfin whiting and tailor have been the main catches. Decent tailor have been caught at Dalyellup, at Elmore Road near Dunsborough and from the reefs at Yallingup Beach. Busselton Jetty has been consistent for squid, mostly towards the end and also offered herring, skippy and blue swimmer crabs. Beaches in Geographe Bay have fished well for yellowfin and sand whiting and herring have been about as well.

Big cheers to Whitey's Tackle & Camping for their top fishing tips as always! If you're in Australind or Bunbury and are keen to wet a line throughout our South-West make sure you ask their very friendly team who love their fishing for advice and stock up on gear at their store. If you're in Busselton, the 2 Oceans Tackle team are also incredibly helpful.

A brilliant marron catch for seven-year-old youngster Jacob Horton from our South-West recently! This great marron with a 132mm carapace was landed using a snare. Awesome effort Jacob!

Marron catches have been widespread although the Great Southern has got off to a slow start. Good catches have been reported from Waroona, Logue Brook, Harvey and Wellington dams although they have been busy at times so it pays to move around and find a clearer patch. One good tip is trying to pick a window where the wind is at its lowest because when that picks up it ripples the water surface and can make spotting marron in the shallows more difficult. Marron have also have been caught in reasonable numbers in the Blackwood River in Nannup, around Sues Bridge, in the Ferguson Valley and in the Donnelly river, while the Pemberton region also saw good catches. They have also been caught in the Vasse system around Wonnerup and even within the Vasse storm drains. As for the fishing, redfin perch have been in good numbers at Harvey and Wellington Dams and the bigger 40cm+ sizes tended to turn up more around the Pemberton region. Trout catches have tapered off with the warmer weather making them very lethargic, so your best bet is targeting them in the very early mornings before the heat kicks off.

Mandurah and surrounds

Want a crack at winning a $50 Tackle World Miami Voucher each week? Simply post your prized fishing snapshot on Instagram with the hashtag #TackleWorldMiami or send your photo directly to them at info@tackleworldmiami.com.au. This little lad with his KG was just one of many great snaps sent in this week. Smart option holding them with gloves too, KG's are as slippery as a wet bar of soap but thankfully taste much better.

Mandurah

Boats: The FADs have been sensational! They were teeming with baitfish and offering dolphinfish and tuna in a range of sizes. A wahoo was caught on a trolled stickbait out there and a striped marlin was raised. Demersal fishers have also enjoyed cracking conditions with quality dhufish caught either side of town in depths of 30-70m with the hot bite being early in the mornings. Big King George whiting and breaksea cod have been among the bycatch and big KGs have also come from just inside the Five Fathom Bank. Sand whiting nudging 40cm have been caught inside the reef, while the glassy conditions have set pink snapper chasers a challenge directly over Five Fathom but many have been successful at first and last light when fishing unweighted baits in a burley trail. The burley has also brought in small Samson fish and big skippy. Tailor have been plentiful in the estuary with big herring among the chopper schools. The mornings are looking very nice for a fish over the coming days.

Land-based: Chopper tailor and herring were at the Dawesville Cut and the Mandurah traffic bridges, while the Cut has fished well for squid. Soapy mulloway and bream have been in good numbers in the Serpentine River and bream have also been caught from the marinas. Crabs have been hanging around South Yunderup and Island Point but are starting to move throughout the system. On the beaches a lack of sea breezes has quietened down tailor activity but a few choppers have been caught around Silver Sands and San Remo and fishing is expected to improve as the moon gets fuller and the south-westerlies kick in again. With the calmer conditions most beaches have fished well for sand and yellowfin whiting. Last Sunday morning a kids fishing competition was held at Falcon Beach and some of the better catches included a 40cm flounder, a 39cm flathead, a big garfish and yellowfin whiting.

Thinking of wetting a line around Mandurah? These great tips were courtesy of the super friendly and helpful team at Tackle World Miami so make sure you swing by their store for the best tips and gear before your next fishing trip!

SECRET HARBOUR / PORT KENNEDY / ROCKINGHAM / SAFETY BAY / WARNBRO SOUND

Boats: West of the Five Fathom Bank has fished well for dhufish and breaksea cod, especially in depths around 60m a fair way out and there has been plenty of tuna activity on the surface as well, with trolled skirts such as Richter Jelly Babes catching plenty of fish. Pink snapper have been caught in depths up to 60m but the hot spot has been right on Five Fathom with burley used to bring the pinkies around. Skippy and Samson fish also have been muscling in on the burley trails. Trolling for tailor has been good at the back of Garden Island and King George and sand whiting have been thick in Warnbro and Cockburn Sounds and also in Mangles Bay. Squid have also been in good numbers in these areas with 7-10m the better depths. If you're thinking of taking the boat out, the mornings over the coming days should hold the calmest conditions.

Land-based: The excellent run of tailor at Secret Harbour and Port Kennedy beaches has continued with plenty of choppers around the 40cm mark landed, along with bigger tailor up to 55cm. A few school mulloway have been around too, mainly after dark, while in the day herring and sand whiting catches have been good. Long Point produced decent tailor along with herring and sand whiting. At Penguin Island, herring, sand whiting, yellowfin whiting and the occasional King George have been caught, along with flathead and flounder, while Kwinana Beach has produced good sand whiting at times. Rockingham and Palm Beach jetties have offered a few sand whiting and herring, along with small chopper tailor in the evenings. Both Ammo Jetty and Woodman Point had similar species, while the better land-based squidding spots have been around Point Peron once again when the wind was at its lowest.

These great fishing tips were provided by the friendly team at Compleat Angler & Camping World in Rockingham, so make sure you chat to their experienced crew in store and stock up before heading out!

Perth catches

Dylan Picken @Pickos90 was one of many fishers who managed to find some solid yellowtail kingfish at the western end of Rotto this week, with this YTK around the 1.2m mark putting up a solid battle after taking a big slab of bait. Pelagic species like this and tuna, dolphinfish, wahoo, Spanish mackerel and even marlin are being sighted in metro waters at the moment, so make sure you switch your fishing up and target these great species right on our doorstep.

Boats

The metro FADs have continued to produce dolphinfish in varying sizes but at times the fishing has been slow and it’s been worth using live baits with a small running sinker to bring them around when they’ve turned their noses up at lures. Plenty of tuna have been mixed in with the dollies. Baitfish have been plentiful with birds working schools from 40m depths with activity increasing closer to the FADs. A blue marlin was hooked and lost at the FADs last weekend but a couple of great wahoo were landed. Demersal fishing has also been firing with plenty of dhufish and pink snapper caught. Pink snapper have been in as close as 10m depths but they have been on the smaller side. The bigger pinkies have come from 60-100m depths with some stonkers being caught at the back of Rottnest. The back of Stragglers and Rottnest in general have been the hotspots for dhufish and baldchin groper. The West End of Rottnest has fished well for yellowtail kingfish with Samson fish among them as well as a few tuna. Rottnest has produced King George whiting in 9-10m depths with one crew fishing off Bathurst Point hoping to catch wrasse for cray bait instead cleaning up on kidney slapping KG's. Good King George whiting have also been caught from Three-Mile Reef and on the broken ground in 10m-plus depths out from South Fremantle, Cottesloe and City Beach along with the Windmills. Plenty of plump sand whiting were mixed in with them at all locations. Big sand whiting have also been caught on the edge of the shipping channels. Squid have been harder to find, but bigger jigs fished in 8-10m depths have been productive. Kayak fishers off South Fremantle have had to work even harder and the shallow water squid have been quite small. Mewstones has been overrun with big bull herring, while tailor have been caught around Stragglers. A squid bait fished under a balloon also accounted for a decent yellowtail kingfish at Stragglers this week. At the Three-Mile Reef pink snapper and skippy have been keeping the King George whiting company, while out from Ocean Reef, dhufish, pink snapper and baldchin groper have been caught. In the Swan River trolling for chopper tailor in the lower and middle reaches has been worthwhile and a few big mulloway have been pulled up in Mosman Bay. Some drop netters have found blue swimmer crabs preferring the shallower parts of the Swan this week, with good catches coming from Rocky Bay, Claremont, Applecross, Como, Mounts Bay Road and Canning Bridge in 1.5-3m depths. Blue swimmer crabs have also been caught from boats moored in northern marinas. Saturday should hold the calmest conditions over the coming days so there should be a lot of boats heading out. Make sure you're courteous and patient at the ramps and switch up your fishing to get the most of out your trips.

Shore-based

With a lack of sea breezes lately most of the good tailor have been caught from rock walls rather than the beaches. Both Freo moles have fished well for tailor and the small groynes from Fremantle down to O’Connor have also produced plenty of choppers. A few herring have come from the moles and both moles have also produced squid, with the deeper water at the ends fishing best. Reasonable tailor have come from Floreat, Quinns and Two Rocks and when there is chop on the water beaches near structure around Cottesloe have fired with good bags caught on mulies and also stickbaits such as Ocean’s Legacy Keelings, Bassday Bungy Casts and Nomad Riptides. Floreat and City Beach have also been good for whiting and a few herring and decent whiting have been caught in the mornings from beaches north of Hillarys. Scaly mackerel have been hanging around Fremantle Harbour in big numbers but have been reluctant to take small baits or sabiki rigs. Several big mulloway have been hooked at the E-Shed and lost. In the Swan River, good tailor to 47cm have been caught on lures around Blackwall Reach and Point Walter, while chopper tailor have been plentiful at Canning Bridge, the Narrows and the Causeway. A few tailor have pushed up further on to the Burswood flats where they’ve had the odd giant herring for company. Most bream have been well up river in the Swan and Canning, although Canning Bridge has produced some big fish at night. The upper reaches’ bream chasers have also landed a few soapy mulloway. Flathead have become harder to catch in the Swan’s lower and middle reaches with numbers down and fish tending to be on the drop-offs rather than the flats, but decent-sized flounder have been a consolation. Flathead fishers using TT SwitchPrawns or Eco Gear ZX Vibes have had good sessions on yellowfin whiting but the most consistent whiting catches have been achieved late at night or very early in the mornings by anglers using fresh or live baits.

A big thanks to Anglers Fishing World in Fremantle for their great tips! These guys love their fishing just as much as we all do, so make sure you ask their super friendly team for advice and stock up before wetting a line off the land or boat!

Recfishwest

3/45 Northside Drive Hillarys

Perth, WA 6025

Australia

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Recfishwest · 3/45 Northside Drive Hillarys · Perth, WA 6025 · Australia

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