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Recfishwest
Fishing Report

15/03/24

Photographic proof of how stunning Hopetoun on the South Coast can be for both land and boat-based fishing and why fishing access throughout this beautiful area needs to be protected.

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!

Not bad for a first ever sailfish for Lorena Hrbut @salty_rena up in Exmouth! Waiting hours for the action to take off while trolling is certainly worth it and this beauty swam off safely to fight another day.

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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SALMON SLAM IS BACK AND SO ARE THE EPIC PRIZES!

CLICK HERE to follow the Western Angler Salmon Slam Facebook page and get your lines in the water along our southern and South-West coastline because the schools are firing up!

There are bigger and more salmon off the WA coast than we've seen in more than 10 years, and landing these fish could score you some mighty prizes in this year's Salmon Slam competition!

Western Angler is running the show this year for this great annual competition with support from Recfishwest, and there are several top prize categories you can take out simply for reeling in these hard-fighting and iconic species.

Click here to check out our news article with everything you need to know about Salmon Slam and make sure you download the Salmon Slam app from Google Play or the App Store to get cracking!

Broome catches

Given they are named tripletail for an obvious reason, there is a lot of power from these fish when they decide to take your line. This is a solid fish landed by the crew from @reefchiefaustralia in the Kimberley and if you see anything floating on the surface or can locate structure, flick your plastics, bait or lures close to it because it's where tripletail love to lurk.

Boats

The recent rains have made even offshore hotspots relatively unfishable and washed many of the generally reliable spots out. Despite this, some areas further away from Broome offered clearer waters for the boats that persisted and some solid tripletail turned up. Both Crab and Fingers Creek have given the more committed fishers hope, with some notable threadfin salmon captures crossing the metre mark. For the more daring anglers, the illusive one metre barra have been reeled in upriver around Dampier creek amongst the snags, with a mix of soft plastics and stickbaits helping lure them out despite some rather dirty conditions. The storms and rain should stick around this week unfortunately which will likely make the conditions quite murky but it doesn't mean the fishing should drop off completely.

Shore-based

It was pretty tedious work for the land-based fishers all throughout Broome and the Kimberley this week also, as high rainfall in the area has restricted access to creeks such as Willie and Barred. Town Beach Jetty has been providing locals with a great number of Javelinfish, with prawn and squid being the most effective bait. The usual pelagic suspects of queenfish and trevally were also caught at Town beach jetty as well as Port jetty, with metals and plastics doing the trick.

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

There were some fantastic pelagics doing the rounds at Lighthouse Bay, which included this impressive cobia for Timothy Schneider who braved the wind! He spotted a manta ray cruising within casting distance and noticed a couple of choccie logs hot on its tail, leading to a great fight with this quality fish.

Boats

Boats fishing the GAMEX tournament encountered large patches of baitfish, which were holding good numbers of sailfish and small black marlin on the west side in a big range of depths between 50-250m. Mixed in with these billfish were solid wahoo and yellowfin tuna to 20kg. The four FADs that were deployed only last week have begun holding some large dolphinfish, with the first being caught a mere 24 hours after deployment. For the bottom bashers, spangled emperor, red emperor and Rankin cod have been most consistent in 50-80m depths with coral trout being more common in depths less than 40m. Spanish mackerel action has picked up along the back of the reef around Tantabiddi, with anglers fishing the shoals in the Gulf also having some success. At the Muirons, larger Spanish mackerel have been encountered in sub 20m depths, with good numbers of trout and bluebone in similar areas on the bottom. The eastern side of the Gulf produced some solid queenfish and giant herring, with mangrove jack numbers also picking up on the rock bars. Squid have remained elusive this past week in the Gulf but those fishing the weed beds around Learmonth have done the best. While Saturday morning is looking relatively calm on the forecast, there is the possibility of a cyclone hitting next week which will bring some wild wind, rain and swell from Sunday afternoon right through until at least Thursday.

Shore-based

Shore fishing has been great around Exmouth in the last week, with solid mangrove jack to 40cm coming from inside the marina, with the rockwalls around the Exmouth Game Fishing Club producing the most fish. For those fishing lures and live baits on the outside of the marina, queenfish, trevally and large bream have been common. The Bundegi flats were also fishing well, with juvenile golden and giant trevally being the most consistent catches. Around the Bundegi boat ramp, mangrove jack and queenfish have been present on the incoming tide when the baitfish were stacked up near the structure. Those that braved the wind on the west side around Lighthouse bay were rewarded with some quality fish like the cobia pictured above, with anglers in this area also encountering good numbers of giant trevally and queenfish. Further south at Tantabiddi, spangled emperor have continued to be caught in decent numbers, with some welcome bycatch of Spanish flag and mangrove jack mixed in. A possible cyclone this weekend will rule out fishing until at least the middle of the week but Saturday morning should hold the calmer conditions before it goes haywire.

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

Paul from Murchison Boat Hire took advantage of the decent conditions that rolled through this week and the ever faithful Sand Patch fired up once again for yellowfin tuna. This has been a top spot for pelagics over the past few weeks, so make sure you give this area a go if you're ducking out.

Boats

It was slim pickings this week as water temperatures are reportedly five degrees cooler than those recorded in December. This coupled with prevailing winds and a tedious swell essentially shut down the fish activity as well as limiting fishability. Despite this, the odd tuna was still caught, especially when trolling deeper diving lures that can muscle their way down underneath the choppy conditions to 4-5m depths. Both Saturday and Sunday morning are thankfully looking okay for the boaties but the rough weather from a potential cyclone up north will creep down from Sunday onwards and make it rough until at least Wednesday.

Shore-based

Due to poor offshore conditions, many locals have tried their hand at local beaches. Early mornings seem to be the time to throw a line with an abundance of tailor caught at Back Beach. If you don't mind getting your hands dirty, scalies and mullies will get the job done but the more refined fishos have found luck with stickbaits, metals and poppers as they can be launched further. At Wittecarra Creek, mulloway just shy of the metre mark turned up in good numbers as well as dart. In the river, lots of whiting were lurking in the flats and cod have been spotted around structure. Both mornings this weekend on the forecast are looking good for a land-based flick.

Shout out 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

Boats

Unfortunately due to to the elements, the boaties really struggled to get out and hold spots out of the harbour due to the prevailing winds and there was barely any action reported this past week. It wasn't all bad news though, the weed-filled waters pushed fishers further northwest which lead to a few irregular captures of tuna, bonito and Spanish mackerel on the troll. The next best day on the forecast this week is looking like Saturday, although every other day outside that is not looking ideal.

Shore-based

Locals were hit hard with strong winds, which washed in large deposits of weed. This made throwing anything out extremely difficult. Despite this, Port Gregory held small numbers of tailor, dart, forktail catfish and soapies. Batavia Marina and Fisherman’s Harbour acted as havens during the rough conditions, producing great catches of tailor that increased in size the further into the harbour that fishers travelled. Barracuda reaching 50cm were also firing up around late afternoon and into the evenings throughout the same areas. Saturday morning isn't looking too bad for a land-based flick, but there could be some strong easterlies on Wednesday morning to aid with casting over the predicted 2m swell.

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

Nic Hocking found a magical glassy sea when he went out to pull his lobster pots and managed to pluck this 22kg Spaniard on the troll to finish off the morning!

Boats

Most boats have been staying close to home over the past few weeks. The 20m depths have been reliable for a feed of sand whiting, with small squid or prawn baits working best. Skippy have moved to the inshore reefs and also within the bay, where plenty of herring were active too. The deeper weed beds produced squid and large snook. Trolling along the beaches has been finding tailor, with dawn generally producing the better numbers. Bonito along with school and Spanish mackerel have been active inside the White Bank. Saturday and Sunday morning are both thankfully looking ideal for a send out in the boats.

Shore-based

Beach casters have been finding snapper were actively feeding within casting range at first light this week. Tailor have been mostly the summer choppers, with sizes usually sitting around 30-35cm. Herring have also made a big appearance with plenty of fish in the ‘bull’ class around 30cm along the beaches, with a few salmon trout also thrown into the mix. Given both salmon trout and herring look very similar, many fishers get confused with the ID as they can be similar in size and colouration. Make sure you carefully double check if it's a salmon trout as they have a 30cm size limit and you can cop a fine if they are undersized! Both mornings this weekend are looking ideal for a land-based fish.

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.

This weekend's Esperance Classic set to showcase importance of fishing access on south coast with big crowds expected

It's that time of year again! The Esperance Deep Sea Angling Club’s 31^st Annual Esperance Archipelago Offshore Angling Classic is on this weekend, and Recfishwest is looking forward to seeing you there.

Regularly attracting more than 80 boats, more than 200 competitors and hundreds more at the weigh-in and presentation night, the “Classic” is one of the largest boat-based fishing competitions in WA. This feat is even more impressive when you factor in the harsh realities of the Southern Ocean, making opportunities to get out in the boat few and far between.

Come and have a yarn with the Recfishwest crew if you're there, we are more than happy to answer any questions or concerns you have about how the proposed zones are going to impact on your fishing experiences, or if you are ready to put in a submission but want some advice.

If you want keep up to date with everything that is happening in this space, as well as get tips on giving your views to the Government on the proposals, sign up to our South Coast Marine Parks updates here.

Esperance catches

Gido has been putting in plenty of hours fishing all around Esperance and the south coast recently and the fly master plucked this blue groper off the stones. Make sure you follow his YouTube page Gido's Fishing Adventures and while he is one of the most skilled fishers out there, Gido never fishes off the rocks without a lifejacket, tethering himself safely and analysing the conditions on arrival. Make sure you always follow his lead if you decide to give rock fishing a go.

Boats

After taking advantage of the fantastic inshore island system, boat fishers have found some rod bending pelagic action around Thomas and Mondrain Island. There were dozens of tuna caught on the troll and big Sambos over 20kg were turning up when bottom bouncing. Queen snapper are up in numbers around Observatory Bay and nannygai were showing up at Leg of Lamb. Moving closer inshore, snook and herring were up and about around Esperance Bay and squid have been congregating in depths around 15m at Cook Rocks. Fishing the shallows at Fourth Beach also resulted in some very successful sand whiting sessions. With the Esperance Offshore Classic being held this weekend, big numbers of boats and competitors are expected to charge out of the bay like the Chariots of Fire and the weather gods have decided to play nice, with both Saturday and Sunday expecting lighter easterly winds and a 1m swell. Best of luck if you're competing!

Shore-based

Esperance locals have experienced a ripper of a start to the gummy shark season, with many being caught at 12-15kg and numerous others crossing the magical 20kg mark. Most of the success was reported at Dunns Beach on the incoming tide. Poison Creek and Thomas River have been holding some sizeable mulloway around the metre mark along with skippy pushing 3kg. The salmon season is certainly developing before our eyes as western areas including Roses beach and Warrenup have seen large numbers, which is a good starting point if you want to set yourself up for some great prizes in this year's Salmon Slam competition. More locally, the Esperance Jetty has been the epicentre for some great squid fishing at night, with King George whiting and flounder also active. If the Tanker jetty isn’t on the cards, Bandy Creek Boat Harbour also produced great King George whiting and flounder.

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

Even in choppy and windy conditions the salmon have been turning up in really good numbers, with @saltyfishos getting amongst the action despite a lot of weed hanging around.

Boats

Wind and swell over the past week has made getting the boat in the water a challenge. At the end of the weekend and on Monday, boats that did manage to find a weather window to head out wider had decent sessions finding dhufish and pink snapper on the deeper reefs, with good nannygai thrown in the mix. The same areas, particularly around the islands, have also been productive for tuna, with birds working the surface a tell-tale sign. Boats trolling around the islands have also picked up a few salmon. Most boats preferred to stick in close around Oyster Harbour and King George Sound given the sheltered waters and these areas were rewarding for King George whiting, which are still coming in at some impressive sizes. Squid (particularly around dawn and dusk) and big schools of herring have also been landed in the same area. Dinghy fishers in close can also expect to hook up to the odd salmon as the annual run gets into in full swing. After a couple of false-starts, the WA Undersea Club have locked in this weekend for their Albany Comp. This weekend is thankfully seeing a reprieve from the poorer conditions, so make the most of it and get the boat wet (plus – free boat wash with the showers returning on Monday!)

Shore-based

The salmon action is definitely getting rather spicy, with reports of big schools to the east of Albany at places like Bremer Bay and Cape Riche. The salmon action around town has also been good – Cable Beach and Salmon Holes from the sand have been productive at times, while Sand Patch has seen salmon everywhere if you’re up for a workout up and down the stairs! The sighting of salmon schooling last week at Lights Beach in Denmark has progressed into reports of salmon anywhere and everywhere, and they have reportedly been smashing pretty much anything flicked their way. Squid fishers have continued to do well at the town marina and Frenchman Bay. The town marina also held herring and decent skippy, while the latter has produced the odd KG. The jetty at the Emu Point Boat Harbour is always a good option for bream, while up into the King and Kalgan has seen bigger models and the odd small mulloway. Emu Point also saw a few Samsonfish mixed in with the usual fare of herring, whiting and squid – just hope you don’t hook a Rambo of a Sambo on your whiting combo because your reel is in for a mighty sizzle. Saturday and Sunday are looking great for a land-based flick at most locations, while later into next week might require a bit of planning to find shelter from the prevailing easterly wind.

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

Mitchell Cooper @mitchcooper_fishing1885 from Whitey's Tackle in Australind is quite the mulloway master in the South-West. Landing one on a stickbait will always be more impressive than those caught with bait (common opinion there, but the bait option is generally more productive!)

Boats

Squid catches have generally been good in 8-15m depths out from Peppermint Grove Beach down towards Busselton, with King George whiting and a few sand whiting being caught in similar depths. It pays to have a go for squid first, then use very small strips of their tentacles as bait because the whiting go absolutely nuts for fresh squid. The sam stretch has also held a few blue swimmer crabs but they have dropped off slightly in numbers over the past few weeks. Tuna have been commonly reported offshore either side of Bunbury and they seem to be popping up across a wide range of depths, so it pays to have your lures about 20m out the back of the boat in the bubbles every time you move. The FADs have continued to be very productive for dolphinfish and the mornings have generally seen the best results. Using burley closer in over broken ground produced decent skippy and a few big Samsonfish have continued to take fishers by surprise, so it pays to have some heavier gear with you. Crabbing was productive in Bunbury's Outer Harbour and so too was trolling for chopper tailor, with the sizes starting to creep up in size. King George whiting and squid have been in good numbers in Geographe Bay with flat conditions this week making it quite pleasant for dinghy fishers. Saturday is looking absolutely perfect for a boat fish and Sunday morning isn't looking too shabby either.

Shore-based

Mulloway catches have taken a healthy spike this week along numerous beaches but once again, heading north of Bunbury seemed to be the best territory. The more consistent beaches were once again Preston and Myalup. Preston also continued its decent run of pink snapper for drone fishers and casters, with pinkies spotted venturing into the shallows at first light. This stretch of beaches down to Bunbury also produced herring, juvenile salmon and whiting during the day. Tailor fishing was still rather patchy, but those that did land them reported the sizes starting to creep up. Closer to town around the Bunbury Cut offered herring, chopper tailor, small mulloway and plenty of tarwhine. Good numbers of mulloway have come from the Collie River and they have been taking plastics and even surface stickbaits intended for bream. Around Australind scoopers have fared best chasing blue swimmer crabs at night, but most crabs have been brimming with meat. South of town Dalyellup fished well for herring and salmon trout (make sure you have a close look to differentiate between the two species, they look similar and salmon trout have a 30cm size limit). Download the Recfishwest app if unsure! Forrest Beach again offered herring and whiting. Quindalup has been the most reliable snapper spot for drone fishers, while the big schools of salmon at Yeagarup continued to provide great entertainment. This action will only get better and fishers on the south coast near Albany have already reported seeing big schools, so it's looking promising for a great season. The Busselton Jetty fished well for squid and good numbers of herring have been hanging about, while big Samsonfish have been sizzling lines towards the end. We didn't hear of any more Spanish mackerel turning up this week, but if you manage to catch one off the jetty make sure you send in a snap! The beaches between Busselton and Dunsborough produced yellowfin whiting and herring at dawn. Saturday is looking perfect for a land-based flick so get out there.

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.

Given redfin perch have been getting ready to breed over the past couple of weeks, they have continued to school up in deep pockets around dams such as Logue Brook, Wellington and Harvey, where soft plastics and deep-diving lures have accounted for good numbers of modest-sized fish. During this time they can often be a bit fiddly to entice to a strike, so mixing it up between lures, plastics or small jigs usually produces results eventually. A few redfin have also been caught in the Collie River, while the stretch of the river from Honeymoon Pool back to the Wellington Dam wall has produced a few small rainbow trout and the odd bigger brown. Thanks to the slightly cooler temperatures, streams with a bit of flow have seen some better spikes in the numbers of trout being landed, although given water levels are quite low and the clarity is generally very clear, it pays to move silently and in stealth mode as they can be quite skittish. At this stage of the year, most of the trout will tend to linger in the deeper pockets where the temperatures are lower, but they are still being plucked from shallow areas where there is a bit of whitewash and oxygenated water. The waterways around the Pemberton region have been quite productive, but only those willing to put in the hours have been rewarded.

Mandurah and surrounds

Mandurah

Boats: Not too much news has developed from the boat-based Mandurah efforts but there were still the occasional decent catches rolling in. Most notably, trolling the 30-45m depth mark has led to some exciting tuna catches and the sizes have ranged from small to more than 20kg. For the best results, make sure you try a mix of a deeper diving lure trolling on one side and a skirt on the other so you're working different areas of the water column and if you see weed drifting by, it means you're in a current line and that's a good place to troll. Skippy pushing the 1kg mark have been schooling around most of the inshore reefs if you are patient and run a burley trail, but they usually prefer bait rather than lures or plastics. The FADs have still been productive for dolphinfish, tuna and yellowtail kingfish, but it's a matter of getting there early as the best catches and sightings have been reported at first light. This Saturday and early on Sunday morning is looking ideal for the boaties so get out there.

Land-based: If you are looking for any tailor, there has been consistent captures along most beaches with the odd salmon sprinkled in. The salmon numbers are only going to get better and the cold water current has been pushed a long way west quite early this year by prevailing easterly winds over the past few weeks, so we should be in for a ripper of a salmon season. Pink snapper have reportedly been smashing baits on some of the local beaches on the new moon, despite the clear water conditions which is promising. The best time to target pinkies off the beach is at first light as they will frequently venture into the shallows in search of crabs or bait. Looking more north to Serpentine, soapie mulloway have been keeping beach fishers happy. In the estuary, blue swimmer crabs are in good stead around the early mornings and the sizes have been decent.

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: Those venturing out to the southern FADs again found mostly tuna, but for the best chance of dolphinfish or wahoo, the early mornings at first light seemed to be more productive. It pays to keep your distance from the FADs and try long casts or even drifting as your engine can make them quite skittish. Good skippy have been caught on the broken ground around Garden Island along with King George whiting, while Samsonfish have been active at the back of Garden Island via jigging and live baits. The 10m depths inside of Garden Island where the water is generally cooler again proved a sweet spot for squid and drifting worked best. At Stragglers and Mewstones good tailor have been caught around the exposed reefs and if herring or tailor are not present at these reefs, then yellowtail kingfish are a good chance. Mangles Bay, Safety Bay, Parmelia Bank and the edge of the shipping channel fired up for sand whiting and small strips of squid tentacles has worked best for bait. While the crab numbers have dropped slightly, Shoalwater Bay was still the sweet spot. Saturday is looking glorious for the boats and Sunday morning looks decent as well so good luck if heading out!

Land-based: Bonito were once again bubbling up the surface just off the Ammo Jetty for those who could reach them with metal lures, while herring, squid and small tailor have been caught at Woodman Point. For tailor, the best time of day has been around sunset and after dark for the bigger specimens. Between Secret Harbour to Challenger Beach was the most reliable spot for sand whiting and the occasional school-sized mulloway have been turning up here as well, with an 18kg model landed earlier this week at Golden Bay along with 50-55cm pink snapper. The Penguin Island sand spit produced flathead, flounder, sand whiting and yellowfin whiting. For the best chance of squid, try the northern end of Point Peron in the evening with the southerly wind to help aid with casting.

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

There is a lot of skippy off Perth at the moment but you know you're in red hot territory when 70cm fish are annihilating your jigs! Marco Fraschetti @oceansdownunder landed this beauty earlier this week near Rottnest and make sure you give his Instagram page a follow for some of the best fishing snaps from across WA.

Boats

Perth’s offshore efforts in the boats were outstanding this week, with a metro Spanish mackerel caught only 300m off the South Fremantle Sailing Club rock wall as a prized bycatch by a crew trolling for bonito. It's a smart move to make sure you’re trolling whenever you move around. Cooler waters have driven squid deeper with most of them being caught in 8-12m depths. It always pays to drift for squid because they are quite aggressive and will chase your jigs down even when you drift quite quickly, so try and have two or three squid jigs dancing about a metre above the weed and you’re in good territory. Large tailor around 60-80cm are being caught off most of the whitewater reefs such as Stragglers and Mewstones, with big Samsonfish and the occasional yellowtail kingfish also turning up in the same areas. Trolling around the Metro FADs produced a number of 20kg+ yellowfin tuna. The dolphinfish catches at the Metro FADs have been decent, but it pays to keep your distance and try drifting as the sound of the engine can make them quite skittish. If you’re chasing tailor in the Swan River, try trolling with diving lures that get down a metre or two and have a shimmery colour as that seems to be working best. The afternoons and evenings have been the better bite times and try to troll right over where the bottom quickly drops off. The weather tomorrow is looking glorious for the boats and Sunday morning isn’t looking too shabby either, so get out there while it’s glassy.

Shore-based

The Swan River has still been a reliable spot to catch tailor right up to 50cm. Han Yeoh @hanyeoh13 decided to change things up and put his Zipbaits 85 MDS to good use at sunset, resulting in some impressive aerial tailor displays.

All Fremantle-based rock walls have been holding encouraging numbers of tailor and herring in the evenings with the occasional garfish which is promising. Both Freo moles have been quiet, but squid fishers took advantage of the south-easterly winds at the North Mole earlier this week to capture some nice specimens with longer casts. Local beaches such as Bathers and Leighton provided some great metro sand whiting. As for the Swan River, the action is slowing down in terms of flathead and flounder in the lower reaches but the mulloway catches have skyrocketed. The Narrows, Canning Bridge, Claremont and Mosman Park areas have all been great for models over 12kg. Tailor are still moving into these lower parts of the Swan River but try targeting them in the evening as tailor tend to fire up a lot more when the breeze comes in and it becomes a bit more choppy on the river. Further up river in the Swan around Maylands to Guildford was still producing the good occasional bream. There were some impressive pink snapper catches further north of Perth off the cast and for drone fishers, but get out at first light for the best chance as this is when they roam into the shallows, with the beaches around Yanchep and Two Rocks performing well. Saturday should be fantastic for land-based fishing as well with a nice easterly to help with casting.

Don’t forget - the salmon season is upon us and they are running wild along the South-West coastline and pushing their way north. So make sure you download the Salmon Slam app on your phone and have a crack at catching these hard-fighting species during the Salmon Slam competition over the next few months! The salmon are bigger and in more numbers than we’ve seen in the past 10 years and it could land you some impressive prizes!

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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