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Recfishwest
Fishing Report

24/05/24

First rule of fishing for cobia...keep an eye out for rays and the cobia usually aren't far behind.

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!

Quite the ice breaker for your first dolphinfish! Hats off to @alixness_ for getting the shot off into this big bull up north and make sure you follow the @aussiechicksfishing page to stay up to date with the talented female anglers and spearfishers around the State.

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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HEADS UP FISHERS!

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued the following warning for possible dangerous rock fishing conditions for our Mid-West, South-West and southern coastline from Saturday, 25 May to Friday, 31 May.

Keeping safe comes down to better decision-making from improved alerts, communication and awareness. No fish is worth risking your life for. If you know of mates heading out for a fish on the rocks in these regions during this time, make sure you share this warning with them.

Remember, the beach is always a safer fishing option than the rocks. For more info, visit http://www.bom.gov.au/

Broome catches

Dave ventured up to Broome from Port Stephens in NSW to experience the adrenaline rush of catching some epic fish, including this 1.36m Spanish mackie aboard @absoluteoceancharters. Odds are he'll be back.

Boats

There have been some pretty hardcore winds this week. That certainly limited fishing but Spanish mackerel and sailfish have been picked up off James Price Point and Barred Creek, while the lumps have thrown up blue-lined emperor. The Fingers has produced some good threadfin salmon and a few mud crabs, while Crab and Dampier creeks held mainly threadfin salmon and blue-nosed salmon this week, with only the odd small barramundi showing up. The winds won’t be as strong as the past week but the low to moderate south-easterly winds will hang around this weekend, just after midday should see a drop off if you want to duck out in the boat on Saturday or Sunday, but it should glass off for most of next week from around Monday afternoon onwards.

Shore-based

It’s been quiet this week also for the land-based fishers, with the Port Jetty and Town Beach Jetty the two most reliable options with both offering small trevally and queenfish. Entrance Point has also produced these species, while whiting catches have been good at Cable Beach. There has been little activity in the creeks when fishing on foot, but bream and mangrove jack are always worth targeting at Willie and Barred Creek, while conditions at Gantheaume Point have been ideal for casting lures or sending out a balloon for Spanish mackerel. In the Fitzroy River falling water temperatures have slowed barramundi activity, but Langi Crossing and Telegraph Pool have once again been worth a crack. If you don’t mind a drive then Lake Argyle has been red hot for barramundi over the past few weeks, with the best numbers and sizes all coming from there lately.

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

Two of the tastiest fish in the sea are plentiful around the shallow bombies when you're being chauffeured around by @onstrikecharters within Exmouth Gulf!

Boats

Conditions were mixed this week for boat fishers off Exmouth. Crews in bigger boats who took advantage of weather windows managed to find sailfish and small black marlin in 50m+ depths on the west side, while deep-droppers in 100m plus depths encountered ruby snapper and goldband snapper. Smaller boats closer in did very well on Spanish mackerel and the main bottom species landed were spangled emperor and the odd coronation and coral trout. Out around the Muirons, Spanish mackerel have been active along with coral trout, red emperor and Rankin cod and the islands have provided nice shelter for fishers while the winds have rolled through. In Exmouth Gulf the shoals produced blue-lined emperor, golden trevally and the odd coral trout with tuna also active. Squid were in reasonable numbers close in, while towards the Bay of Rest a few mud crabs have been caught. The swell is up a bit higher than usual around Exmouth this week and will hover around 2m, with the wind a bit all over the place too with mostly light to moderate south-easterly winds this weekend. Monday and Tuesday doesn't look too bad for the boaties.

Shore-based

Learmonth and Bundegi have fished well for whiting, bream and mangrove jack, while small trevally and queenfish have been passing through there as well. Both locations have produced squid and a 15kg Spanish mackerel was caught at the Bundegi boat ramp this week, so it’s worth taking stronger gear and make sure you use a wire trace if targeting them. The town marina has offered bream, mangrove jack, cod and trevally, with squid also being caught from the marina’s ocean wall. Squid have also again been caught from the rocks at the industrial estate which has been a very good land-based squidding spot recently. Those northerly winds have made fishing the tip of the Cape difficult, but spangled emperor and bluebone have been worth targeting when conditions allow it. Mangrove jack and spangled emperor have been the main catches at Tantabiddi.

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

Wagoe has the place to be for land-based mackies over the past week or so, with @mitchpalmer_97 and his crew landing several of these speedsters this week.

Boats

Tuna catches have dominated this week, although there are still some good Spanish mackerel around. Bait schools have been in abundance and both tuna and Spanish mackerel have been caught out from Frustrations, Red Bluff and at the Sand Patch. Spanish mackerel have also been caught at Lucky Bay. If trolling for these two species, 7 knots seems to be the sweet spot and mixing the lures up with a deep diver on one side and skirt on the other is a good tactic. In close, whiting chasers have found plenty of small flathead in Jakes Bay. Around Bald Head and at the north end of the Sand Patch, pink snapper have been caught along with a few Rankin cod. The conditions don't look too bad over the next week with lower winds expected but be wary of that larger swell which will creep upwards to just below 3m inshore over the coming days and be even higher than that further offshore.

Shore-based

There has been a bit more variety from the beaches this week with small flathead, reasonable tailor and plenty of dart (some up 65cm) coming from Red Bluff. Wittecarra held the same species but has been a little quieter. At Frustrations, quad bikers have been catching mulloway up to 10kg in the stirred-up water from the dredging barge. At Wagoe, balloon fishers and droners have encountered Spanish mackerel with some good sizes seen launching themselves out of the water after engulfing baits. In the Murchison River nice bream and cod have been caught from the marina and further up river, while good yellowfin whiting have been caught off the Sand Spit. Crabs were not around in big numbers this week but they are still worth a crack, with a few blue swimmers mixed in with the mud crabs.

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

Hats off to Cahlem Luscombe who managed to land this healthy 85cm tailor off the beach in Dongara this week! Big tailor catches like this will only increase in numbers as we creep deeper into the winter months.

Boats

Dinghy fishers have been finding squid in front of the Batavia Coast Marina, at Point Moore, Pages Beach and Separation Point. These locations also usually start to produce big skippy at this time of year. On the pelagic front things have been much quieter, but divers out towards the Abrolhos Islands have reported seeing lots of Spanish mackerel. Demersal chasers have caught pink snapper, dhufish, baldchin groper and coral trout, mainly around African Reef, while out wider in 40-50m south-west and north-west of town pink snapper have been hard to avoid with average sizes sitting between 50-70cm. Sunday is looking like the better day for the boats this weekend with lower easterly winds expected but the swell is going to hover around the 3m mark so be wary.

Shore-based

Mulloway fishing has been very good, with large quantities turning up between Drummond Cove and Coronation Beach. They have usually been between 80cm and 1.2m and tailor have been mixed in as well, along with some nice-sized whiting. Mulloway have also been caught from the S-Bend up around Southgates but in smaller numbers. At Separation Point, Pages Beach and the back of the town breakwater nice whiting of various species have been landed. Lots of squid have been caught in a range of sizes from the platform on the north side of the Batavia Coast Marina and the adjacent rock walls. Up at Bowes River, big tailor have been caught on lures with poppers working nicely. Dongara has been fishing well this week with an 80cm tailor caught and released at South Beach and a 74cm sweetlip landed from the marina rocks. Sunday morning should hold a nice land-based fishing window but keep it safe and stick to the sand given the swell is up.

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

@cooperrwatsonn went toe to toe with some hard-fighting royalty this week north of Lancelin, with this stonker yellowtail kingfish one of many beauties coming over the side before a quick release. Give his page a follow to see some of the action!

Boats

Fishers making the most of some of the calm evenings have done very well during sunset when using burley close to shore in the 6-15m depths, which has brought some big pink snapper in around the boat. If you want to avoid the pickers, try and use fillets of herring as it's a bit more sturdy on the hooks and the snapper love it. Heading out deeper saw demersal species difficult to find until fishers were in depths exceeding 35m, where lumps were producing the usual suspects of dhufish, pink snapper, baldchin groper and breaksea cod. Trolling lures has caught bluefin tuna in reasonable sizes and there’s still a few school mackerel around, while yellowfin tuna are also a good chance at this time of year. The bay has fished very well, with plenty of skippy, herring and some good size flathead. While the wind is low on Sunday, the 3m swell is going to make beach launching very difficult, so it would be safer to wait until later this week when it's expected to drop.

Shore-based

Of all the poppers that have landed some big tailor off the WA coast, the red and white Rooster from Halco is certainly up there as one of the most reliable and it seemed to be performing the best of all options this week in Lancelin. Bo Schafers landed many greenbacks while fishing with Peter Fullarton this week.

School-sized mulloway have been caught throughout the evenings, although sharks and rays have been particularly active, which has kept fishers self reflecting on the strength of their arms. Tailor haven’t been in huge numbers, although most sessions have found a few fish around 45-50cm in great condition that provide enough fillets for a good feed. Bigger greenback tailor to 60cm have moved to the nearshore reef breaks during the calm seas, creating some great lure casting sessions with surface poppers. Unfortunately the swells will be up over the weekend and through next week, so tailor will move offshore again but thankfully we can expect some great snapper action with the increasing swell. Most beaches have been fishing exceptionally well for large sand whiting and herring.

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

Gido got up to a bit of land-based mischief this week, which included this nice gummy shark and the elusive mulloway turning up along a new patch of explored coastline for the skilled fisher. Y ou can watch Gido's latest fishing video here.

Boats

At Giant Rocks and Dart Reef breaksea cod to 3kg have been landed, while big queen snapper have come from Remark Island. Tuna have been active at Thomas Island. There has been a slow bite on nannygai in recent weeks with most fish not coming on until about 10.30am at their usual haunts. Closer in, the cold mornings have fired up sand whiting and King George whiting with Wylie Bay the KG hotspot, while Fourth Beach and West Beach have fished best for sand whiting in 7-10m depths. Squid have been caught in 13-17m depths at Cook Rocks, while in Esperance Bay squid have been less prolific but in bigger sizes. The bay has also fished well for big snook and herring. Sunday is looking nice out on the water with a 2m swell and lighter northerly winds expected.

Shore-based

Good numbers of mulloway and small gummy sharks have been caught at Israelite Bay where some nice holes and gutters have formed at Back Beach. At Poison Creek, skippy to 4kg have been landed, while there has been lots of small salmon at Dunns Beach. More catches of salmon and good-sized mulloway have been caught at Stockyards, while Roses Beach and Warrenup have been consistent for big skippy, salmon and the odd gummy shark. Near town, Fourth Beach and Observatory Beach have fished well for salmon, while a few have been caught in Wylie Bay as well. The Town Jetty held big squid in the mornings and plenty of herring throughout the day. Taylor Street Jetty produced herring in the day and garfish at night, while Bandy Creek Boat Harbour has been good for flathead, flounder and skippy. Stokes Inlet has been the pick of the bream spots.

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

Boats

There has been an abundance of baitfish in King George Sound but the inshore fishing has been steady rather than spectacular, with herring, small King George whiting and squid the main catches along with the odd flathead and stray salmon. Squid have also been caught in Princess Royal Harbour. Crews that got out to the coral ground were rewarded with good catches of pink snapper and the odd dhufish and breaksea cod. The islands mainly saw tuna, salmon and yellowtail kingfish caught. A nice pink snapper was caught in 8m depths off Parry Beach. This week doesn't look too inviting unfortunately with some rather tedious winds and swell rolling through.

Shore-based

At the Sand Patch a few tailor have been landed and salmon have also been caught at Lowlands. Shelley Beach, Nanarup, off the sand at Salmon Holes and at Cheynes Beach all saw herring in thick numbers and a few skippy have shown up. A great session on salmon was enjoyed at Fosters Beach this week and Bremer Bay has been productive for them as well. Parry Beach in Denmark was another good salmon spot and up near Banksia Camp in Walpole a big blue groper was landed. Small bream have been active in the Kalgan River, while in the lower King River a 50cm-plus flathead was landed. Herring have been plentiful at the town marina, along with a few squid and small skippy. The same species plus a few whiting have been caught at Emu Point, while Frenchman Bay and Whalers Cove have been the pick of the squid spots, while also producing lots of herring and a few King George whiting. While the winds are low on Saturday and Sunday, definitely avoid the rocks if fishing off the land given the swell is roaring through and keep your feet in the sand. Use heavier sinkers if soaking baits otherwise the sea will wash it back to your feet pretty quickly.

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

Around Yeagerup seemed to be the pick of the land-based salmon spots this week and Trudy Morehouse @squidqueen.wa was there at the right time. With a week left in the Salmon Slam, make sure you get out there and submit your catches into the Salmon Slam app for a chance at great prizes!

Boats

There has been plenty of inshore action for Bunbury’s pink snapper chasers who this week have been sharing in the spoils their land-based counterparts have been enjoying for a while. Most boats were getting on to decent pinkies less than a kilometre offshore in depths around 9m. Unfortunately, that’s pretty much been the highlight around town for the boaties. Some big cuttlefish have been caught, but squid numbers have been down. Dolphins were filmed ripping into a school of salmon in Koombana Bay this week, but boaties have reported slim pickings salmon-wise. At Geographe Bay King George whiting and squid have been in reasonable numbers and kayak fishers there have landed pink snapper and Samsonfish. Early on Sunday looks best on the forecast for the boaties but the swell will be quite high over the coming days, especially further offshore.

Shore-based

Drone fishers and shore casters have been picking up pink snapper from just about any beach, with limestone structure from Preston in the north down to Stratham producing the best results. They have pretty much been the main event along the Bunbury coast with no decent reports of tailor or mulloway coming in. Herring have been about in big numbers however. Only the odd salmon has been reported from Preston, Myalup and Buffalo beaches but they have been in good numbers on the capes, including at Bunker Bay, Eagle Bay, Castle Rock, Boranup and Point Piquet. Yeagerup was also very reliable for them when the conditions allowed it. At the Bunbury Cut and Back Beach herring, skippy and whiting have been in good numbers, while at Busselton Jetty herring and big squid have been caught and a big mulloway was landed there as well this week. Small salmon have been caught at the river mouth at Augusta.

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.

Wellington and Glen Mervyn dams have fished well for redfin perch which have been in schools ranging from five to 50 fish as the breeding season gets into full swing. They have been caught in big numbers at times on a range of lures including micro jigs, hard-bodies and soft plastics but often a few lure changes have been needed before the redfin make their preference known. Redfin have also been active in the Collie River but less so at Harvey Dam this week. Trout have been hard to find, but small rainbows have been caught between Honeymoon Pool in the Collie River back towards the Wellington Dam wall.

Mandurah and surrounds

Mandurah

Boats: Pink snapper have been caught in 6-10m depths and inside the Five-Fathom Bank, while dhufish and the odd breaksea cod have come from the 35m depth marks off Dawesville and Bouvard. Good numbers of tuna have been caught in 35-45m depths with yellowfin in good sizes popping up on occasions. Solid skippy around a kilo have been plentiful inside of Five-Fathom and on James Service Reef, while chunky sand whiting have been in the same locations and also inshore at Falcon and Avalon. These latter locations along with Melros have also produced good numbers of squid in close and they have turned up in the estuary at times. Clean water and an abundance of baitfish in the estuary have led to good catches of skippy, juvenile salmon, bull herring and chopper tailor. While the swell will sit around 2m it should be manageable for the boaties with light to moderate winds expected along with a touch of rain.

Land-based: Salmon catches have improved this past week with White Hills, Tims Thicket, Avalon and the ocean end of the Dawesville Cut producing fish. A few pink snapper were also caught at White Hills. Most of the Mandurah beaches from White Hills to Madora Bay have held chopper tailor and herring have been plentiful. The Dawesville Cut and Mandurah bridges have also held herring and lots of small tarwhine, while the estuary’s marinas and rock walls have fished well for bream.

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: Pink snapper have been about in good numbers at the back of the Five-Fathom Bank with Samsonfish and skippy among the bycatch. Decent-sized pink snapper have been caught in Cockburn Sound as well, while the shipping channel and the D9 wreck have produced good mulloway. Dhufish around the 10kg mark have been caught in good numbers behind Five-Fathom and in the 40m depths south of Rottnest Island. Squid, octopus and herring baits have worked well, along with soft plastics, while solid breaksea cod and baldchin groper have been keeping the dhufish company. The inshore waters have held heaps of herring and a few sand whiting, but King George whiting catches have tapered off a little. Good skipjack have been caught at the markers along the Garden Island causeway, while squid have been plentiful in as little as 2m depths inside of Garden Island, in Mangles Bay, off the old power station at Challenger Beach and off Point Peron. Sunday or Monday look best at this stage for the boats this week.

Land-based: Beach fishing action has slowed a little but Secret Harbour, Port Kennedy and Long Point have held tailor in the mornings and evenings, with herring active throughout the day. At the Penguin Island spit herring, sand whiting and the odd flathead have been caught, while Woodman Point held herring and fat garfish. The same species have been at the Ammo Jetty, which has also attracted big schools of scaly mackerel. Herring and a few small chopper tailor have been caught at Rockingham and Palm beach jetties. Squid have been caught at all three jetties, off Woodman Point and Point Peron, with octopus also targeted there successfully as well.

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

Marco Fraschetti @oceansdownunder not only catches top quality fish but the skilled photographer always nails the pictures too. Marco ducked out to the wrecks behind Rottnest on Monday and his crew battled some heavy pelagics including amberjack and Samsonfish on jigs. You can watch this action on his page!

Boats

Good dhufish, pink snapper and King George whiting have been caught off Hillarys, while the back of Rottnest Island has fired for pink snapper. The 70m depths have produced snapper and dhufish and also big baldchin groper and breaksea cod. Dhufish to 12kg have come from the 30m depths south of Rottnest along with King George whiting to 60cm. The wrecks behind Rottnest have produced big Samsonfish and amberjack, while a few tuna and a couple of Spanish mackerel have been caught of Rottnest’s West End. The highlight for the week was a huge school of yellowfin tuna estimated to all be between 20-40kg boiling the surface about one mile south of Rottnest this week, which were ravaging bait balls. The odd yellowtail kingfish has turned up among the tailor at Stragglers, while sand whiting have been in reasonable numbers off Cottesloe and City Beach. At Direction Bank and the Three-Mile Reef pink snapper and Samsonfish have been active. A crew that headed straight out from Fremantle hoping to target salmon on the offshore reefs ended up with a bag of tuna, and pink snapper along with a shark mackerel. Squid catches have been good off South Fremantle and Bathers Beach in as little as 3m with bigger models hanging out in 9m depths. The bays at Rottnest Island have also produced squid. Big blue swimmer crabs have been caught in ones and twos in deeper pockets of the Swan River and chopper tailor were in the lower reaches, although sizes are mixed. If you're thinking of ducking out in the boats this weekend we recommend holding off until Sunday when it's slightly calmer as tomorrow is looking windy with a 2m swell.

There was a great spike in big yellowfin tuna sightings and catches this week off Perth, with the @westcoastfishingco crew managing to find this solid fish while returning back to shore on the north side of Rotto!

Registrations are open for the Mansfield Marine Junior Tuna competition to PGFC, CPBC and FSC members who want to get a Junior into some game fishing!

Recfishwest is proud to support this great event and entry is free, so grab a kid and get them registered! No requirement for the junior to be a club member unless they want to fish the line class section, then they must be a member of a WAGFA club.

Members from other WAGFA clubs are also welcome to fish if you happen to be in Perth that weekend, just make contact!

Fancy entering? Entry forms can be found on the PGFC website by clicking here!

Shore-based

North Mole fished well over the past week with several big mulloway caught along with a few salmon. The excellent run of pink snapper catches there has slowed, but big squid have been taken halfway along the mole and herring and garfish have been around in good numbers. South Mole offered herring, garfish and big squid, with the weed patches at the halfway mark also a good starting point for squid. The reefs just north of Cottesloe have held tailor, herring and skippy in the evenings, while some decent tailor have been hitting surface lures in the mornings at Floreat Beach which also produced herring, whiting, skippy and flathead. Late last week a school of salmon swept past Floreat and a hot daytime session was enjoyed with a few good tailor also caught. Further north around Yanchep saw good tailor and school mulloway with plenty of flathead thrown in which have been in good numbers along most of the metro beaches lately. Snapper have also been caught on the northern beaches, mostly by drone fishers. Good fun was had by a crew flicking micro jigs and soft plastics inside the rock walls at the sailing clubs, along Capo d’ Orlando Drive and in the lower Swan River. Their catches included big herring, bream, and juvenile Samsonfish. Decent bream have been caught around the Causeway, mainly at night with soft plastics and mullet strip baits working well. Soapy mulloway have been caught at Success Hill and Guildford. There were still a few chopper tailor in the lower reaches of the Swan. If you're thinking of wetting a line off the beaches, early on Sunday looks best.

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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