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Recfishwest
Fishing Report

07/06/24

Throw out a bit of burley and not only will you attract the pinkies, but skippy usually aren't that far behind. They make surprisingly good sashimi too!

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!

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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!

You know you have had a good day on the billfish when you manage to land two swordfish and lose another three in one session! The @exmouth_fishing_adventures crew hit the jackpot over the weekend and this was just one of the smaller ones that made their reel sizzle!

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CARNAR-FIN COMPETITION RECAP!

Recfishwest joined the 250+ fishers and hundreds of other community members in Carnarvon for this year's Canar-Fin Fishing Competition over the long weekend and some of the catches and prizes were mind-blowing, with even Western Angler's Scotty Coghlan who MC'd the event getting in on the fishing action!

Check out some of the great snaps from Carnar-Fin in our recap article here!

Broome catches

If you're not finding too many barra lately around the local creeks near Broome and don't mind a drive, Lake Argyle has been very consistent for producing plenty of them, with @good_dhu_dhu and Ash catching plenty of size fish along with about 15 other fishers wetting a line at this spot all long weekend!

Boats

Sailfish have started to show up in good numbers north of Broome along with the odd black marlin. They have been caught on trolled garfish baits and skirts. Keeping the billfish company have been good numbers of tuna and Spanish mackerel, while the FADs have fished well for dolphinfish, you can find all the FADs coordinates by clicking here or download the Recfishwest app. A fair amount of sharks have made bottom fishing difficult but fishers who avoided them managed to bring home red emperor, Rankin cod and coral trout. Sharks have been a problem on the edge of the Deeps as well, where a few northern mulloway have been caught. If the sharks are around just remember to move around frequently, try to avoid using bait, turn your sounder off if you anchor up and if a shark is hot on the tail of your fish try and flick your bail arm over and let the fish outrun the shark. Sharks can fatigue quite quickly and if you’re pulling the fish one way when it wants to swim the other way that plays into the advantage of big bad Bruce. You can find some great tips for avoiding shark bite-off here. The Fingers along with Dampier and Crab Creek have held a few threadfin salmon. Out from Gantheaume Point bluebone, Spanish mackerel and tuna have also been landed. These stronger easterly winds will start to drop off along with the swell from this afternoon so the weather is looking quite nice for the boaties from later on Saturday right through until at least Thursday.

Shore-based

The Fitzroy River, Langi Crossing and Telegraph Pool have again been the better barramundi spots. Gantheaume Point and Entrance Point have fished well for queenfish and trevally, as did the Port Jetty, where a few mangrove jack have been plucked from the pylons. The Town Beach Jetty has fished very well, offering bream, javelinfish, trevally, queenfish and decent northern mulloway. Whiting have been worth a crack at Cable Beach and there have been whispers of permit ghosting around the entrance of Willie Creek.

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

When he's not working like a trooper at Tackle World Miami, Ash Ramm loves to venture around WA and experience some quality fishing and this one will certainly be one of his favourite captures, with this solid ruby snapper coming up from 270 metres via jigging thanks to the guidance from the highly experienced @evolutionfishing crew.

Boats

Strong winds and big swells have ruled out most fishing on the western side of Exmouth, with crews instead targeting waters in Exmouth Gulf and at the islands. Early mornings or late afternoon sessions have been preferred this past week but looking at the weather, the mornings are looking best in Exmouth for fishing over the next week as they looks slightly calmer. Crews that found shelter in the Muirons did well on coral trout, spangled emperor and Rankin cod, which have been schooling. A few red emperor have been caught in deeper depths and queenfish and Spanish mackerel have popped up around the Muirons as well. A couple of good Spanish mackerel have been caught at King Reef and the ledges in 13-15m depths on the Shoals have held spangled emperor, blue-lined emperor, a few coral trout and some nice Rankin cod. Recent rainfall is likely to have stirred up mud crab activity deeper in the Gulf so that’s definitely worth a crack, while squidding has generally been hard work because the water was dirtier, so closer in if you’re going for squid off the boats.

There are some epic prizes up for grabs in this competition which runs for four months! Get your entries in now by clicking here!

Shore-based

Good spangled emperor have been caught at the Lighthouse and towards the wrecks with strips of squid proving an effective bait, although burleying up with mulies also is recommended. At Bundegi and Learmonth hardyhead schools have been menaced by trevally and decent queenfish, with some of the queenies around the 80cm mark. Learmonth Jetty has been worth a try for squid and it held bream and mangrove jack as well, which have been targeted on small live baits or white paddletail soft plastics. In the town marina trevally, mangrove jack and cod have been the main catches, along with squid and queenfish from the outside wall. Wapet Creek was a good option for those wanting to escape the wind and has offered mangrove jack, bream and small trevally. Good catches of whiting have come from further down the Gulf with small pieces of prawn working well on them. A few squid have been caught from the rocks at the industrial area, while at the Coral Bay boat ramp a Maori seaperch was landed.

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

A few windows popped up over the long weekend and midweek with one crew doing exceptionally well using Vexed Bottom Meats, Dhu Drops and big soft plastics, which helped produce some solid pink snapper, Rankin cod, Samsonfish and big flathead north of the Sand Patch. The Three-Mile Reef has offered a few pink snapper. Pelagic action has been very quiet with patches of clearer water well offshore and poor weather preventing crews from getting out there. It's not looking ideal for the boaties until at least Tuesday unfortunately with some bigger winds and swell expected until then.

Shore-based

The cliffs have generally had too much swell to be fishable but last weekend saw good tailor to 70cm caught on ganged garfish rigs at Eagle Gorge. Good tailor have also come from the river mouth where they have been hitting garfish baits and poppers. The Murchison River fished well for mulloway up to a metre, about a mile up from the marina jetty. Plenty of mangrove jack have been caught at the marina jetty and further up river, while around Castle Rock bream and cod have been in good numbers. Yellowfin whiting have been caught from the Sand Spit and also from the other side of the river, while some big mud crabs have been pulled up from the boat pens. Down towards the river mouth decent blue swimmer crabs have also been caught.

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

Big swells have again kept boats on trailers and the best boaties can hope for are a few weather windows after the weekend, when perhaps an inshore raid on squid or skippy around Point Moore may be possible. Unfortunately there are more strong and undulating winds and swell rolling through over the next week which will likely keep the boats out of action so land-based is your best bet.

Shore-based

Most of the action has been well south of town this week. Consistent reports of good mulloway have been coming through from beaches just north of Dongara, while a dhufish catch was reported from the beach there as well. Inside the Port Denison Marina big fat yellowtail scad up to 30cm have been caught and at this size they can be rather tasty if you don’t mind a few bones, certainly as good on the chew as a skippy. Squid have also been inside the marina at Dongara and they could be worth targeting, along with bread-and-butter species at the Batavia Coast Marina as well. Whiting are being caught from the rockwalls in Geraldton and the reefs at Drummond Cove have held tailor up to 70cm but not in great numbers.

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

Boats

The past week produced big swells and some wild weather, with most people keeping the boat in the shed or heading north. Winter is well and truly making its mark! Looking at the forecast it's unlikely they'll be back out anytime soon but hopefully later next week will calm down.

Shore-based

Beach casters have been had a better chance to wet a line throughout this week, with easterly winds aiding with casting albeit over a big swell. Despite the conditions, some sheltered spots have fished remarkably well with clear water and no weed. Anglers managed to pick up the odd mulloway or snapper between lots of rays, while tarwhine and big herring have been in the sheltered waters behind nearshore reefs. Chopper tailor have been there too in low numbers but the occasional 50cm+ model turned up. Big seas from midday on Saturday will wipe out most the weekend, but next week isn’t looking too bad at this stage. Once the seas settle, we should see more winter tailor moving into those gutters along with school mulloway.

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

Easy to catch, easy to fillet, very easy to eat. Can't go wrong catching delicious King George whiting off Esperance and Billy Vibart @fishingbv loves catching them just as much as we do.

Boats

Dismal conditions kept most boats inshore this week but there were plenty of smaller species to target. Big King George whiting were caught at Wylie Bay, while sand whiting were in really big numbers off Observatory Beach. Squid with hoods up to 35cm have been caught in Esperance Bay, while smaller squid have been plentiful in 14m depths at Cook Rocks. It's a tad windy and rough over the coming days but Wednesday should hold some better boating conditions.

Shore-based

Gummy sharks were in good numbers at the Cliffs, while big salmon, gummy sharks and skippy were active at Israelite Bay. Skippy to 5kg have been caught at Poison Creek, while Thomas River has held mulloway, salmon and gummy sharks. Roses Beach has been a hotspot for salmon and big skippy, while Bandy Creek Boat Harbour held big bream and skippy. Squid have been caught in good numbers off the Town Jetty, while Taylor Street Jetty has held garfish and skippy. Big flathead and nice King George whiting have been caught at the foreshore. The Southern Sports and Tackle Chase the Kraken competition is back and runs until August 1. It features a range of prizes and entry details are below. Last year a 13-year-old boy took home more than $1000 for the biggest squid, which he caught off the Town Jetty, so it's definitely worth a crack for a kraken!

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

If the conditions aren't looking ideal on the south coast for a flick off the boat or the beaches, don't forget that some solid bream over 40cm are in good numbers up in the rivers. Quite the birthday bash for Dave from @thetidaltale.

Boats

Pretty wild conditions have ruled out most boat fishing and the outlook is looking a little grim for this coming week too, but if weather windows can be found sheltered parts of King George Sound may produce herring or King George whiting. Tuesday could hold a better weather window.

Shore-based

Sandy from @thetidaltale got stuck into some salmon during a better weather window this week and the catches along the south coast seem to be taking a good spike thanks to the storms.

Despite the gnarly conditions and poor water quality, a few decent squid have been caught from sheltered areas such as Frenchman Bay, Emu Point and the town marina, along with reasonable numbers of herring. Bream activity has improved in the King and Kalgan rivers and in Oyster Harbour. Salmon have been caught at Cheynes, Nanarup, Salmon Holes, Shelleys and Sand Patch, but not in great numbers. A big Samsonfish was landed from the headlands at Little Beach this week and the rocks there have produced some solid squid but make sure you wear a lifejacket and fish with a friend. You can pick up loan lifejackets from the Trailblazers tackle store for free if you need one.

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

Whenever you're having a move around to find demersals, don't forget that there are plenty of these hard-fighting brutes doing the rounds at the moment, with huge numbers of chunky southern bluefin tuna moving down the coast as @kelly_fishsw discovering recently off Cape Naturaliste. The @richterlures metal babe rigged skirt got it done!

Boats

Most crews have found pink snapper in close, often less than a kilometre out, and have had had little trouble finding the bigger specimens especially when burley has been used. The occasional big skippy has been among them as well. Big angry cuttlefish have remained inshore and along with squid have proven a good bait for the pinkies. Kayakers in Geographe Bay have been doing well on snapper out from Abbey Beach with squid turning up in good numbers there too. If you're planning on ducking out this weekend, very early on Saturday is looking like your only window before the wind spikes aggressively from about 9:30am.

Shore-based

After years of trying, we take our hats off to @dylan.fishing125 for reeling in his first land-based pinkie and at 87cm, it's a beauty! The Busselton Jetty was the place to be this week if you wanted to catch one of these, or a mulloway!

Shore fishers have been doing well on pink snapper all the way from Preston down to Dunsborough, with slabs of herring proving an excellent bait. It’s just been a matter of finding a beach that’s not weeded. Herring numbers have not been as thick this week but it has been easy enough to get a feed with a bit of burley, which is what those fishing the Bunbury Cut have found. Keeping the pink snapper company have been mulloway, especially on beaches north of town such as Preston and Myalup but tailor and salmon numbers along the coast have dropped right off. At Dalyellup good numbers of squid have been caught from the shore, while the Busselton Jetty has been a hotspot for pink snapper, mulloway, squid and herring. Most of the salmon catches have been reported from Boranup down to Yeagarup, which suggests they could be returning south.

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.

Redfin perch are a great species to help teach your kids cut their teeth into fishing and @robbie_riches spent the long weekend in the rain turning dug up worms into a delicious feed with the youngsters. Redfin captures are also starting to increase given the recent rains so get out there!

Big redfin have been caught this week, mainly in the Collie River, while smaller redfin have come from both Wellington and Harvey Dam. Redfin have been active in the Harvey River too with soft plastics in natural colours working well there. Small rainbow trout have fired up, especially in the feeder streams to the dams. A good technique to target them along with redfin perch has been to fish a soft plastic, an earthworm or a Gulp Trout Nugget under a bubble float.

Mandurah and surrounds

Mandurah

Boats: The cold fronts have shaken things up a little but crews have been cashing in on pink snapper inside the Five-Fathom Bank and also just 500m or so out from the heads. Using burley has been the key and the odd big skippy and Samsonfish have turned up for a feed as well. Inside the Five-Fathom Bank and out from Avalon some big King George whiting have been caught. The estuary is still pretty clear and full of baitfish which has meant chopper tailor, juvenile salmon, bull herring and the odd skippy have been active in the channels. It's looking pretty tedious for the boats over the coming days but Tuesday afternoon onwards looks much more inviting.

Land-based: Weed has thwarted many pink snapper chasers on local beaches but a few have been caught from the ocean end of the Dawesville Cut. Droners have had the most snapper success, especially on southern beaches such as Tim's Thicket and White Hills, but a few pinkies have been landed on the cast from Mandurah’s northern beaches when they have been clear of weed. Along the cut and at the traffic bridges herring have been in good numbers, while in the canals and marinas bream have been active. A big mulloway was landed from the southern wall of the cut last weekend. The drop-offs in the estuary offered herring, juvenile salmon, chopper tailor and skippy for those happy to wade in the cold, while north of town around San Remo produced good tailor over the long weekend.

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: With pink snapper in such abundance many crews have not bothered to leave the protected waters of Cockburn Sound and have had little trouble getting fish in the 70-80m range, with some big King George whiting among the bycatch. Inshore of Garden Island has also been firing for pinkies, while Coventry Reef and Mewstones have held big Samsonfish. Chasing squid has been difficult with all the dirty water around but a few have been landed by those fishing very close in. Saturday shouldn't bee too bad albeit with a bit of rain but Sunday and Monday are a write-off. Tuesday onwards should go back to better boating weather.

Land-based: Shore fishers haven’t missed out on the cracking pink snapper run either with good fish hitting the sand at Secret Harbour, Long Point and Port Kennedy, with some big mulloway and tailor among them. Solid mulloway have also been landed from Rockingham Jetty near the Yacht Club, while herring have been the main catch at Palm Beach Jetty and most of the local rock walls. Other locations worth targeting for pink snapper include Woodman Point, the Ammo Jetty and the rocks at Point Peron.

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

If you flick a stickbait around the exposed reefs at spots such as Mewstones, Stragglers or even around Rottnest you'll find yellowtail kingfish fighting to smash the lure first. The kingie behind this one looks truly jealous it finished second.

Boats

Pink snapper have been really firing inshore with crews making the most of the weather windows. Burley has been the key and a change of tide has often fired up the pinkies, which have also been active right on dusk. Strips of scaly mackerel and herring have been the most successful baits and 40-50cm skippy have been a common bycatch. There has been no need to venture far out with Beagle Rocks and Minden Reefs off South Fremantle producing plenty of fish. At Stragglers, snapper chasers have encountered Samsonfish, while plenty of scalies have been in the shipping channel where they have been harassed by mulloway. Herring were inshore in big numbers and when clearer patches of water can be found jigs in darker colours such as black and red have accounted for squid. Good pink snapper catches have also come in 9-12m depths off Mindarie and Ocean Reef, often around sunset, with the odd dhufish also landed. Pink snapper have also been caught in 25m depths off City Beach and at the Three-Mile Reef. Decent tailor have been landed by boaties trolling in the lower Swan River and with fresh water flowing strongly it could be worth anchoring and fishing the deep holes of Blackwall Reach and Mosman Bay for mulloway. It's not looking great for boating this weekend but thankfully you don't have to be out on the sea for a good chance of catching pinkies at the moment. Hopefully the weather should hopefully turn friendly from around Tuesday next week.

Shore-based

Isabella Tan @castawaybell was one of many Metro fishers who went prowling for pinkies off the local rockwalls this past week after work and we don't think we've ever seen this many land-based pinkies turning up in one week! It takes being in the right place at the right time and braving the weather on occasions but fortune favours the bold.

North Mole has had its hottest run of pink snapper for many years with decent fish continuing to be picked up right along the structure. Squid has been one of the better baits but herring, mullet, whiting and scalies have also produced fish. A few mulloway been caught at North Mole as well and it has been holding heaps of herring. With North Mole being a picket fence of anglers chasing pink snapper and heaps of bait in the water there has been no need for burley, but snapper chasers fishing other rock walls such as South Mole, South Fremantle, Port Coogee, Cottesloe Groyne, Mindarie, Ocean Reef, Hillarys and Two Rocks have been using burley to good effect and landed solid fish as well. Droners have fared best catching pink snapper from the beach, especially the northern beaches, as they have been able to get out past the weed. Over the long weekend a couple of stray salmon and some good tailor were caught at Trigg Beach and tailor have been active at Yanchep. The lower reaches of the Swan River and the rocks at Freo Fishing Boat Harbour have at times rewarded anglers, who have burleyed up and used micro jigs and soft plastics, with juvenile Samsonfish, skippy, tarwhine, bream, herring, snook and chopper tailor also turning up. The middle reaches of the Swan River have held plenty of good tailor with 50cm fish being landed at Canning Bridge and the Narrows. Soapy mulloway have been caught mainly on soft plastics from Bayswater down river and with dirty water starting to flow in the Swan choke points such as the Narrows and Canning Bridge should be worth targeting for bigger mulloway. Fremantle Harbour could be another good spot as that has held plenty of scaly mackerel along with yellowtail scad and herring. Bream are starting to head down river with the recent rains and areas of structure such as the Narrows, the Causeway, Garratt Road Bridge, Canning Bridge, Maylands boatyards and snaggy areas around Belmont and Redcliffe have produced good fish, mainly on bait, with strips of mullet and bony herring proving effective. Mt Henry Bridge in the Canning River is also worth a shot for bream. Pink snapper are likely to be caught again this week off the rockwalls if you don't mind getting wet.

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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