See what's biting across WA in Recfishwest's State-wide Fishing Report 8 October 2021 🎣

Reef fishing has been productive in 30m to 40m of water where fair numbers of blue-lined emperor, saddletail seaperch, coral trout and red emperor have been caught. There have been some nice fingermark bream, bluebone and northern mulloway caught within Roebuck Bay. Broardbar mackerel and mack tuna are the main species being found near schooling baitfish that have been appearing inshore and offshore.


Fish on! Cobia have been keeping fishers entertained of Broome this past week. 📸 Paul Cunningham

Baits and lures have been working equally well on barramundi in the 60cm to 80cm, as well as the odd larger fish of about 1m, within the Fitzroy River and Dampier Creek. Read more about fishing for barramundi here. Bluebone have been found at rocky outcrops in depths of 5m to 12m relatively close to shore at the usual haunts north of town.


Broome's barra activity has been getting more productive, as shown by Matt Maguire! 😎😁🙌

Barramundi have been caught on lures from the banks of Dampier Creek, Crab Creek and Willie Creek as well as along parts of the Fitzroy River. While most of the barra picked up from shore have been in the 50cm to 70cm range, there have been a few nice fish recently landed that have been around the 80cm mark. Tom White was one of few anglers to land a barra measuring more than 1m. Threadfin salmon and bluenose salmon have also been caught in the creeks along with a few estuary cod and the odd mangrove jack. Queenfish, golden trevally and the odd barra have been turning up at the jetty. Yellowfin whiting can be targeted along Cable Beach and at Coconut Wells.

Baitfish numbers have continued to build within Exmouth Gulf and their presence has increased the sailfish action within the upper areas of these waters. Dozens of private boats, as well as a handful of the local charter operators, posted good numbers on sails this past week when the action was hot. More sailfish were encountered off the west side where black, striped and blue marlin activity is increasing. Spanish mackerel have been found in bigger numbers and sizes near the Muiron Islands and Peak Island. The 10m to 20m depths west of the reef line has been producing lots of shark mackerel and school mackerel. Red emperor and Rankin cod were found in depths of 50m to 70m, while goldband snapper and pearl perch were picked up in 90m and deeper.


Youngsters Cruz McEwan and Jessie Lawler with a beautiful Exmouth sailfish. 📸 Peak Sportfishing

Tailor in the 40cm to 60cm range have been appearing morning and evening at Red Bluff, Wittecarra Creek and Chinaman's Beach. Pink snapper are occasionally being landed at the coastal gorges and Red Bluff. Interestingly, flathead have turned up in large numbers at the sand spit. A couple of nice mulloway were caught up river including near Murchison House Station. Yellowfin whiting have recently been hard to tempt along the shallows in front of the supermarket. Black bream can be targeted near the jetties and pens, while estuary cod are a chance around the rocky outcrops farther up river. The lower reaches of the system are starting to produce bigger catches of blue swimmer crabs. A couple of nice mud crabs were caught from the jetty last week and there have been several others picked up near Dance Floor. Kids who took part in the Kalbarri Kids' Whiting Comp last week caught plenty of bread-and-butter species, read more at the bottom of the report.

Surf fishers have been catching good numbers of mulloway in the 60cm to 1m range, alongside the odd tailor, at Tarcoola and Southgates. More mulloway and tailor have also been caught between Flat Rocks and the Greenough River mouth, however, large deposits of seaweed along this stretch has made the fishing challenging. School mackerel have sometimes been caught on rigs intended for tailor at Coronation. Whiting have been a little hit-and-miss, however, there were some caught between Point Moore and Separation Point as well as behind The Lives. Herring can be targeted at The Lives and near Seal Rock. A few squid continue to be caught from the northern side of the marina, where chopper tailor have been turning up after dark. Hoards of big yellowtail, 20cm to 30cm scads, can be found at the Port Denison Marina. Heading to Geraldton? Find more land-based fishing options at the Mid West city here.

Pelagic species have produced fantastic fishing off Lancelin this week, with big schools of bonito boiling the surface near bait balls. Different species of tuna, including the the odd larger yellowfin tuna, have also been found off Lancelin. The pelagic action has been widespread out from the 20m depths. If you're planning to fish for pelagics this week, it will be best to get on the water early in the morning as feeding tends to slow later in the day. Bay fishers have been catching King George whiting around the weed to sand edges, while the occasional squid is nearby. Divers and potters are finding there are good numbers of lobsters on the inshore reefs.

Beach casting pilchards has been good for a few tailor at sunset and sunrise this week, with the better formed gutters producing larger specimens. School size mulloway are a chance in the gutters as well, as shown above by Mark 'Fitzy' Fitzpatrick. Lancelin jetty has been hit-and-miss this week, however, big numbers of herring have been there on nights with more activity.  

The Esperance Jetty has herring, the occasional juvenile Samson fish and a few squid on offer. King George whiting can be targeted at Bandy Creek Boat Harbour along with herring and flathead. Surf fishers have been using lures to catch and release dozens of salmon from schools that have been regularly appearing at Fourth Beach. Smaller numbers of salmon have been landed at Salmon Beach, Ten Mile Lagoon and Roses Beach. Gummy sharks to an impressive 18kg have been caught at Roses, Thomas River and Alexander Bay.

King George whiting continue to be caught in good numbers inshore, especially in waters near Michaelmas Island, Herald Reef, Caseys, Ledge Beach, Gull Rock and Goode Beach. Sand whiting catches have improved and there seems to be a lot more squid around the seagrass areas. Reef fishers reported there to be lots of small dhufish in some areas south and south-west of Albany. Snapper have once again been caught in larger quantities towards Cheynes Beach and Denmark, while breaksea cod and harlequin have been found in the relatively shallower depths of 30m to 50m.

A consistent stream of burley should bring herring around at many of the local beaches as well as those east and west of Albany. Tarwhine continue to be in almost plague proportions between West Cape Howe and Denmark, while skippy have been picked up in big numbers and sizes at Ledge Beach, Little Beach and Cosy Corner. Schools of juvenile salmon have been appearing at some spots and there has been odd the tailor caught early morning at Nanarup and Bornholm. Black bream catches in the King and Kalgan rivers are slowly increasing, as shown by Crystal Bairstow above. Find more fishing hints and tips about fishing the south coast for black bream here. The odd mulloway has been landed in both systems.

With the west coast demersal closure in effect, South West boat fishers are likely to cast their sights towards King George whiting. This past week, KGs have been found in good numbers off Bunbury including in the 20m depths off Binningup, Back Beach and Peppermint Grove. For those based farther south, King George have also been caught off Siesta Park and Quindalup. Squid are plentiful along the seagrass beds within Geographe Bay, with Busselton producing more cephalopods compared to Bunbury. 

Those targeting demersals from their boats last week in the lead-up to the West Coast Bioregion's demersal closure enjoyed pink snapper and the occasional dhufish. Julie Ramm, pictured above, was one of those fishers who landed a pinkie before the closure came into effect today, 15 October. Offshore fishing for skippy, King George whiting and smaller Samson fish has been terrific of late and will provide a good option for boat fishers in the weeks ahead. Land-based fishers have caught bread-and-butter species including herring and whiting from Singleton, San Remo and Madora this week. South of Mandurah, the beaches have been producing the occasional tailor, herring and whiting. Dawesville Cut is probably the best option for land-based anglers chasing a feed of fish, with big skippy, tailor, tarwhine and herring on offer. The Murray and Serpentine rivers are still producing good black bream, with the better fishing being in the Serpentine.

Samson fish have been keeping boat fishers' rods bent while jigging areas near structure off Rockingham. King George whiting have been caught by those in the know around Warnbro, while squid have been found closer to shore. For land-based fishers, Long Point has produced tailor, herring and tarwhine this week. The beaches near Warnbro have herring, whiting and tailor on offer. In Safety Bay, squid catches have been improving for shore-based egi hunters. Farther south towards Preston Beach, soapy mulloway have been caught at dusk while there have been murmurings of silver ghosts to 1m, too.

Samson fish are set to provide lots of entertainment at the barges, and other structures, in 90m to 110m of water west of Rottnest Island this week, with the West Coast Bioregion's demersal closure in effect. There are still packs of small yellowtail kingfish patrolling Parker Point, West End and out from Little Armstrong Bay. King George whiting can be targeted near The Windmills, while plump sand whiting up to 35cm can be caught near the shipping channel off Fremantle. Five Fathom Bank is fishing well for skippy, especially when burley is introduced. Squid remain a reliable option along the seagrass meadows off Fremantle and within Cockburn Sound. Some nice hauls of western rock lobster have been caught by divers and by pot.

Jack Furzer was pleased to get this dhufish on the boat while fishing off Two Rocks before the closure.

Seaweed deposited along many of the metropolitan beaches and discoloured coastal waters has created challenging conditions for surf fishing. Tailor are ordinarily reluctant to predate close to shore when the water is silty. A few tailor in the 30cm to 40cm range have been caught at North Mole and South Mole in the evening. Both rock spots have been fishing well for herring, as have many of the other rock walls, groynes and jetties located along the coast. King George whiting are sometimes being caught from the rocks along Capo D’Orlando Drive, while juvenile salmon have been regularly turning up at Woodman Point. Flathead are becoming more active along the shallows located in the lower reaches of the Swan River. There seems to be a lot more flounder being caught in the Swan compared to recent years. The Canning Bridge and the Causeway have been good areas for black bream.