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See what's biting across WA in Recfishwest's State-wide Fishing Report 19 November 2021 🎣

| By Seamus on 11/18/2021 9:21:28 PM | Views (1466)

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Recfishwest
Fishing Report

19/11/21

Picture: Emma George

Our Contributors

Zach Relph

Joachim Azzopardi

Peter Fullarton

John Curtis

G'day <>,

Earlier this week, I headed out to Woodman Point to catch up with the OzFish Unlimited team as they collected seeds for the Seeds for Snapper project.

Cockburn Sound’s seagrass meadows are an important nursery ground for so many of our favourite fish including blue swimmer crabs, whiting, squid and snapper. It really does provide safe and accessible fishing for a wide range of fishers including kayakers and tinny owners.

Unfortunately, Cockburn Sound has lost 80 per cent of its seagrass meadows, but Seeds for Snapper is helping to rejuvenate these juvenile fish havens through a terrific re-seeding program.

The OzFish Unlimited-led program is funded by your fishing licence money through the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund (RFIF).

Watch why Cockburn Sound is such an important fishery here.

Once again, mad-keen fishers Joachim Azzopardi, Peter Fullarton and John Curtis' notes on what's biting from Broome to Esperance in the report below.

For anyone wanting to contribute to the weekly fishing report, photos reflecting Recfishwest's responsible fish handling practices will be given preference.

If you know someone who loves fishing and would like to receive the weekly State-wide Fishing Report and our other exclusive communications, let them know they can become a Recfishwest member for just $10 a year.

Tight lines and safe fishing!

Zach Relph

RECFISHWEST FISHING REPORT EDITOR

Catch of the Week!

The Swan River - a fishing gem on the city’s doorstep! Young gun Jayson Spencer was more than happy with the beautiful mulloway from underneath Narrows Bridge. That's a fish to remember! 😃

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If you want to be included in our weekly State-wide Fishing Reports, send your best fishing photos and a description to zach@recfishwest.org.au to potentially be featured.

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Shhhhh, secret spot!

Muss Bilton's secret spot near Port Hedland has produced a couple of lovely barramundi recently. 😎

Shhhhh, secret spot!

How's this 59cm Swan River flathead!? Lewis Duffy landed this beast from somewhere in the Swan.

Broome catches

Boats

The freshwater and saltwater parts of the Fitzroy River are fishing equally as well for barramundi. While most of the barra caught in the system this past week have been of 50cm to 70cm, there were some picked up that went close to 1m. More barra have also been coming from the local creeks where mangrove jack, estuary cod and bluenose salmon have been common. Threadfin salmon have been caught on vibe-style lures and prawns in good numbers around the southern parts of Roebuck Bay. Grey mackerel up to 1m have appeared within Roebuck in big numbers and seem to be preying upon baitfish near the pearling leases and the jetty. Bluebone, fingermark bream and mulloway were among the other species recently caught within the bay.

Shore based

Solid GTs in the 10kg to 20kg range, as well as the odd fish of about 30kg, have been caught on poppers and stickbaits near the illuminated parts of the jetty near the Port of Broome at night. Barramundi are sometimes being caught from the jetty during the day alongside the ever-present troupes of queenfish and golden trevally. Barra have been found at Cable Beach and near the entrances of the creeks, where schools of bluenose salmon are regularly being located. Yellowfin whiting and bream are being enjoyed by holidaymakers at Cable Beach and Coconut Wells.

Exmouth catches

The conditions off Exmouth have been close to perfect this week, making sight casting for trevally a world of fun. If you want to read more about fishing Exmouth, click here to learn more. 📸 On Strike

Boats

Billfish enthusiasts are encountering greater numbers of blue marlin and striped marlin out wide, as offshore sea surface temperatures continue to rise. Smaller black marlin are also being teased to the surface between the 100m and 200m depths in numbers that make the normally smaller members of the local billfish populations worthwhile targeting. There are still plenty of sailfish within Exmouth Gulf and the amount of baitfish present in these waters suggests that the energetic sportfish are likely to remain for some time. Poppers and stickbaits have been working well on spangled emperor inside of the reef on the west side while soft plastics have been catching coral trout and blue lined emperor near the bombies within the Gulf.

Shore based

A variety of methods are being used to catch spangled emperor at Jansz and at some of the other haunts towards Mildura Wreck and near Tantabiddi. Squid, other baits, poppers, stickbaits and soft plastics have all been effective in catching spangos in these areas, as well other species including small giant trevally, golden trevally, dart and queenfish. Bigger queenfish, fish up to 1m, have been caught at VLF Bay, Bundegi Beach and areas south of the Exmouth Marina. Mangrove jack are starting to be caught more regularly at the marina. Yellowfin whiting seem to be in bigger numbers and sizes near the Bay of Rest and Heron Point.

Scintillating sportfishing to hook fishers in final year of State-wide FADs trial

Click the photo above to watch some of the awesome fishing the FADs have produced off Perth. 🎣

The FADs off Perth and Rockingham are back in the drink ahead of what’s set to be an awesome summer of FADs fishing. Last season, the State-wide FADs program produced big dolphinfish, wahoo and different tuna species were caught. The trial has also created new sportfishing opportunities of Cape Naturaliste and Albany, with the FADs at these two locations set to be deployed in the coming weeks. This year we’re excited to welcome on board FADs fishing partners Richter Lures and Madfish Gear with whom we’ll be bringing you some great FADs fishing tips in the coming weeks — watch this space! Support from great brands like these will help the FADS program evolve in the future, but entering the final year of the three-year trial, it is critically important that we have plenty of evidence demonstrating the FADs’ fishing success. The more photos and videos, the better – it will help us immensely in securing funding to expand the success story that is the FADs program! Read more about what avid sportfishers Luke Ryan and Kurt Wilson are anticipating about this summer's FADs fishing here.

Kalbarri catches

Boats

Yellowfin tuna have been found near schools of baitfish in waters not too far out from the Murchison River mouth. The yellowfin, which have ranged from 4kg to 10kg, have mostly been caught on quickly retrieved metal lures, but can also be picked up by trolling skirted and minnow-style lures. Water temperatures were recorded to be 20C earlier this week, which means temperatures may need to increase a degree or two before mackerel turn up in any great numbers. A couple of crews who set out to target mulloway in areas known to hold schools of fish at this time of the year achieved mixed results. Mulloway and tailor can also be targeted just inside the river mouth.

Shore based

Bag limits of tailor are being achieved at many of the popular spots including Wittecarra Creek, Red Bluff and Chinaman's Beach. Some of the tailor caught at Chinaman's this week gave 80cm a good nudge, while slightly smaller fish in the 55cm to 70cm range have often been landed at Oyster Reef. Mulloway have been caught at similar spots as well as along the beaches north of Frustrations and between Wagoe Beach and Lucky Bay. Mostly choppers are being caught near the jetties and pens, which have also been producing the odd mulloway of about 1m. Yellowfin whiting can be targeted along the sand flats. Black bream seem to be more active at Dance Floor and farther up river.

Geraldton catches

Boats

Dinghy and kayak fishers have continued to do well on herring, skippy, pike and squid around the inshore waters between Separation Point and Point Moore. Queensland school mackerel are a chance in these waters, while bigger Spanish mackerel can be targeted along the west of Pensioners Bank and near the Abrolhos Islands. Rock lobster are starting to be caught by divers, and those using pots, in greater numbers. The next few weeks should give a better indication as to how great a season it will be when the ‘whites’ become a little more restless and begin to ‘walk’.

Shore based

Surf fishers have generally been doing well along the Headbutts to Greenough River mouth stretch where tailor in the 40cm to 50cm range have been common and mulloway and school sharks have sometimes been showing up. Bigger mulloway have been landed at Tarcoola and Southgates, alongside tailor and some fairly large herring. Whiting are being successfully targeted along the beaches which are reasonably clear of seaweed. Squid have been caught in greater numbers at the marina late afternoon and into the evening. Those who put in the hours and effort near Drummond's Cove, Horrocks and Coronation were rewarded with mulloway, tailor and herring.

Lancelin catches

Donning his Roger Federer hat, Wade Wingfield was serving aces while chasing tailor near Lancelin.

Boats

Tuna have been the main quarry of the boats heading offshore, with schools frequently encountered around 25m depth range. Schools of 50mc to 60cm yellowtail kingfish have been found on inshore reef breaks, occasionally venturing out to open water chasing baitfish. Sand patches in 6m have good size and numbers of sand whiting. Kayak and dinghy fishers have been finding great numbers of squid, herring and snook inside the bay.

Shore based

Surf fishers have had some good catches of chopper tailor to 45cm from sunset into the early evenings. The run up to the full moon has been productive with whaler sharks and larger mulloway being caught later in the night. Schools of white bait have been passing through the bay, where there has been mini feeding frenzies at times with herring and tailor pushing the baitfish to the shoreline. Low swells have seen good numbers of cobbler along the near shore at night. Lancelin jetty’s been fishing very well for herring, snook and tailor evenings, where there has been some great catches of squid at sunrise too.

Recfishwest | Part Three: Sharpening up your on your filleting techniques

Recfishwest's Zach Relph joined professional fish filleter Konway Challis, of Fillet Fish Australia, to speak about how fishers can get the most out of their fish frames when filleting. Watch Part Three.

In the third video of our 'Filleting With The Pros' series, pro filleter Konway Challis discusses with Recfishwest communications officer Zach Relph a very important point — the knife point(!) — and keeping it sharp and the rest of the blade, as well as some other useful tips to help you get the most out of the fish you catch. If you haven't watched Part One and Part Two, be sure to go back and see what Konway has to say about filleting!

Esperance catches

Young gun Tyson Tietjensn had fun casting soft plastics for black bream at Lake Quallilup. Well done!

Boats

Many boats that ventured beyond the islands reported catching nannygai to 65cm. Samson fish to a whopping 40kg and yellowtail kingfish in the 6kg to 12kg category were also encountered out wide. The waters closer to the islands have been producing plenty of breaksea cod, as well as fair numbers of queen snapper and harlequin fish. The inshore waters have mostly been producing herring, garfish and squid.

Shore based

Surf fishers who have been putting in the time and effort along the beaches far east of town have been landing big mulloway, as well as gummy and bronze whaler sharks. One of the mulloway landed at Israelite Bay last week was estimated at 20kg. Salmon have been showing up along Israelite and Cape Arid in schools of various sizes while Dunns, Alexander Bay, Salmon Beach, Fourth Beach, Roses Beach and Eleven Mile have been producing salmon in smaller numbers. Herring are a reliable target at many of the beaches while skippy to 1kg are in good supply, but do require some work. The Esperance Jetty has lots of herring, garfish and small skippy on offer. Some of the squid recently caught at the structure have been giving 1kg a good nudge. Bandy Creek Boat Harbour has been providing mixed catches of herring, flathead, black bream and small King George whiting. Black bream in the 30cm to 40cm range have been caught on prawns and soft plastic lures at the local lakes.

Great Southern catches

Boats

There is no rhyme or reason as to why the water currents beyond the edge of shelf are strong some days and slow the next. However, those who took their chances and found the currents to be weak, picked up bigger catches of hapuka, blue-eye trevalla and grey-banded cod. The currents have not been as much of an issue for those targeting snapper, breaksea cod and dhufish in the 50m to 90m depths. The areas to the east and west, again, have been producing bigger catches of most reef fish, which has most probably had to do with the grounds in these areas experiencing less pressure. The King George whiting fishing in the sound and both harbours has generally been good, especially for those who have been spending the time and searching for the small schools of fish. The deeper waters near Michaelmas and Breaksea Island, as well as Gull Rock, seem to be holding bigger King George. Sand whiting catches are slowly improving while squid have been a little hit-and-miss.

Shore based

The relatively protected waters of Frenchman Bay and Cosy Corner has been producing a mix of bread and butter species including herring, sand whiting, skippy and the odd King George whiting. More herring and sand whiting can be picked up at Sand Patch and Cables where salmon and skippy are sometimes also being caught. There is still the odd school of salmon appearing at Reef Beach and Bremer Bay. Black bream enthusiasts have been pleased with how the King and Kalgan rivers have recently been fishing. Hard body lures have recently been working well in both systems while vibes, soft plastics and baits remain effective. Mulloway are slowly being caught in bigger numbers and should improve as the warmer months progress. Some of the less frequented rivers and inlets located along the south coast were rarely fished during the cooler months and may be where many of the bigger bream are residing.

South West catches

Recfishwest's Steph Watts spent Saturday night chasing squid from the Busselton Jetty and scored a couple of big hoods, including this one! If you've been squidding lately, be sure to share your photos.

Boats

Crews who have been prepared to wander around the inshore waters of Geographe Bay to search for areas where small groups of King George whiting may be holding have generally been doing better than those who have been less active in their approach. Generally, the depths of 5m to 15m, were where many of the King George were found off Eagle Bay, Quindalup and Siesta Park. The depths between 20m and 30m has been producing bigger catches off Busselton and Bunbury. There has been a noticeable drop in the size of the squid caught along the seagrass areas this past week. Samson fish and yellowtail kingfish are sometimes being found within the 20m line off Bunbury while both species have been frequenting the bombies near Cowaramup Bay and Canal Rocks. Potters and divers, including shore divers, chasing western rock lobster have had great success across the South West, particularly between Binningup and Bunbury.

Shore based

Yellowfin and school whiting have started to appear in bigger numbers along the sand flats between Quindalup, Busselton and the Leschenault Estuary. Small poppers and stickbaits have been effective on the whiting, while imitation worms have also worked at times. There have been tailor caught at Belvedere, Buffalo and Myalup ,as well as between Moses Rock and Mitchells on the cape's coast. Herring require some locating or a little burley to get them interested. Yellowtail kingfish are likely to be passing close to some of the rock platforms located along the west coast.

Freshwater

Recfishwest's Sam Russell caught this CHUNKY redfin perch from the Warren River last weekend.

Mandurah and surrounds

Mandurah

Beaches south of Mandurah are starting to produce more tailor along with small mulloway. Dawesville Cut is still the most reliable place to get a feed, with big herring and tailor caught in addition to the occasional large squid. The Peel-Harvey Estuary has been producing reasonable catches of whiting and herring, while there have also been reports of tailor, herring and whiting being found at the bypass bridge. The beaches to the north of Mandurah have been a little quieter for land-based fishers, with a few smaller mulloway caught. Anglers chasing black bream in the Murray River are reporting solid specimens up to 38cm. For those venturing off shore in the vessel this week, a variety of bread-and-butter species have been caught at Five Fathom Bank. Among the fish caught are King George whiting, big skippy and the occasional Sambo have been among species landed. Divers are gathering western rock lobster, but for those pulling pots the season has started slowly.

Secret Harbour / Warnbro / Port Kennedy / Rockingham / Safety Bay

Kwinana Beach, Rockingham and Safety Bay jetties have been producing the occasional mulloway for anglers fishing through the night from these platforms. There are still a few flathead being taken from the sand flats along the Shoalwater shoreline. There are still reports of herring being taken from the local beaches in the morning. Tailor are also being caught from these beaches of an afternoon when the breeze comes in and puts a chop on the water. There are a few small whiting on the sand flats between the mainland and Penguin Island, as well as occasional flathead. Tailor have been taken from the beaches south of Long Point, where some nice mulloway have also been caught recently. The beaches from Golden Bay around to Secret Harbour are producing some good fishing for mulloway and tailor.

Perth catches

This 126cm mulloway from the Swan River is definitely a fish that Cody Willis won't forget! "A big shoutout to Mitchell Cinnani for helping me land the fish and then taking great photos," Cody said.

Boats

Plenty of squid have been caught within Cockburn Sound this week. Tailor continue to be found in schools near the inshore reefs out from Fremantle and north of Hillarys. The tailor, of which many have been in the 50cm to 70cm range, have been aggressively chasing down poppers and stickbaits. One group of fishers got more than they bargained for during a session near Stragglers last week when a hooked tailor caught the interest of a 30kg Samson fish. The tailor managed to throw the hooks of the stickbait, however, the Sambo after losing sight of the freed tailor was not going to let the lure get away and it resulted in a gruelling fight! Smaller yellowtail kingfish have been caught off West End near the northern side of Rottnest Island. The Windmills have been popular for those targeting King George and sand whiting. The 20m to 30m depths off Hillarys, Ocean Reef and Mindarie have also been producing good catches of both whiting species. Squid have been picked up along the seagrass meadows off Fremantle and near Garden Island. Rock lobster are sometimes being caught by divers and by pot in less than 10m of water.

Shore based

There has been a good mix of species caught from the metropolitan beaches during the early morning hours and later in the evening. Woodman Point, the groynes near South Beach and the North and South Mole, have been producing consistent catches of herring, small skippy and chopper tailor after sunrise. Squid have been good early to midmorning at the rock walls along Capo D’Orlando Drive as well as at the moles. Tailor, herring and sand whiting have been caught morning and evening at Cottesloe Groyne and Grant Street.

Flathead fanatic John Dempsey caught this FAT bartail from the Swan River last week, measuring 54cm.

Swanbourne Drain has been producing tailor morning and evening and the odd mulloway and shark at night. City Beach and Floreat have both been good for sand whiting, smaller tailor and tarwhine. Trigg Point has been producing tailor and the odd wobbegong shark. Mulloway are occasionally being landed south of Yanchep and near Mindarie. The Swan and Canning rivers have also been providing catches of mulloway in the 8kg to 14kg range. Tailor are schooling in both systems while the recent warmer weather really brought a lot of flathead out of the deeper holes and onto the sand flats.

Young gun Austin caught a few different species in the Swan last Saturday, notably this 50cm flathead.

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

Catch Information

Species:
Barramundi

Black Marlin

Blue Marlin

Bluefish

Dusky Flathead

Flathead Catfish

Giant Trevally

Mahi-mahi

Mulloway

Pike

Sailfish

Samson Fish

Snook

Spanish Mackerel

Striped Marlin

Wahoo

Whiting

Yellowfin Tuna

This Fishing Report was submitted on 11/18/2021 9:21:28 PM by Seamus and last updated on 11/19/2021 2:26:42 PM.

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3/45 Northside Drive
Hillarys, WA AU

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