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Recfishwest's State-wide Fishing Report 7 April 2023 🎣

| By Seamus on 4/6/2023 7:00:00 PM | Views (324)

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Recfishwest
Fishing Report

07/04/23

While the demersal fishery is back open in the West Coast Bioregion until July 31, remember there are plenty of other great fishing options such as pelagics, squid and nearshore species. Consider spreading your effort and giving other types of fishing a go, rather than only targeting demersals every time. Photo credit: Marco Fraschetti @oceansdownunder

Our contributors

Sam Russell

Jarrad Lawford

Peter Fullarton

Sedin Hasanovic

G'day <>,

It was great to see plenty of fishers in the West Coast Bioregion enjoying themselves out on the water with friends and family having a fish for west coast demersal species and recreational fishers are to be congratulated for playing their part in helping the recovery of these iconic fish during the February-March closure. Gotta love a four-day long weekend and we hope the weather lines up perfectly wherever you are!

If you want to know more information about the demersal fishery opening back up, along with FAQ's and tips on better stewardship for these fish, click here.

Click on either of the links below to find all the info you need to know on the Salmon Slam and FADs photo competitions currently underway between 1 March - 1 May!

CLICK HERE FOR SALMON SLAM 2023 INFO

CLICK HERE FOR FADS PHOTO COMP INFO

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 Recfishwest's responsible fish handling practices (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!

Yellowtail kingfish and a glorious sunset is probably the second best combo behind a four-day long weekend and perfect fishing conditions. This stunning kingie snap was taken by @jake.pulss of talented angler Brody Ogle @broglefishogle near Albany.

Your fishing photos

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

Send photos

Changed your email?

If so, please e-mail our Membership Officer, your new details and mention your name, old email and new email address in order to keep receiving the State-wide Fishing Report.

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SALMON FISHING TIPS FOR EASTER AND SALMON SLAM PHASE TWO WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

Kaitlan Angi took out best photo and won herself a $250 Halco Tackle pack during phase two of the 2023 Salmon Slam, with this great catch off Esperance!

The winners of phase two have been announced! Click here to see the phase two winners along with salmon fishing tips for Easter!

We have officially crossed the halfway mark of the 2023 Salmon Slam and with just over three weeks to go in the competition and huge salmon schools now working their way into the South-West, you could go home with the entire $3,000 worth of Shimano fishing gear below simply by catching a salmon and entering it into the Salmon Slam app!

This FREE to enter, app-based competition runs from 1 March until 1 May and there's more than $10,000 in prizes up for grabs simply by catching a salmon, taking a snap of it next to a ruler with the tournament code '#SS2023' visible and entering it via our Salmon Slam 2023 app into the competition.

Remember, fish images entered into the app must reflect our responsible fish handling practices. So no blood or cut throats, fish still alive, fish supported well and held horizontally, no fingers in gills, etc.

To enter the comp and have a crack for some great prizes, simply download the Salmon Slam app via the App Store or Google Play!

CHECK OUT THE SLAM COMPETITION PHASES, INFO AND PRIZES UP FOR GRABS HERE

A huge Recfishwest thanks to our supporters and sponsors in Shimano, Western Angler Magazine, Richter Lures, Halco Tackle, Assassin Tackle Australia, Anglers Fishing World and Compleat Angler Nedlands for their donations of prizes!

Broome catches

Triple the tail, Triple the power. This 60cm tripletail landed by Ash Vagh @oceanarcadia in Broome has been described as a 'short wheelbase barra' and we think that nickname needs to become permanent.

Boats

Threadfin salmon to more than one metre in length and barramundi around 85cm are doing the rounds at Crab and Dampier Creek, along with blue-nosed salmon. Fish and prawn baits are working well, but trolled Nomad Vertrex vibes are accounting for plenty of fish with the brighter colours working well for barramundi. In Roebuck Bay, northern mulloway between 70cm to one metre are hitting prawn baits and livebaits at Black Ledge. When conditions are calm, tripletail are taking soft plastics and small vibe lures around the moorings, while bluebone are snaffling baited prawns where there is reef structure. Anglers fishing the reefs out from Gantheaume Point have also been catching saddletail snapper and red emperor without too much trouble from sharks thankfully. Make sure you take advantage of the calmer conditions out on the water before the wind goes haywire from Tuesday!

Shore-based

Bluebone, queenfish and trevally species are at the Port Jetty and also the rocky foreshore surrounding it. At Town Beach Jetty there are queenfish and trevally snatching stickbaits and metals, along with blue-nosed salmon. Town Beach Jetty is also fishing well for bread-and-butter species including whiting and bream. Barramundi fishing in the Fitzroy River has picked up as the water clears, with reports of several one metre-plus fish being caught and released. It should be pleasant land-based fishing conditions this week but there are some very strong winds roaring through from Tuesday. Make sure you also keep an eye on the conditions in the Fitzroy as the flow can change very quickly. For the best tips and gear for your fishing expedition, make sure you visit the helpful pros at Tackle World Broome for advice and they will provide details on spots with the best access for a flick.

Exmouth catches

We've heard that the 20-40m depths around the Muirons has been producing some decent red emperor like this beauty landed by Indy Thompson @indyfishes, Make sure your trolling lures are in the water when moving around the Muirons while searching for good bottom ground as the pelagics have also been fishing well.

Boats

Windy conditions will be a challenge over Easter, but hopefully some windows of good weather will emerge. On the west side of the Cape, billfish are still about and they have been mostly black marlin and sailfish. Trolled skirts, especially Richter Soft Oscars, are working well in 50-100m depths. Among the billfish are dolphinfish in the 7-10kg range and some solid wahoo. Red emperor, goldband snapper and Rankin cod are also being taken around the islands across a wide range of depths and thankfully the sharks haven't been too troubling this past week. In the Gulf, the Shoals are fishing well for golden trevally, Spanish flag and small coral trout. The same species have been fishing well around King Reef along with school mackerel around 4kg that are hitting Halco Twistys. The shark situation at the reef is manageable, but moving around frequently regardless of whether you're catching fish or not is key. Boaties fishing directly in front of town are doing well on squid, which have picked up in numbers after a few quiet weeks. While the moderate southerly winds will be sticking around over the next week or so, there might be a slight drop in the wind on Sunday morning.

Shore-based

Squid are the most consistent catch at Learmonth Jetty, with queenfish and the odd golden trevally hitting lures in the afternoons. At the marina, squid are the mainstay, but bream and flathead can be tempted on soft plastic lures or prawn baits. Baitfish schools are still at Bundegi and feasting on them are various trevally species and queenfish, so it's worth prowling this area and flicking out stickbaits near the schools. Halco Twistys are also catching plenty of fish there and can be yeeted out a long distance. At the lighthouse and around the wrecks the clear patches among the structure have been holding spangled emperor and bluebone. Soft plastic lures are working well on both species as are prawns and fish baits. Wapet Creek produced a few bream and small mangrove jack. The moderate southerly winds will stick around for a while but there should be plenty of sheltered spots you can still fish with ease. Big thanks to the crew from Tackle World Exmouth for their tips as always!

Kalbarri catches

Boats

North and south of town has produced plenty of Spanish mackerel action along with some yellowfin tuna up to 30kg. The 15-30m depths are fishing best, with trolled deep-divers working well and also stickbaits thrown into schools of baitfish. For the best luck when trolling for pelagics, try and have two lures out the back that have differing depths so you cover more of the water column and keep the lures closer to the back of the boat to decrease the window of opportunity for sharks. Yellowfin tuna have also been spotted around the markers just outside the river mouth, with metal lures flicked around producing some good catches. Demersal chasers are finding pink snapper and baldchin groper in 20-25m depths, but dhufish are hard to come by. Hopefully with the lighter winds forecast on Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning we should see some more boats heading out and finding the productive ground.

Shore-based

Dirty water has flowed into the Murchison River, bringing plenty of mulloway activity with fish around the 15kg mark being caught from the Sand Spit. The marina jetty has also been worth a try for mulloway with decent catches popping up. The dirty water has shut down the yellowfin whiting and the blue swimmer crabs, but bream and mud crabs are hanging around. A few mangrove jack are among the bream and have been smashing soft plastics and stickbaits worked next to structure. Tailor are still biting in the river on the incoming tide and are schooling right on the edge of the dirty water. Tailor fishing has generally been quieter off most of the beaches, but Red Bluff and Wittecarra have remained the best spots and both also produced dart and herring. For the bigger tailor crossing the 50cm mark, Frustrations was the most productive. Big thanks to Dean from Kalbarri Sports and Dive for his tips as always and the mornings over this long weekend are looking decent.

Geraldton catches

Glassy conditions like this are what every fisher dreams of. Talented angler Nicki Hunt @nickihuntfishing made the most of some great conditions off Geraldton recently, pulling in this plump coral trout on a plastic. Make sure you give her Insta page a follow to keep up to date with the stunning fish she catches around WA each week!

Boats

Demersal catches have been patchy with African Reef one of the better spots for dhufish, coral trout and baldchin groper in depths around 30m. A Spanish mackerel was picked up on the troll right along African Reef in 8m, so it's worth having your lures out the back of the boat wherever you're jetting to. In waters 10-15km to the north/north-west of town dhufish around 10kg and baldchin have been caught in 30m depths, with Nomad Squidtrex jigs proving successful. Spanish mackerel continue to tease fishers with many fish seen free jumping and making half-hearted strikes, but few have been landed. North of town, yellowfin tuna are still a chance with a 21kg specimen caught earlier this week. Squidders working the sea grass beds in 6-12m depths around Champion Bay are getting good specimens with hoods around the 35cm mark. Smaller squid in good numbers have been doing the rounds at Pages Beach. Friday and Saturday at this stage are looking a tad windy, but Sunday and Monday should see the winds drop slightly.

Shore-based

Weed is a problem at times and getting a feed is hard work for many. For chopper tailor, the most consistent spot has been Southgates with 30-45cm catches turning up in decent numbers. Tailor are also at the Greenough River mouth, but they are being beaten to baits by striped sea pike. There are a few tailor at Tarcoola Beach, but school whiting and soapy mulloway have been the main catches there. Yellowfin whiting and school whiting are also at the breakwater and also around the lighthouse at Point Moore. Squid have mostly been hanging around the north side of Batavia Coast Marina and a few tailor have also been taken at the eastern breakwater. Tailor are also worth a try at Drummonds if weed permits, while drone fishers have tussled with pink snapper at Coronations. Sunday morning at this stage should have the preferred easterly winds over this long weekend. Big thanks to Geraldton Sports Centre for their report as always!

Lancelin catches

Boats

Along the White Bank there have been schools of skippy, some nice pink snapper and the odd dhufish. Further out drifting the flats in 26-32m depths there have been plenty of baldchin groper, the odd breaksea cod and lots of small snapper, with a few decent ones mixed in. The best fishing has been out in the 45m depths with some solid dhufish having been caught from these areas. While traveling to and from the fishing grounds, keep an eye out for the diving birds indicating the tuna schools below as they have been performing well on the troll, especially with small skirts and deeper diving vibes. The bay itself has been fishing very well with plenty of herring, snook, pike, skippy, tailor and tarwine all hungry and being caught in good numbers. Squid have been particularly good along the inshore weed banks. The last few weeks there has also been a lot of garfish, which remain off limits until there is a review into the take. This long weekend on Sunday and Monday should see decent boating conditions.

Shore-based

The fishing on the town jetty has been decent, with plenty of herring, skippy and tailor coming in under the lights each night. Some good squid catches have also been made here and at times, the local Samson fish raid the baitfish among the jetty pylons. The beaches have fished best for tailor during the afternoons, though the wind and weed has been a pain. While the tailor catches in the mornings have generally been slow, there are plenty of good size sand whiting and herring along the beaches with the offshore winds making fishing easy. Be very careful driving the beaches in places where there has been heavy erosion or steep narrow sections that could result in boggings, rollovers or 4WD’s slipping into the sea. Stay safe by using caution, looking well ahead of your vehicle and ducking back into the dunes to use the back tracks when unsure. Huge thanks to Peter Fullarton from Tailored Treks for his tips as always!

West coast demersal fishery opening up until July 31 – what you need to know

The February-March demersal fishing closure in the West Coast Bioregion ended on Saturday, April 1st and will remain open until July 31. Recreational fishers are to be congratulated for playing their part in helping the recovery of these fish during this time.

Fishers can now target bottom fish once again in the West Coast Bioregion until 31 July. New rules now apply – you can check out these new rules on Recfishwest’s fishing rules app.

There are plenty of other great fishing options available in the West Coast Bioregion such as pelagics, squid, nearshore species etc. Consider spreading your effort and giving other types of fishing a go, rather than only targeting demersals every time.

If you want to know more information about the demersal fishery opening back up, along with FAQ's and tips on better stewardship for these fish, click here.

Esperance catches

A solid blue groper landed by Jake Mayous @jake_b_fishing off Esperance this week. Make sure you stay safe and follow Jake's lead when fishing off the rocks by fishing with a mate and wearing the correct gear including a life jacket, tether point and the right footwear. You can find more safe fishing tips here.

Boats

At Mondrain Island, Samson fish up to 30kg are giving anglers a solid workout and among the Samson fish are nannygai up to 60cm. Baits fished about 10m off the bottom seem to be working best along with jigs. Tuna are hitting Black Magic Jetsetter skirts trolled at Charley and Cull islands and bigger catches up to 15kg have been caught at Lion Island. Slightly slower trolling speeds around six knots seem to be working best. There have been plenty of sand whiting in 15m depths off West Beach and Cooks Rocks has been a very productive spot for squid, with fishers reportedly sight casting for them and finding many more following the one on the end of their line. Squid, herring and King George whiting are also at Lovers Cove and throwing out burley has worked well for bringing in more fish. Sunday and Monday morning are looking best for the boaties with some calmer north-easterly winds tipped to come through.

Shore-based

Skippy, snook and herring have been fishing very well at the Taylor Street Jetty, while the Esperance Jetty produced loads of squid and plenty of herring. The foreshore weed beds are a hot spot for King George whiting up to 40cm and it’s worth putting out a bigger rod there with a half-mulie bait because flathead to 50cm are also a chance. At Munglinup reef there have been good numbers of skippy up to one kilogram and gummy sharks up to 12kg. Salmon around the 3-4kg mark are hitting lures and baits at Rossiters and Dunns beaches. Bream fishing has also been rewarding at Woody Lake in the afternoons, with soft plastics accounting for fish up to 40cm. At Bandy Creek, a burley trail has been helping to land flathead, flounder and legal-sized skippy. Whiting are also very close to shore at Wylie Bay, while at Stockyards there are salmon, herring, gummy sharks and flathead. Big thanks to the pros from Southern Sports and Tackle for their tips as always and both Sunday and Monday morning are looking best for the land-based fishers for now.

Great Southern catches

Harlequin (some say prettier than Harley Quinn) never fail to come out of the water looking like an oil painting and this beauty was landed by @jameslauchlan near Two Peoples Bay.

Boats

Queen and pink snapper along with breaksea cod are in 70-100m depths on the coral ground, with squid baits proving effective on all species. At the continental shelf, anglers are tangling with hapuka, nannygai and blue-eyed trevalla in 150m+ depths. Bottom fishing is quieter around the islands, but near Bald Island schools of bonito have been active, taking smaller trolled skirts and metals slices. King George Sound is fishing very well for King George whiting with fat kidney slappers nudging 50cm being caught in 15-20m depths. Warmer water temperatures have slowed squid activity somewhat but the calmer winds tipped to roll in on Sunday morning should see a few catches turning up within the bays where it is more sheltered. The weather should be manageable for the boats until the wind and swell takes a big spike from Wednesday.

Shore-based

If you enjoy your land-based fishing on the south coast, there is an important survey that we recommend filling in regarding vehicle beach access in the Shire of Ravensthorpe, this includes beaches at Hopetoun, Mason Bay and Starvation Bay. Given these areas provide great land-based fishing opportunities and may also be affected by the Government's proposed south coast marine park, your feedback on the survey link below will allow you to have your say to help protect these land-based fishing experiences in this region.

Click here to complete the Shire of Ravensthorpe Vehicle Access on Beaches Survey.

Locals are also blaming the warmer water temperatures for the inconsistent salmon season, with some suggesting the big schools have stayed out wide and are now further north at the Capes. Cheynes Beach, regarded as the beacon for salmon activity, has been inconsistent, but nevertheless a bit of time and effort at most known haunts will produce results. Salmon are certainly thick and within casting range at Bremer Bay but closer to Albany the more reliable spots are Salmon Holes, Cable Beach and Shelley Beach. Remember, you will catch more salmon off the beaches and they are also much safer and easier to land on the sand. Herring are plentiful right along the coast and Cheynes Beach is still a solid chance for big skippy. Squid and bread-and-butter species are at the town marina and around Middleton, while at Emu Point on a slack tide the same species plus bream and tarwhine are being caught. In the King and Kalgan rivers bream are hitting soft plastics and small hard-bodied lures. It will be mostly easterly winds this weekend until it swings around from the north-east on Monday morning. Big thanks to the crew from Trailblazers in Albany for their tips!

South West catches

The Cape Naturaliste FADs were on fire this week! Dwayne Robinson and Matt Durell @nonstopfillets @onemadfisho had an absolute belter of a session recently, landing multiple big dolphinfish in quick succession on this FAD positioned at the 130m depth mark. You can find the coordinates for the Cape Naturaliste FADs here.

Boats

Baldchin groper, breaksea cod and pink snapper have been the main demersal captures out of Bunbury, with 40m depths working best and Vexed Bottom Meats getting the job done. Overall however, the demersal fishing has been relatively slow despite promising signs on sounders. The same species have been caught in the deeper parts of Geographe Bay with boaties adding King George whiting to their catches. Kayakers are doing well on dhufish off Yallingup and Smiths Beach in 12-15m depths. Squid fishers in Geographe Bay and off Bunbury are finding the bigger models in 12-15m depths and the same areas have been producing the odd King George whiting. At the Cut in Bunbury, trolling in small boats has been picking up chopper tailor, herring and skippy. Sunday and Monday are looking best for the boaties at this stage with calmer easterly winds.

Shore-based

Preston and Myalup beaches continue to fish well with tailor sizes increasing to the 45cm mark and mulloway a chance after dark on live baits. In Bunbury, herring are at most of the beaches and headlands, while chopper tailor, herring and skippy are being caught at the rock walls at the Cut. Tailor catches in general have dropped off, but Buffalo and Back beaches are worth a shot with the occasional 45-50cm fish rolling through. Herring and squid have been the main catches at Busselton Jetty. A few salmon have been sighted in Geographe Bay, but they are in better numbers in Hamelin Bay and more plentiful at Yeagarup Beach, which has produced a lot of fish over the past week. The easterly winds from Friday through to Sunday arvo should also aid in casting off these beaches towards the schools, so make sure you get out there and have a crack for some prizes in the Salmon Slam! In the Collie River, fly-fishers have done well on black bream using flies that resemble the bony herring which are currently in the river in big numbers. Big thanks to the great team at Whitey's Tackle for their report as always!

Freshwater

Talented fisher Chris Dixon @dixonsfishing managed the holy freshwater trifecta this week in the South-West, landing multiple brown and rainbow trout along with a nice fat redfin perch all in a single day. Think you can match his trifecta? Get out there and send us your pics of your freshwater catches!

A bit more rain should liven fish up in the region’s dams across the South-West. Soft plastics fished in deeper water are the best option right now, which gives kayak fishers a big advantage as proven by a nice brown trout taken by a yakker at Drakesbrook Weir this week. If you don't have a sounder on your yak or small dinghy, move around to the visible tree structure and teabag your soft plastics right next to the base of the trunks as that usually produces redfin perch eventually. In the Southern Forests region, fly-fishers are catching rainbow trout around Lefroy Brook across a range of depths and down Donnybrook way, Chris Dixon (as pictured above) got the same-day freshwater trifecta including a 40cm-plus redfin, a 45cm brown trout and a slightly smaller rainbow, all on a soft-plastic minnow. The golden rule of freshwater fishing in the rivers and creeks at the moment is the more remote you are, the more likely it is that you'll find both trout species and redfin perch, so it's worth putting in the distance in the car or on foot if roads aren't an option. If you catch any great trout or redfin, make sure you message us a snap of the catch to our Instagram page @recfishwest.

Mandurah and surrounds

Mandurah

It is possible that the two Mandurah FADs will be deployed over the next week, so we will make sure we let you know the moment they are in the drink! Unfavourable bite times have been blamed for modest demersal catches this week, but conditions are expected to improve over the next few days. Over Easter, locals recommend demersal chasers fish the tide changes. Boaties with less lofty ambitions are cleaning up on chunky sand whiting in pretty much any sandy patch offshore behind the Five-Fathom Bank. In the estuary, drop netters are having to work hard to get a feed of legal-sized crabs. Squidding off the beaches at Falcon, Seascapes and Doddies Beach has been exceptional. Because of the shallow water, 1.8-size jigs are the go, retrieved slowly over the weed beds, or else bigger jigs fished under a float. The same beaches are holding sand whiting and a few herring. At night, beaches north and south of town with reef structure are producing snapper to 80cm and mulloway to more than one metre, with a strip of mullet the favoured bait. Yellowfin whiting are tapering off in the estuary with many fish following lures but not hitting them, but Mandjar Bay and Wannanup are still worth a try. At the Cut and the Mandurah bridges, herring, small skippy and silver bream should provide lots of holiday fun. Starting in the next few days, school prawns will be swimming out of the estuary and dab netters are expected to be out in force after dark in boats and off the rock walls. Big thanks to Tackle World Miami for their chunky report as always!

SECRET HARBOUR / PORT KENNEDY / ROCKINGHAM / SAFETY BAY / WARNBRO SOUND

For the boats, dhufish are in the relatively shallow depths of 15-30m and the size has generally been pretty good. Pink snapper have been turning up in slightly deeper water of 20-30m depths and in good numbers. Breaksea cod, baldchin groper and a few harlequin fish have been among the bycatch for both species. In Cockburn Sound a feed of squid is easy to come by on the weed banks, while the use of burley will bring around herring, skippy and sand whiting.

If you prefer to keep the sand between your toes when fishing around Rockingham, Challenger Beach, Port Kennedy and Secret Harbour have herring skippy and sand whiting as well as small tailor in the 30-35cm range in the evenings. Better tailor up to 40cm are at Long Point, where flathead are also being caught. At Palm Beach and Rockingham jetties there are herring, squid and chopper tailor in the evenings but mulloway activity there has slowed. Big thanks to Compleat Angler Rockingham for their great tips.

Perth catches

The matrix has been obliterated in this image. Recfishwest's Artificial Reefs Officer and talented fisher Eligh Quigley @equigz who happens to be bald, landed this beauty of a baldchin off Perth, yet Eligh's chin isn't bald. In this time of inflation with shampoo prices rising and great fish like this being caught, Eligh has the last laugh though.

Boats

The 30-50m depths at Rottnest are fishing well for pink snapper, 50cm+ King George whiting and the odd dhufish. Out at the FADs, the fish seem to be holding deeper but tuna species and dolphin fish are being taken on livebaits. Jigs are working well around the FADs as well, especially when dropped right down and then retrieved at speed. Yellowtail kingfish and Samson fish are at the West End of Rottnest, while dhufish around 15kg are in 40m depths off Two Rocks. King George and sand whiting are in good numbers at Stragglers and Windmills, while anglers casting metals, stickbaits and unweighted mulies into the white-water around Mewstones are catching chunky 1kg tailor. Squid are plentiful inside of Garden Island and the Three Mile Reef also produced decent King George whiting and skippy. In the Swan River, drop netters are doing well on big blue swimmer crabs with the drop-off near Point Walter one of the better spots. Trolling for chopper tailor is also a good option in the river’s lower reaches around East Fremantle and Bicton, while big mulloway have been caught from the deep water around Mosman's Bay. Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning should host the best boating weather off Perth this long weekend.

Send us pics of your FADs catches for some great prizes!

To celebrate the great fishing opportunities at the FADs across Western Australia (more to come at Mandurah, Albany and Lancelin soon), we're giving away some quality prizes thanks to Richter Lures and Madfish Gear simply for catching a fish at any of the devices between 1 March - 1 May and sending in a snap of your fish!

PRIZES:
Best photo: An XL Madfish Fishing Bag (to keep your catches frosty) with 10x Richter skirt lures inside.
2nd best photo: A medium-sized Madfish Fishing Bag with 10x Richter skirt lures inside.
3rd best photo: A medium-sized Madfish Fishing Bag with 5x Richter skirt lures inside.
4th-10th place: Each receive a handful of Richter skirts and lures!

HOW YOU CAN WIN:
1) Visit any of the FADs;
2) Catch a pelagic sportfish and take a photo of your catch that reflects our responsible fish handling practices (still alive, no blood, no fingers in gills, supporting fish horizontally etc), with the FAD clearly visible in the photo.
3) Message a photo of your catch to our Facebook or Instagram page detailing where and when you caught it;
4) Keep an eye on our socials when we announce the winners after May 1!

Good luck! Get all your FADs locations here

Shore-based

Scaly mackerel schools seem to have left the E-Shed, but mulloway have stuck around with good fish being landed. Around the Swan River’s traffic bridges yellowfin whiting are about at night with live prawns far and away the best bait. Chopper tailor are still plentiful in the lower reaches with some below the 30cm legal limit, but many in the 30-35cm range. Flathead are harder to come by in the river at the moment now that it's starting to cool off slightly, but good fish are still being taken along the drop-offs around Claremont and Point Walter. Bream are hitting hard-bodied lures in the Canning River and also on the flats near the casino in Burswood. With dirty water starting to flow down river, mulloway hotspots such as the Narrows, the old brewery and Canning Bridge are certainly worth a try. At the North and South moles there have been herring, a few chopper tailor and the odd skippy. At the very end of North Mole, tuna are also a chance for anglers throwing metals out a fair way and retrieving quickly. For squid, the South Mole has been the most consistent. The reefs around North Cottesloe have tailor in the 40-50cm range biting at dawn and dusk. Big thanks to Anglers Fishing World in Fremantle and Hillarys Boat & Tackle for their great tips and we should thankfully see some great land-based conditions on Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning with light to moderate easterly winds. Gotta love a long weekend and peachy fishing conditions lining up!

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Catch Information

Species:
Baldchin Groper

Nannygai

Pike

Queenfish

Rainbow Trout

Red Emperor

Redfin Perch

Sailfish

Samson Fish

Silver Bream

Snook

Spangled Emperor

Spanish Mackerel

Threadfin Salmon

Tripletail

Wahoo

Whiting

Yellowfin Tuna

Yellowfin Whiting

This Fishing Report was submitted on 4/6/2023 7:00:00 PM by Seamus and last updated on 4/8/2023 8:15:49 PM.

Location

3/45 Northside Drive
Hillarys, WA AU

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Recfishwest
Our purpose and vision is great fishing experiences for all in the WA community - forever.

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