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Hooking Up Anglers Since 2011.
William Bennett
RECFISHWEST FISHING REPORT WRITER
All around WA and particularly heading north of Geraldton, a lot of fishers know the frustration of losing prized hooked fish to sharks.Â
While sharks might have 400 million years on us regarding perfecting hunting fish in the ocean, losing high volumes of high value species to shark bite-off is avoidable. Â
Recfishwest has reached out to many experienced fishing experts, charter operators and top sportfishers who have great tips below on how to best limit if not avoid shark bite-off – and profanity-riddled fishing trips. This includes what to do when bottom fishing or trolling, how to spot sharks on your sounder and info on repellent devices. CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT OUR NEW TIPS FOR AVOIDING SHARK BITE-OFF WEBPAGE!Â
The Albany Boating and Offshore Fishing Club’s Southern Ocean Spectacular was held last weekend with many boats doing well on demersals species on the coral ground but others finding little action in King George Sound and around the islands despite the calm conditions. The coral ground has been pretty hit or miss even in the good conditions offered last weekend, with many locals saying conditions were a little too calm. Nevertheless, some excellent catches were recorded by a lucky few including nannygai, queen and pink snapper, breaksea cod and quite a few dhufish, some over 10kg. The better depths for dhufish seemed to be the 70-80m depths. Many boats fishing in 50-60m depths were plagued by juvenile snapper. A few salmon have been taken around the islands, while boats trolling along the headlands have picked up various tuna species. In King George Sound there have been good and bad days for King George whiting but more consistent catches have come from the 12m depths off Gull Rock and Caseys Beach. These spots have been reliable for squid too and it's always worth having a crack for squid then using their tentacle strips as fresh bait for the KG's. There have been plenty of herring throughout the sound and a couple of handfuls of burley usually brings them in within a few minutes. Some moderate westerly winds will stick around this weekend but it is expected to swing around into lower northerly's on Monday.Â
The best spots for salmon this past week have been Salmon Holes, Shelley Beach and Lowlands. Of course Cheyne’s Beach is always worth a try, but it hasn’t been as consistent as past years and it is worth moving around to different beaches in that area using 4WD access to scope out if any schools are in close. Emu Point has been holding herring , skippy and a few King George whiting, while the Town Jetty has been holding herring and the odd skippy. Squid have been caught at both these spots too and also at night at Middleton Beach Jetty, but a better spot this week has been off the rocks in Frenchman Bay. The hot squid jigs this month are Shimano Sephias in UV white and Harimitsu Sumizoki Lemon Specials, which have both been solid for reeling in good numbers of the cephalopods this week. Bream have been biting in the King, Kalgan and Hay rivers but sizes are nothing special, while the mouth of Torbay Inlet has been a hot spot for juvenile salmon, King George whiting and bream. When it’s safe to fish, Samson fish have been caught off the stones from West Cape Howe, but make sure you wear a lifejacket and fish with a friend if venturing down there. Big thanks to the crew from Trailblazers in Albany for their tips!
At the back of Rottnest Island the 30-60m depths have produced good dhufish with many caught on Vexed Bottom Meats or the more traditional paternoster set-up with octopus or squid as bait. Plenty of snapper have been among them, although sizes have tapered off. Tuna species and Samson fish have been caught there also, while near Rotto's western end some decent yellowtail kingfish have been active on baits and jigs. Mindarie and the Three-Mile Reef have also fished well for dhufish and pink snapper with the deeper waters off Mindarie also holding good numbers of tuna, while the Three-Mile Reef has fished well for King George whiting and skippy. The Five-Fathom Bank and Windmills have been productive for King George whiting and skippy. Mindarie has fished well for squid as have the weed beds from Cottesloe through to South Fremantle and Cockburn Sound. Boaties trolling in the lower reaches of the Swan River have been catching chopper tailor. This is one of the best boating forecasts we've seen for a weekend all year for the Perth region though, so get out there and make sure you're courteous at the boat ramps and around popular fishing spots. Â
This Fishing Report was submitted on 5/26/2023 2:42:02 AM by Seamus and last updated on 5/27/2023 6:05:45 AM.
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