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Recfishwest's State-wide Fishing Report 16 February 2024 🎣

 | By Seamus on 2/16/2024 1:12:10 AM | Views (383)
Recfishwest Newsletter
Recfishwest
Fishing Report
16/02/24
You know the pelagic action has peaked when you can snap a dolphinfish, sailfish and marlin in one picture! Check out the @bdoutdoorsdotcom page for more cracking photos like this and given the hot temperatures coming this weekend, make sure you're trolling or visiting the FADs off the WA coast for a crack at these great species. Can find the WA FADs coordinates here
Our contributors
Sam Bock
Sam Russell
Jarrad Lawford
Sedin Hasanovic 
It's been a very busy week regarding some big news for fishers around Western Australia, including an update on the West Coast demersal fishery, South Coast marine park and much more. Make sure you stay up to date by reading about this news in the articles listed below. 

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 responsible 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!  

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 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!

Red bass are known to look and fight like a mangrove jack on steroids and this beast certainly had skilled fisher @broglefishogle jumping for joy in the tinny off Exmouth! You can find more info on red bass in Scott Coghlan's past article here

Your fishing photos

If you want to be included in our weekly State-wide Fishing Reports, message your best fishing photos and a description to our Instagram page @recfishwest.
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Recfishwest welcomes Fisheries Minister's west coast demersal reallocation decision
Click on the image above to hear from Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland on what this decision means for recfishers and the charters across WA! 

Recfishwest welcomes today’s announcement by the Fisheries Minister to reallocate 20 tonnes of the west coast demersal catch to the recfishing sector.

This is an unprecedented shift in fisheries management policy – best of all, it's a positive and encouraging step towards fairer management of the fishery and this is just the start.

Recfishwest’s objective has always been to get more time on the water for recfishers and a fairer go for smaller charter operators.

The decision will see the current two-week September demersal open season extended and now run from the 16th of September to the 15th of October, with the charter sector also getting an extra 10 tonnes of fish.

Find out more by clicking here. 

Broome catches
Big lure, big fish! Skilled fisher @relphfishwest managed to land this mighty 111cm barra on an 8-inch Berkley Cull Shad. Great snap courtesy of Tackle World Broome

Boats

There has been plenty of wind but very little action on the water in Roebuck Bay. Even the creeks have been quiet with only a few barra caught at Dampier Creek, but there were good numbers of mangrove jack around the 40cm mark which have been taking live baits, along with plenty of mud crabs. Crab Creek has been even quieter, although several crews had hot sessions on threadfin salmon earlier this week. If a weather window opens an early morning trip to the Fingers may produce barramundi and threadfin salmon. In the Fitzroy River trolled Halco TBarras and Jackall Squirrels have accounted for barramundi in decent sizes. The moderate westerly winds will stick around over the coming days with a swell of just over one metre. There might be a brief glass off just after midday on Saturday and Sunday. 

Shore-based

A few barramundi have been caught around The Cuttings and Langis in the Fitzroy River on live baits, while Town Beach Jetty rewarded anglers with barramundi at night and bream, javelin fish, trevally and queenfish during the day. Barramundi have also been active around the pylons at the Port Jetty, which also held trevally and queenfish to 8kg at times so it pays to use slightly heavier gear. For a feed of whiting, the Town Beach and the sandy areas of Entrance Point have fished well. Fishing in the creeks has been very slow this week unfortunately but hopefully that action will spice up with the better weather incoming.

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
You don't get Spanish mackies much fresher than this! A quality fish and an awesome snap from the @onstrikecharters crew in Exmouth who took out the @westcoastpoppers crew for some adrenaline-filled fishing. 

Boats

Crews took advantage of the good conditions on the west side of Exmouth this week and encountered big tuna and wahoo, as well as few black marlin in depths around 70-120m. Crews that headed out wider to 200m+ depths were rewarded with cod and ruby snapper, while goldband snapper have been active in depths around 70m. Boats launching from Bundegi have done well on red emperor and Rankin cod at the northern end of the cape, while shark mackerel have also been around. A few reports have come from the Muirons but at Peak Island the fishing seemed to be better, with coral trout, Spanish mackerel and spangled emperor taking lures in shallower areas. The eastern side of Exmouth Gulf has offered reasonable numbers of coral trout and the odd small Rankin cod with the 6m depths fishing well. Fly-fishers have been targeting the eastern side as well and have tussled with permit, dart and queenfish. Straight out from the Exmouth marina various tuna species have been caught on metal lures, just keep an eye out for the bait balls or diving birds. Mud crabs have been an option down at the Bay of Rest, while the stretch from the marina to Bundegi has rewarded tinnie anglers with small Spanish mackerel and a few grey mackerel. The south-westerly winds should be calmer around midday across both days this weekend with a swell of about 1.4m, so aim to launch in the morning and get back in before the wind picks up after 2pm.

Shore-based

The flats around the prawn farm have fished well for small queenfish and longtom, while whiting have been smashing small vibe lures. Learmonth jetty has produced trevally and queenfish, with a good supply of bream also rolling through. Good numbers of flathead have featured in the bycatches at Learmonth jetty as well and they could be worth targeting on soft plastics. Fishers in the town marina have been busted off by big bluebone this week, while 25-45cm barracuda have been hitting metals and small stickbaits. Bream, cod and javelin fish have also been caught in the same area on soft plastics. Only a few reports have come from the tip of the Gulf this week but spangled emperor, queenfish and the odd small Spanish mackerel have been caught there recently. Just south of Tantabiddi spangled emperor have been taking stickbaits, plastics and jigs and these lures have also accounted for bonefish and giant trevally. This time of year is good for mangrove jack in Wapet Creek and fishing its shaded areas should produce results, while shore-based flyfishers have been targeting the Bay of Rest for permit and whiting with decent results.

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
@nickihuntfishing loves targeting longtail tuna off the coast and this solid fish couldn't resist the 140mm Shimano Flashboost. Hopefully both early mornings this weekend will see relatively calm conditions out on the water if you're thinking of sending it for pelagics. 


Boats

Spanish mackerel activity has picked up both sides of town and big tuna have also been smashing baitfish schools. Most of the Spanish mackerel and tuna action was around Sand Patch and Bald Face this week, with Halco Laser Pros, Rapala's and garfish baits working well on both species. The 25-35m depths seemed to be the sweet spot for both species and bust-ups were spotted off Frustrations with the 20m depths along the cliffs also producing plenty of pelagic action. Both mornings are looking decent at this stage for the boaties but the mornings between Monday-Wednesday are looking even calmer. 

Shore-based

Tailor and a few dart have come from Wittecarra and big tailor have been reported at Lucky Bay but not in great numbers. In the Murchison River,  bream fishing has been good upstream from the town marina. The Sand Spit has held yellowfin whiting and chopper tailor in the evenings. Chopper tailor have also been caught from the marina jetty at sunset. Blue swimmer crab catches have been improving and mud crabs are still in reasonable numbers throughout the system. Sunday morning is looking great for a land-based flick with a light-easterly wind and relatively low swell expected. 

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

On the right day when the southerly winds are down, boaties have come across Spanish mackerel in 25-40m depths, mainly from north of Drummonds Cove with Halco Laser Pros and Rapala's working well on the troll. Most of the mackies have been in the 6-8kg range but a few 10-12kg fish have been landed along with various tuna species. Bonito have been reported working the offshore bait schools which have been running rampant this week, while the FAD off Greenough have been holding dolphinfish. The 2m swell and stronger southerly winds will make it rough this weekend but thankfully Monday-Wednesday's forecast is looking much calmer at this stage. 

Shore-based

Weed has thwarted a lot of fishing south of town with the exception of the Greenough River mouth, which offered chopper tailor, small dart, herring and pike. The Flat Rocks to West Bank stretch during the early morning low tides has produced decent tailor up to 55cm when fishing the reefs. Heading north from St Georges the weed has been a problem, but little breaks inside the reefy areas around Drummonds Cove and at Coronations have yielded good catches. These areas saw whiting, a few dart around 45cm, small threadfin salmon, chopper tailor and 50-60cm mulloway. An early start has been required at these areas though with the action all but over by 6:00am. The marina at Port Dension held good bream, cod, small tarwhine, pink snapper, pike and big yellowtail around 30cm. Cod around 50-60cm are believed to have been hanging around the rock walls in Geraldton as well. 

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
Thanks to the better conditions this week, Peter Fullarton got stuck into some bigger tailor off the Lancelin beaches this week. The greenback tailor season should only ramp up from here. 


​Boats

Trolling lures along the western edge of the White Bank managed to find a few Spanish or spotted mackerel with the occasional Samsonfish smashing lures too. A little further offshore schools of striped tuna have been providing entertainment, with deeper diving lures and skirt lures both working a treat when trolled about 20 metres behind the boat in the bubbles at 5-6 knots. The bay’s fishing has been quiet with low swell and very hot days seeing the fish move out to more oxygen rich waters. As for the herring in the dinghies, they have been much better a little north or south of town. The mornings look best over this weekend given they should hold the lighter south-easterly winds with a swell of 1-1.5m. 

Shore-based

Things have started to heat up as mullet schools have started to move along the shoreline, which has seen tailor catches surge in numbers and sizes with fish to 70cm encountered throughout the week. There has also been a number of small mulloway and Samsonfish landed. Calmer conditions usually around mid-morning saw some great sessions when casting small lures with flick rods catching herring and dart. The beaches throughout the bay produced schools of yellowfin whiting in the shallows. Sight cast ZX vibes worked best for the whiting or by simply casting lightly weighted small baits. 

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

Recfishwest says that some of the proposed no-fishing zones in the Government’s South Coast Marine Park plans released yesterday are “completely illogical and unjustifiable”.

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “Proposing no fishing zones in front of caravan parks, boat ramps and along several popular beaches demonstrates marine park planners in Perth are out of touch with the south coast community.

“We stand firmly for sustainability; however, we cannot support the marine parks in their current form.

“None of the evidence we have seen supports the need to implement no fishing zones over the top of places where people have fished for generations, and they simply cannot be justified.

“The Government must genuinely engage with the local community – if they had done this in the first place, they would not be proposing to implement these zones where they have.”

Recfishest will be on the south coast this week meeting with locals and encouraging them to have their say over the next four months. 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW A LARGE INTERACTIVE MAP OF THE DBCA'S PLANNED MARINE PARK ZONES.  



​Boats

Harlequin fish to 3kg have been caught around Boxer Island and big Samsonfish have been the order of the day at Mondrain Island. Nannygai activity has picked up after a lull and most offshore lumps have been holding a few, especially Moby Dick and Douglas Patch. Queen snapper have been caught near Lion Island and Sweep Rock, while pink snapper have come over the side at Pot Rocks. Squid have been caught in 20m depths at Cook Rocks and they have been plentiful in Esperance Bay with 6m depths being the sweet spot. The corner of Wylie Bay has held big snook and squid, while big sand whiting have been caught out front of the surf club at Twilight Beach. It's mostly moderate westerly winds at about 14 knots on Saturday but early on Sunday morning will see both the wind and swell dropping right off which should see a nice boating window open up until about 11:00am. 

Shore-based

Low wind and swell at the weekend proved ideal for beach fishing, especially for those chasing gummy sharks. Bigger specimens up to 18kg were landed at Stockyard Beach, while other gummy's around 8kg came from Thomas River. Poison Creek also held gummy sharks along with mulloway around the 70cm mark, while at Roses Beach the gummy sharks were mixed in with mulloway and big skippy. In town the excellent summer squid season shows no sign of slowing down with green or white jigs doing most of the damage, while Observatory Beach and the surf club carpark at Fourth Beach have been reliable for salmon. Good numbers of garfish have been caught at night from Taylor Street Jetty, while Bandy Creek Boat harbour has offered decent-sized King George whiting and skippy. Bream up to 45cm are hitting hard-bodied lures at Woody Lake, and in the afternoons they have shown a liking for surface lures.  

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
Now this is a black bream of a lifetime. This beast estimated to weigh around 2.5kg measured in at 47cm even with a worn-down tail. With a full tail, this monster would have easily crossed the magical 50cm mark which is very rare for a black bream. A great catch from Alex @outback_breamer_baits.  


Boats

Not too much action reported from the boaties this week. King George Sound fished quite well last weekend for King George whiting and squid, while crews fishing around the islands encountered pink snapper, queen snapper, breaksea cod and dhufish on a mix of jigs and squid baits. A few crews continued to drop nets for blue swimmer crabs in Princess Royal Harbour with catches improving from last week, with chicken necks mixed in with mulies working well to lure them in. Most of Saturday right up until around 5:00pm is looking decent at this stage with lower southerly winds and a swell of around 1.5m if you wish to duck out. The stronger easterly winds will return from Sunday onwards. 

Shore-based

There have been plenty of crabs for scoopers in Princess Royal Harbour and a few in Oyster Harbour. Both harbours have also held King George whiting and Oyster Harbour has also offered squid, yellowfin whiting and bream. Most of them have been just undersized but those that have been size have been very big. In the town marina herring and squid have been the main catches but a couple of just-sized pink snapper were landed there last weekend. Middleton Beach has offered plump sand whiting along with decent-sized King George whiting and squid are also worth a crack there. Emu Point offered squid along with skippy and a few bream. King George whiting, herring and skippy have been worth targeting at Gull Rock, which also produced some nice flathead. The King and Kalgan rivers yielded bream and mulloway. Scattered schools of salmon have been haunting the beaches on both sides of town. Sand Patch held schools of 2kg fish, while they have been plentiful at Bremer Bay where plenty of sharks have been keeping them company. Salmon, tailor and tarwhine have also been reported from Fosters Beach, Shelley Beach and Salmon Holes. Good tailor have also been caught at Bornholm Beach. A few blue groper have come from the rock platforms either side of town when the swells have been down but make sure you are always wearing a lifejacket when attempting this. At Madfish Bay good King George whiting, herring, juvenile salmon and tarwhine have been caught, while the Wilson Inlet offered pink snapper, flathead and King George whiting.

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
Jack Collins @jacksfret and a Rambo of a Sambo off Cape Naturaliste this week. Surely that nickname for beefcake Samsonfish will catch on at some stage. 

Boats

Tuna have been the main pelagic target for boaties and they have been active in a range of depths taking baits or lures. A few Spanish mackerel have been sighted jumping offshore on either side of Bunbury, along with what were believed to be bonito, while a big Spanish mackerel was landed out from Canal Rocks on the weekend. King George and sand whiting action has slowed around Bunbury with most crews heading to Geographe Bay where they have managed modest bags of both species along with a feed of squid. Drop netters have been doing well on crabs around Bunbury’s outer harbour and trolling for chopper tailor in the estuary has been worthwhile. Saturday right through until at least Wednesday morning is looking quite pleasant on the water for the boaties albeit with some hot temperatures.   

Shore-based


Mitchell Cooper @mitchcooper_fishing1885 from Whitey's Tackle & Camping is such a mulloway master of the South-West that he even coordinated the colour of his eyes and beard specifically for this great snap. Feel free to venture into Whitey's to ask the experienced and friendly crew for tips on how to catch these chrome slabs. 

Tailor have been scarce on most beaches but mulloway ranging in size from school to 15kg have taken their place and were caught at Belvedere, Buffalo, Myalup and Preston beaches, with Preston also being the most reliable spot for tailor. Down at Dalyellup a few pink snapper have been landed and small salmon have been among tailor schools at Smiths Beach. At Forrest and Peppermint Grove beaches people have been swimming out from shore and picking up blue swimmer crabs. The Bunbury estuary, Leschenault Inlet and the Collie River has offered a lot of variety. Yellowfin whiting catches are still good on the estuary flats, especially on hot days, while scoop netters have been finding plenty of crabs. Dabbing for prawns has also been productive at night. The Collie River has offered bream and soapy mulloway and chopper tailor have also shown up at times. Herring and whiting have been the main catches at Back Beach and the Bunbury Cut, while herring and squid have been the mainstays at Busselton Jetty. Herring and whiting have been caught on beaches around Dunsborough, while in Augusta crabs have been caught in the Blackwood River and also in Flinders Bay. 

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. 

Deeper sections of the fresh waterways around the Pemberton and Busselton region have fished very well for redfin perch with small jointed minnow lures proving effective. At Big Brook Dam hard-bodied minnow lures have also accounted for good numbers of brown trout which have favoured shaded areas on hot days. The deeper sections with structure at Harvey Dam have been holding small redfin perch and the dam wall itself which is much deeper has also produced plenty of reddies when dropping micro-jigs all the way down and working them aggressively.
 
Mandurah and surrounds


Mandurah

Boats: The lack of current has kept things quiet at the FADs this week but those chasing a pelagic fix have caught tuna out at Five-Fathom Bank and the occasional Samsonfish, while the artificial reef held plenty of baitfish which have attracted tuna and a few yellowtail kingfish. The inside of the Five-Fathom Bank has been consistent for solid sand whiting, while the 30m depth line has continued to be the sweet spot for big King George whiting out from Dawesville. The estuary has continued to fire with good catches of yellowfin whiting on the incoming tide. The mornings until midday across this weekend are looking ideal for the boaties. 

Land-based: The estuary saw good catches of yellowfin whiting on the incoming tide with knee-deep, clean water at the Wannanup and Novara flats and at Erskine delivering the goods.  A few small giant herring also made appearances. Tailor and herring have also been prolific in the estuary with boaties and shore fishers doing well on them along the edges of the channels and from the drop-offs, with giant herring occasionally muscling in on the action. Blue swimmer crabs have been widespread and both drop netters and scoopers have been getting good hauls. At the Dawesville Cut and to a lesser extent the Mandurah traffic bridges, herring, juvenile salmon and tailor have been the main fare. Beach fishing has been a little disappointing this past week but San Remo and Silver Sands have offered chopper tailor, herring and the chance of a school mulloway, while reasonable size tailor have been taken at White Hills.

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: King George whiting have been firing in a range of depths from 5m in Mangles Bay way out to the 30m line which has been the sweet spot for the big kidney-slappers. Sand whiting have also been plentiful. Parmelia Bank held plenty and they have often been mixed in with the smaller King George whiting in Mangles Bay. Better sand whiting have come from the edge of the shipping channel in 20m depths. The southern FADs offered good numbers of tuna and dolphinfish while structure around the 100m mark has held big Samsonfish. Between the Five-Fathom Bank and Garden Island spearfishers in the 7-9m metre depths have shot Spanish mackerel, which they have found swimming in twos and threes. In Cockburn Sound squid have been the main target and the 7-10m depths have fished better despite warmer temperatures and murky water at times. The Sound has also offered a few King George whiting and better numbers of sand whiting. If you're chasing the calmer conditions this week, the mornings on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday currently look best. 
 
Land-based: Penguin Island and Long Point have offered good numbers of yellowfin whiting along with big bluespot flathead, with both species often caught on TT SwitchPrawn and EcoGear ZX vibes. Long Point has also fished very well for tailor as did most of the beaches from Madora Bay heading northwards, including Kwinana and Port Kennedy. Secret Harbour has probably been the pick of them and was consistent for 40cm choppers with some bigger 50cm-plus models thrown in. The deep gutters at Secret Harbour also produced good numbers of school mulloway with a few 10kg-plus fish thrown in. Most of these beaches have held whiting during the day with many anglers arriving around 4pm for a tailor session doing well on chunky sand whiting in the lead-up to dusk. Palm Beach Jetty and Rockingham Jetty have held heaps of herring along with a few squid and chopper tailor at night. Scaly mackerel have also been hanging about both jetties and the odd small bonito has been providing a lot of fun on light gear. The Ammo Jetty and Woodman Point have also held plenty of baitfish and a few squid. Point Peron was good for squid and snorkellers chasing blue swimmer crabs have done well there too.   

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
Spearfishers have been reporting good results on the dolphinfish when they have been too skittish for the boats. FADs holding the bigger schools usually see the fish more fired up for anything you flick their way, while FADs holding smaller schools have reportedly seen live baits resulting in more catches if lures don't work. This great snap from Mitchell McClelland @straighthookers this week shows jumping in the drink with a bit of patience pays off. If you decide to have a spear or fish at the FADs, try to avoid positioning your boat right next to the device as it doesn't go down well with other fishers wanting a crack and you'll get just as many fish off to the side of the device. You also want to check the drift directions of boats already there then make sure you do the same if fishing. You can check out more tips on our FADS etiquette page here

Boats



Get in while it's hot! The 2024 FADs competition has kicked off and there's already good catches rolling in! 

✅ 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏 𝟏 – Grab a 2024 Mahi Mahi Tournament Brag Mat & Entry Name Card from one of the four sponsor stores included above. 
✅ 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏 𝟐 – Get out there and start fishing from 1 Feb through until the 31 March near the FADs between Rockingham and Jurien Bay.
✅ 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏 𝟑 – Catch a dolphinfish or mystery fish (mackerel, wahoo or tuna) and take a photo of your catch on your 2024 FADs Tournament Brag Mat with your name tag, rod & reel visible in the photo.
✅ 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏 𝟒 – Take a second photo of the GPS coordinates of where your fish was caught (for judges verification purposes only – will not be published). 
✅ 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏 𝟓 – Email your photo to mahitournament24@gmail.com no later than 5pm on Monday, 1 April!

The weather was almost too good this week with heaps of bait around but not as much action. The FADs have been a lot quieter but offered a few small dolphinfish and tuna. Also quite a few blue marlin have been raised and lost at the FADs. The wrecks behind Rottnest have held big Samsonfish and tuna. The odd yellowtail kingfish has kept crews interested around Parker Point. Tuna have been caught right along the metro coast on the 40m depth line. Inshore from Rottnest has produced decent King George whiting. They have also been in reasonable numbers on the Three-Mile Reef and the odd yellowtail kingfish and Samsonfish has been caught there as well. Samsonfish, tuna and a couple of Spanish mackerel have been caught out from Ocean Reef. Sand whiting activity out from Cottesloe and City Beach has slowed down a little but tailor fishing on exposed reefs such as Mewstones and Stragglers has been productive. A few squid have been caught out from South Beach and Bathers Beach, where kayakers and even stand-up paddleboarders have been dropping nets for blue swimmer crabs and doing well. In the Swan River good numbers of crabs have come from the 11m depths with some of the better spots being the old brewery, the Narrows, Claremont and Blackwall Reach. Trolling for chopper tailor in the river has also been rewarding with good hauls taken from East Fremantle all the way to the Narrows. The weather is looking pretty bliss again this week for the boaties, especially across the mornings this weekend. Just brace yourself for the heat on Sunday and Monday as it's tipped to hit 43 degrees. 

Shore-based


The Swan River mulloway have been firing recently and another beast was landed close to the city this week by Mathew Di Carlo @ourtribefishing. It certainly didn't come as a fluke though, this was landed after a solid effort of 29 hours of fishing over three days which saw two other solid fish dropped on the first two days. That's commitment! 

There has been excellent tailor activity in the Swan River with anglers wading out to the drop-offs in areas such as Matilda Bay, Point Walter, Claremont, Point Resolution, Applecross and the Narrows doing well in the late afternoons. They have been landing fish up to 50cm on lures such as CID Shiversticks, Ocean’s Legacy Keelings and Atomic Hardz K-9 Bulldogs. Flathead and flounder catches have been reasonable in the deeper sections of the Swan River’s lower reaches and one angler fishing around Mosman on Sunday was impressed with the variety of species he caught on a Nomad Squidtrex vibe. His haul included several 40cm-plus flathead, a decent flounder, a few yellowfin whiting and lots of small tarwhine. Flathead have also been caught in good numbers further up the Swan River, with the Causeway, Burswood, Maylands, Mt Henry Bridge and Shelley foreshore in the Canning River among the spots worth a crack. Bream were still widespread in the Swan River system. They have been caught in the lower and middle parts of the system around the yacht clubs at night with small unweighted mulie pieces and also around the structure at Canning Bridge. The bream fishing has generally been better after dark further upstream in snaggy areas around Shelley in the Canning River and at Maylands, Ascot and Guildford in the Swan. Soapy mulloway have been caught around the yacht clubs and bigger soapies nudging school size have been taken at the Narrows and Ascot. A few small giant herring have been hooked in the Maylands area. Yellowfin whiting are still being caught in the early mornings and at night around East Fremantle and Mosman. Scoopers in the evening have found blue swimmer crabs near the Perth Flying Squadron Yacht Club. In Fremantle Harbour, the E-Shed wharf has offered family-friendly fishing for herring, tarwhine and yellowtail. At North Mole, a few bonito have popped up at the end and tailor fishing has been reasonable at dusk for those baitcasting mulies. Herring were at South Mole and at North Mole closer in near Port Beach, but burley is recommended. South Mole had small squid and they have also been caught from the sailing club rock walls further south. Blue swimmer crabs have been taken off South Beach by snorkellers. Cottesloe, Swanbourne and Floreat beaches have offered mainly herring with the odd small tailor and sand whiting in the mornings, although Cottesloe has produced the odd bigger fish around structure in the evenings. Tailor have been taken in the mornings at Yanchep Lagoon and in the evenings from the northern rock walls around Quinns and Alkimos. A couple of solid pink snapper were also caught at Alkimos Beach. Both mornings this weekend are looking great for a land-based flick. Sunday looks better with the light easterly wind expected but get out there early before you melt in the heat. A reminder that the abalone day of fishing has been given the green light for tomorrow, 17 February between 7:00-8:00am from DPIRD and Surf Life Saving WA but make sure you take caution when prowling the reefs. You can find some great safe abalone fishing tips from SLSWA here

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

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Catch Information

Species:
Australasian Snapper
Australasian Snapper

Barramundi
Barramundi

Black Bream
Black Bream

Black Marlin
Black Marlin

Blue Marlin
Blue Marlin

Bluefish
Bluefish

Bonefish
Bonefish

Bonito
Bonito

Breaksea Cod
Breaksea Cod

Brown Trout
Brown Trout

Coral Trout
Coral Trout

Dhufish
Dhufish

Dusky Flathead
Dusky Flathead

Flathead Catfish
Flathead Catfish

Flounder
Flounder

Giant Trevally
Giant Trevally

Goldband Snapper
Goldband Snapper

Goldlined Seabream
Goldlined Seabream

Skipjack Tuna
Skipjack Tuna

This Fishing Report was submitted on 2/16/2024 1:12:10 AM by Seamus and last updated on 2/22/2024 8:05:43 AM.


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3/45 Northside Drive
Hillarys, WA AU


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