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

 | By Seamus on 8/16/2024 3:36:17 AM | Views (152)
Recfishwest Newsletter
Recfishwest
Fishing Report
16/08/24
Red throat emperor are very common in our northern waters and while they are generally smaller in size compared to their cousins, they are right up there as far as taste goes. 
Our contributors
Sam Bock
Sam Russell
Jarrad Lawford
Sedin Hasanovic 
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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!

Premiership eagle Mark Lecras @mlecras2 christened his new boat out from Cheynes Beach Caravan Park on the south coast and a couple of small squid led to these two thumping inshore Samsonfish! 

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PAY US A VISIT AT THE 2024 CLUB MARINE PERTH BOAT SHOW!
The Recfishwest crew will be at the 2024 Club Marine Perth Boat show to answer any questions you may have about fishing across WA, with everyone who signs up as Recfishwest premium members receiving exclusive Halco lures to go target pelagics! Click on the banner image above for more info on this popular attraction. 
Broome catches
Commonly mistaken for sharks from the surface, cobia put up a great fight and their firm flesh is great on the barbecue. Image courtesy of @reefchiefaustralia. 

Boats

Sharks have continued to rule out most bottom fishing out wide but a few black marlin have been caught and sailfish have been in better numbers. Roebuck Bay has offered a few bluebone and saddletail snapper, while northern mulloway have been hanging about the ledges. Near the Fingers a few tripletail have been sighted underneath drifting weed and debris. The local creeks have been very quiet, but thankfully Crab Creek has lived up to its name and produced mud crabs in good sizes and numbers. Saturday is looking best over the coming days on the forecast to duck out. 

Remember, If you donate your mangrove jack fish frames to an exciting first-of-its-kind Australian study, you can claim an exclusive Halco lure for free in return!

To better understand mangrove jack’s stock structure across northern Australia and ensure this popular fish remains sustainable into the future, Recfishwest is teaming up with DPIRD to drive this FRDC funded study “Basement Jacks – where’s your stock at?”

Simply hand your jack frames in with the heads and guts intact to Tackle World Broome and you’ll also go in the draw for a wicked Basement Jacks fishing shirt – so do your bit for fisheries science and get around it! Click here for more info.  

Shore-based

Town Beach Jetty has produced plenty of javelinfish along with small queenfish and trevally. Entrance Point and James Price Point have offered queenfish and trevally as well, while at the Port Jetty bust-offs from big giant trevally have been common but smaller trevally have mainly been the order of the day. Reefy structure at Quandong has held bluebone, coral trout and trevally. In Willie and Barred Creek mangrove jack, trevally and the odd barramundi have shown up. Whiting chasers have done well fishing the towards Cape Leveque, while down at Eighty Mile Beach threadfin salmon activity has slowed. Barramundi chasers in the Fitzroy River have fared well around Wilhem's Pool. 

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
Always a pleasure seeing a ripper of a striped marlin boat side! A great snap with the crew from @innkeepersportfishing

Boats

Crews have been doing well on a range of species at the Muirons and also at Long and Peak Islands. Plenty of red emperor have been caught anywhere between 10-50m depths with 18m a favoured depth. Keeping the reds company have been Rankin cod and coral trout, while Spanish mackerel have been in good numbers. Big goldband snapper have been in the in 80-110m depths and they have shown a liking for Vexed Bottom Meat jigs and Nomad Squidtrex Vibes, as well as the usual baits. Billfishing has been good out west with big black marlin the order of the day in 80-300m, mixed in with the marlin have been sailfish, wahoo, dolphinfish and big tuna, with many of the tuna staying deep and being taken on jigs, while trolled garfish baits and skirts have worked well on the other species. On the bottom out wide, goldband snapper and a few pearl perch have been caught in 100m-plus. Closer in on the west side small reef species such as spangled emperor and Chinaman cod have been in good numbers, as were Spanish mackerel in the 10-15kg range. Spanish mackerel have also been active on the shoals in Exmouth Gulf, along with a few school mackerel and golden trevally, while on the bottom in the Gulf spangled emperor and blue-lined emperor have been caught. A few Rankin cod and coral trout have turned up as well and spearfishers have been getting red emperor. Manta rays were seen in the Gulf this week, suggesting there may be cobia around. Close in, squid fishers have been bagging out regularly with the Shimano Sephia Clinch Jet Boost jigs doing well on them. Also in 2-3m depths crews have been rewarded with good feeds of sand whiting and garfish. Saturday morning is looking like a good window but expect the swell and southerly winds to increase over the weekend. 

Remember, If you donate your mangrove jack fish frames to an exciting first-of-its-kind Australian study, you can claim an exclusive Halco lure for free in return!

To better understand mangrove jack’s stock structure across northern Australia and ensure this popular fish remains sustainable into the future, Recfishwest is teaming up with DPIRD to drive this FRDC funded study “Basement Jacks – where’s your stock at?”

Simply hand your jack frames in with the heads and guts intact to Exmouth Tackle & Camping and you’ll also go in the draw for a wicked Basement Jacks fishing shirt – so do your bit for fisheries science and get around it! Click here for more info.  

Shore-based

Whiting have been in big numbers all along Exmouth Gulf, with Learmonth Jetty fishing very well for them. Learmonth has also offered squid and a few mangrove jack, while at Bundegi small trevally, queenfish and whiting have been the main catches. The marina has held its usual fare of bream, cod, mangrove jack and small trevally, with squid on the ocean-side rockwall. Squid have also been active at the industrial estate, while at Wapet Creek flathead and whiting have been the main catches. Spangled emperor have been caught at Oyster Reef, the Lighthouse and Mildura Wreck with the odd bluebone among them. Tantabiddi has held whiting, spangled emperor and squid.

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
Tuna have been in decent numbers when the water was a bit cleaner, with @the_bite_wa landing this healthy specimen north of town this week. 


Boats

Big swells have ruled out offshore action with only the odd boat heading out during weather windows to pull cray pots. One or two boats have crossed the river to target big tailor at Oyster Reef, but the big swells have been a challenge. There were reports of a billfish jumping south of town but these were more than likely Spanish mackerel which would be worth targeting early next week. This weekend is a write-off unfortunately with wild wind and swell but Monday morning onwards should see calmer conditions. 

Shore-based

Murchison River mulloway have been the main target this week with the town marina being the most consistent spot, followed by the Sand Spit. Construction work has blocked off river mouth access, while most of the tracks up river have been too boggy, limiting fishing locations. Whiting have been at the Sand Spit as well and also at the foreshore, while bream and cod have been caught from the marina and further up river. Chopper tailor have been taken from the marina jetty in the evenings, while mud crabs have been active in the system as well. Big swells have ruled out cliff fishing, but a few chopper tailor have been caught at Red Bluff and Wittecarra. Better tailor to 55cm have been caught at Back Beach and Siphons.

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

The weather has been very poor as has the water clarity, which affected inshore squidding. Skippy activity from the near-shore reefs has tapered off as well. Tuesday onwards could hold better weather for the boats, there's hope in sight!  

Shore-based

Beach fishing was good north of town last weekend when Northampton District Angling Club members went to Horrocks and fished from Bowes River northwards, where they encountered school-sized mulloway in big numbers with the biggest going about a metre. Tailor were less prolific but the size was good, with several fish around the 70cm mark landed. Big yellowfin whiting were also caught in good numbers with one monster of 45cm caught and plenty of 30cm fish in catch bags. A hot session on 35-40cm whiting was enjoyed at Drummond Cove this week, while in town the whiting action has been very hot and cold but when they have been on plenty of varied sized fish have come from the rock walls near the Fishing Boat Harbour. Fishing has been very quiet south of town and no reports of tailor came in this week. A Facebook post suggested blue swimmer crabs were inside of Batavia Coast Marina.

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


Boats

Not a single boat launched this week thanks to the dodgy conditions but there should be some reprieve from this rough weather from Tuesday onwards next week. If last week is anything to go by, there should be plenty of options with a chance of tuna out wide and a mix of whiting, squid, snook, herring, skippy and tailor in the bay. Hang in there!   

Shore-based

It was rough going for the land-based fishos too. Peter Fullarton sent a few baits out with the drone but struggled to keep the line out with wind, swell and weed playing havoc and this weekend looks to be a write off. Thankfully there were heaps of herring off the jetty after sunset which has been a reliable option. Scented gulp seems to make a big difference for strikes as the herring love the smell, so make sure you give this a go. 

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

​Boats

Pink snapper and big nannygai have been the order of the day at Baines Reef, while breaksea cod have been plentiful at Long Island. Big queen snapper have been landed at Douglas Patch, while Black Island has yielded big Samsonfish. Big sand whiting have been caught in Wylie Bay and at Lion Island, while sizeable King George whiting and squid have shown up at Lovers Cove. Esperance Bay has held good numbers of squid and snook. All of this week isn't looking great unfortunately, with wild winds and undulating swell. 

Shore-based

At Dunns and Rossiter beaches mulloway and gummy sharks have been caught at the high and low tide changes, while good numbers of salmon have shown up at Wylie Bay and big sand whiting and flathead have been caught at the western end of the bay. Roses and 14-Mile beaches have held salmon to 6kg and skippy to 4kg, while Lovers Cove has produced skippy to 2kg. The Jetty has fished well for herring and squid, while Taylor Street Jetty has been a hotspot for big garfish at night. Bandy Creek Boat Harbour has offered King George whiting and bream.

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


Boats

Albany’s winter weather curse has struck again with even King George Sound ruled out for boaties during most of this week. Hopefully the water clears and weather windows can be found next week to fish the sound for King George whiting and squid, which have been about in reasonable numbers. Former West Coast Eagles star Mark LeCras picked up his new boat in Albany this week and was fortunate enough to find a weather window. He and a couple of mates launched from Cheynes and fished in 15m depths, landing a couple of 20kg-plus Samsonfish (seen above in pic of the week), along with breaksea cod and harlequin fish. In Frenchman Bay kayakers have picked up herring and King George whiting. The wind and swell are all over the place over the next few days but Wednesday onwards should hopefully hold some better boating weather. 

Shore-based

With the beaches carved up by big swells, shore fishing options have been limited. Once again squid seem the best bet and modest hauls have come from sheltered locations such as the town marina, Emu Point and Frenchman Bay. It’s worthwhile keeping an eye on the tides because water movement often produces clear patches making targeting squid much easier. Frenchman Bay and Emu Point have offered reasonable numbers of small King George whiting, along with herring, while more herring have been caught at the town marina among the many pickers. Small skippy have shown up at the marina from time to time as well. Bream chasers can head to King and Kalgan rivers and fish the snags but numbers there have been down, although there have been whispers of mulloway in the Kalgan River. The mouths of these rivers also produce herring and juvenile salmon at times. Otherwise, Wilson Inlet could offer sheltered fishing for a range of species, including herring, King George whiting, flathead and bream. Before the huge swells lashed the coast there had been reports of salmon at Bremer Bay and a couple have been landed near Bluff Creek this week.

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


Boats

It's been pretty bleak for boaties in the South-West as well. Late last week some good squid were found off the BP spur and skippy and herring were easy to burley up throughout inshore waters, but since then it has been very quiet. It was better in Geographe Bay for those able to find a weather window with small King George whiting, decent squid, herring and skippy the main catches. The strong winds are sticking around over the coming days and the next ideal window looks like Wednesday morning. 

Shore-based

Most of the beaches north and south of town have been weeded out, with not even drone fishers able to get any action. The Bunbury Cut and Back Beach rockwalls could offer a few herring, while Blinking Billy near the land-based wharf has produced big blue swimmer crabs. A few rat bream have been in the Collie River. Busselton Jetty has been very quiet, producing only few squid and the odd herring. There were no reports of pink snapper taken from the jetty during the blow but a couple were caught at Dunsborough and Walyalup off the beaches this week.

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. 

Last week it was an impressive brown trout for @freshwest_ and now he's been getting stuck into some healthy rainbow trout in our South-West. It's a great time of year to get out there and have a crack for these beauties with the freshwater systems starting to flow faster. 
At Harvey Dam redfin perch have been active around structure, with the bigger fish hitting spoons and largish soft plastics while also taking worms and live baits. Rainbow trout have been caught at Drakesbrook Weir and Waroona Dam. The feeder creeks at Drakesbrook Weir have produced nice rainbows despite the dirty water, along with the odd small brown trout. Rainbow trout have also been taken at Lane Pool near Dwellingup, while big brood stock rainbows have been landed in the Pemberton area, mainly on fly. The King River in Albany is believed to be holding trout as well. Wellington Dam and the Collie River upstream near the town have offered decent redfin perch.
Mandurah and surrounds


Mandurah

Boats: Miserable weather has continued to severely limit options with boaties confined to the estuary where, if clear pockets can be found usually on an incoming tide, herring and juvenile salmon have been caught. The estuary end of the Dawesville Cut has been heavily targeted by boaties chasing King George whiting but the sizes are small and the conditions far from pleasant. The next week isn't looking much better either with stronger winds and undulating swell. Thursday onwards might calm down.  
 
Land-based: It hasn’t been much better from the shore either. This week’s cold fronts failed to produce pink snapper for drone fishers or casters. On a calm day, the more sheltered beaches such as Seascapes or Falcon could produce herring, silver bream or maybe a skippy if weed-free, and using burley would be a big advantage. In the estuary, bream catches have been consistent from the canals and marinas and good fish have been in the Murray River as well. Soft plastics should do the job on them, or baits such as prawn, mulie or mullet cubes. Small chopper tailor and herring have shown up under the lights at the Mandurah bridges from time to time, while slack water at the Dawesville Cut has yielded herring and the odd skippy.

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: Squid have been the main fare this week and catches have been good in Cockburn Sound, Mangles Bay and inside of Garden Island. Minimal King George whiting catches have been reported, but sand whiting have been in better numbers, again in Cockburn Sound, Mangles Bay and Garden Island and also on Parmelia Bank. Good numbers of skippy and herring have turned up for those using burley and yellowtail kingfish and Samsonfish are always a chance, especially on broken ground in deeper water. Rowboat Reef and Mewstones have held their usual fare of tailor and herring. It's looking rough on the forecast over the next week so patience is a virtue. 

Land-based: Beach fishing has been quiet and pink snapper failed to show up this week. As a consolation, Secret Harbour and Port Kennedy beaches offered tailor up to 70cm. Long Point has held tailor as well but on the smaller side, along with herring, whiting and skippy. Herring and whiting have been at the Penguin Island spit and Warnbro Beach, while skippy have been taken in the same areas. The Ammo Jetty has held herring, the odd skippy and a few squid, as did Woodman Point. Garfish should also show up there again when conditions are calm. Small chopper tailor, herring and the odd squid have been the main catches at Palm Beach and Rockingham jetties. Herring have been in good numbers around Point Peron, which should also offer squid when conditions improve.

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
With the demersal closure in full swing Samsonfish are a great alternative if you want to give your forearms a burn, with @nautibouyzfishing getting stuck into some chunky specimens this week off Perth around the inshore reefs. 

Boats

Most crews have been targeting whiting on near-shore missions when weather windows have arisen. King George whiting have seemed reluctant to come to the party, but sand whiting have saved the day and were taken off South Fremantle, at the Windmills and in 10-15m depths off City Beach. A few King George whiting have been taken at the Three-Mile Reef and inshore off Hillarys where they have been kept company by solid skippy. Most whiting chasers have picked up skippy and herring when burley has been used. Tailor and herring have been hanging around Stragglers, while squid chasers have found a few off South Fremantle. Some big Samsonfish turned up on clearer days around the inshore reefs such as Stragglers and Mewstones. In the Swan River kayakers covering a lot of ground have encountered bream between Redcliffe Bridge and the Causeway, while a few blue swimmer crabs have been taken in the deepest pockets of the river. It's not looking ideal on the metro forecast over the next week with strong winds and lots of rain expected. Tuesday onwards should see flatter waters albeit with more rain expected. 

Get your entries in for Fremantle Sailing Club's epic Yellowtail Kingfish Competition coming up on 7 September! Scan the QR code to enter or click here

Shore-based


The metro beaches with a fair amount of reef such as Cottesloe, Trigg and Ocean Reef produced good catches of tailor this week after the swell dropped off, with surface lures having the best results. Image courtesy of @compleatanglernedlands

Anglers braving the cold fronts caught good numbers of pink snapper at North Mole and a couple were landed from northern rockwalls and by drone fishers on far-northern metro beaches, which have also produced 15-20kg mulloway, good tailor and herring. The leeward side of North Mole, South Mole and the rockwalls around the Fremantle Sailing Club have offered a few herring and garfish. Dirty water has slowed squid catches in these areas but one or two good ones have been taken. Late August can be an excellent time to target big skippy from the moles, with blue sardines or whitebait fished on a small gang with a burley cage or light sinker the preferred method. This should be worth a try at Cottesloe Groyne where decent skippy have shown up along with a few herring. In the Swan River some decent bream have been taken on hard-bodied lures around Claremont and Crawley, while baits and soft plastics have worked well on bream at times around the Narrows and Canning Bridge. It will be wet and windy land-based fishing conditions this weekend but snapper are a good chance again off the Moles. 

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 Marlin
Black Marlin

Bluefish
Bluefish

Breaksea Cod
Breaksea Cod

Brown Trout
Brown Trout

Cobia
Cobia

Coral Trout
Coral Trout

Dusky Flathead
Dusky Flathead

Flathead Catfish
Flathead Catfish

Giant Trevally
Giant Trevally

Goldband Snapper
Goldband Snapper

Golden Trevally
Golden Trevally

Gummy Shark
Gummy Shark

Mahi-mahi
Mahi-mahi

Mangrove Red Snapper
Mangrove Red Snapper

Mulloway
Mulloway

Nannygai
Nannygai

Pearl Perch
Pearl Perch

This Fishing Report was submitted on 8/16/2024 3:36:17 AM by Seamus and last updated on 8/21/2024 6:58:53 AM.


Location

3/45 Northside Drive
Hillarys, WA AU


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