Recfishwest's State-Wide Fishing Report 13 June 2025 🎣

Carnarvon’s recent Carnar-Fin Fishing Competition has gone down as one of the biggest turnouts for the cherished Gascoyne event since its inception in 1992! 

As seen in this great footage kindly shared to us by Andrew Robertson from @gascoynemedia, more than 220 anglers in 70 boats hit the waters of Carnarvon to battle with top quality species, with Recfishwest also lending a hand at the kids fishing clinic on the fascine that was packed with 130 excited youngsters.

This family-friendly, week-long celebration of fishing is a favourite on Carnarvon's social calendar and brings people from across WA together, long may it continue!

Click here for our full Carnar-Fin recap!

Crews fishing in 30m have enjoyed success on northern mulloway, fingermark perch, blue-lined emperor, bluebone and big Spanish flag. A good sailfish was landed off Barn Hill and smaller ones have been in reasonable numbers 25km or so west of town. In Roebuck Bay fingermark perch, cod and northern mulloway have been taken from Black Ledge and the edge of the Deeps. Tripletail have been found lurking around the moorings. The Fingers has fished better than the town creeks, offering a few decent threadfin salmon, with Dampier and Crab Creeks being reliable for a feed of mud crabs. Bluebone and spangled emperor have been caught close in off Entrance and Gantheaume Points. The afternoons and evenings should see the lowest easterly winds this week, so that would be the best boating window if the tides allow decent launches and retrievals.

Dirty water has slowed the fishing in Exmouth Gulf, but the west side of the Cape has been going well. Sailfish have been caught in good numbers from 150m and Spanish mackerel have been active off Tantabiddi and at Helby Bank. Spangled emperor and Chinaman cod are rewarding crews targeting the lagoons, while the 15-60m depths have offered Rankin cod, coral trout and a few red emperor. Goldband snapper have been in good numbers in 80-90m and the 100m depths have yielded saddletail snapper, pearl perch and Robinson sea bream. At the back of the Muirons, Spanish mackerel and golden trevally have been in good numbers, while red emperor and Rankin cod have been active with a few coral trout in shallower depths. In the Gulf, spangled emperor and blue-lined emperor have been the main catches at the Shoals and Spanish mackerel have turned up at times. Despite the dirty water squid fishing has been consistent. Blue swimmer crabs have been taken at the bottom of the Gulf, while mud crabs have been more widespread with Learmonth serving as a good starting point. Thankfully conditions on both the western and Gulf side of Exmouth look better this coming week on the forecast for the boats, so it should see more comfortable fishing.

@antsimper and his youngster had a cracking session of fishing in our North-West recently, with this solid cod accompanying other great captures including some very nice red emperor, coral trout and giant herring. 

In the Exmouth Gulf the town marina has produced some good squid from the ocean rock wall, along with sizeable queenfish and the odd giant trevally. Inside the marina saw bream, small, cod, trevally, queenfish and mangrove jack landed. The rocks at the industrial area have also provided a few squid. The Bundegi flats have produced nice queenfish and giant trevally as well as squid and mangrove jack at night. Learmonth has offered mainly bream and the odd queenfish, but it should get better as the water clears. Whiting fishing on the flats has been difficult, but that too should spice up this week. Wapet Creek fished well for whiting and also produced some decent bream. From VLF Bay to the north, spangled emperor and bluebone have been in reasonable numbers with unweighted squid and crab baits accounting for some good fish, especially near Mildura Wreck. Golden trevally have also turned up at times. At Tantabiddi and Winderabandi squid baits weighted with a small running sinker have worked well on spangled emperor in the lagoons.

Thomas River has produced gummy sharks, mulloway and skippy, while Dunns Beach held big salmon. Sizeable salmon schools have been spotted cruising past Roses Beach, while the corner of Warrenup Beach has produced gummy sharks. Near town, Fourth Beach has been the best bet for salmon, while King George whiting have been in good numbers at the town foreshore. Bandy Creek Boat Harbour has been going well for bream and King George whiting, while Town and Taylor Street jetties have offered squid and herring. Woody Lake has been the best location for 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. 

Emu Point has held lots of herring and small skippy. The town marina has also produced these species along with some nice bream and squid. Better squid fishing has been at Frenchman Bay and around Whaleworld, with these locations holding lots of herring as well as King George whiting. Gull Rock held herring, small skippy and tarwhine, which have also been in plague proportions at Denmark’s Ocean Beach. Herring and skippy have been in good numbers at Bluff Creek and Cheynes. The beach at Salmon Holes has produced herring as well, but there have been no reports of salmon from any of the beaches. Bream fishing has been steady in the King and Kalgan rivers, but the standout location this week was the Hay River, where bream to 40cm have been smashing lures.

Cheers to the Trailblazers Albany crew for their fishing 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. 

Fremantle’s North Mole has been absolutely packed this week as hopeful anglers tried their luck in the hope of landing a pink snapper. Most missed out with only two or three landed each session among the hundred or so people fishing. During the day at North Mole saw herring, garfish, slimy mackerel, skippy, snook and a few squid. South Mole offered mainly herring, skippy and a couple of juvenile Samsonfish, while Fremantle Harbour produced herring, yellowtail and slimy mackerel. The South Fremantle rock walls threw up a few juvenile Samsonfish, as well as herring, skippy, tarwhine and the odd squid. Hillarys, Mindarie, Two Rocks and Ocean Reef were other rock walls that produced pink snapper, as did the northern beaches, where drone fishers picked up a couple of small dhufish and the odd mulloway. The northern beaches have also been fishing well for herring and tailor in the 35-40cm range with the odd one up to 60cm thrown in. A baitcast garfish on ganged hooks has long been a proven way to catch big tailor. A couple of anglers throwing poppers around South Beach have also had big hits they believed to be large tailor, while reefy areas around Cottesloe often produce big tailor this time of year. Floreat and City beaches have offered mainly herring and a few small tailor, skippy and sand whiting. In the lower reaches of the Swan River a few tailor, small mulloway and bream have been kicking about, but see the above article for areas to avoid due to the sewage spillages. Better mulloway have been caught around Canning Bridge and in the Belmont and Bayswater areas. The Causeway to Maylands stretch of river has fished well for flathead which seem to have fired up after the recent rains. This has also made bream much less widespread as they gather in schools to move down river. Mt Henry Bridge in the Canning River, Canning Bridge, the Causeway, Optus Stadium, Garratt Road Bridge, Maylands and Bayswater should all be worth a try for bream chasers. Saturday morning may work for some looking to take advantage of the easterlies off the beaches. From that point forwards a sheltered place or somewhere where the westerly is at your back may work in the Swan River.

A big thanks to Compleat Angler Nedlands for their great tips! These guys are all avid fishers, know the best spots for every particular species and have provided great support to Recfishwest and metro fishers for many years. Make sure you ask their super friendly team for advice at their store just off Stirling Highway and stock up before wetting a line off the land or boat!