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Shore-Based

Town Beach Jetty has been packed out with holidaymakers who have been catching queenfish, trevally and the odd bream around the pylons, while bigger queenfish have been caught at Entrance Point. Whiting have been in good numbers at Cable Beach, Town Beach and Coconut Wells, while trevally and a few mangrove jack have been caught at Willie Creek. Campers at Quandong have been targeting trevally, queenfish and bluebone. In the Fitzroy River barramundi have been caught towards the salt.

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.

Shore-Based

Exmouth Station in Exmouth Gulf proved a hotspot for whiting this week with big numbers of decent-sized fish jostling for surface lures and vibes and also being caught on bait. Elsewhere in the Gulf whiting fishing has been slower, but any sandy beach is worth a crack for them. Learmonth Jetty has been quieter than usual, but a few small trevally and queenfish have been taken on metal slices, while bream and the odd mangrove jack have been caught around the pylons. Squid fishing around Learmonth has been fair to middling. Fishing in the town marina has been steady with small queenfish, cod, bream and trevally caught, while squid and bigger queenfish have been landed from the outside rock wall. Queenfish and trevally have been menacing hardyhead schools at Bundegi, so it’s worth flicking around stickbaits or poppers here. Wind conditions have set spangled emperor chasers a challenge around the tip of the Gulf, but a few good ones have been caught, along with the odd golden trevally and queenfish. Spangled emperor have also been landed at Tantabiddi along with a few darts.

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!

Boats

The swell has remained consistent throughout the week and only a few boats have been willing to brave the beach launch at risk of bogging the 4WD in the process. Unfortunately the foreseeable is looking no better across this weekend, but thankfully Monday and Tuesday could hold better windows. Tuna are a chance on the troll if you manage to duck out during that time.

Shore-Based

The beaches suffered badly from the recent storm and all the sand has been dragged off the beaches, leaving a steep soft slope from the dunes to the sea. Make sure you stick to the safe option by using the backtracks if you wish to give the 4WD a run. The storms do flush in clean oceanic waters, so it has been great to see beautiful blue nearshore waters. There’s been tailor in the waves, although it has been frustrating at times to get them to bite well with lots of half hearted lunges at the lures and the occasional hookup. The bay's southern beaches are a great place to cast lures and baits for an excellent spread of species such as flathead, flounder, yellowfin whiting, skippy, herring and tarwhine to name just a few. The local jetty was once again a great spot to grab a feed of herring each night.

Big 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. Peter knows the best spots around Lancelin like the back of his hand.

Boats

Nannygai and breaksea cod have been caught at Figure of Eight Island, while Samsonfish to 30kg have been landed at Black Island. Skippy and King George whiting have been taken at Flat Rocks, while big sand whiting have been active in Wylie Bay and at Lion Island. Esperance Bay has held herring and lots of squid. Saturday arvo/evening could hold okay conditions if you don’t mind the rain. Tuesday at this stage also looks promising.

Shore-Based

Membinup Beach has held gummy sharks, while school-sized mulloway and salmon have been active at Stockyards. Roses Beach and 14-Mile Beach have been hotspots for gummy sharks and big salmon, while sizeable flathead have been landed first thing in the morning at 10-Mile Lagoon. Sand whiting have been plentiful at Blue Haven Beach and big King George whiting have been caught along the town foreshore. Garfish and squid have been active at the town jetty, while Taylor Street Jetty has offered bull herring in the afternoons. Skippy and King George whiting have been swimming in Bandy Creek Boat Harbour.

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.

Boats

A nice weather window surfaced midweek which allowed bigger boats to get out to the coral ground where nannygai, pink snapper, dhufish and breaksea cod were caught. Crews that stayed in close had more opportunities to fish over the whole week and they did okay on squid and King George whiting around Limestone Head and the islands. While the weather isn’t improving across the weekend, there might be a chance to duck out on Tuesday. If you wish to wet a line this weekend, Saturday morning might be your best bet if you don’t mind getting wet.  

Shore-Based

Denmark’s Wilson Inlet has been opened, which means the landlocked pink snapper there have swum out to sea, but it is likely to be two-way traffic with more herring, skippy and King George whiting moving into the system. In Albany the town marina has been fairly quiet. Herring have been the best bet, but the pickers have been about in big numbers. The odd squid has been caught there, but squid fishing has been much better at Frenchman Bay and Whalers Cove, which have also yielded herring, snook and small King George whiting. Herring have been the main species caught along most of the local beaches and the resident salmon caught over the past fortnight at Cheynes have gone quiet, although herring and skippy should still be around. Bremer Bay has been a consistent spot for salmon this week, but not in big numbers. The King River has held bream, but the Kalgan has been fishing much better for them with some sizeable fish being caught on hard-bodied 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.

Boats

Conditions haven’t been ideal and there has been little boating activity, with perhaps many Bunbury fishers reluctant to get out into the cold weather. There should still be squid and cuttlefish about, while skippy and King George whiting are likely to be on the lumps and broken ground. In the Leschenault Estuary, dinghy fishers have been finding a few chopper tailor and plenty of herring. Dinghy fishers have been active in Geographe Bay which has proven more reliable than Bunbury for herring, squid and King George whiting. Your best option looks to be between Sunday and Tuesday albeit with a touch of rain and a bit of chop expected on the water.    

Shore-Based

Pink snapper really fired up when the storms hit this week, but it was a matter of finding a weed-free beach. Both sides of Bunbury produced at times and both casters and drone fishers got a sniff of the action. The odd decent tailor was picked up when clear water was found and herring were plentiful at most beaches. Busselton Jetty also produced its share of pink snapper along with a few big mulloway. The jetty has been going all right for squid and herring too. There were more catches of herring, chopper tailor and juvenile salmon around the Bunbury Cut, the Floodgates, Back Beach, Basalt Rocks and Dallyellup. The Collie River continued to fish well for bream and it has also offered mulloway up to 70cm. Beaches and rock platforms around Dunsborough have produced pink snapper as well and herring have been plentiful down that way.  

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.

Small brown trout and some big redfin perch have been taking deep-diving lures trolled by kayak fishers at Drakesbrook Weir. Harvey, Waroona and Wellington dams have fished well, mainly for redfin perch of varying sizes, but also the odd rainbow trout. The little feeder brooks at the back of Harvey Dam have been going very well for rainbows. The Collie and Capel rivers have fished well for redfin perch and Albany’s Lake McKail has held plenty of small ones. Glen Mervyn Dam and Collie’s Black Diamond Lake have also been reliable for redfin perch. Trout fishing has been going well in the Pemberton area, especially around Big Brook.

Boats

A few crews have been trying for big King George whiting in 15-20m out from Dawesville and a little south. The Five-Fathom bank has been another option for them and both locations have also held decent skippy. When it is calm and clear, tuna could be worth a crack when trolling on the 30m lines. When clearer patches can be found a squid mission off Seacapes or Falcon could also be worthwhile. A tried and tested method for both whiting and squid has been to fish a paternoster rig with a squid jig on one of the leaders and a small bait on the other. Crayfishing has improved for those dropping pots close in. Throughout the Peel Harvey Estuary herring have been abundant and have been keeping company with chopper tailor around the cleaner areas of the drop-offs. Sunday evening through to Tuesday looks slightly better on the forecast but it will likely be pretty choppy on the water this week.

Shore-Based

Pink snapper were caught predominately south of town during the aftermath of the weekend cold fronts. Tims Thicket and White Hills have been among the better spots with drone fishers doing a little better. A few big tailor and the odd school mulloway have been landed too. Most beaches have held plenty of herring and yellow-eyed mullet have been caught as well. The Dawesville Cut has produced mostly herring, but the canals and marinas have offered herring, skippy, tarwhine, bream and juvenile salmon. The strong run of bream and soapy mulloway in the Serpentine and Murray rivers has slowed, but both species are still worth targeting.

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!

Boats

Squid and King George whiting have been the main species targeted this week and they were in reasonable numbers in Mangles Bay, off Woodman Point, inside of Garden Island and out from Penguin Island. Good-sized skippy have been taken on the broken ground and have often been a bycatch for KG fishers, while plenty of anglers have been buying poppers and stickbaits with the intention of targeting big tailor on the exposed offshore reefs. Behind Garden Island feeding birds directed crews to tuna schools midweek. Saturday doesn’t look ideal on the forecast, but a better window should arise between Sunday evening and Tuesday.    

Shore-Based

Pink snapper catches have been decent with the storm fronts firing them up at Long Point for drone fishers and at Secret Harbour for both casters and drone fishers. Otherwise, most beach fishing has been quiet apart from good numbers of herring and a few sand whiting. Clearer water in a couple of gutters at Secret Harbour produced a few solid midweek winter tailor. Rockingham and Palm Beach jetties have held mainly herring and the odd sand whiting, but there could be a chance for early-morning squid. Woodman Point could be worth a crack for squid fishers and along with the Ammo Jetty it offered scaly mackerel, leatherjacket and herring. Point Peron is another land-based squid option in the mornings.

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!

Boats

Frustratingly, it feels like the weather for the past month has been manageable during the weekdays then decides to go haywire over the weekends, which is happening again this weekend! Late in the week saw crews venture out wide to again target the elusive broadbill swordfish, with not as many catches as last week. Big squid were reported out wide, but seemed pretty quiet on the inshore front. A few did turn up in the bays at Rottnest Island. King George whiting in the 40-45cm range and decent skippy were caught in reasonable numbers inshore at Rottnest, off Hillarys, at Stragglers and at the Three-Mile Reef. Smaller KG’s were caught along with sand whiting at Windmills and sand whiting were in good numbers off City Beach in 10-15m. Later in the week when the swells eased a few yellowtail kingfish were caught at Rottnest’s West End. Skippy, herring, garfish and slimy mackerel have been the main species caught inshore from Coogee up to Mindarie. Saturday is a write-off but there might be a chance to duck out on Sunday evening albeit with a touch of rain expected. Monday and Tuesday’s forecast look much better.  

Shore-Based

Weed was an issue for many pink snapper chasers this week with drone fishers doing best from the northern beaches. The rock walls also produced pinkies with North and South Moles back to their best and fishing better than their north metro counterparts. Herring, skippy, garfish and tarwhine have also been caught at the Moles, the South Fremantle rock walls and also at Hillarys and Mindarie. Sand whiting have been caught inside Hillarys marina, while one or two decent tailor were caught when clear water was found near reefy beaches such as Cottesloe and Trigg early in the week. Fishers targeted yellowtail kingfish at Rottnest Island late this week when the swells eased and managed to land some decent fish. This week’s rough weather fired up tailor in the Swan River with a couple of hot sessions producing fish around the 40cm mark at Canning Bridge and Applecross. Bream have been active in the Swan as far up as Maylands, but they have started to move down river in better numbers with catches improving at Canning Bridge, South Perth, the Narrows and near the yacht clubs. Bait and soft plastics have fished best for them. Mulloway up to a metre have been taken mainly on bigger soft plastics between the Narrows and Belmont. Flathead have been a bycatch for both bream and mulloway hunters. Tailor chasers did best using deeper-diving lures.

A big thanks to Compleat Angler Nedlands for their great metro 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!