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Shore-Based

Barred Creek has been firing for small trevally and also whiting, which have been taking top-water lures. Cable Beach and Coconut Wells are also worth a shot for whiting. Trevally and small queenfish have been the main catches at the Town Beach Jetty and the same species have been caught at Entrance Point. It’s been very hard to catch a barramundi in the Fitzroy River this week, but most catches were reported on live baits. A big thanks to the 170+ kids who turned up for the Broome Fishing Club’s Kimberley Marine Supply Base Kids Fishing Classic supported by Recfishwest! A lot of great captures were reeled in and released and we look forward to returning next year.

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

The town maria has offered its usual fare of small trevally, cod, bream and queenfish, while a few squid have been taken from the outside rock wall. Down at Learmonth a few bluebone have been caught off the jetty, along with queenfish, bream, squid and whiting. Queenfish and trevally have been active at Bundegi, while Wapet Creek has yielded bream and the odd mangrove jack. The Mildura Wreck has produced a few spangled emperor and bluebone and a balloon fisher picked up a Spanish mackerel around 15kg nearby this week. Tantabiddi boat ramp has been much busier than usual and fishing from the shore there has been quiet.

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

Finally a usable weekend is forecast for the boaties! Lobster boats have been reporting an increase in numbers of tuna schools offshore, so it would be worth a troll of skirts or minnows that can reach speeds of about 8-11 knots. If you manage to find the schools, try drifting with the wind towards the schools and cast stickbaits or metals before winding as fast as possible to entice a strike. Kayaks and small boats should find the bay in pristine condition with awesome water clarity, so expect bags of snook, skippy, King George whiting and herring. Squid have also been highly active in the bay. The 2m swell and moderate easterly winds will make it rather choppy out on the water but launching should still be possible. Late on Sunday and most of Monday is looking better on the forecast at this stage.

Shore-Based

Lancelin jetty has been fishing very well for herring on the stormy nights. With clear water and low tides, the herring were tentative to bite on the calmer evenings, requiring a little more effort to gather a feed. There has also been some good catches of squid and sand whiting in the early mornings off the jetty too. Beaches were fishing extremely well with some great greenback tailor in the gutters along with a run of school mulloway in the 60-80cm range. One group of several fishers sent drone baits out mid-afternoon and hit the jackpot. They scored a 7kg snapper and 12.4kg dhufish on the first drop, then followed it up with another 8kg dhufish before calling it a day and sharing fillets around. Just shows you don’t need a boat to have a great time on the demersals off the sand!

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

Yellowtail kingfish have been active at Boxer Island, along with good-sized nannygai and breaksea cod, while Observatory and Lion Islands have produced plenty of queen snapper. Thumping Samsonfish have been stretching arms at Black Island, while at Cooper Reef skippy have been thick. Skippy and King George whiting have been plentiful at Flat Rocks, while big sand whiting have been taken off Chapman Point. In Esperance Bay herring, snook and squid have fished well. Early on Sunday is looking like your best boating window on the forecast.

Shore-Based

Dunns Beach has produced gummy sharks, while Rose Beach has offered salmon and mulloway. Big skippy have been caught at 14-Mile Beach, while good numbers of salmon have been landed at Fourth Beach and Salmon Beach. The Town Jetty has been reliable for squid, herring and garfish, while King George whiting have been running hot at 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

Despite good conditions late last week few reports came in apart from the regulars in King George Sound who picked up medium-sized King George whiting, herring and a few sand whiting. Big flounder have been a prominent bycatch in the Sound this year and one or two flathead have been in the mix as well. Late on Saturday and early on Sunday look like your best boating windows albeit with a bit of rain expected.  

Shore-Based

Frenchman Bay has been the most reliable spot for squid this week with most fishers picking up five or six in a session for a delicious feed. Squid activity has been much quieter around Albany. Frenchman Bay has also held herring, but they have been in much better numbers towards Denmark. Pink snapper have been seen swimming out of the opened Wilson Inlet, suggesting McGeary Rock could be a good spot to pick one up. Big King George whiting are likely being drawn in by the nutrient-rich dirty water so beaches near the Inlet should produce a few, while the Inlet’s upper reaches have yielded a few bream. At the town marina in Albany it’s been mainly herring and pickers with the odd squid turning up. Bream fishing in the King and Kalgan Rivers has been good and the Taylor Inlet has produced a few as well, along with juvenile salmon and herring. Most of the small rivers up to Walpole have opened to the sea and have offered this mix of species. East of Cheynes Beach a few pink snapper have been landed, while the tourist rocks have offered herring and skippy. The odd salmon has shown up at Cheynes when bait schools have been around.

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

The weather has been pretty feral of late, but a few crews have found skippy, King George whiting and squid either side of Bunbury. Geographe Bay has offered more protection and has fished well for the same species. King George whiting in particular have been in good numbers at the Four-Mile Reef. Kayak fishers in the bay have been working hard for a feed of smallish King George whiting and squid. In the Leschenault Estuary dinghy fishers trolling ganged whitebait, small Halco Twistys and Atomic Hardz Jerk Minnow 65’s have found a few herring and chopper tailor. Your best bet for a fish off the boat is today or tomorrow before it turns wet and windy again from Sunday onwards.  

Shore-Based

Pink snapper fishing has been steady from beaches either side of town, but not many hot sessions have been reported. Drone fishers have done best as weed has been a problem at times. Drone fishers have also picked up a few dhufish around Dunsborough. Most local beaches have offered mainly herring and the odd chopper tailor with Preston and Buffalo among the better spots, while the Bunbury Cut, Back Beach and Dalyellup have been thick with herring. Snapper chasers at Busselton Jetty have reported a couple of catches here and there, but herring and squid have been in reasonable numbers. In the Collie River bream fishing has been going very well.  

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.

Logue Brook Dam has been producing a nice mix of brown and rainbow trout, but it has been harder going for trout fishers in Waroona and Harvey Dams. Small redfin have been in good numbers in Harvey Dam and a few trout have been sighted on the north-east side. Collie River has offered mostly rainbow trout, while perch have been in good numbers around the Collie town site and at Wellington and Glen Mervyn Dams. Big redfin have been active around their Pemberton strongholds. Although water levels have been rising, kayak fishers in the dams have been finding levels quite a bit lower than last season and have found trolling lures that dive to 4-5m better than the deeper diving models. Gold or brown-coloured hard-bodies have been very successful when trolled, while land-based fishers have done best on soft plastics. With the recent rains many South-West rivers have been flowing very strongly and the feeder streams have been much easier to fish, with the deeper sections at the back of rushing water a good spot to try for trout sitting in ambush.  

Boats

King George whiting, sand whiting and skippy have been the main species targeted this week with the Five-Fathom Bank and the 25-30m depths off Dawesville producing bigger KG’s. Sand whiting have been prolific inside the Five. There have been whispers of a few squid caught in the Peel-Harvey Estuary near the Dawesville Cut when clear water can be found, which won’t be easy this week given the tides aren’t favourable. Today and tomorrow are looking best on the forecast for the boaties.

Shore-Based

Pink snapper seem to have gone quiet from the reefy beaches and the rock walls either side of town, while the cracking run of winter tailor at Tims Thicket and White Hills seems to have dried up as well. Finding a sheltered beach on a calm day, throwing in some burley and targeting herring and sand whiting on small hooks baited with squid could be the best option this week. Another good bet is the estuary’s canals and marinas which have been fishing well for bream, tarwhine, herring and skippy. The Murray River has offered plenty of bream, with soapy mulloway taken as well. A few soapies have turned up in the Serpentine River too. The town traffic bridges could throw up a tarwhine or two and small King George whiting.

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

Skippy and King George whiting have been the main species targeted this week with sizeable skippy being taken near the Garden Island causeway and behind Penguin Island. King George whiting have been active in Mangles Bay and on Parmelia Bank where they have been mixed in with sand whiting. Squid fishers have struggled to find clear water, but when they have catches have been good in 3-7m. The immediate weather forecast is looking decent for the boaties with today and tomorrow your best bet.    

Shore-Based

Secret Harbour produced a few pink snapper this week and most local beaches also offered solid tailor, with a few bigger models to 60cm. Herring and a few sand whiting have been the main fare on local beaches. Herring have been plentiful at Palm Beach Jetty around sunrise and a few sand whiting have been caught during the day. Rockingham and the Ammo Jetty have offered these species too along with scaly mackerel. The jetties have fished well for squid and they tended to do much better than the rocks. At Woodman Point herring have been the main catch and burley has helped bring them in.

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

She’s been a very gusty week at times in the metro which made the fishing tough going, but some nice windows popped up on occasions. Probably the most impressive fishing action of late has been the swordfish being caught over the last few weeks. They’re a really elusive fish in WA compared to other parts of the world, but out off the continental shelf they’re being encountered fairly consistently of late, with a 70kg one landed this week (as seen in our pic of the week). Very big squid have also been caught on the shelf, some with 60cm hoods! Closer in most fishers have been targeting skippy on the lumps out from Fremantle and near the north metro reefs. Some of the skippy landed have been nudging 60cm. King George whiting have been active in these areas too, but have been modest in size. Sand whiting have been in good numbers off City Beach in 10-15m and in north metro inshore waters where they were mixed in with King George whiting at the Windmills. Tailor have been caught at Mewstones in the whitewash. The better squid fishing has been out from South Fremantle in the patchy grounds. Today through to midday tomorrow is looking like a pleasant boating window before the stronger winds return alongside the rain so make the most of it.    

Shore-Based

Pink snapper fishing has been steady from the rock walls with the northern rocks fishing just as well as the Fremantle Moles, with Ocean Reef producing a couple of nice pinkies this week. The northern beaches have produced some good tailor and pink snapper when the weed wasn’t too bad with drone fishers doing best on the snapper, while reasonable skippy have been caught inside the northern marinas. Cottesloe Groyne fished well for herring and skippy and big winter tailor are also a chance there, as are pink snapper after a blow. Herring and skippy have been the main catches at the Moles apart from a few pink snapper, but the bottom of the tide has yielded a few mulloway as well. In the Swan River school-sized mulloway have been active, mainly between the Causeway and Maylands. This stretch has also produced good numbers of smaller bream pushing 30cm. Better size bream have been caught in fewer numbers past the Narrows and near the yacht clubs in the middle reaches. The structure at Canning Bridge regularly produces big bream too, especially when the current slows. Flathead have been landed in ones and twos at Claremont and Applecross, with more catches reported up river to Garratt Road Bridge. The Canning Bridge to Mt Henry Bridge stretch in the Canning River has produced a few flatties too. Tonight and tomorrow until midday looks like the best land-based fishing window before the storms return from Sunday.

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!