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Hooking Up Anglers Since 2011.
19 September, 2025
Pic of the Week goes to 10-year old Levi Bowman @lb_adventures_youtube with this surprise silver perch! This species is not native to our South-West but were introduced and farmed in dams and impoundments, meaning they pop up in streams on occasions.
Message a snap of your capture to our Instagram page @recfishwest or the Recfishwest Facebook page and don’t forget to include where and how you caught it!
For your photos to be featured, make sure they follow our responsible fish handling and photography guidelines (fish held horizontally, minimal blood, one hand under the belly and the other around the tail, no fingers in gills, water or beach in background etc). Spearfishing snaps are also welcome. Stay safe, have fun and keep sharing your awesome catches!
Yesterday the WA Government released new science showing challenges for demersal scalefish across the State.
It goes without saying these are important species for WA fishers and coastal communities and this is a significant issue. Management is complex and recovery for long-lived demersal species takes time. We are across the detail and will ensure your interests are represented every step of the way.
You can read more on the links below:
Recfishwest’s statement
DPIRD’s science and information
Minister’s media release
Our Recfishwest crew will be at the 2025 Perth Boat Show from today until Sunday, 21 September to have a chat with fishers from across WA!
We’re here to listen to what matters most to WA fishers, so we can advocate for your interests where decisions are made. Your stories and experiences shape the work we do to protect and improve fishing and every conversation helps us better represent the fishing community.
If you sign up at the boat show as a premium member for $10/year, you’ll get an exclusive Halco/Recfishwest designed LaserPro 120 lure, Recfishwest branded stubby holder and member sticker and go into the draw for one of several $500 Shimano prize packs!
And, as a Recfishwest member, you will get our exclusive statewide fishing report, monthly Broadcast newsletter and Members First newsletter, keeping you up to speed with all the important fishing issues.
The Broome Fishing Club held their Barra comp over the weekend and 35 anglers made the most of some tough conditions, with Zach Skinner’s 103cm beast pictured here taking out the biggest catch! Click here to read their wrap up.
Conditions offshore were a rinse and repeat from last week, with black marlin and sailfish around the FADs and off Port Smith. Spanish mackerel and a few wahoo were caught either side of town anywhere from 2-10km out. A few bluebone and coral trout were taken close in off Entrance and Gantheaume Points. Threadfin salmon and barramundi have been active at Dampier Creek and the Fingers, while catches have improved a lot at Dampier Creek with some good barramundi landed. Plenty of mud crabs have been in the creek systems and a few mangrove jack have been caught out front of Barred Creek. Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon could hold decent windows before the stronger south-easterlies arrive in the mornings next week.
Town Beach Jetty fished well this week with its usual fare of bream, javelinfish, small trevally and queenfish bolstered by small barramundi and a few threadfin salmon. Conditions were good at Entrance Point too with those wading out finding trevally, queenfish and a couple of coral trout. Willie and Barred Creeks have offered mangrove jack, barramundi, trevally, queenfish and threadfin salmon. Threadfin salmon have been quiet at 80-Mile Beach. Last weekend’s barramundi comp in the Fitzroy River produced plenty of fish with catches most consistent between Langi Crossing and Telegraph Pool. Both baits and lures worked well.
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.
Heading away? Visit wildtrak.com.au and use our code ‘recfish1025’ at checkout for 10% off all online orders of Wildtrak’s awesome outdoor gear. Discount code works even if the item is already on sale, so take advantage before your next trip!
Scotsman Alex Rook ventures all the way over to Exmouth Gulf every year to enjoy some of the incredible fishing on offer with Ningaloo Sportfishing Charters and his main goal is to always enjoy catching as many different species as possible. This wolf herring joined a Rankin cod, coral trout and cobia on the deck and fishers like Alex are just one example of why we want to keep access to important fishing areas protected.
There’s been nowhere to hide from the northerly winds this week which have made fishing a challenge. The wind and chop pretty much shut down billfishing on the west side although a few bigger boats managed to find weather windows for goldband snapper in the 80m depths. A couple of crews that got out towards Barrow Island did well on red emperor and coral trout in 40-50m and found goldband snapper out deeper. A few Spanish mackerel have been caught out from the Lefroy passages. Only a few boats got to the Muirons and it was a bit miserable in Exmouth Gulf as well. Most crews there hugged the shoreline and picked up a few squid. Before the northerlies set in the Shoals had offered a few blue-lined emperor and the odd school mackerel and golden trevally. The weather is thankfully lining up nicely until at least Wednesday for the boaties so make the most of it.
Land-based fishers got the better of it this week, although the catches have been modest. Squid fishing has been going very well from the marina rock wall and the rocks at the light industrial area. The marina has also thrown up wolf herring and school mackerel, which have been eagerly taking small stickbaits. Bream have been active in the marina too, while the ever reliable Bundegi jetty has yielded small queenfish and trevally. Most of the Gulf’s beaches have been pretty carved up. Whiting schools can’t be seen and the northerlies have made fishing for spangled emperor and bluebone at the top of the Cape and down the west side very difficult, but hopefully the arrival of nice conditions will improve these odds. 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!
The kiss and release snap for @nickihuntfishing with a nice GT landed north of town.
Lumpy conditions greeted crews for the opening of the demersal season and catches consisted mainly of pink snapper taken at Sand Patch and off Red Bluff. Dinghy fishers found big tailor off Oyster Reef. Saturday and Sunday morning should hold decent boating conditions and it will only improve into next week.
Decent school mulloway have been taken at Red Bluff, with one angler landing two in the 70-80cm range on Tuesday morning. Another angler landed a pink snapper around 65cm early in the week. The stretch from Red Bluff to Shark Fin has offered chopper tailor and some very big herring. Tailor up to 70cm have been landed on surface lures and ganged garfish baits at the river mouth, Back Beach and Blue Holes, while Pot Alley has produced skippy, pink snapper and big tailor. Fishing has been good in the Murchison River. A week after a 17kg mulloway was landed at the town marina fuel jetty a young angler landed another one there of similar size. The Sand Spit could also be worth a crack for mulloway. Yellowfin whiting have been active on the town foreshore in front of IGA, while 30-35cm bream have been caught at the marina. A few blue swimmer crabs have been caught near the river mouth, but it’s been mostly mud crabs further up.Shout out to Kalbarri Sports and Dive for their tips! Feel free to venture into the store and ask for advice if you're wetting a line around Kalbarri.
The demersal season opened well with dhufish and baldchin groper landed in depths of 40m or less, both straight west and slightly north of town. Meanwhile, pictures emerged this week of an excellent bag of mackerel species caught by a regular trolling the back of the reef at Point Moore. In the one session he picked up a Spanish mackerel just over a metre, a broad-barred mackerel just under a metre and an 85cm spotted mackerel. Tuna schools were also reported in the area, so it pays to be trolling whenever you move around and try to switch up your fish rather than targeting just demersals. The weather still isn’t looking ideal over the coming days, but better boating conditions may return from Tuesday onwards.
A few pink snapper have been landed from beaches north of Drummond Cove, along with the odd school shark. More sharks have also been landed towards Coronation Beach. Tailor were quiet this week and whiting catches have been slow, but the northern end of Drummond Bay heading up to Morning Reef produced some thumping herring. An 18.5kg mulloway was landed just south of Drummond Cove, but it was the only mulloway capture reported this week. Blue swimmer crabs have been pulled up in the 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.
Not too many boats have managed to get out and test the waters for the new demersal season. The surge on the beach and rough seas have made it safer to wait until better conditions. Members of the Lancelin Angling Club will be heading out Saturday morning in search of a mixed bag of species to kick off the new fishing season calendar. It would also be worth a troll whenever you see bait on the sounder. The weekend forecast isn’t perfect, so skippers will need to take extra care. Watch the swells carefully before leaving the bay and keep an eye on conditions throughout the day. If you’re unsure, have a chat with a local about the safe passage in and out of the bay, and don’t be shy to ask for tips on managing launch and retrieve when the beach is surging.
The best tides always seem to line up with passing storms, which has made the beach gutters less productive. The military firing range has been holding deeper gutters than those closer to town, producing some solid tailor along with the odd mulloway. Weed has been another challenge as it has been shifting from day to day. Fishing during daylight hours has been the easiest way to spot the clearer patches for casting a line. One good way to beat the weed is by casting surface lures, which have tempted some hefty tailor. The Lancelin Jetty has also been firing after sunset, with good numbers of herring coming on the bite.
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.
Terrible conditions kept crews inshore this week. In Esperance Bay big squid, some with 45cm hoods, were landed, along with good numbers of herring. Lovers Cove yielded decent King George whiting and flathead, while some monster sand whiting were caught on the drift over the sand holes at Chapman Point. Saturday through to Monday morning should hold an opportunity to duck out.
The strong run of gummy sharks has continued with good catches coming from Poison Creek and Thomas River. Salmon and gummy sharks have been in good numbers at Dunn and Rossiter beaches, while sizeable skippy have been caught at Roses Beach. Fourth Beach has held salmon early in the morning, while Stockyards has yielded flathead and sand whiting. Bandy Creek Boat Harbour has offered King George whiting, while squid and herring have been caught off the Town Jetty.
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.
@matthewdeboer94 braved the conditions and landed some solid black bream - always a good option heading up river if the ocean is looking too gnarly!
King George whiting fishing has been good in parts of King George Sound despite the dirty water, with Frenchman Bay the most consistent area for them. Meanwhile, squid have been running hot and cold in the Sound with many crews missing out, but a few reported hot sessions in the murky depths. The odds could improve if they are targeted on bright-coloured jigs. Both days on the weekend look manageable to duck out, but Sunday is looking better on the forecast at this stage. Monday to Wednesday is also looking inviting.
Beaches out around Cheynes have fished well for herring and skippy, while Frenchman Bay and Whalers Cove have been the pick of the squidding spots while also offering herring and a few small King George whiting. Fishing has been quiet at the town marina where the water has often been dirty, while the water at Emu Point is almost black. The raging torrents of the King and Kalgan rivers have eased a little, but with all that fresh water flowing the lower sections of both rivers are likely to fish best for bream and mulloway. The Lower Kalgan Bridge would certainly be worth a crack.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.
The bigger the squid baits dropped down, the bigger the Sambo - wise words from @wadefennell_ who landed this beauty off Busselton this week.
Early demersal reports trickling in suggest crews found pink snapper and dhufish in reasonable numbers out from Bunbury and Busselton, mainly in 20-30m. King George whiting also fished well straight out from Bunbury in 15m and in Geographe Bay, which was the better location for squid chasers this week. Tuna schools were hard to find, but big Samsonfish have been landed out from Bunbury, where the broken ground has also produced a few skippy. The water should be ideal for the boaties over the coming week.
Tailor and herring have been in reasonable numbers off most local beaches, including Back Beach and the Bunbury Cut. Pink snapper chasers did well this week at Preston and Dalyellup. Busselton Jetty was rumoured to have produced a couple also. Squid have continued to fish well off the structure. Bream and soapy mulloway have been caught in the Collie River and bream have remained active in the Leschenault Estuary.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.
The nine days between Waroona Troutfest at Drakesbrook Weir on Saturday 4 October and the Southern Forests Trout Festival at Big Brook Dam in Pemberton on Sunday, 12 October will be licence free for freshwater fishers! That means you don’t need to purchase a licence on any of those days to go freshwater fishing and this is something Recfishwest has advocated for over many years! Make sure you arrive at both trout stocking events around 9am so you don’t miss the hundreds of trout being released!
With most of the rivers and even the feeder streams raging, dams have been the better bet for both trout and perch fishers this week. Big Brook Dam near Pemberton has produced brown and rainbow trout, mainly for kayak fishers. Logue Brook Dam has also fished well for trout. Harvey Dam and Wellington Dam have been reliable for redfin perch with a range of sizes being taken, especially by kayak fishers in 3m depths. Redfin perch have been hot and cold at Drakesbrook Weir and a few trout have been sighted there too.
Poor weather delayed the start of the demersal season for most crews with few reports coming in. Nevertheless, it’s a pretty safe bet that the broken ground on the Five-Fathom Bank that has been producing skippy will also fire up for pink snapper. The sand whiting and King George whiting grounds behind the Five should also follow suit. King George whiting chasers of Dawesville are likely to be targeting pink snapper and dhufish in 15-40m. The wild weather has scattered the tuna schools that were on the 25-40m contours, but they should return, while the artificial reef has continued to fish well for Samsonfish. Small King George whiting have been caught at the estuary end of the Dawesville Cut. The boaties are in luck with the weather over the coming days so enjoy yourselves out on the water.
Pink snapper catches were on the quiet side off the ocean end of the Dawesville Cut, the town rock walls and down White Hills way. Closer to town, Seascapes fished well for chopper tailor and herring. The marinas and canals in the estuary produced some good skippy on soft plastics. It’s also worth targeting them on micro jigs and bucktail jigs if the blowies are snipping the tails off the soft plastics, which could be a problem this weekend with warmer weather forecast. A few bream have been reported in the Murray River.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!
Demersal reports failed to trickle in this week, but crews have been having a ball on big Samsonfish behind Garden and Carnac Islands and at the D9. They’ve picked up King George whiting around the 50cm mark at these locations too, while skippy have been in reasonable numbers on the broken ground with pink snapper also frequent. Squid have been going well despite the dirty water and in close sand whiting have been taken in good numbers. Both species have been caught inside of Garden Island, behind Penguin Island, on Parmelia Bank, off Woodman Point, and in Safety Bay and Mangles Bay. The weather over the coming days is looking great for boating.
Pink snapper chasers again found good fish on the Secret Harbour to Golden Bay stretch, but the beaches were quiet for most other species except for herring and a few small soapy mulloway. Herring and sand whiting have been taken in Safety Bay, while Woodman Point, the Ammo Jetty, Palm Beach Jetty and Rockingham Jetty have offered mixed bags of sand whiting, herring, squid, small tailor and the odd skippy. Ammo Jetty has been the pick of the squid locations this week but conditions are expected to improve over the weekend at Point Peron.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!
A lovely morning dhufish for @rhys__bulloch! Now that the season is open, remember that you don’t need to bag out on demersals and a big dhuie like this could easily feed a family. Try mixing up your fishing, use release weights, take only what you need for a feed, and make the most out of every catch to protect the future of our dhufish and demersals. Click here to watch our video on how you can show good stewardship towards demersals.
Before the cold front set in another swordfish was landed out wide. It was 40-50kg and was tagged before it was released well. Swordfish chasers also reported seeing plenty of tuna schools, which were also active closer in on Direction Bank and off Rottnest’s West End, so trolling around here would be wise. Demersal fishers mainly stayed close in and those who anchored and burleyed found pink snapper in good numbers in 5-20m out from South Fremantle, at the Three-Mile Reef and off Ocean Reef and Mindarie. Some crews who mixed up their fishing also caught King George whiting, squid, and sand whiting on their way back in. Herring have been in good numbers inshore and tailor should be active on the shallow reefs such as Mewstones and Stragglers if the swells are low. The weather across both days this weekend is looking lovely and next week will see it glass off further. Make sure you’re courteous to others at the boat ramps if ducking out and mix up your fishing rather than targeting just demersals.
Come and have a yarn with the Recfishwest crew at the Perth Boat Show from today until Sunday! We’ll be there to chat with new and experienced fishers about current fishing topics and to hear your thoughts. We will also be giving away loads of Recfishwest merch and offering our popular Boat Show special for anyone who signs up as a Recfishwest member at the event!
Most of the northern rock walls have fished well for herring and skippy, while decent skippy have been landed at Cottesloe Groyne. On the northern beaches anglers throwing baits and lures have landed tailor in the 40-50cm range. Drone fishers in these areas have landed the odd small dhufish, just-sized pink snapper and a few big tailor. A couple of mulloway around the metre mark were landed at Two Rocks this week and another good one was caught near Mindarie. The northern marinas fished well for pink snapper during the cold fronts as did both the Fremantle Moles, which have also held a few herring. Bream catches have picked up in the Swan River, with the Matilda Bay area fishing well along with areas of structure further downstream. Soft plastics and mussel baits accounted for some of the bigger bream. Reports of a couple of big mulloway caught in the lower Swan River also came in. A bream fisher in the Swan’s middle reaches hit on a patch of flathead early this week but it was more likely a big female surrounded by smaller males rather than the sign of an early run. Tailor catches picked up in the Swan’s lower reaches despite the dirty water.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!
Our Fishing Report is compiled by West Australian writer and keen angler William Bennett, with contributions from a rotating team of fishers each week.
Recfishwest’s fishing report contributors: Jarrad Lawford (editor and images), Sam Bock, Sedin Hasanovic, Sam Russell, Levi De Boni and Eligh Quigley.
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This Fishing Report was submitted on 9/19/2025 3:00:00 AM by Seamus and last updated on 9/25/2025 8:24:21 PM.
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