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Hooking Up Anglers Since 2011.
03 October, 2025
Pic of the Week goes to @onstrikecharters with this cracker of a sailfish kicking off a couple of months of great sailfish action in Exmouth Gulf!
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!
The opportunity to roll up your sleeves and help us release hundreds of radiant rainbow and brown trout into Drakesbrook Weir at Troutfest returns tomorrow!
This family-friendly, free event held kicks off from 9:00am – 1:00pm and the trout release will start around 10am. Old clothes or bathers are encouraged – you will get wet!
Reminder – to celebrate Troutfest, you can cast your line without the need for a freshwater fishing license between 4-12th October, something Recfishwest advocated for to make freshwater fishing more accessible for everyone.
Don't miss the opportunity to attend the free Recfishwest Fishing Clinic and learn from the experts to enhance your freshwater fishing skills!
If you miss out on Troutfest, make sure you come along to Big Brook Dam Foreshore and Picnic Area in Pemberton on Sunday, 12 October for the Southern Forests Trout Festival! There will be hundreds more trout being released here from 10am!
For more info on Troutfest tomorrow, click here.
This 1.24m beast of a barra landed by Gilbert Cox was the biggest landed across the 2025 Recfishwest Apex Barra Bash and it came with a pretty impressive payday for Gilbert who landed this on a 200lb handline!
Windy conditions have confined most crews to Roebuck Bay. A few tripletail been caught around the Bay’s moorings, while crews that headed across to the Fingers early to beat the wind found a few barramundi and threadfin salmon. Crab and Dampier Creeks have fished much the same, while mud crab catches have been slow. Saturday morning and midday on Sunday should see flat conditions out on the water, but the pesky westerly winds sticking around will make it rather choppy on the water for most of this week.
Town Beach Jetty has been rewarding holidaymakers with bream, javelinfish and small queenfish, while the nearby rocks have produced a few barramundi. Entrance Point has offered trevally, queenfish and the odd school mackerel. Willie Creek has fished well for bream, threadfin salmon and the odd barramundi, with a few bluebone taken around the entrance. Langi Crossing has been the pick of the barramundi spots in the Fitzroy River.
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!
This 11.58kg monster of a red emperor is a pending World Record and Australian Women’s Spearfishing Record for skilled spearfisher Lorena Hrbut @salty_rena up in Exmouth! She could also be the first woman to ever spear a red emperor over 10kg, mega effort!
On the west side sailfish have been in close, while further out in 100m black marlin have been active along with tuna. There’s been lots of goldband snapper in 80-100m, while coral trout, red emperor and Rankin cod have been caught in depths starting from 40m. Spanish mackerel numbers have improved with Helby Bank and areas south of Tantabiddi fishing well. Spangled emperor have been in the lagoons south of Tantabiddi, along with Spanish flag and a few coral trout. Squid have been fishing well close in. There have been good catches of red emperor behind the Muirons, while closer in around depths of 40m saw coral trout and Rankin cod. Spanish mackerel have also been in good numbers in these areas. The Shoals in Exmouth Gulf have yielded shark mackerel and Spanish mackerel. Plenty of tuna schools have been sighted and a few cobia have been swimming with the manta rays. Bottom fishers have done well on blue-lined emperor and have found a few coral trout. Squid fishing has been going well and fly-fishers getting out to the east side of the Gulf have landed nice queenfish and small giant trevally. The next couple of mornings look okay on the forecast before the southerly winds and swell start to pick up from Sunday evening into next week.
The top end of Exmouth Gulf around to the west side has been producing trevally and queenfish with the rocks in VLF Bay fishing well on high tide. Spangled emperor have been harder to find, but Lighthouse Bay has held a few, while smaller ones have been taken from the lagoons at Tantabiddi. Whiting catches in the Gulf have improved with the flats at Bundegi and Learmonth going well. Learmonth Jetty has offered a few squid as well as a few small bluebone. When bait schools have been at Bundegi small queenfish and trevally have been caught. Some nice spangled emperor have been taken from the ocean rock wall at the town marina, while the inside saw bream, cod and small trevally turn up. The marina has been worth a go for squid, as have the rocks at the industrial area.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!
Pink snapper have been in abundance with crews doing well on both sides of town in a range of depths. Good baldchin groper have been mixed in. A crew fishing in 10m about 2km out from Port Gregory did well on dhufish, while along the cliffs Rankin cod, baldchin groper and pink snapper have been picked up. North of town, probably around Bald Face, a 5kg red emperor was landed in 30m. Both days this weekend should be manageable for a duck out despite the wind being a bit all over the place.
Fishing along the cliffs has been good between Red Bluff and Goats Gulch with one experienced angler and his son picking up four pink snapper in eight casts. A few big tailor have been around as well, especially at Pot Alley. Tailor fishing has improved at Red Bluff and Wittecarra, while big herring have been about too. Tailor to 50cm have been taken at Back Beach and the river mouth. In the Murchison River yellowfin whiting have been fishing well at the Sand Spit and along the town foreshore, while bream around 30cm and cod up to 45cm have been caught from the marina jetty and further up. Blue swimmer and mud crabs have been active in the system.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.
A piece of occy was engulfed by this healthy baldy for Recfishwest’s Sam Bock in the Abrolhos Islands last week. They also love crayfish legs if you have any leftover!
Demersal fishing has been good along the stretch from Greenough River mouth to African Reef with crews finding a nice mix of pink snapper, baldchin groper, dhufish and coral trout in 10-25m, while north of town the 20-40m depths have held the same species. Dhufish of various sizes have dominated catches, although pink snapper have been prolific for those fishing in 10m and using burley. Tuna schools have been sighted on both sides of town so it’s worth trolling when moving. Conditions still look treacherous with a high swell and wind expected this week, but hopefully it will calm down by next weekend.
Tailor have been abundant and widespread. Tarcoola Beach in the mornings has been a hotspot and it has also yielded mulloway to over a metre. The tailor have been quite skinny, but the mulloway have been well-conditioned. Anglers fishing the Southgates reefs at low tide have got among the tailor too and also landed school mackerel. The odd tailor has been caught from the points at Greenough, while the mouth of the Greenough River has yielded decent yellowfin whiting. Tailor have been caught at the eastern breakwater along with school mulloway and the odd squid has been taken. The north side of the Batavia Coast Marina has produced tailor and squid when the water has been clear. A tailor of more than 70cm was landed at Point Moore by an angler casting a Shimano Coltsniper Rock Pop Slim popper last weekend. Drummond Cove has held plenty of tailor too, but sizes have tapered off after dark. Mulloway up to 1.3m have been landed there, along with some respectable pink snapper, while sizeable tailor have been caught from beaches north of Dongara.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.
Tyler had a cracker of a morning fish alongside Peter Fullarton this week, landing a 53cm and 54cm tailor off the beach in a nice gutter.
Reports from boat fishers have been mixed. Some crews have had to put in long hours for just a couple of demersals, while others have struck a sweet spot. Small Samsonfish in the 5–6 kg range have been prominent on the lumps inside 30m. Inside the White Bank has also produced some standout catches, with big pink snapper and good numbers of baldchin groper hitting the decks. Fishers dropping into sandy holes among the weed beds have been rewarded with King George whiting around 35–40 cm. Cray pots set on reef ledges closer inshore are producing well, with single-pot bag-outs of tasty lobsters not uncommon. The forecast isn’t looking great this week for the boaties so land-based fishing is your best bet.
The surf beaches have been tough going, with soft sand and heavy weed making any fish well earned. Still, solid tailor of 50–60 cm have been landed from reef breaks and whitewash gutters, while snapper have been picked up on drone drops beyond 150m. Closer to town, Lancelin Bay is postcard perfect at the moment with clear water, very little weed, and a great option for getting the kids onto fish these school holidays. The southern beaches are holding skippy, sand whiting, King George whiting and herring. North of town inside Lancelin Island, anglers are finding larger tailor and the odd school shark at night. The Lancelin Jetty is a good bet each evening, with schools of herring congregating under the lights.
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.
Nothing beats the sound of a fire cracking and your reel screaming on a beach! One of several nice gummy sharks for @gidos_fishing_adventures.
Nannygai and Samsonfish have been landed towards Waterwitch, while good breaksea cod and pink snapper have come from Observatory Island. Big sand whiting have been taken off Blue Haven and Observatory Island, while squid have been prolific in 15m at Cook Rocks. Lovers Cove has fished well for King George whiting. Saturday’s and Monday’s forecasts look decent for a send out.
Plenty of gummy sharks have been caught at Alexander Bay and Thomas River, while Dunn Beach has held lots of salmon and big skippy. Stockyards Beach has fished well for flathead, sand whiting and small salmon, while Fourth Beach and Salmon Beach have fired for salmon first thing in the morning. Big sand whiting have been caught at Blue Haven just after sunrise, while the Taylor Street and Town jetties have held plenty of squid, herring and garfish after dark.
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.
We’ll hazard a guess that braving the freezing cold water to pluck this harlequin was worth it for @andrew_ward_3 this week!
With extended windows of better weather fishing on the shelf has been good, with decent numbers of hapuka and eight-bar cod coming over the side, along with solid nannygai. Peaceful Bay and Walpole also fished well. Nannygai were in better numbers closer in with the 70m depths also firing for dhufish and breaksea cod. Water in King George Sound has cleared up a lot and King George whiting have been taken off Middleton Beach once again, but squidding on that side has been difficult with catches much better off Goode Beach and at Mistaken Island. A few tuna have been landed around Eclipse Island. Walpole’s Nornalup Inlet has fished well for King George whiting and bream, while a few salmon around 50cm have been taken from the ocean end. The forecast does not look ideal for the boaties this week unfortunately. Monday morning looks best at this stage, but it will still be choppy.
Bream fishing has been good in the King and Kalgan rivers, while in town the marina has produced a few squid along with herring and skippy. These species have been in better numbers at Frenchman Bay which has also thrown up a few small King George whiting. Good skippy have been reported from Cheynes and Bluff Creek, while a few salmon have been taken at Fosters and Reef Beaches.
If you’re inexperienced at rock fishing or not a strong swimmer, we strongly recommend you keep the sand between your toes and fish from the beach instead. If you are thinking about fishing off the rocks, there are several things you need to consider before you even set foot on them – remember your lifejacket is your last line of defence and does not guarantee your safety.
Watch Gido’s latest video on safer rock fishing tips and how to manually inflate a lifejacket. As a Recfishwest Fish & Survive Ambassador, Gido never fishes off the rocks without one, so make sure you do the same.
Click here to see where you can loan a lifejacket for free. 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.
Pink snapper have been in great numbers, so much so that it’s been a struggle to get past them and a land a dhufish or other demersal species. They’ve been firing anywhere from 12m to way out and there’s been no need to anchor and burley, with most crews opting to drift in the hope of bringing in other species. Dhufish have been in better number around the 50m depths, while north of Bunbury some good breaksea cod have been mixed in with them. Pink snapper have been plentiful in Geographe Bay as well, with the Four-Mile Reef firing for them. Kayak fishers who managed to get out around the corner at Canal Rocks landed pink snapper and dhufish. Squid have been in good numbers in Geographe Bay, along with King George whiting, and big squid have been caught in 12m on the edge of the shipping channel at Busselton. This weekend’s weather doesn’t look ideal, but Monday morning is looking best at this stage.
Most beaches either side of Bunbury have started to produce good runs of chopper tailor, although herring have gone a bit quiet. Shore fishers have not shared in the pink snapper bonanza the boaties have enjoyed, but drone fishers have done well at Myalaup, Binningup, Preston and Dalyellup. Close to town, Buffalo Beach has held a few tailor, while the Bunbury Cut and Back Beach have held herring and a few skippy. Squid have been the main fare at Busselton Jetty, while bream fishing in the Collie River has slowed.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.
An awesome brown trout for Isabella Tan @castawaybell recently! We will be releasing loads of big trout just like this into Drakesbrook Weir on Saturday morning for Troutfest, so make sure you get there before 10am so you don’t miss the fish!
A lot more bugs have been flying about on the surface of South West dams lately, which has led to improved trout catches. Browns and rainbows have been caught at Waroona Dam, Drakesbrook Weir and Harvey Dam. The insects haven’t been large so using small lures is suggested, including small blades, hard-bodies or even Berkley Gulp Trout Nuggets. Redfin perch have been at these locations too and have been fishing well at Wellington and Glen Mervyn dams, often favouring soft plastics. Further south, Cascades near Pemberton has been one of the better spots for trout chasers. If you’re coming along to Troutfest at Drakesbrook Weir tomorrow morning to help out with the trout release, make sure you arrive before 10am so you don’t miss out on the fish! If you miss out, don’t forget that the Southern Forests Trout Festival will take place on Sunday, 12th October and you will not need a freshwater licence to fish between 4-12th October in celebration of these trout release events!
There is plenty of bugs being caught off Mandurah at the moment, with @mandurah_fisho taking home a delicious feed.
Pink snapper have been easy to find and dhufish, sizeable King George whiting and breaksea cod have been in good numbers also. The Five-Fathom Bank, waters off Dawesville and the Bouvards have all fished well in a range of depths. Crews using burley for pink snapper have found chunky skippy, Samsonfish and even the odd yellowtail kingfish showing up. A few schools of tuna have been sighted. Crayfishing has been very good off Mandurah with the 10m depths firing. The weekend’s forecast doesn’t look great, but Monday morning looks best at this stage.
The Peel-Harvey Estuary is dirty. Not so much muddy, but full of fresh water. Hopefully, bigger tides next week will bring more seawater into the system. Most of the estuary has shut down, but the odd window on the incoming tide has offered a few herring and small tailor and the odd school of yellowfin whiting has fired up on warmer days across the flats. Fishing at the Dawesville Cut is very slow with just the odd herring to speak of and a couple of tailor from the ocean end at high tide. Beaches well away from entrances to the estuary have been a much better bet for tailor, herring, and sand whiting. Tims Thicket and Silver Sands are recommended. Bream fishers have had a lean time lately, but a few fish have started to move towards the lower reaches of the Serpentine and Murray Rivers.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 fishing has continued to fire with the back of Garden and Carnac Islands and water towards Five-Fathom Bank producing plenty of pink snapper and good numbers of dhufish, breaksea cod and baldchin groper in 20-80m. Big King George whiting have been among the bycatch. King George whiting, sand whiting and squid have been around their usual inshore haunts including Mangles Bay, behind Penguin Island and on Parmelia Bank. In deeper water a few tuna bust-ups have been reported. It won’t be comfortable out on the water this weekend, but Sunday looks better out of the two days.
Beach fishing has been quiet with just small tailor and the odd school mulloway being taken. Secret Harbour and Port Kennedy have been among the better spots. Sand whiting have started to show up on the warmer days with the Penguin Island spit and Long Point producing a few. Woodman Point and the Ammo Jetty have offered herring, small tailor and the odd squid and it’s been the same story at Rockingham and Palm Beach jetties. Point Peron has been hit and miss for squid, with sizes often small, but a couple of big ones have been landed just on dark. 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!
There have been plenty of solid Sambo’s caught around the metro region this week and Chris Dixon @dixonsfishing got in on the action.
Another swordfish (weighing 60kg) was caught from the continental shelf behind Rottnest Island. Direction Bank and Rottnest Island have also produced tuna and Rottnest has yielded yellowtail kingfish off the West End, while its deeper waters have offered good numbers of pink snapper and dhufish. Rotto’s bays have held King George whiting. Sand whiting have been in good numbers off Cottesloe and City Beach, along with some nice flathead, while King George whiting have fished well at the Three-Mile Reef, off Mindarie and Ocean Reef. The Three-Mile has also produced pink snapper. Fremantle’s inshore waters have yielded squid and a few King George whiting in 5-7m. Inshore pink snapper chasers have found plenty of solid skippy and Samsonfish turning up in their burley trails. The forecast this weekend means fishing will be a write-off, but Monday morning could hold better conditions.
Metro beaches fished well last weekend before the swells filled the gutters with weed. Floreat Beach produced some good tailor and school mulloway were widespread. The northern beaches offered tailor as well and drone fishers got on to pink snapper at Alkimos and Quinns. Most rock walls, including the Fremantle Moles, have been quiet, yielding only a few herring. The Swan River has been fishing well though. Tailor up to 50cm have been hitting surface lures downstream from the Narrows, with the same waters producing a few soapy and school mulloway. Bream fishing has been good too, especially from the Causeway through to Nedlands. The lower Canning River fished well also, with several fish over 40cm landed this week along with a few flathead, which have favoured soft plastics. A few early-season flathead catches were reported from the Canning River, while a 55cm model was landed on a hard-body lure at Applecross on the holiday Monday, with the successful angler spooking another good one and seeing some solid impressions in the sand. 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 10/3/2025 4:29:52 AM by Seamus and last updated on 10/3/2025 8:13:55 PM.
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