Understanding the Government’s demersal fishing changes

We know many of you are still processing this week’s demersal fisheries announcement from Premier Roger Cook.

Like many, we’re disappointed by the State Government’s decision to close West Coast boat-based demersal fishing until September 2027. It’s a tough outcome for many fishers and for small business owners who depend on fishing, including tackle stores and charter operators.

While the sting of the closure will take time to ease, the announcement included other significant elements. The package contains measures that are good, bad and neutral from a fisher’s point of view, and understanding these is important.

Click here for a full breakdown of what we know so far.

We will remain engaged in this process to ensure that this short-term pain leads to real long-term gain for the fish and for the future of our demersal fishing.

First abalone fishing day for this Saturday from 7-8am given green light to proceed

Fishing for abalone this Saturday from 7-8am between the Busselton Jetty and the Greenough River mouth near Geraldton has been given the all clear to go ahead by Fisheries WA.

SAFETY REMINDER:

🌊 Always check the conditions before heading out on the reef

👬 Buddy up with a mate/s and look out for each other

🤿 Use the proper gear to stay safe and make it easier to catch abalone

❌ If you can’t swim don’t go out on the reef - no abalone is worth risking your life for.

Remember the minimum size limit of 60mm and bag limit of 15 abalone per person per day. For more info on the abalone rules and regulations, download the free Recfishwest app 📲

For some great safe abalone fishing tips including the best gear to use, click here or on the video above.  

For multiple translations of our safe abalone fishing video, click here.

Vince had a cracking session alongside Peter Fullarton earlier this week, with a nice mixed bag of tailor and snapper landed.

Boats

The white cray run has seen busy beaches each morning. Pots along the White Bank have mostly been full, with most crews bagging out from a single pot. Tuna were in solid numbers, especially around the 25-30m depths. Schools of yellowtail kingfish have been hanging around the Bay’s outer reefs. They’re not monsters, but all have provided great fun on the way in or out to check the pots. Small boats and kayaks have done well working the sheltered inshore waters for herring, skippy and King George whiting. A calm run of weather early next week should offer a great chance to plan a mission and have a go at the FADs. Sunday morning and Monday arvo currently are looking nice on the forecast.

Shore-Based

Pink snapper in the 2–3 kg range have been caught from sunrise through to about 6am by casting baits toward nearshore reef, with no drone required. Summer chopper tailor to 45cm were turning up along most beaches at dawn and dusk. Small whaler sharks remained ever present and were often taking tailor baits, so it pays to have a few spare rigs ready to go to make the most of a short tailor bite window. For the bread and butter fishos, the gutters up in the bombing range have been the pick for herring and dart. Eddies Island has also fished well for herring by flicking out small lures and thankfully this also avoids the blowfish. Sunday morning is shaping up as a lovely land-based window.

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.

Avid local fisher @lachy_warren enjoyed a brief weather window to target some bicep-burning Sambo’s this week.

Boats

Good nannygai have been caught in 50-60m, while breaksea cod have been prolific at Giant Rocks. Mondrain Island has held Samsonfish and yellowtail kingfish, while big queen snapper and harlequin fish have been caught at Black Island. Lots of squid have been in 20-22m at Cook Rocks. The Wylie Bay headland has yielded King George whiting and flathead and sand whiting have been abundant in the rest of the Bay. Esperance Bay has produced herring, snook and squid. Early on Saturday should see a lull in the easterly winds.

Shore-Based

Thomas River and Cape Arid have offered gummy sharks, mulloway and big skippy, while big salmon and gummy sharks have been landed at Dunn Beach. Nice gutters at Stockyards have yielded salmon, flathead and tarwhine. 14-Mile Beach and Roses Beach have been going well for gummy sharks and salmon. Lots of nice sand whiting have been holed up at Blue Haven and the town foreshore has fished well for King George whiting. The Taylor Street and Town jetties have offered herring, gardies and whiting at night, while Bandy Creek Boat Harbour has held King George whiting and flathead. Snook have been caught from the rock at Wylie Bay. Lake Quaillilup has been the pick of the bream lakes.

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.

How’s this 47.5cm monster of a black bream landed by Callum Dowell @outback_breamer_baits this week in town, which is the biggest caught in a local competition for 15 years!

Boats

Weather windows popped up last weekend to provide excellent fishing out from town, off Cheynes and at Two Peoples Bay. Nannygai were plentiful in 50m and small dhufish and pink snapper were also prolific, with good numbers of breaksea cod mixed in. Tinny fishers in Two Peoples Bay did well on sand whiting and squid. In King George Sound KG sizes were down, but numbers were good at Seal and Mistaken Islands and towards Michaelmas Reef. Squid catches were steady in the Sound, while tuna schools were active at Vancouver Reef and Eclipse Island and out to Breaksea Island. Dinghy fishers have been catching pink snapper in Wilson Inlet, while in Oyster Harbour there have been reports of blue swimmer crabs for drop netters. Good catches were reported from the bream tournament held in Oyster Harbour and Callum Dowell (pictured above) managed to land a thumping 47.5cm bream at the Oyster Racks. He used an Outback Breamer Baits Lil Muss 220 vibe in orange and black colours. Early on Saturday morning will see a slight lull in the easterly winds. Tuesday could also see a good weather window.  

Shore-Based

Conditions have been good for beach fishing east of town with resident salmon caught at Cheynes, Bluff Creek, Fosters and towards Bremer Bay. Herring, skippy and flathead have been mixed in as well, while all these species bar salmon have been caught at Ledge Beach and Gull Rock. Emu Point and the town marina have offered whiting, squid and small skippy with the marina fishing a little better. Mainly small bream have been caught in the Hay, Denmark, King and Kalgan Rivers. Frenchman Bay and Whalers Cove have offered herring, small King George whiting and squid, while in Princess Royal Harbour scoop netters have found most of the blue swimmer crabs there to be undersized.

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, Trailblazers Albany have loan lifejackets available if you wish to fish off the rocks, but keeping the sand between your toes is always a safer option.

Busso Jetty showcased its reliability for squid again this week, with @harry.fisho enjoying his first for a long time. If you’re wondering where to cast a squid jig while walking along the jetty, keep an eye out for fresh ink stains on the concrete.

Boats

King George whiting catches have slowed around Bunbury and in Geographe Bay, but the latter has held big numbers of sand whiting and herring. A few squid have been caught south of Bunbury and they have been in better numbers in Geographe Bay. Tuna schools have turned up offshore from time to time and small yellowtail kingfish have been caught off Cape Naturaliste. Divers and pot pullers have been going well on crayfish, but there’s been no word on the whites yet. The 10-12m depths have fished best although out at 30m divers have found plenty of jumbos. Crabbing has been a different story with catches and sizes in the Leschenault Estaury so far poor, so it pays to let them moult over the coming weeks. Drop netters towing Halco Twistys between runs have picked up tailor and herring. Both days look manageable for a launch this weekend, but conditions are expected to only get better as the week rolls on.

Shore-Based

Shore-based divers have picked up crayfish at Binningup, Peppermint Beach and Dalyellup. Dalyellup has also held lots of herring and some decent tailor. Tailor have been caught either side of the Cape, while herring, skippy and 1-2kg salmon have been caught in Dunsborough. Beaches either side of town have held reasonable numbers of tailor along with a few herring and sand whiting, while the Bunbury Cut has held mostly herring and sand whiting. Squid catches have continued at the Busselton Jetty although the calmer weather windows produced the best results. The Collie River has held lots of small soapy mulloway, but few bream. The irrigation drains around Busselton have produced bream as well. The Leschenault Estuary has offered a few good blue swimmer crabs for night-time scoopers and has continued to fire for yellowfin whiting, which have been widespread. Yellowfin whiting have also been caught on the flats at the end of Elmore Road in Quindalup.

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.

A cracking brown trout for freshwater master Simon Holland @southernforests_angler this week in our picturesque South-West.

Plenty of insects have come out to play in the Southern Forests area around Pemberton and fly-fishers have been having a ball in the waterways there. The new Trout Trail has been producing a good mix of rainbows and sizeable browns, with the ground around the hatchery and the Donnelly River among the better spots. Redfin perch have been taking gold-coloured hard-bodied lures at Wellington, Harvey and Waroona Dams and the Collie townsite has thrown up a few perch as well. The upper reaches of the Collie River have been full of small and very fussy rainbow trout.

Boats

Peel-Harvey Estuary crab catches have dwindled after a solid opening, but crayfishing has been better, especially north of town in 8-10m around the back of James Service Reef. Tailor fishing has been slow, but squid have started to push into the estuary, and many boats have been targeting them around the Dawesville Cut. It’s been quiet on the King George whiting front but sand whiting have been in good numbers around the Five-Fathom Bank. Midday on Saturday should see conditions flatten out but some humid storms are expected on Sunday.

Shore-Based

In the Peel-Harvey Estuary low tides in the middle of the day have left waders with a lot of ground to cover and slowed yellowfin whiting activity, although the tings have been in better numbers and were more inclined to take lures in the late afternoons. Tailor have been active at night and in the late afternoons at the Dawesville Cut and the Mandurah bridges, with herring keeping them company. Tarwhine have been thick around the bridges and estuary flats and night-time squidding has been decent at the Cut. Fishing for chopper tailor and herring has improved on beaches either side of town.

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

Small King George whiting and plenty of sand whiting have been at their usual haunts including Penguin Island, Safety Bay, Parmelia Bank, inside of Garden Island and in Mangles Bay. Larger KG’s have been a lot harder to find and squid fishing has been slow, while Samsonfish have been active on the offshore lumps behind Garden Island and towards the Five-Fathom Bank. Drop netters in pursuit of blue swimmer crabs have had to do a bit of work and a few crabs have been empty or berried. Crayfish have been going very well with whites thick in 8-14m. Both days this weekend look decent on the forecast although a bit of lightning is expected on Sunday, so be cautious.

Shore-Based

The beaches have fished steadily for tailor on most mornings and evenings, with sand whiting and herring turning up in better numbers. Secret Harbour, Long Point, Port Kennedy and Warnbro have all produced fish with Secret Harbour also throwing up the odd pink snapper. The warmer weather has drawn a few yellowfin whiting, flathead and flounder to calmer locations such as the Penguin Island spit, the grain terminal beach and the Pond at Safety Bay. Herring, chopper tailor and the odd night-time squid have been the order of the day at the local jetties. Shore divers have struggled to find size crabs around Rockingham foreshore, but they have picked up a few good crays 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 year’s worth of casting and dedication to experience this catch! A solid Swan River croaker for @jaydenroberts0n this week, with this 1.2m specimen providing a 30 minute fight.

Boats

Crayfishing began in earnest four or five days ago with plenty of good action happening off Mindarie and Two Rocks. It’s been quiet on the squid front and crews chasing Samsonfish on the lumps reported some big fish. Not many tailor were reported on exposed reefs such as Mewstones and Stragglers and no tuna schools have been reported, although this should improve over the coming weeks as Lancelin has seen great numbers over the past fortnight. Small King George whiting have been mixed in with sand whiting at the Windmills. More sand whiting were around their usual 10-15m haunts off City Beach and Cottesloe and out deeper in 15-30m off Hillarys. KG’s and skippy are always a chance at the Three-Mile Reef. In the Swan River drop netters have struggled on blue swimmer crabs, but trolling for chopper tailor has been going well. It should be quite flat on the water if you duck out early across both days this weekend although expect some chop coming back to the ramps with that strong easterly wind. Hot conditions could also spice up the pelagic action on the troll.  

Shore-Based

Fishing for abalone this Saturday from 7-8am between the Busselton Jetty and the Greenough River mouth near Geraldton has been given the green light by Fisheries. Remember to follow our safety steps and if you are not a confident swimmer, do not go in the water as no abalone is worth your life. Click here to see multiple translations of our safe abalone fishing video. Tailor have been active mainly on the northern beaches, although sizes have started to drop off. A few tailor have turned up at North Mole, which has also produced a few herring, snook and a squid along with one or two just-size pink snapper. Swanbourne and Floreat beaches have offered herring, skippy, sand whiting and flathead, but few tailor. In the Swan River tailor from 35-40cm with the odd 50cm model have been going strong along the drop-offs from the Narrows downstream to East Fremantle with Crawley, Claremont, Nedlands and Point Walter fishing well. Tailor have also been caught by flats fishers targeting giant herring. The giants’ regular haunts have come under a lot of fishing pressure this year and the schools seem to have dispersed, so searching for fresh ground is recommended, as is handling the fish with care and releasing them quickly and gently as they are quite fragile. Mulloway catches were good in the run-up to the full moon with most of the fish being landed up river from the Causeway and past Windan Bridge to Bayswater. Canning Bridge produced a solid school-sized fish this week as well. Flathead sizes have improved with plenty of 50cm models being caught and released. The flathead have been widespread on both sides of the river with better spots including Claremont, Bicton, Point Walter, Aquarama, Alfred Cove, Freshwater Bay, Mosman Bay and Rocky Bay. Big flounder have been caught too, but not in great numbers. Yellowfin whiting have been cruising the flats around Bicton and East Fremantle and were occasionally snaffling Eco Gear ZX Vibes meant for flatfish. The East Perth and Burswood flats have held good numbers of flathead too. Many bream fishers have been struggling for numbers and sizes although small ones have pushed up river as far as Guildford. Early on Monday might be a good shot to target land-based pinkies given there is a bit of a blow expected on Sunday night.

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!