Pelagic promo night from WAGFA sees huge turnout

More than 300 fishers turned up last night to the Western Australian Game Fishing Association’s (WAGFA) Pelagic Promo Night at Hillarys Yacht Club, with many eager to expand their skills and learn from some of the best fishers, tackle experts and charter operators in WA.

There has been a surge in popularity of this branch of metro fishing over the last few years as more anglers realise that, with a bit of know-how, anyone can have a decent chance at landing a trophy-sized fish.

This has been aided by fishing clubs like Perth Game Fishing Club providing members with the know-how to target these pelagic powerhouses - subsequently the club has doubled its membership base since 2023.

With marlin, Spanish mackerel, wahoo, tuna, yellowtail kingfish, Samsonfish, amberjack and dolphinfish catches surging last summer, now is a great time to give this a crack if you haven’t tried it before.

To read more on Perth's sport fishing rise, click here.

Have your say on the future of recreational fishing in Australia

Recfishwest is supporting a national research project commissioned by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) to better understand recreational fishing in Australia, and fishers are encouraged to take part.

This research will help build a clearer picture of:

1) What motivates recreational fishers

2) How fishers care for fisheries and aquatic environments

3) How fishing experiences can be improved

Get involved: Complete a confidential, voluntary 20-minute online survey and share your fishing knowledge and experience.

Win great gear: Survey participants can go in the draw to win tackle prize packs worth $500, $300 or $200. See this short video with Tackleworld Miami’s Ash Ramm to see what’s on offer!

Take the survey by clicking here.

Survey closes: 30 January 2026

The survey is being conducted by Hudson Howells on behalf of the FRDC and the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF). All responses are confidential and anonymous, with contact details held separately for the prize draw.

This research (Project 2024-073) is supported by funding from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation on behalf of the Australian Government.

Ben with the first ever giant herring landed off the beach during one of Peter Fullarton’s Tailored Treks tours in Lancelin! This species loves to jump and spits the hooks, so if they do jump lower your rod tip quickly to keep presssure on the line.  

Boats

Tuna have been popping up across a wide range of depths and one boat reported a mixed bag of skipjack, bluefin and yellowfin tuna all encountered on the same day. Some solid skippy have also been taken along the White Bank. Working the reef breaks with a few exploratory casts of a stickbait has paid off for anglers willing to put the effort in, with the odd greenback tailor or rat yellowtail kingfish responding aggressively when found. It’s not high-volume fishing, but it’s quality over quantity and a great way to mix things up between trolling runs. Inside the Bay, the fishing has once again proven just how diverse it can be. Casting or trolling a good quality small lure can produced an impressive mixed bag, including snook, pike, skippy, flathead, herring, tailor and whiting. It’s the sort of session where you never quite know what’s going to grab next, which is perfect for light tackle and keeping everyone entertained. There might be an opportunity to launch over the next few mornings, although with a 2m swell and southerly winds it will be rather choppy out on the water. If you wish to check your pots for crays, wait until a calm window.

Shore-Based

The Lancelin Jetty has been a hive of activity in the evenings, with tailor anglers casting unweighted pilchards at sunset. The beaches have also fished best during the sunset sessions, producing better than average tailor for this time of year, along with the odd school mulloway to keep things interesting. The mornings haven’t followed the usual script with most tailor turning up well after sunrise, generally from around 7am onwards, with a slow but steady pick up rather than a frantic bite window. Beach based snapper have been a hit or miss, while drone fishers have found slightly better success, particularly when baits are deployed before 7am. The Bay’s beaches have also enjoyed a bit of relief this week, with fewer blowfish plaguing the shallows. In their place, schools of yellow-eye mullet and yellowfin whiting have moved in, offering a welcome change and some quality targets for light tackle bait fishers.

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.

Gido with a lovely queen snapper from his most recent fishing trip. You can watch Gido’s latest video on his YouTube channel here.  

Boats

Figure of Eight and Boxer islands have held good numbers of nannygai, while big breaksea cod have been landed at Leg of Lamb. Samsonfish have been kicking around Mondrain Island, while tuna schools have been spotted off the Cape. Good numbers of harlequin fish and blue groper have been caught at Charley and Cull Island. Cook Rocks and Cull Island have held squid in 17m. Sizeable King George whiting have been abundant at Flat Rocks, while squid, herring and snook have been prolific in Esperance Bay. Both Sunday and early on Monday are looking relatively inviting with a slight drop in the wind and swell.

Shore-Based

Skippy to 5kg, gummy sharks and mulloway have been landed at Thomas River, while Poison Creek has fished well for big gummy sharks and bronze whalers. Salmon and skippy have been plentiful at Dunn Beach, while Roses Beach has held gummy sharks and mulloway. Salmon and bull herring have been caught at Fourth Beach, while Chapman Point has produced sizeable sand whiting. King George whiting have been in reasonable numbers at Bandy Creek Boat Harbour and along the foreshore, while squid catches have been good from the Town Jetty in the mornings. Taylor Street Jetty has offered herring and skippy. 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.

@alex__vermeulen with just one of the many nice squid he plucked off the stones during a calm weather window this week. Regarless of the conditions, make sure you always wear a lifejacket when fishing off the rocks. If you don’t have one, you can loan a lifejacket for free at any of the locations found here.

Boats

Inshore, King George whiting have been on the small side and getting a feed of squid has become harder, with better catches coming from 8-12m. Herring have plentiful throughout King George Sound, often appearing with decent skippy, while at Two People Bay the sand whiting have been fat and plentiful. Crews that got to the coral ground found nannygai in good numbers off Cheynes, while waters off Hartmans have produced nice mixed bags of queen snapper, breaksea cod and pink snapper. Yellowtail kingfish have been widespread and in reasonable numbers. The Wilson Inlet has been fishing very well, offering pink snapper, flathead, flounder, tarwhine and King George whiting. Walpole has produced yellowfin whiting and King George whiting. Drop netters have been doing well on blue swimmer crabs in Princess Royal and Oyster harbours. Sunday afternoon and early on Monday should produce calmer windows with lower winds and a 2m swell if you wish to duck out. Outside of that is looking too precarious for the boaties.  

Shore-Based

Resident salmon have turned up at Bluff Creek, Fosters and Reef Beach and also at Shelley Beach, Dingo Beach and Dunsky Beach. At Ocean Beach juvenile salmon pushing 50cm have been caught along with tarwhine. The stones either side of Albany have yielded yellowtail kingfish and the odd Samsonfish, but make sure you wear a lifejacket, check the forecast and fish with friends if attempting this. Sheltered areas in Frenchman Bay have offered herring, King George whiting and a few squid, while the town marina and Emu Point have produced bream, herring, skippy and the odd squid. Oyster and Princess Royal Harbours have been going well for good-sized blue swimmer crabs, with scoopers reminded to keep an eye out for berried females. In Wilson Inlet, those wading the flats have been catching yellowfin whiting and flathead, while Coalmine Beach at Walpole has held yellowfin whiting and King George whiting.

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.

Jake Atkinson @ticket2theshow with a lovely pinkie landed via a drone drop off one of Bunbury’s beaches.

Boats

Some good King George whiting have been taken in 20m either side of town, while modest-sized sand whiting have been caught in 12-15m. Tuna schools have been active straight out of town and skippy have been on the lumps either side of town. Samsonfish have come into shallower water and have been burning a few biceps. Crabs are widespread in the estuary, from north of the system through to the Cut. Crabs have also entered the lower reaches of the Collie River which has held a few bream. Drop netters have been getting chopper tailor and a few herring when trolling between pot runs. Small King George whiting and squid have been active in Geographe Bay and a few tuna have turned up there also. Despite the wind being all over the place this week, the following four mornings should all be relatively flat out on the water thanks to lower winds and swell before the wind spikes from around 11am.

Shore-Based

Beaches either side of Bunbury have fished well for chopper tailor, with herring and sand whiting also in good numbers. Beaches north of town such as Preston and Myalup have also offered yellowfin whiting. Smaller tailor and herring have been taken at Back Beach, BP Beach and the Bunbury Cut, while Dalyellup has held lots of herring, the odd tailor and squid for shore casters. Scoop netters have been getting better numbers of blue swimmer crabs in the estuary and drop netters have been picking up a couple at Collie Bridge. Squid have been the main game at Busselton Jetty, but they have not been in big numbers. Beaches from Busselton through to Dunsborough have fished well for yellowfin whiting and burley has usually brought herring into play. Reefy beaches around Yallingup and Dunsborough have produced decent tailor.

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.

Marron season has been welcomed with open arms, with @river__king_ and @freshwest managing to find some nice-sized critters down one of the quieter freshwater systems this week.

The marron season is ticking along nicely good catches reported from Waroona and Wellington Dams and in the Harvey River. If you’re putting chook pellets out for the marron, there is no need to throw the pellets in quite deep as snaring them in shallow water is much easier. Placing the pellets in water only centimetres deep will often see the marron come out of the water for it, meaning you also won’t stir up the water as much. Rivers in the Southern Forests have held plenty of the prized crustaceans, as have areas around Albany. Brown trout have been caught at Lefroy Brook with brown and rainbow trout taken in the upper reaches of the Collie River. Force Tackle Lures soft plastics have worked well on redfin perch around the causeway at Harvey Dam, while Wellington Dam and the Pemberton region have produced perch well over 40cm with smaller models caught around the Collie townsite.

Yellowfin whiting are still doing the rounds in great numbers (and sizes) over the flats, with @castawaybell managing to land the largest fish in the school. Try mixing up your retrieval speeds if the fish are being finnicky and chat to the team at Tackle World Miami for the best advice on what lures to use.

Boats

Pelagic activity has continued to show promise with good-sized dolphinfish in reasonable numbers at the FADs. Shark mackerel have been about at times and Spanish mackerel have been seen jumping. Plenty of tuna have shown up in 28-30m, while the inshore reefs have been holding lots of bait and were thick with small yellowtail kingfish and tailor to 65cm. Plenty of solid skippy have been on the inshore lumps with Samsonfish keeping them company. King George whiting catches have been good in 30-40m and sand whiting have been abundant in 8-10m. Squid catches have improved inshore where the water was clean. Blue swimmer crabs were still in good numbers in the Peel-Harvey Estuary which has also held plenty of chopper, hordes of herring and some decent skippy. Sunday morning at this stage looks the most inviting for the boaties this week.  

Shore-Based

A heads up that the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure are refurbishing the southern training wall at Dawesville Cut, with site mobilisation anticipated to run until April 2026. Access will be limited while this work occurs, but fishers can still access the base of the groyne and the fishing platform.

Beaches from Madora Bay right down to White Hills have been going well for tailor, herring and sand whiting. Yellowfin whiting have popped up, as did the odd juvenile salmon. When the swell has been up the Mandurah rock walls have produced pink snapper. Tackleword Miami held a kids’ holiday fishing competition at Falcon Beach last week with 176 young anglers taking part. Catches included bull herring, sand whiting, juvenile salmon, wirrah and rock cod, plus a surprise northern visitor with a longtom providing a youngster with a great memory. The Dawesville Cut has fished best in the afternoons and evenings for tailor, herring, juvenile salmon and squid. Bream were split between the Peel Harvey Estuary’s marinas and canals and the lower halves of the Murray and Serpentine rivers, where they have been mixed in with soapy mulloway. Tides and winds haven’t been ideal for yellowfin whiting chasers, but putting in the hard yards on the flats has generally paid off. Scoopers have started to get their share of blue swimmer crabs in the system although a few have been empty of meat. Try gently squeezing the underside of their shell on the sides and if the shell has a lot of give or bounce, then it is a better idea to put the crabs back rather than go home with a poor yield of meat.

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

Big King George whiting have been taken in 30m behind Garden Island and towards the Five-Fathom bank, while smaller King George whiting and sand whiting have been in good numbers in Mangles Bay, behind Penguin Island, off Woodman Point and in Safety Bay. Squid have been harder to find and were holding in the deeper depths. A few tailor have been caught on the offshore reefs, while big Samsonfish have been congregating on structure out wide. Dolphinfish have turned up as well and live baits were working best, although trolling skirts at 4-5 knots has produced results at times. Cockburn Sound has been producing blue swimmer crabs for drop netters. This morning saw a lovely glass off but tomorrow is expected to be a tad windy and choppy, with the next best window likely to be the mornings between Sunday and Tuesday.  

Shore-Based

Beaches have been fishing very well for solid tailor and mulloway, from soapies to 1.3m models. Sand whiting and herring have also been caught in good numbers, while at Secret Harbour and Port Kennedy big flathead have been snaffling tailor and whiting baits. The flatties were also taking micro jigs for anglers prepared to wade and cover ground. A few flathead and flounder have been among the herring and whiting at the Penguin Island spit. The local jetties and Woodman Point been holding all sorts including various whiting species, scaly mackerel, the odd slimy mackerel, herring, chopper tailor, mulloway and the odd squid at night. The Ammo Jetty and Woodman Point have also thrown up bonito. Calm mornings and hot days are likely to yield yellowfin whiting at the grain terminal beach and in Safety Bay, where a decent school mulloway was landed last week. Scooping for blue swimmer crabs has been hard work. Those diving for them have found it a bit easier, but getting the bag limit of five has not been guaranteed. Hitting the water from sunrise will improve your odds.

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!

This Sambo engulfed a whole squid in 18m for @lee.j__, who had a cracking day out on these hard-fighting specimens with Scotty from @saltfix.

Boats

Game fishing action has fired up with blue and striped marlin caught out wide and dolphinfish appearing at the FADs in better numbers. A rare metro big-eyed tuna was taken by trollers, who have also found plenty of southern bluefin tuna. If you intend on taking any tuna home, make sure you bleed them thoroughly and put them straight into an ice slurry to preserve the flesh. Yellowtail kingfish and Samsonfish have been caught at the fish towers, while the 20m depths in northern metro waters have yielded sand and King George whiting, with Vexed Micro Meats topped up with bits of squid or prawn working well. Plenty of crayfish have been caught around Rottnest Island, but a lot have been berried. In the Swan River, crabbing has been steady with better numbers starting to appear around Canning Bridge and the Narrows as well as the river’s deeper parts, which have also held big mulloway. Trolling for chopper tailor in the river has been worthwhile in the middle reaches with the odd 60cm fish turning up. Halco Twisties or deeper diving lures have worked well. The early hours are your best bet in the boat if you wish to wet a line. The mornings between Sunday and Tuesday are looking best on the forecast, with Saturday expected to have persistent southerly winds and choppy conditions. Tuesday is expected to hit 40 degrees and produce glassy conditions, so that would be a fantastic day to hit up the FADs or troll around for pelagics.

Shore-Based

Our last public kids’ fishing clinic booked out almost immediately - so we’ve put on a few more for this summer holiday! ☀️

These clinics – proudly supported by Healthway and SHIMANO Australia Fishing – are designed to get kids outdoors, teach them new skills, make friends and help them discover the joys of fishing in a safe and sustainable way. This makes our clinics perfect for beginner fishers.

We have multiple sessions and locations this time:

• Hillarys, AQWA Jetty – 27th January and 1st February - CLICK HERE TO BOOK

• Mosman Park, Chidley Beach – 30th January - CLICK HERE TO BOOK

• Shelley Foreshore – 25th January - CLICK HERE TO BOOK

• Coogee, Ammo Jetty – 18th, 24th and 31st January - CLICK HERE TO BOOK

The clinics include a demo by our instructors on fishing basics safety and sustainability, 90 mins of guided fishing with all gear and bait supplied before a wrap-up, Q&A and prizes for all kids!

INFO:

• Cost: $15 per participant.

• What’s included? All fishing gear (rods and reels loaned), bait and prizes.

• Capacity: Up to 30 participants per session.

• Who can attend? Recommended for kids aged 7–12. Parents are responsible for their children throughout the session.

Come down and wet a line with us! 🎣

North Mole was producing herring and the odd bonito before its temporary closure (will reopen on Monday, 19 January after the SailGP event and South Mole will open at the end of January). Tailor around 45cm have been caught from the northern beaches, which have also produced pink snapper and the odd dhufish for drone fishers. A few tailor have been landed at Floreat and Swanbourne beaches, but sand whiting and herring have been more common. Sand whiting have also been plentiful from the northern beaches. In the Swan River, tailor have been caught from anglers wading out to the drop-offs downstream from the Narrows, while school mulloway have been taken at Canning Bridge, the Narrows and as far up as Bayswater. Giant herring have been in these areas too, and in the lower reaches around Claremont and Alfred Cove. Bream catches have been slow, but the pylons at Canning Bridge, the Causeway and structure as far up as Guildford have offered a few. Flathead catches have been steady rather than spectacular in the middle and lower reaches and the sizes seem to have dwindled. Flounder numbers have declined a little too. Flatfish chasers using vibes have been picking up small yellowfin whiting some days, while Samsonfish around 5kg have been take from the Fremantle Traffic Bridge.

Compleat Angler Nedlands has launched the Summer Classic, a competition that highlights the quality of smaller species available in the river and estuary systems between Moore River and Mandurah while the demersal ban is in place. There are significant prizes of high-end tackle for junior and senior anglers with a large range of species in the mix including tailor, blue swimmer crabs, bream, yellowfin whiting, flathead, flounder, mulloway, herring, tarwhine and yellowtail grunter, as well as weekly raffles and mystery prizes. The competition runs until February 8. For details, visit the Compleat Angler Nedlands Facebook page.

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!