Why the demersal changes are good for recreational fishing in the long run

The recent demersal decisions have generated plenty of discussion across the fishing community, and it’s understandable why.

For west coast fishers, the closure hurts. But it’s also important to look beyond the immediate frustration and be clear about what this decision actually means and what it does not. This is not a statewide lock-up, seafood supply is not under threat, and commercial fishing will continue to play a major role in WA’s demersal fisheries.

Recfishwest has taken a clear look at the decision, the science behind it and the long-term implications for fishing. While the short-term impacts are real, this outcome represents a positive long-term shift for recreational fishing on the west coast, focused on rebuilding fish stocks and providing greater certainty for fishers into the future.

Jack Bloch came for a cast with his father and enjoyed a great catch and release session on the tailor during one of Peter Fullarton’s Tailored Treks tours in Lancelin!

Boats

It hasn’t been a stellar week for the boat fishers, with persistent wind and swell keeping most crews tucked up in the Bay and turning beach launches into a proper test of commitment. Those who did sneak out were rewarded in patches, with schools of skipjack tuna moving through the mid-30m depths. Sand whiting have been a real standout, with excellent-sized fish holding along the 20m contour. King George whiting have been a bit more elusive, but the numbers of sand whiting pushing into the Bay have more than made up for it. The Bay itself has been firing, producing some tailor and quality flathead to keep rods bent when offshore options were limited. Sunday and Monday are looking best for a launch.

Shore-Based

Lancelin Jetty was a hive of activity over the long weekend, especially around sunset, with plenty of smiling faces as chopper tailor wasted no time finding baits as soon as they hit the water. The beaches have been more of a challenge. Heavy swell has shifted plenty of weed around, combined with a strong afternoon breeze that’s made conditions tricky. Each morning has required some surveilance to see where the weed’s moved after the previous afternoon’s blow, so arriving with enough light to locate a clean gutter has been key. Tailor have been very active throughout the mornings, and the size has been impressive for this time of year. Unfortunately, it seems the pink snapper didn’t get the memo about the swell, with many crews struggling to find a fish this week.

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.

Another solid queen snapper for @gidos_fishing_adventures during his latest solo trip!

Boats

Squid have been going well in Esperance Bay which has also offered plenty of sand whiting, decent King George whiting and lots of snook. Offshore, nannygai to 55cm have been in good numbers and keeping company with yellowtail kingfish, breaksea cod, harlequin fish and small Samsonfish. The pesky easterly winds are pretty consistent this week but if you can find some shelter in close or next to an island it might be manageable.

Shore-Based

The Town Jetty has held lots of herring and small skippy during the day and squid and garfish at night, while Taylor Street Jetty has offered King George whiting to 35cm, small herring and the occasional squid. In Bandy Creek Boat Harbour King George whiting, herring and flounder have been the main catches. Fourth Beach has produced salmon to 6kg, lots of bull herring and skippy around the half-kilo mark. Salmon Beach has held the same species. Flathead to 50cm have been caught at Wylie Bay and nice sand whiting have been caught in the corner. Stockyard Creek has held bronze whalers and small mulloway, while at Alexander Bay bronze whalers to 1.5m and skippy to 2kg have been caught. At Roses Beach salmon schools have been keeping company with a few tailor and big bronze whalers.

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.

A solid Rambo of a Sambo for @adsy.fishing during a cracking South Coast fishing session this week.

Boats

Crabbing has really picked up with good-sized blue swimmers being pulled up by drop netters in Oyster and Princess Royal Harbours. Some really big ones have come from Oysters. The good run of sand whiting at Two Peoples Bay has continued and squidding has improved in King George Sound in 10m-plus depths. King George whiting have been active at Michaelmas, Seal Island, Eclipse Island, Flat Rock and Mistaken Island. Tuna have been around the islands also with several fish estimated at 15kg lost at the boat. Crews that got to the coral ground during a weather window last Saturday did well on the usual southern reef species. The water in Denmark’s Wilson Inlet is very clean and it has been firing for King George whiting, flathead, small pink snapper and flounder, while the inlet at Walpole has offered KG’s and flathead. There might be a brief window of good weather around Monday afternoon but both days this weekend will mostly see strong easterly winds.

Shore-Based

Night-time scoopers have been doing well on blue swimmer crabs in Oyster Harbour and Princess Royal Harbour and they have also come across good numbers of cobbler. Resident salmon have been on the chew at Salmon Holes, Bornholm, Cheynes, Shelley Beach and Salmon Holes and at Denmark’s Ocean Beach. Frenchman Bay and Quaranup have been hit hard by summer holiday squid chasers and numbers have thinned, while the town marina has also been busy and has thrown up herring, small skippy and a few squid after dark. The King and Kalgan rivers have continued to fish steadily for bream with small tailor either side of legal turning up near the entrances. Emu Point has offered a few whiting, bream, herring and squid. Anglers wading the Nornalup Inlet near Walpole have picked up flathead and yellowfin 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.

Boats

Out from Bunbury King George whiting have been targeted from 20m, while the lumps in 40m or so have yielded big Samsonfish. Tuna catches have been sporadic. In Geographe Bay tuna have been more active and yellowtail kingfish, bonito and tuna have shown up as well. Mulloway catches have also been reported and the staples of squid and King George whiting have been caught. Drop netters have also picked up blue swimmer crabs around Busselton. When the swells were down off the Cape crayfishers were pulling up full pots. Sightings of Spanish mackerel and cobia were also reported on the west side. In Bunbury, blue swimmer crabs continued to fish well from the harbour right throughout the Leschenault Inlet and into the Collie River. Those dropping crab nets have also been picking up chopper tailor and herring when trolling small Halco Twistys. Both Sunday and Monday look inviting on the forecast.  

Shore-Based

Beach fishing continued to go well with tailor catches consistent either side of Bunbury from Preston right through to Forrest Beach. Drone fishers have been picking up pink snapper too, at Preston, Mindalong, Belvedere and around Dunsborough. Yellowfin whiting have been caught on calm mornings at Preston and Myalup. Dalyellup has offered herring in good numbers and land-based squidders have continued to do well there. The Bunbury Cut and Back Beach have yielded small tailor and herring, while beaches in Geographe Bay have produced herring, tailor, yellowfin whiting and juvenile salmon. Divers have been picking up blue swimmer crabs in Dunsborough, while scoopers have been doing just as well as their boating counterparts around Australind and on the north and Bunbury Cut sides of the Leschenault Inlet. Busselton Jetty has produced Samsonfish at the end and good numbers of squid along the structure. In the Collie River soapie mulloway and the odd giant herring have been caught, while the irrigation drains south of Busselton have yielded bream and soapy mulloway. Salmon have been caught down at Yeagarup, while rock platforms between the Capes such as Torpedo, Sugarloaf rocks and Bunker Bay have produced yellowtail kingfish when the swells have been down.

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.

These two mighty marron from young Theo won him the weekly $50 Tackle World Miami voucher this week and there are still great numbers and sizes of marron rolling in throughout our South-West and Southern fresh waterways.

Marron are still the main game with the most reliable locations near Perth being the Harvey and Wellington dams. A lot of marron fishers have been filling in their down time targeting redfin perch and small rainbow trout, mainly getting them on Berkley Trout Nuggets or small soft plastics in a grub style. Bigger redfin perch have come from the Pemberton region which has been producing marron as well. More decent marron have also been caught far up the Blackwood River. The Collie River has offered perch and marron, while big brown trout to 50cm have been landed near the hatchery in Pemberton on the new trout trail located near the caravan park.

Ed enjoyed one of the all-time incredible sessions at the Mandurah FADs this week, landing this solid wahoo along tagging an estimated 300lb blue marlin, doesn’t get any better than that! Just goes to show what’s out there when you put in the effort.

Boats

The Mandurah FADs saw some eyebrow-raising catches on Thursday, with Ed aboard Nuisance tagging a solid blue marlin and landing the impressive wahoo pictured above. Crews chasing tuna and yellowtail kingfish have been working hard as far out as the 30m line for mixed results. It’s been a case of looking for working birds and keeping an eye on the sounder and hoping the fishing gods smile on you. Those chasing smaller yellowtail kingfish have been doing well on the Five-Fathom Bank and at the James Service Reef when anchoring and burleying up. They’ve caught not only kingies but also nice tailor, skippy and small Samsonfish. The James Service Reef has also been going well for crayfishers dropping pots in 15m with a few jumbos mixed in with the reds. Good cray catches have also come from the 30m depths. Those targeting King George whiting have picked up big ones in 25-30m but only in ones and twos and often it has been more worthwhile to target sand whiting in 8-12m inside the Five or at the James Service. Squid have also been fishing well inshore, especially off Falcon and Seacapes. In the Peel-Harvey Estuary blue swimmer crabs have been widespread and were running strong, while the estuary’s channels and drop-offs have been fishing well for tailor, herring and skippy. Parts of the estuary have been clear enough for people to dive for crabs. Both Sunday and Monday look favourable on the forecast.

Shore-Based

Tailor fishing has been good along local beaches either side of town with some of the better spots being Madora Bay, San Remo, Silver Sands, Seascapes, Tims Thicket and White Hills. Good mulloway have been landed at Madora Bay and Silver Sands, while most beaches along the coast have held reasonable numbers of herring. Sheltered beaches such as Seascapes, Melros, Falcon and Florida have been producing good numbers of yellowfin whiting for those fishing right on first light and using Vexed Micro Meats topped up with small pieces of coral prawn. Falcon has also been worth a crack for shore squidding with small jigs around 1.8 to 2.0 size, or larger jigs or baited jigs fished under a float. Squid have also been worth targeting in the afternoons and evenings at the Dawesville Cut, which has also offered herring and chopper tailor, as have the Mandurah bridges. The flats of the Peel-Harvey Estuary have rewarded waders throwing small minnows or metal slices over the drop-offs with herring, tailor and skippy. Yellowfin whiting chasers, who have been working harder for a feed from the estuary, have been noticing a few flounder following their lures in. Good yellowfin whiting catches this week came from Dawesville and Bouvard. Scoopers in the estuary have been doing even better than drop netters on blue swimmer crabs, while in the Murray and Serpentine rivers bream and soapy mulloway have been taking baits and small soft plastics. The Murray has fished slightly better.

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

Lots of crews have been targeting King George whiting and were picking up good ones behind Garden and Carnac islands and further out in 30m and 40m. They’ve been finding them in modest sizes inside of Garden Island, in Mangles Bay and on Parmelia Bank, often mixed in with sand whiting. Many crews have been jigging for Samsonfish out wide and tuna schools have been sighted regularly, with plenty of catches rolling in for those trolling skirts and deeper diving lures at 5-6 knots. The exposed inshore reefs have been producing tailor. Squid have been a lot harder to find, but crabbing in Cockburn Sound has been steady with blue swimmers in better sizes and numbers.

Shore-Based

Tailor catches have been consistent with solid 35-45cm fish being taken from Warnbro all the way down to Secret Harbour. Herring have been caught from the beaches as well, while drone fishers have been picking up pink snapper south of Secret Harbour, where a few good mulloway have been landed towards Golden Bay. Yellowfin whiting have been taken from the more sheltered beaches including the grain terminal, the Pond at Safety Bay and the Penguin Island Spit, where a few herring, chopper tailor and flathead have been caught. Blue swimmer crabs have been picked up by divers swimming out from the Rockingham foreshore, while the local jetties have offered small tailor, herring and the odd squid. A couple of good mulloway were recently landed at Palm Beach Jetty.

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!

The west end of Rotto was on fire this week! Jim Whisson landed a couple of 15kg+ yellowfin tuna on the troll and Josh Faulkner @saltywatervibez speared this lovely bull dolphinfish. The fish are out there so go get them!

Boats

Swells and wind over the past week curtailed what had been some promising pelagic activity out wide with the FADs, Fish Towers and deeper areas off Rottnest Island attracting Spanish mackerel, dolphinfish, shark mackerel, wahoo and yellowfin tuna in brilliant numbers. This week saw most crews targeting squid, King George whiting and sand whiting inshore. Squid have been holding deep, often 10m-plus, mainly off Fremantle and in the bays at Rottnest, where crayfish catches have also been pretty good. Sand whiting have been taken from City Beach and Swanbourne in 10-15m, while the Windmills has yielded a mix of sand whiting and King George whiting. Skippy and King George whiting have been in 25m off Marmion, while sand whiting have been caught off Hillarys in a range of depths. In the Swan River, crabs have pushed as far up as Burswood and catches have continued to improve. In the Canning River they have been caught at Canning Bridge and Mt Henry Bridge. There are some very strong easterlies expected in the mornings this weekend so expect some chop if ducking out. With hot conditions expected the pelagic fishing should still be highly productive.

Shore-Based

Tailor to 70cm have been caught from the north metro beaches which have still offered one or two pink snapper for drone fishers. Smaller tailor have been taken at Brighton and Scarborough beaches, while herring have been caught at Cottesloe and Grant Street. North Mole has been quieter than usual and catches have included small skippy, herring, leatherjacket, butterfish and tarwhine (a reminder that South Mole will reopen at the end of this month). Tailor and mulloway catches have tapered off in the Swan River, but small giant herring have been widespread throughout the system, from East Fremantle to Maylands, while bream have been caught as far up as Guildford. Flathead fishing has been steady from Burswood downstream and the odd flounder has been caught at Point Walter, East Fremantle and Mosman Bay. Compleat Angler Nedlands has warned of a spate of vandalism and anti-social activity at carparks and fishing spots around the Nedlands, Applecross and Canning Bridge areas, so be wary if wetting a line in these areas.

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!