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Hooking Up Anglers Since 2011.
6 February, 2026
Pic of the Week goes to the @tackleworldbroome crew for this whopper 67cm tripletail caught just five minutes from the boat ramp!
Tag #recfishwest in your posts or send them via DM to our Instagram @recfishwest—don’t forget to include where and how you caught it!
For your photos to be featured, make sure they follow our responsible handling and photography guidelines, which means fish held horizontally and not vertically by the gills, no blood, one hand under the belly and the other holding the tail, preferably water in the background etc). Stay safe, have fun, and keep sharing your awesome catches!
Snapper Guardians returns tomorrow!
Want to do something fun and unique with your family? We’re thrilled to invite families and fishers of all ages to WA’s biggest community fish-stocking event - Snapper Guardians!
📍 Where: Jervoise Bay Dog Beach, Woodman Point, Cockburn Sound
📅 When: Saturday, 7 February
⏰ Start: Around 10 am (arrive by 9:30 am)
Come down, roll up your sleeves, and help release 5,000 juvenile pink snapper into Cockburn Sound with us! These little fish were hatched and reared at DPIRD’s Fremantle aquaculture facility - giving them a much better shot at survival before swimming off into their new home.
Snapper Guardians is a community-owned event that celebrates this iconic fish and the amazing recreational fishing experiences Cockburn Sound supports. It’s open to everyone - bring your bathers, towel, sunscreen, snorkel and your camera!
Get involved, make some memories, and be part of something that strengthens the future of fishing in WA. More info here.
With the green light officially given by Fisheries WA to go fishing for abalone this Saturday from 7-8AM, it is important to stay safe by following the tips below 👇
🌊 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.
More safety tips can be found here and for multiple translations of our safe abalone fishing tips, click here.
The final abalone day for this season is Saturday, 21 February. Have fun and stay safe!
A cracker of a mud crab in the creek for Celeste from @reefchiefaustralia this week before the weather turned sour!
Between the storm fronts good windows opened in Roebuck Bay where tripletail have been active around the moorings with a local picking up at 67cm model on bait this week. The bay’s inshore lumps have produced a few bluebone. Most crews have been targeting Dampier Creek which has held a few small barramundi and quite a few javelinfish. Influxes of fresh water has made fishing a lot quieter at Crab Creek and the Fingers, although the latter has offered a few threadfin salmon at times. The weather is still looking ugly this weekend so fishing is likely off the cards, but Monday onwards might be more comfortable albeit with a bit of rain expected next week.
Shore-Based
Water levels have been fluctuating in the Fitzroy River, so make sure you check before heading out. Fishing hasn’t been easy, but barramundi have been taken at Langi Crossing, the Cuttings and Telegraph Pool. In Broome, the Town Beach Jetty has offered mostly small queenfish, while bigger queenfish and trevally have been caught at Entrance Point. Willie Creek has held a few mangrove jack.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.
Exmouth Gulf was on fire this week, with Louise Bardwell (left) wrangling in this solid golden trevally on the flats with @ningalooflyfishing, while @brody.sutton (right) continued his fine work on fly with this lovely bluebone.
Better conditions over the past week have encouraged many crews to target billfish out wide on the west side where plenty of blue marlin have been hooked but not so many landed. The bycatch has been mainly tuna and a few wahoo. Deep-droppers have been doing OK on ruby snapper and goldband snapper in 80-100m, while Rankin cod, red emperor and hard-fighting long-nose emperor have been taken in 40-70m. Spanish mackerel catches have been better first thing in the morning before the sharks move in, with waters off Tantabiddi among the better spots. Permit have shown up inshore at Tantabiddi, while spangled emperor have been in good numbers at Pilgramunna towards the sanctuary. Smaller Spaniards have been taken at the Outram Patches towards the Muirons. At Exmouth Reef, Spanish flag, decent coral trout, blue-lined emperor and good numbers of 35-40cm mangrove jack have been caught, while at the Muirons red emperor, Rankin cod and spangled emperor have been the main catches in 40-60m. The bottom of Exmouth Gulf has been slow for coral trout with areas north of the marina holding better numbers as well as quite a few cod. On the far side of the gulf queenfish and trevally have been smashing bait schools, while spangled emperor have been in good numbers around Whalebone Island. Further north at Combe Reef a 25kg giant trevally was landed. Few crews have been targeting squid and mud crabs have been picked up in twos and threes at the bottom of the gulf. Deeper in the gulf fly-fishers have been catching spangled emperor and permit. With ugly winds expected amid the cyclone it’s not looking fishing-friendly at all over the coming days so play it safe and sit it out. Your next best window is looking like Wednesday onwards.
Whiting catches have slowed in general but they have been fishing well at south of Learmonth and at Wapet Creek on the high tides. The odd flathead has been taken at the mouth of Wapet Creek, while at Bundegi there has been less bait about than usual but there was still a few trevally, queenfish and mangrove jack about. The town marina has been fishing well for cod, mangrove jack and bream, while big schools of barracuda have been smashing small metal slices. The marina’s outside wall could be worth a crack for squid if the water is clear and the odd big queenfish has been cruising past there. Up at Mildura Wreck, Chinaman cod and queenfish have been the main catches, while at Dunes on high tide giant trevally to 8kg have been landed along with queenfish. Dart and mangrove jack have been caught at Tantabiddi, which has continued to hold big schools of milkfish. Fly-fishers there haven’t had a lot of luck on them, although they have done well on permit.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!
You know you’re in good tailor country when there is gutters topped off with a bit of whitewash. A lovely fish from @wazza_uptown.
There’s been good news on the pelagic front with one crew picking up five yellowfin tuna around the Sand Patch in quick time. The biggest kept was 9kg, a bigger one was lost, and one jumbo estimated at 35kg was landed and released. Spanish mackerel have been harder to find, but five were landed in the Kalbarri Offshore and Angling Club’s monthly competition last weekend and other reports of mackies have come in. A longtail tuna was landed in the competition as well. The pelagics have been picked up on trolled skirts, but deep-diving lures in gold or red-head patterns have accounted for a few along with the new Halco 210XD Crazy Deeps. The next few early mornings should produce the goods on the weather front.
Tailor have been in good numbers at Red Bluff and Wittecarra and were keeping company with bull herring and dart. At the mouth of the Murchison River sand whiting and a few tailor have been landed. The cliffs have been fishing well too, with pink snapper, big tailor and a couple of baldchin groper caught. The land-based section of the club’s monthly comp produced good catches of school mulloway in the Murchison River, along with a 48cm mangrove jack and a few giant herring. Tailor to 50cm have been caught up river by anglers targeting giant herring. Mud crabs have been in reasonable numbers and the sizes have been big, while blue swimmer crabs have come into the river on the incoming tides. A few bream have been hanging around structure.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.
Standard evening mulloway mission for @mat.svenson this week!
A few boats that got out to the islands this week to target Spanish mackerel and tuna reported major shark issues. A few mackies were sighted at Whales Bay and Wreck Point, where a 20kg-plus yellowtail kingfish was landed. Reports of Spanish mackerel have also come from Port Denison. It’s not looking pretty on the forecast this week with big swells and strong southerlies, but Monday and Thursday morning might provide a brief window.
Tailor have been going well despite the swells being up. Drummond Cove headed northwards to Buller River, Morning Reef and Coronation have been producing fish in a range of sizes, mostly 35-50cm. Around town, mornings have fished well at Tarcoola Beach and the Greenough River mouth. Pages Beach has held mainly undersized tailor, but big bust-ups were observed from there to the Fishing Boat Harbour which could have been bigger tailor, tuna or bonito. Whiting have been hard to come by for line fishers, but netters have been getting plenty. Any beach that’s been free of weed should be worth a try for them though. Chapman River mouth, Sunset and Glenfield have offered tailor in the early mornings but because of the weed challenges there bait fishers have done best. Squid have been caught in decent numbers at the Sunset Inn rock wall and the north side of the Batavia Coast Marina. Small to medium-sized dart have been caught at Tarcoola Beach and north of the Chapman River, while herring seem to have thinned out on the local beaches and become more of a bycatch.
Thanks to the team at Geraldton Sports Centre for their tips! They will happily provide you with great gear and solid advice for your next fishing trip.
Persistent winds have kept most boats tucked in close this week, with little motivation to push wider. Inshore grounds have been the go to, with sand whiting, flathead and tailor providing the bulk of the action for those staying inside. A handful of crews who did venture out deeper reported scattered tuna schools working the 28–30m contours. They’ve been moving fast, but when found, the fish have been willing to hit small metals and trolled skirts. Monday morning looks best for a launch but the days outside of that this week look windy and choppy.
It’s been a challenging stretch for land‑based fishers. Each afternoon seabreeze has pushed fresh weed along the beaches, making many stretches uncomfortable or outright unfishable. Even so, the evening tailor bite has been electric when anglers can find a clear patch of water. Morning sessions have been far more manageable. Offshore winds and the low tide leave most of the weed high on the sand, allowing anglers to keep their lines above the debris and fish with relative ease, although the morning tailor bite has not been as intense. Pink snapper have been reluctant to come within casting range, though drone fishers dropping baits around the 300m mark have seen a noticeable lift in numbers and size, with several fish pushing past 70cm. The mullet run has now kicked off, with schools pushing north tight to the shoreline. As this builds, expect the gutters to fire with big greenback tailor, and keep an eye on the nearshore reefs. Samsonfish often use the mullet run as an opportunity to ambush prey.
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.
A lovely silver slab for @lachy_warren close to town! In Lachy’s words - Turns out to get mulloway all you need is a 14/O shark hook and 100lb wire with a strip of fresh salmon.
Bluefin tuna have been prolific at Sunk Rocks and Boxer Island, while big nannygai have been caught behind Figure of Eight Island. Blue groper and big queen snapper have been landed at Cull Island, while Samsonfish and big yellowtail kingfish have been caught at Mondrain Island. Sand whiting have been thick off Twilight and Observatory beaches, while thumping King George whiting have been caught at Lovers Cove. Herring, squid and snook have been abundant in Esperance Bay. There should be calmer easterly winds on both mornings this weekend which look to be the best windows to duck out.
Cracking mulloway and gummy sharks have been landed at Poison Creek, while good numbers of soapy mulloway and big skippy have come from Thomas River. Salmon schools have been hanging about at Tagon Beach, while Stockyards Beach has fished well for tailor, tarwhine and salmon. Roses Beach and 14-Mile Beach have held mulloway, gummy sharks and bronze whalers, while 10-Mile Lagoon and Salmon Beach have fished well for salmon. Sand whiting have been plentiful early in the mornings at Blue Haven, while Bandy Creek Boat Harbour and the town foreshore have been good for King George whiting. The Town and Taylor Street jetties have held herring, garfish and squid at night, while Woody Lake has been the pick of the bream spots.
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.
It was a busy session on the stones for @andrew_ward_3 this week, landing this queen snapper amongst several other monster hookups that were unfortunately taken by sharks first. If attempting this type of fishing, always wear a lifejacket, check the conditions and fish with a friend. If you don’t have a lifejacket you can loan a lifejacket for free at any of the locations here.
Conditions kept boats closer to shore this week, but most crews did okay on smaller species. King George whiting numbers have been reasonable in 10-12m and also quite a bit deeper, but the sizes have been modest. Squid have been holding deep as well. Small tuna have been active at Bald Head, Eclipse Island and Vancouver Reef. Drop netters have been doing well on blue swimmer crabs in Oyster and Princess Royal harbours, while in Denmark’s Wilson Inlet a bit of burley has brought in pink snapper, garfish, herring and juvenile salmon. Saturday is looking best given it should provide a lower swell and calmer easterly winds.
Crabbing has been red-hot for scoopers with plenty of blue swimmers being taken in Oyster and Princess Royal Harbours and also in the Kalgan River. The bigger blues mainly have been in Oyster Harbour. Cobbler have been plentiful in the harbours as well, but many have been under the 43cm size limit. Salmon Holes and Shelley Beach have been holding resident salmon on most days, while Denmark’s Ocean Beach has offered juvenile salmon, herring and heaps of tarwhine. Albany’s beaches have also thrown up herring and skippy when the salmon have been quiet. The Hay, King and Kalgan Rivers have fished well for bream with herring, juvenile salmon and small tailor active in the Kalgan. Emu Point and the town marina have held herring, skippy and whiting with the odd squid at night.
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.
A lovely Sambo for @southwest_oz this week at our artificial reef located off Dunsborough! Click here to see the coordinates of all the artificial reefs deployed around WA.
Big King George whiting have been targeted in 20-30m and crews that have missed out have moved to 10m or so and usually picked up a feed of herring, sand whiting and skippy. Smaller King George whiting and better numbers of squid have been active in Geographe Bay. Yellowtail kingfish have been hanging around structure in Bunbury waters, along with sizeable Samsonfish on the lumps further out. Tuna have been kicking around, out from Bunbury and in Geographe Bay, but catches have been sporadic. The Leschenault Estuary has been producing plenty of blue swimmer crabs for drop netters at certain spots but for others it has been hard work trying to pin them down. Plenty of tailor have been in the estuary as well with sizes improving. Herring were also active, more so at the southern end. In Geographe Bay yak fishers have been finding big blue swimmer crabs but have struggled on squid. The next few mornings look inviting so get out there.
Beaches either side of Bunbury have continued to fish well with good runs of chopper tailor, herring and some pink snapper for drone fishers. Myalup has been fishing very well for these species and also good numbers of yellowfin whiting. Mulloway have turned up in a range of sizes, from soapies through to the odd 1m model. Dalyellup, Back Beach and the Bunbury Cut have held a few sand whiting, herring and chopper tailor. Yellowfin whiting have been going well in the estuary but numbers and sizes have waned a little since Christmas. Scooping for blue swimmer crabs has been steadily improving. In the Collie River small giant herring have been caught and some big mulloway have been hooked but not landed. Bull sharks are plentiful there, so just be wary. At Busselton Jetty, squid, herring and yellowtail kingfish around 35cm have been caught. A few pink snapper have been taken from the jetty in recent weeks. Thee reefs at Yallingup have yielded decent tailor and yellowfin whiting have been in reasonable numbers from Siesta Park through to Dunsborough.
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.
With the marron mayhem now over for another year redfin perch and trout will be targeted in earnest. Most of the bigger redfin have been holding in the deepest parts of Harvey and Wellington Dams, with yak fishers doing best on them. Some of the perch have crossed the magical 50cm mark. The causeway at Harvey Dam has fished well for smaller models. Trout shouldn’t be overlooked at these locations either, with those wading the shallows at first and last light finding plenty of small rainbows rising to snaffle insects on the surface, while the feeder streams to Harvey, Logue Brook and Waroona dams and Drakesbrook Weir have produced some nice browns. Further south the Pemberton region has been producing brown and rainbow trout, while Lefroy Brook and Tone River have yielded rainbows.
Jayden won himself the $50 Tackle World Miami voucher this week for this skipjack tuna landed off town this week and they’ve been in great numbers. Try trolling skirts or deep diving lures at 4-5 knots for the best odds or cast metal slices next to bait balls and diving birds.
Boats
Inshore fishing has been going well with good numbers of squid being taken on the broken ground out from the entrance of the Dawesville Cut, while the James Service, Murray and Horseshoe reefs have produced yellowtail kingfish, small Samsonfish and tailor to 70cm. Just inside James Service Reef sand whiting to 30cm have been plentiful and the odd gummy shark has been landed. Out wide hasn’t been too shabby either, with divers finding plenty of red crays in 30m. One angler landed a blue marlin around 140kg and a wahoo in the same session last week. Big King George whiting have been holding deep in 27-35m. Tuna reports have been mixed with a few crews finding them and others missing out. At the FADs dolphinfish have been taken mostly by spearfishers, while at the Five-Fathom Bank the odd shark mackerel has been landed. In the Peel Harvey Estuary herring have been thick at the Z Bends, with tailor to 40cm and skippy to 35cm in good numbers too. Some drop netters have been bagging out on blue swimmer crabs in a couple of runs, but others have found the going much harder. A few crews have been doing well when taking dinghies out to edge of the flats and free diving for the crabs. Sunday and Monday morning look best.
Tailor have been running well north and south of town from Tim’s Thicket up to Madora Bay. Better north of the river tailor spots have included San Remo, Madora Bay, Golden Bay and Singleton, which has fished well for mulloway to a metre. At Tims Thicket there have been good catches of yellowfin whiting for the early risers, while tailor chasers have done well in the evenings. Falcon and Melros have also offered yellowfin whiting at very first light, while drone fishers at Melros have picked up pink snapper to 85cm. Tailor have been around the pylons and at the estuary end of the Dawesville Cut. Herring have been widespread along the rock wall and squid have been active on the high tides at night. Tailor have also been caught under the lights of the Mandurah bridges, where prawns and whitebait have been dab-netted. Bream to 45cm have been in the Peel-Harvey Estuary’s canals and marinas and also in the Serpentine and Murray rivers. In the Murray they are as far up as Ravenswood. Yellowfin whiting catches have been better in the Peel section of the system around the new bridge and Boundary Island, while scoop netters have been finding good numbers of good-sized crabs in most areas.
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!
Drop netters have gone very well on blue swimmer crabs in Cockburn Sound, while plenty of sand whiting, small King George whiting, herring and the odd squid have been caught on Parmelia Bank, in Mangles Bay and inside of Garden Island. Behind Garden Island King George whiting to 50cm have been caught and Samsonfish have been active. Exposed reefs at Penguin and Garden islands have yielded big tailor to 70cm. Mangles Bay Fishing Club’s Game Fish Bonanza last weekend coincided with high water temperatures and many crews did well on yellowfin tuna around 15kg and bigger. Wahoo were also caught and a big marlin was raised. Sunday and Monday morning look best for the boaties.
Beach fishing has been going very with tailor catches smashing baits and lures during mornings and nights at Secret Harbour, Warnbro, Port Kennedy and Long Point. Mulloway have been showing up too with a big one landed at Secret Harbour. School mulloway to 80cm were plentiful at Port Kennedy and Warnbro. Herring, sand whiting and yellowfin whiting have been widespread and in good numbers, but the big surprise has been giant herring which have turned up in the Shoalwater Bay area. The local jetties have offered herring, big scaly mackerel, yellowfin and sand whiting and a few chopper tailor, as well as a few blue swimmer crabs for drop netters. Divers swimming out from Rockingham foreshore have found blue swimmers in better numbers and sizes. The odd squid has been caught at night from the jetties and small ones have been at Point Peron during the day.
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 Perth Trenches and West End of Rotto was on fire again this week! @max_out_fishing, @samsmith1225 and @c.operc muscled in this solid 400lb blue marlin (left), while yellowfin tuna have also been in exciting numbers, with @alex.fisho landing this healthy fish (right).
Sportfishing action picked up at the Rottnest Trench this week, with more dolphinfish and wahoo caught with a blue marlin and a striped marlin tagged and released. One of the wahoo weighed in at 25kg and provided a great feed. A few dolphinfish have been at the FADs, while around Rottnest and in north metro waters spearfishers have been getting Spanish mackerel but line fishers have struggled. A few Spaniards have been landed at Direction Bank along with shark mackerel and yellowfin tuna. Shark mackerel have been active from Stragglers to City Beach, while Rottnest’s West End has offered Samsonfish, tuna species and yellowtail kingfish. The bays on the north side of Rottnest have yielded sand whiting, skippy and King George whiting, while sand whiting have been in good numbers off City Beach. Bonito schools have been active off Fremantle. In the Swan and Canning River blue swimmer crabs have been going well for drop netters, especially in Perth Water and Mosman Bay. Some good tailor around 50cm have been picked up on the troll. The next few mornings don’t look too bad on the forecast but Sunday and Monday morning look best.
Tailor numbers have tapered off on the northern beaches but many of the fish that have been landed have been very good-sized with several better than 60cm. At Floreat, Scarborough, Trigg and North Beach herring have been the main catches. Chopper tailor and a few snook have been caught from the northern rock walls and from groynes south of Fremantle. A few skippy have turned up at beaches north of Scarborough. At North Mole small skippy and juvenile Samsonfish have been taken and one or two bonito have shown up. Fishing has been much quieter in the Swan River too. Flathead and flounder catches have been slow despite the recent run of hot days, with better catches coming in the afternoons and on the higher tides. Tailor have quietened too with just the odd good fish to 50cm being taken on the drop-offs in the middle reaches. Giant herring have been much quieter also, although Maylands has produced a couple of small ones as has Shelley in the Canning River. Not much has been happening on the bream front and just the odd school mulloway has been caught up river in the Swan.
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, who contacts tackle stores directly around WA - love your work William!
Recfishwest’s fishing report contributors: Jarrad Lawford (editor and images), Sam Bock, Sedin Hasanovic, Sam Russell, Levi De Boni and Mason McHutchison.
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This Fishing Report was submitted on 2/6/2026 3:30:32 AM by Seamus and last updated on 2/13/2026 6:38:55 PM.
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