Just goes to show the variety of species being caught off the beach in Lancelin lately, with this lovely spotted mackerel landed by one of Peter Fullarton’s lucky customers on his Tailored Treks Tours.

Boats

The wind has made things a bit of a battle this week. Out wide, there’s been no shortage of baitfish schools, and they’ve been doing their best to keep things interesting by attracting tuna, mackerel and bonito. The best part is you don’t need to travel far with plenty of action reported in the 20–25m depths, which is perfect for those keen on a quick hit rather than a long haul and a big fuel bill. Closer in, the fishing has been consistently productive. Squid, herring, skippy, flathead, King George whiting and tailor have all been on offer, making for mixed bags and bent rods. Lobster potters have also been doing well, with plenty of full pots coming up and good numbers of crays holding in the nearshore ledges. Saturday morning is looking like the last comfortable window to launch before the wind makes it quite choppy this week so make the most of it.

Shore-Based

Beach fishers have been treated to some cracking conditions with the offshore winds, and the fishing has absolutely fired. There are plenty of tailor getting around, and the bycatch has been as good as it gets with 5–6 species in a session quite common. Flathead, skippy, herring, tarwhine, snapper, mulloway and small sharks have all been making appearances, keeping things interesting and rods constantly in motion. It’s been the kind of fishing where you genuinely don’t know what’s on the end until it hits the sand. The real surprise packet has been the number of mackerel cruising the nearshore, with several reports of fish well within casting range. Strangely, no one seems to be properly targeting them from the beach yet, which might be an opportunity waiting to be taken. Drone fishers have had to put in a bit more effort this week and had to work hard for their snapper catches, but persistence has still paid off for those willing to stick at it.

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.

An easy feed of calamari for @gidos_fishing_adventures this week! Gido also had a great session on the South Coast in his latest YouTube video here.

Boats

Smaller boats made the most of good conditions this week and did well at Charley and Cull Islands, landing nannygai, sweep, queen snapper and breaksea cod. Esperance Bay has held plenty of squid and sand whiting. Out wide, lots of yellowtail kingfish to 20kg, good numbers of smaller Samsonfish and decent nannygai and breaksea cod were caught. Tomorrow morning is looking very nice on the forecast so make the most of it before conditions turn a bit sour for the remainder of the week.

Shore-Based

The Town Jetty has been going well for squid, some with 40cm-plus hoods, as well as bull herring and garfish with the better catches coming after dark. Taylor Street Jetty has held smaller squid and the odd King George whiting to 40cm. Salmon Beach has held a few salmon and plenty of herring and small skippy, while the same species plus a few flathead have come from Fourth Beach. Ten-Mile Lagoon has held herring, salmon and gummy sharks. Roses has produced lots of salmon to 6kg, skippy to 4kg, bronze whalers and the odd tailor. Wylie Bay has held herring, small skippy, juvenile salmon and one or two soapy mulloway. At Alexander Bay skippy to 2kg, herring, decent salmon and bronze whalers have been landed. Thomas River has held the same species and a few mulloway. Most of the lakes have been producing bream to 35cm. In Bandy Creek Boat Harbour lots of small King George whiting have been caught, along with flounder and herring. Drop netters have pulled up blue swimmer crabs there also.

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.

An impressive South Coast grey nurse shark for @southern_surfcaster and @thetidaltale crew this week! This great fish was quickly snapped and safely released to fight another day.

Boats

King George whiting haven’t been as reliable as in recent weeks but those choosing to move spots have generally been getting them, with the 12-15m depths around Michaelmas Island and Seal Island good places to start. Squid have been a little quieter than usual near town, but Two Peoples Bay has continued to produce big squid, along with lots of sand whiting and a few King George whiting. Crews that managed to get offshore and launched from Cheynes, Hartmans and Cape Riche did well this week, mainly on nannygai on the coral in 70m and on the edge off the shelf. Crews fishing out of Albany struggled. Sizeable breaksea cod were landed on the coral ground, while queen and pink snapper were in good numbers along with the odd dhufish. Crews trolling deep-diving Halco Laser Pros along the sharp drop-offs at Eclipse Island, Vancouver Rock, Bald Head and Breaksea Island have been picking up tuna and yellowtail kingfish. Walpole’s Nornalup Inlet has fished well for King George whiting, while drop netters have continued to do well on blue swimmer crabs in Oyster and Princess Royal harbours and the Kalgan River. Conditions aren’t looking too bad on the forecast with mostly light to moderate easterly winds and a swell ranging between 1.5-2m.  

Shore-Based

Big numbers of small bream have been taking prawn baits in the Kalgan and King River. Bream have also been at the town marina and Emu Point, along with a few whiting, herring and small skippy. Squid have been landed at Flat Rock, Frenchman Bay and Quaranup. Things quietened down on the salmon front this week. Schools of a dozen or so fish were spotted at Nanarup and a few were landed there, while Salmon Holes has been consistent for one or two resident fish. Cheynes and Bluff Creek were quiet but down at Malimup a few salmon have been caught on mulies. Most beaches, however, have been producing plenty of bull herring, good skippy and the odd flathead. Scoop netting for blue swimmer crabs has continued to go well in Princess Royal and Oysters Harbours.

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

Crews fishing just behind the reef straight out of Bunbury have picked up shark mackerel and the odd tuna, while the inshore lumps have held plenty of skippy. Bommies out wide have yielded Samsonfish, while windy conditions have forced whiting and squid chasers to the more sheltered waters of Geographe Bay where they had better results. In the Leschenault Estuary herring and tailor catches have waned, while those dropping nets for blue swimmer crabs have had to a work a bit harder. If you wish to duck out in the boat, Saturday morning is your last window of comfortable weather before the winds come ripping through for the remainder of this week.

Shore-Based

Beach fishing has been going well with several mulloway to 1.3m landed around the new moon at Belvedere and Preston, while tailor catches have been consistent on most beaches. Drone fishers have continued to pick up pink snapper and casters have started to get a couple as well, particularly if they burley up heavily when the easterlies are blowing. Sand and yellowfin whiting have been caught on calm mornings at Preston Beach and also at Forrest and Stratham beaches. Herring have been thick right along the coast with Dalyellup a standout. At the Bunbury Cut a few squid have been caught along with the odd herring and chopper tailor, while Busselton Jetty has been steady for squid and has produced bonito and Samsonfish at the deep end. Scooping for blue swimmer crabs has been slower in the Leschenault Estuary, where those wading the flats for yellowfin whiting have found the going harder. The Collie River has been fishing well for bream, soapy mulloway and the odd giant herring. A 1.2m mulloway was landed there this week on an Atomic Hardz Slim Twitcher 95mm bibbed minnow. Rock platforms on the west side have yielded pink snapper, breaksea cod, harlequin fish and dhufish when the swells have been down, but make sure you always wear a lifejacket if attempting this as conditions can change quickly.

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 fish that saves you from scoring a donut on a fishing trip should be knighted. This lovely rainbow trout thankfully saved the day for @harry.fisho.

Small brown trout have been caught in the waterways around the Pemberton region, which has also held redfin perch in a range of sizes. At Wellington and Harvey dams it’s been mainly kayak fishers getting among the perch in the deeper sections. They have also picked up the odd rainbow trout. A few redfin perch have been caught around the Collie townsite. Fishing for rainbow trout across the board has been hard work, but those putting in the distance on foot and finding free flowing water have done best.

Boats

Pelagic action offshore was pretty quiet this week with just the odd tuna school spotted that showed little interest in the lures being thrown at them. Sizeable King George whiting have been taken in ones and twos out from Dawesville, while sand whiting have been thick on the James Service Reef. Skippy have been in good numbers on broken ground inshore, while squid have been active in clean water behind the surf breaks. In the Peel-Harvey Estuary dinghy fishers have picked up good numbers of tailor when trolling at Z Bends, while herring have been thick. Drop netters have had little drama getting a feed of blue swimmer crabs. Early on Saturday morning is the last of the good weather before the stronger winds arrive for most of this week.  

Shore-Based

The Peel Harvey Estuary has continued to fish well for yellowfin whiting which have been widespread. Herring have been prolific in the estuary and at the Dawesville Cut, which has also offered chopper tailor in the afternoons at the estuary end and squid at the Jolly Frog jetty at night. The estuary’s canals and marinas have been going brilliantly for bream, soapy mulloway, tarwhine, herring, tailor and small pink snapper. The Murray River has been going well for bream, as have the canals at Yunderup. Blue swimmer crabs have been running well for scoop netters. On the beaches, big tailor have been taken on the afternoon sea breezes down at White Hills, while north of town chopper tailor have been in good numbers. Herring have been abundant on most beaches.

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

When the weather has played the game shark mackerel and tuna were active towards Rottnest and Carnac Islands and near the Five-Fathom Bank. Wahoo and dolphinfish have been around the FADS, with spearfishers still doing best. Crews targeting King George whiting in 30-40m depths have been rewarded with 50cm-plus kidney slappers, while smaller models have been caught inside of Garden Island, in Mangles Bay, behind Penguin Island and on Parmelia Bank. Skippy, sand whiting and herring were at these locations as well. Samsonfish have been pulled up from the deeper lumps, while the white water behind Garden and Penguin islands has yielded solid tailor for those throwing stickbaits. Squid fishing has improved, though they have been holding deeper in 6-10m. Drop netters have been doing well on blue swimmer crabs. Early on Saturday looks best on the forecast for the coming week.

Shore-Based

Beach fishing has continued to go well with tailor numbers and sizes holding up and most people getting a feed in the mornings and evenings at Port Kennedy, Long Point, Warnbro, Secret Harbour and Golden Bay. Metre-plus mulloway turned up around the new moon from Secret Harbour south. Herring have been thick on all beaches and sand whiting have been mixed in with yellowfin whiting at Long Point and the Penguin Island spit. Just the odd bonito has been landed at the Ammo Jetty, where scaly mackerel have been thick. The jetties around town have been quiet apart from scalies, a few herring and small tailor. Blue swimmer crabs have been plentiful for those swimming out from the Rockingham foreshore, while those dropping nets have been pulling up a few at the local jetties.

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!

Crossing the 50cm mark for a flathead in the Swan River is pretty respectable, especially in March! Eli Blake set a new 51cm PB in the tinny near Guildford this week flicking around Force Lure Paddle tails. Great stuff Eli!

Boats

Samsonfish and small kingfish have been caught from the artificial reefs and at the West End of Rottnest Island, while skittish dolphinfish have been at the FADs. A few shark mackerel and tuna have been taken off the northern reefs, but tailor fishing close in has gone quiet this week. Decent King George whiting have been around the Three-Mile Reef and in the bays at Rottnest, while smaller ones have been caught off Fremantle. Sand whiting have been active out from Ocean Reef, off City Beach and Cottesloe. Squid have been in the 10m depths off Fremantle, while solid tailor have been caught at Mewstones. Trolling for tailor has been slow in the Swan River, but crabbing has been going okay in 12-14m depths in the lower reaches and 3-4m in the middle sections. It’s been flat and glorious out on the water this week and Saturday morning should hold the last of these conditions before it becomes very windy and choppy from Saturday arvo until at least Wednesday.  

Shore-Based

The E-Shed finally produced the goods for mulloway chasers over the weekend with a metre-plus fish pulled out from among the schools of scaly mackerel. Quite a lot has been happening in Fremantle Harbour with herring, tarwhine, juvenile Samsonfish and pink snapper to 60cm hooked. A few of the bigger fish have been snaffled by bull sharks, so take care if fishing around here. In the lower reaches of the Swan River a few crabs have been scooped after dark and yellowfin whiting have been caught late at night on live baits or bloodworms. Quite a few herring have been in the lower reaches, where some decent tailor have been taken on lures in the afternoons and a few fish around 50cm have been caught on mulies after dark. Overall tailor numbers have dropped however, as have giant herring catches. Mulloway from soapies to a metre have been landed in the Canning River, along with a few bream, grunter and small tailor. Small to medium-sized bream have been taken between Maylands and Guildford with the odd bigger fish mixed in along with soapy mulloway as a bycatch. Some good flathead have been landed on warmer days in the Swan’s middle and lower reaches including a 61cm monster that fell to an old-school marabou jig that was safely released. A few flounder have been about as well. The northern beaches have been quieter than usual, but have held a few herring, as did Floreat and Swanbourne beaches. Tailor to 50cm have been taken between Brighton Beach and Trigg. Trumpeter whiting and the odd flathead have been caught between Coogee and South Beach, while the Fremantle Moles and rock walls have held mostly herring and the odd tailor at night, with bonito catches dropping off at North Mole.

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!