Get your kids fishing these school holidays at our Mid-West fishing clinics across April!

Looking to get the kids off their devices and outside doing a healthy and fun activity these school holidays? Recfishwest's fishing clinics are hitting the road again across six Mid-West locations!

In partnership with Healthway and Shimano, there are 10 FREE fishing clinics on offer in Geraldton, Dongara, Leeman, Green Head, Jurien Bay and Lancelin between 15-19 April, all providing a fantastic opportunity to introduce your kids to fishing basics, estuary and marine environments, and leading healthier lifestyles through fishing.

Run by our friendly expert fishing instructors with free loan fishing gear provided, there are 30 spots available across each of the 10 fishing clinics.

The spots will fill up quickly, so don’t delay and book your place on the links below:

• Click here to book your place in Geraldton.

• Click here to book your place in Dongara.

• Click here to book your place in Leeman.

• Click here to book your place in Green Head.

• Click here to book your place in Jurien Bay.

• Click here to book your place in Lancelin.

Come wet a line with us!

New Quinns Rocks jetty on the way!

Great news for shore-based fishers in Perth’s northern suburbs, with plans unveiled for a new fishing jetty at Quinns Rocks.

Set to be ready by early 2027, the jetty will deliver safe, accessible fishing and a great platform to target metro favourites like herring, tailor, squid and whiting.

This project progresses a State Government election commitment, following Recfishwest’s call for it in our 2025 State manifesto - backed by strong community support and part of our push for more fishing jetties across WA.

Kudos to City of Wanneroo for taking on ours and Fishability's input into the jetty’s design, which will include practical fishing features like a fish cleaning station with a solar powered saltwater tap and lighting - as well as being fully accessible.

Jetties provide great value to local communities and every kid deserves a local jetty they can cast a line from.

We’ll keep advocating for more jetties and fishing platforms so more West Aussies can enjoy great fishing, close to home.

Read the full story about this new land-based fishing jetty here!

Last chance to have your say on crab rule changes

DPIRD’s public consultation on proposed blue swimmer crab changes closes next Wednesday at 5pm (15 April).

The proposals include:

• A 10 crab bag limit across the West Coast

• Pushing the season start to 1 January (north of Minninup)

Where we stand right now:

✔️ Support the 10-crab bag limit

❌ Don’t support delaying the whole season

Instead, we’ve proposed a smarter option: Delay scoop netting in the Peel-Harvey until Boxing Day, protecting undersize crabs while keeping December crabbing opportunities open.

We’ve put our current thinking up on the website, you can have a look here. But this isn’t locked in.

We want to hear what crabbers think before the deadline.

Jump in, have a read and share your views below or to have your say on DPIRD’s survey, click here.

Boats

Easter was very kind to visiting fishers, with Lancelin turning on some fantastic weather over the long weekend. Those heading wide found yellowfin tuna to around 15kg, along with dolphinfish around the FADs. A solid shark mackerel was weighed in at the Lancelin Angling Club on Saturday, although mackerel reports have otherwise been a little quiet. With the full moon now behind us, that should start to change the fishing over the coming week. Fishers working the Bay have been having a great time on some very large herring, with tailor also active throughout the day. Casting jigs has produced some quality squid, and lobster fishers have been reporting excellent results across a wide range of depths. Sunday is looking like a mint day out on the water so get out there and enjoy it.

Shore-Based

The jetty has been producing better numbers of squid recently, and most nights this week have seen good catches of herring along with the odd tailor. Along the beaches there was an abundance of baitfish, with schools of mullet, hardyheads and blue bait creating plenty of activity. The surf beaches have been fishing very well for tailor at sunrise, while reef breaks are starting to hold a few larger greenbacks. Big mulloway have made a welcome return to Lancelin, with a series of great captures to 20kg reported recently along with some cracking snapper to 70cm landed from the shore. We’ve also seen an increase in the average size of sand whiting from the beaches, along with bull herring and the continuation of a sensational run of skippy.

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.

Despite hit or miss sessions for salmon on the South Coast this Easter, Esperance has had reliable spots for resident salmon, with @tad_bit_of_fishin enjoying a fun session on this great fighting species along with a few school mulloway.

Boats

Nannygai and breaksea cod have been plentiful towards Giant Rocks, while pink snapper and dhufish have been landed at Baynes Reef. Queen snapper and harlequin fish have been abundant at Observatory Island, while big groper have been caught at Charley and Cull Islands. Tuna have been active at Black Island and Sunk Rock, while King George whiting catches have been good at Flat Rocks. Sand whiting have been thick in Wylie Bay and Esperance Bay has held squid, herring and snook. Early on Saturday is looking very inviting with a 2m swell and gentle northerly winds expected.

Shore-Based

Israelite Bay has fished well for gummy sharks and bronze whalers, while Thomas River has held big skippy and lots of salmon. Dunns Beach has been going well for gummy sharks, salmon and mulloway, while Roses and 14-Mile beaches have also yielded gummy sharks and salmon. Stockyards held mulloway and big tarwhine, while the early mornings at Salmon Beach and Fourth Beach have been producing good numbers of salmon. Flathead and plump sand whiting have been caught at Blue Haven. Bandy Creek Boat Harbour and the foreshore have thrown up King George whiting. At night the Town and Taylor Street jetties have yielded herring and garfish, while Wheatfields Lake has been going best for bream this week.

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 rather prehistoric-looking and rare catch off the South Coast for @andrew_ward_3 off the shelf, with this cracking gemfish coming aboard via jigging. Andrew’s biceps would’ve felt this one reeling it in above 350m+ of water!

Boats

Tuna chasers on the troll picked up salmon in the deeper depths at Vancouver Rock, Bald Head and Limestone Head, while squid and King George whiting around 40cm were also out deeper than usual, holding in 10-12m. Good conditions allowed boats to get to the coral ground which fished reasonably well for pink snapper, queen snapper and breaksea cod. The lumps of Hartmans produced nice dhufish, while those who got to the edge of the shelf from Two Peoples Bay did well on hapuka and eight-bar cod, with nannygai closer in. Sand whiting were also plentiful at Two Peoples Bay where the squid were large but not in great numbers. Drop netters in Oyster and Princess Royal Harbours have blamed the full moon and poor tides for their low catches, with many expecting blue swimmer crab numbers to pick up again soon. Sunday should see the north-easterly winds drop off throughout the morning with a 1.5m swell, which should see great conditions along with a sunny sky.  

Shore-Based

It’s been a frustrating Easter for salmon chasers with catches very inconsistent. Shelley Beach fired before Easter then went quiet, while Cheynes and Salmon Holes have been hit or miss. Bluff Creek has been better than the main Cheynes beach, while the Deeps, Cable Beach, Fosters and the mouth of the Pallingup River all had their moments. Most of the salmon have been caught on mulies and throwing out burley has also been helpful to bring them in closer. At Fosters and Bluff Creek many salmon were sporting shark bites with bronze whalers seen at both locations. A crew that did the hard yards and got to Mermaid Point before Easter picked up a nice mixed bag of salmon, small queen snapper, pink snapper, yellowtail kingfish and tailor, while local rock platforms have held the odd blue groper (make sure you wear a lifejacket if attempting this). Salmon were landed at Denmark’s McGreary Rock and catches north of Denmark towards Walpole have improved. As a consolation prize herring have been thick pretty much everywhere. Bream chasers have been rewarded in the King, Kalgan, Hay and Denmark rivers but scoop netting for blue swimmer crabs in Princess Royal and Oyster Harbour has been slow. The town marina, Emu Point and Frenchman Bay have been heavily fished and produced mainly herring, small skippy and just the odd squid.

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.

Salmon have been going nuts in our South-West and this hard fighting and easily accessible species have provided some excellent fun for families off the beaches, with @antsimper’s youngsters having a ball over the school holidays.

Boats

Straight out from Bunbury tuna have been hitting small metals and stickbaits, while further out Samsonfish captures have been good from the lumps. It’s been quiet on the King George and sand whiting fronts, but weed banks a couple of kilometres offshore have fished well for squid. Herring have been plentiful inshore and skippy have been on the broken ground. Whiting fishing has been better in Geographe Bay where squid have been going well. Blue swimmer crab numbers have been best towards the Busselton end of the Bay, while kayakers have been going well for squid and were picking up a few small King George whiting between Busselton and Siesta Park. The blue swimmer crab run in the Leschenault Estuary has started to slow, but herring and chopper tailor numbers have picked up there. Small tuna have been caught in Geographe Bay, while salmon chasers have been finding their quarry at Hamelin, Eagle and Bunker Bays. The weather is looking very inviting for both boat and land-based fishers this weekend.

Shore-Based

Salmon continued to fish well between the Capes. Bunker Bay went quiet just before Easter, but came good again, as did Injidup and Hamelin Bay. Eagle Bay and Castle Rock remained consistent right through, while Rocky Point, Canal Rocks, Torpedo Rocks and the rocks at Dunsborough improved but make sure you always wear a lifejacket if fishing these locations. Smiths Beach and Yallingup were reliable. Augusta and the Yeagerup and Warren Beach stretches have picked up as well. Herring have been plentiful and have provided fun between salmon bites, while big tailor turned up at Mitchell Rock, Smiths Beach and Yallingup. Pink snapper and skippy have also been caught at these spots. Hamelin Bay has held good skippy too. Salmon have also been landed at Busselton Jetty, along with mulloway, pink snapper, herring and squid. Near Bunbury, Buffalo Beach and Hungry Hollow have produced salmon. Pink snapper up to 65cm have been caught at the Bunbury Cut, while big mulloway have been landed at Back Beach and Preston. Herring have been in good numbers at most Bunbury beaches, but tailor have been quieter. Bream fishing has improved in the Collie River, where soapy mulloway were in good numbers. Nice chopper tailor have been swimming with herring schools at Siesta Park. Dunsborough has produced herring and yellowfin whiting on the flats and pink snapper for drone fishers.

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.

Redfin perch continued to dominate catches in the Pemberton area, where big fish have been active in Big Brook Dam and the deeper pockets next to the Caravan Park. A few small rainbow trout have been in the Collie River around Honeymoon Pool, while streams in the Waroona area have produced a few brown trout. Drakesbrook Weir and Harvey, Waroona, Glen Mervyn and Wellington Dams have produced redfin, as has Burkup Weir. A few redfin have been caught around the Collie townsite between 30-40cm.

Mandurah saw some fantastic captures this week, with Nathan Clarke landing this mighty 152cm mulloway in Golden Bay and Tackle World Miami’s Ash Ramm enjoying a red hot session on yellowfin whiting in the estuary!

Boats

Pelagic action fired up after the blow with Spanish mackerel out wide and at the FADs, where they have been speared by divers. Tuna have been at the FADS as well as dolphinfish, but the dollies have become very skittish once a few boats turn up. Divers have done better on them though. Yellowtail kingfish in the 70cm range have been on the inshore reefs, particularly at James Service Reef and Horseshoe Reef. These locations have also held good numbers of skippy, while gummy sharks and slimy mackerel have been caught at James Service. When there’s been a bit of wash tailor have been landed at the Horseshoe. Samsonfish to 20kg have been caught on the offshore lumps, while the 30m depths have yielded sizeable King George whiting behind Five-Fathom Bank and off Dawesville. Inshore, squid and sand whiting have been in good numbers. The Peel-Harvey Estuary remained clear after the heavy rainfall in the lead-up to Easter and has continued to fish well for a wide range of species. Blue swimmer crabs have been going well for drop netters and those diving from boats. Yellowfin whiting have returned to the flats, tailor and herring remain in good numbers and juvenile salmon and skippy have entered the mix. A few squid have also come into the estuary. This weekend is looking glorious on the forecast so get out there.

Shore-Based

Shore fishers have been spoilt for choice this week. The big news is that half a dozen full-sized salmon were landed on lures from the ocean end of the Dawesville Cut, where they were swimming among schools of buffalo bream. Salmon catches were also reported from White Hills. Pink snapper have been at White Hills too, along with herring and chopper tailor. Most beaches have fished well for herring, sand whiting and tailor in the 35-40cm range and pink snapper were also caught from beaches north of town. Mulloway have also been on the move. An angler had a big rod out for them while fishing at Blue Bay in Halls Head and was flicking an unweighted mulie on light gear, hoping for a chopper tailor when instead a 1m-plus silver ghost smashed his bait. Tailor and herring have been at the Mandurah bridges and also at the Dawesville Cut, which has produced nice squid with 30cm hoods. In the Peel-Harvey Estuary bream have been active in the canals and yellowfin whiting have been picked up on the flats at high tide, while the drop-offs have produced herring, tailor, skippy and the odd juvenile salmon. Scoopers have reported blue swimmer crabs in good numbers throughout the system, while lots of soapy mulloway have been swimming with bream in the Serpentine and Murray rivers, with the latter also holding a few giant herring.

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

Out wide a few Spanish mackerel have been hooked and lost and dolphinfish have been at the FADs, along with small tuna. Samsonfish have been on the offshore lumps, along with small yellowtail kingfish, while skippy have been active on the broken ground along the Garden island causeway. Small King George whiting and sand whiting have been active in Mangles Bay, off Woodman Point and on the inside of Garden Island. Bigger KGs have been caught in the deeper depths behind Garden Island. Squid fishing has improved greatly in Cockburn Sound and drifting has worked best. More reports have come in of big mulloway being caught around there as well. A stray salmon caught in Warnbro Sound has created interest and if schools continue to move up from the Capes, Garden Island and Coventry Reef should hold a few, with the salmon likely to be mixed in with tailor. Crabbing has been steady rather than spectacular in Cockburn Sound. This weekend’s mornings are looking great for a send in the boat.

Shore-Based

The big story this week was the landing of a mulloway or more than 1.5m at Golden Bay on the cast. Quite a few big mulloway, pink snapper and even a couple of small dhufish were picked up by drone fishers south of Secret Harbour over the past week. Tailor catches have remained steady on local beaches which have also held good numbers of herring. At Rockingham and Palm Beach jetties big mulloway have been hooked and lost and Rockingham Jetty has also produced pink snapper, but most have been undersized. A few blue swimmer crabs have been pulled up in drop nets from the local jetties and the odd herring and small tailor have been caught. Squid chasers have been doing okay at the Penguin Island spit and 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!

Plenty of variety this week off Perth! Chris Dixon @dixonsfishing took his son out on the Swan for a very productive day on some big blue swimmers, while @habib.mohseni.984 reeled in this 42cm beauty of a breaksea cod via drone fishing.

Boats

The FADs have offered dolphinfish and a few yellowfin tuna, while the odd billfish is still kicking around the Rottnest Trench for those able to get out wide. Spanish mackerel numbers have declined this week, but Rottnest Island and the Three-Mile Reef could be worth a try for them. They were in fantastic numbers behind Garden Island last week, so that could be another good option for those on the troll. Yellowtail kingfish have been at Rottnest’s West End and at the Fish Towers. The northern suburbs’ inshore waters have offered skippy, King George whiting and sand whiting. King George whiting have also been caught in the bays at Rottnest Island and out from Fremantle. Squid fishing has improved off South Beach and out from Cottesloe, while City Beach and Swanbourne have held sand whiting in 10-15m. Tailor have been caught at Mewstones and if the salmon run reaches the metro area they are likely to be caught there, at Stragglers and Rottnest, which has already seen a few catches coming through. In the Swan River the deep pockets around Mosman have produced big blue swimmer crabs, but not in great numbers. Both mornings this weekend are lining up beautifully for the boaties but early on Sunday looks best at this stage.

Shore-Based

Tailor have been in reasonable numbers on the northern beaches, which have also produced decent mulloway and pink snapper for drone fishers. A mulloway around a metre was landed from the rocks at Ocean Reef over the weekend and most northern suburbs rock walls have held small tailor and herring. Between Swanbourne and City Beach chopper tailor have been caught in the mornings on overcast days, along with herring. Swanbourne also threw up a surprise giant herring one morning. A few herring, small tailor and skippy have been taken at North Mole, while squid have been caught at South Mole and from the South Fremantle rock walls. The Swan River has been much quieter this week, especially on the bream front, although after Easter’s freshwater influx structure from Claremont down river could be worth targeting for them. Small bream have been caught in the Canning River. Mulloway catches have been reasonable and it was mainly fish either side of a metre caught from Bayswater down to the Narrows. A few have also been caught in the lower reaches. Flathead and flounder numbers have dropped off in the lower reaches, but often this time of year flathead can be found from Belmont through to the Narrows. The Canning River around Mt Henry is also worth a try for them.

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!