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See what's biting across WA in Recfishwest's State-wide Fishing Report 7 January 2022 🎣

 | By Seamus on 1/6/2022 8:37:52 PM | Views (966)
Recfishwest Newsletter
Recfishwest
Fishing Report
07/01/22
Picture: Shannon Ryan
Our contributors
Sedin Hasanovic
Jade Relph
Peter Fullarton
John Curtis
G'day <>,
 
And, we're back!

I hope you enjoyed a few great sessions on the water fishing over the Christmas and New Year period with family and friends — I did, catching a few big yellowfin whiting on surface, a couple of which were beyond 35cm.

What's your fishing goal for the year ahead? For me, it's a Swan River giant herring... I can only keep casting and hope, right?

For anyone wanting to contribute to the weekly fishing report, photos reflecting Recfishwest's responsible fish handling practices will be given preference.

If you know someone who loves fishing and would like to receive the weekly State-wide Fishing Report and our other exclusive communications, let them know they can become a Recfishwest member for just $10 a year.

Tight lines and safe fishing!

Zach Relph

RECFISHWEST FISHING REPORT EDITOR

Catch of the Week!

A tusk on fluff for Luff! Connor Luff started the New Year in style, tempting this lovely bluebone on fly near Exmouth. That's an awesome catch and photo to match, Connor — a fish to remember! 😎

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If you want to be included in our weekly State-wide Fishing Reports, send your best fishing photos and a description to zach@recfishwest.org.au to potentially be featured.
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Kununurra catches
Blaze Holland with a lovely Lake Kununurra barra from over the Christmas break. Find out more about the fish stocking program keeping the Lake brimming with barra in the short video below!
Broome catches
Ellen Stapleton was hoping to catch a 50cm tripletail and got agonisingly close, landing this 49cm fish!

Boats

Dampier Creek is holding plenty of baitfish which means there's bound to be barra nearby, writes Jade Relph. We've already started to hear of respectable barramundi catches from Dampier Creek over the past fortnight or so and I anticipate this will continue in the weeks ahead. Roebuck Bay has continued to fish very well for tripletail. Tripletail are great fighters and that's what makes them a fantastic target for sportfishers seeking a different challenge. Queenfish, some of which are to 1m, are also being found with relative ease near bait shoals within Roebuck Bay. Unfortunately, it has been too rough to head wide off Broome this week to target fingermark or red emperor.


Ayesha Salkilld ended 2021 with a barra, landing this beaut specimen from the Fitzroy River.

Shore-based

Strong winds and swells have made land-based fishing relatively difficult near Broome this week, especially on the Cable Beach side of town. The jetty near the Port has had queenies on offer, with the tough sportfish taking metal slices and floating stickbaits. Those chasing barra along the known land-based locations in the Fitzroy River haven't reported too many big trophy catches, but fish to 60cm have been caught.
Exmouth catches
Young gun James Gill was more than happy with this lovely red emperor off Exmouth this week.

Boats

Red emperor and Rankin cod have been among the catches out wide in 60m and beyond on the westside. The gamefishing action of Exmouth has remained sublime in recent weeks, with blue marlin caught. Spanish mackerel are still being landed behind the reef on the west-side and in the Gulf. Fishers are targeting Spaniards on stickbaits in action-packed sessions. Farther out, goldband snapper and ruby snapper are being caught in depths of about 100m and 200m. Spangled emperor to 60cm have been caught in the lagoon on the west-side.

Shore-based

Connor Luff, pictured at the top of the report, caught a solid bluebone on fly near Exmouth over the festive period. It was one of a couple land-based bluebone achieved over the Christmas and New Year break, with multiple catches reported at Pilgramanna by fishers using crab as bait. Spangled emperor have been landed on small stickbaits at the accesses between Tantabiddi and Mildura Wreck, in addition to queenfish and small golden trevally. Yellowfin whiting are still being caught along the beaches close to town and in the lower areas of Exmouth Gulf.
 

A stocking program keeping Lake Kununurra brimming with barramundi

Lake Kununurra produces regular catches of 1m-plus barra. But how do these barra get into the lake?

The ongoing Lake Kununurra barramundi stocking program has seen one million barra fingerling stocked into the waterway since 2013. Now local and visiting fishers are reaping the rewards with the chance to wet a line in a world-class sportfishery. Brimming with barra, safe and accessible with no saltwater crocs, as well as being free of big tidal movements typical of Kimberley rivers, it’s easy to see why Lake Kununurra is a must-visit fishing location for anglers. Click the photo above to see how the barra are spawned in Broome before making the more than 1,000km journey to their new East Kimberley home! If you want more awesome Lake Kununurra fishing content, subscribe to the Lake Kununurra Barramundi Stocking Group's new YouTube channel!

 
Mid West catches
What a catch! Alex Carter was surprised when he landed this Rankin cod off Dongora recently. 🤯🤯

Boats

While searching for dhufish off Dongora, Alex Carter landed what was most likely one of the most surprising catches off the Mid West coast in recent weeks... a Rankin cod! We've heard of a Rankin caught as far south as Rottnest Island before! What's the farthest south you've seen one? The 10m to 15m depths off Geraldton are fishing well for pink snapper, while dhufish have been caught near African Reef. A spearfisher scored a Spanish mackerel recently, but there haven't been any reportedly caught by line fishers. Blue swimmer crabs have been found in good numbers throughout the Greenough River, with the bigger sized crabs caught in the upper reaches. Most fishers potting for crays have started pulling their pots out of the water, with catches starting to slow.

Shore-based

Fishing along the beaches to the north and south of Geraldton has continued to produced tailor up to an impressive 80cm. They've been caught at Drummond's Cove, Horrocks, Coronations and Morning Reef with metal slices producing the best results. Casting in the surf on the north side of the Greenough River mouth has resulted in catches of dart, tailor and mulloway. Land-based pinkies are also being achieved at Lucky Bay and Drummonds Cove. Wagoe Beach is fishing well for mulloway, with 'silver ghosts' reportedly caught to 10kg this week. For land-based fishers near Kalbarri, Wittecarra Creek, Red Bluff and Chinaman's Beach are all producing solid tailor.
Lancelin catches
Luke landed this lovely 51cm King George whiting fishing Lancelin's Didie Bay with Tailored Treks. 🎣

Boats

Fishers chasing demersals have been catching dhufish at Direction Bank. Tuna schools are being found regularly beyond the 30m contours, while lumps in the 20m depths have schools of Samson fish around 7kg to 10kg. Closer to shore, the inshore reef areas in about 10m to 15m have been fishing well for pink snapper, dhufish and breaksea cod. Inside the bay, herring and tailor have been a staple. The Lancelin Angling and Aquatic Club's Johnny Bray Junior Classic, held just after Christmas, was a terrific event with terrific catches including big bluespotted flathead.
 

Scott’s Species – rainbow trout, somewhere over the rainbow

Tom Howe tempted this solid rainbow trout on fly while exploring the South West. 📸 Angus Line

Western Angler editor Scott Coghlan is a self-confessed trout tragic, hence why he has cast his sights (or fly!) at rainbow trout in this edition of Scott's Species. Read what Scott has to say about the eye-catching species here.

 
Esperance catches


Boats

The lumps offshore towards the islands are still producing nannygai, alongside queen snapper and Samson fish to about 15kg. More Samson fish have been caught inside of the bay. Dinghy fishers staying relatively close to home are catching skippy, herring and King George whiting. Squid with hoods to about 35cm have been caught inside the bay, too.

Shore-based

The Esperance Jetty has plenty of squid on offer at the moment, in addition to bread-and-butter species such as skippy and herring. Four Mile Beach and Roses are both among the better performing beaches close to town, with the occasional salmon and bluespotted flathead caught this week. Fishers who camped near Israelite Bay over the Christmas and New Year period reported mulloway and very plump skippy.
Great Southern catches
The sounds of Eiffel 65's hit song "I'm Blue"  would have been ringing through Nathan Woods' mind when he caught this eye-catching blue groper while wetting a line off Manypeaks recently.

Boats

Strong easterlies have made offshore fishing difficult recently, with most fishers sticking to the sheltered waters of the nearby estuary systems. However, those who managed to pick a gap in the weather window and get out to the Continental Shelf, like Chris Dixon pictured below, were rewarded with hapuka. An estimated 12kg dhufish was caught off Albany by a lucky fisher who managed to find a gap in the weather window, also. Bread-and-butter species, such as squid, and King George whiting have made up most of the catch in Princess Royal Harbour and King George Sound. Plenty of squid are being found along seagrass meadows within Princess Royal Harbour, with small boat fishers enjoying the consistent fishing. For those who opted not to go out wide due to the wind, estuaries across the Great Southern have provided terrific, safe and accessible fishing.


A trip to the Continental Shelf paid dividends for Chris Dixon when this hapuka came up from the depths.

Shore-based

Salmon have been encountered at beaches across the Great Southern, with one school providing fishers at Cheynes Beach with an action-packed hour of fishing just before the New Year. Mulloway fishing in the King and Kalgan rivers has been quite compared to previous seasons, however, those putting in the hours have been rewarded with good quality fish. Large profile lures seem to be the preferred choice among anglers chasing mulloway at the  moment. The flats near Albany have been fishing well for black bream, with small shallow diving minnows producing the goods.


He's done it again! Callum Dowell tempted this mighty 47cm black bream from the Kalgan River.
South West catches
Giordano Gervasi usually has his sights set on freshwater trout. However, he recently set out for black bream, near Margaret River, and scored a couple of brutes. 

Boats

Dhufish, pink snapper and breaksea cod have been caught off Cape Naturaliste's west coast in 25m and beyond. Pink snapper have been found at Four Mile Reef and Eight Mile Reef off Dunsborough, alongside Samson fish and King George whiting. There's plenty of squid, some with 35cm hoods, along the seagrass meadows off Busselton at the moment, while there have been reports of dolphinfish at the Cape Naturaliste FADs. Pink snapper have been picked up on a variety of jigs in less than 10m of water off Bunbury, while dhufih have been caught from 25m to 40m on metal jigs and big white paddletail soft plastics.
The Noongar calendar has six seasons for WA's South West and Birak, which is currently taking place, is the season when rain eases and the weather really warms. Supported by the latest round of Community Grants, OzFish Unlimited is currently hosting the month-long 'Birak In The Bay' for fishers in Geographe Bay. If you're fishing in Geographe Bay, from Cape Naturaliste to Bunbury, be sure to enter! Just take a picture with the code word OZFISH and enter — $1,000 up for grabs in the adult competition and $500 for kids, with each category offering a $250 runner-up prize as well as more prizes from BCF.


South West guru Branden Hastie christened his new vessel with a lovely dhuie off Bunbury this week.

Shore-based

A school of salmon, believed to be a resident school, were spotted multiple times off Injidup over the Christmas and New Year period, while tailor were caught at the same location in addition to Honeycombs, Smiths Beach and Yallingup. The Busselton Jetty is continuing to produce squid, while small Samson fish have also been caught from the iconic land-based fishing structure. Belvedere and Buffalo are both producing tailor for Bunbury and Australind fishers, while a school of tailor to 50cm were reported at the Bunbury Cut on New Year's Eve. South West fisher Scott Fowler and his great mate Joseph Verscai have been enjoying action-packed sessions at Myalup Beach, with plenty of yellowfin whiting on offer. 
Mandurah and surrounds
FAD-natic Clay Lewis scored a few solid dolphinfish at the Mangles Bay Fishing Club's FADs off Rockingham over the Christmas and New Year period. Want the coordinates? Click here! 

Mandurah

Dhufish have been caught in 25m of water by demersal fishers off Mandurah this week, alongside plump King George whiting and pink snapper. Jigging for Samson fish off Mandurah has produced specimens beyond 15kg, while yellowtail kingfish have been caught at the near-shore reefs. South of Mandurah, Tims Thicket and White Hills have been consistently producing good tailor up to 50cm for beach anglers. The Dawesville Cut has yellowfin whiting, tailor and herring biting during the day while tailor and herring are there after dark. Two mulloway tipping the scales at more than 15kg have been caught at beaches north of Mandurah recently, with rumours swirling that more have been caught near Mandurah. Black bream are still active in the Serpentine and Murray rivers.

Secret Harbour / Warnbro / Port Kennedy / Rockingham / Safety Bay

As shown by Clay Lewis, pictured above, the sportfishing action off Rockingham at the Mangles Bay Fishing Club's FADs has really started to fire up in recent weeks. When the conditions have been suitable to venture to the two devices off Rockingham, dolphinfish have been a relatively reliable catch. Click here for the coordinates. The 45m depths off Rockingham are also fishing well for dhufish and breaksea cod, while Samson fish are being encountered along the reefs between 20m and 30m. Warnbro Sound has been producing skippy and squid for kayak fishers and small boat owners. For land-based anglers, Long Point, Kwinana and Warnbro are producing reasonable tailor fishing at the moment, especially at dusk. The same stretch of coast is fishing well for yellowfin whiting and herring, too.
Perth catches
PB! Michael Hill was buzzing after landing this 53cm Swan River bartail last weekend. Cracking effort, Michael, you're getting close to the magical 60cm mark!

Boats

The safe and accessible waters of Cockburn Sound have been fishing well for skippy and squid this week. Burley has proved the recipe to success for small boat fishers chasing bread-and-butter species this festive period, with fishing families catching skippy, whiting and herring in less than 10m off Hillarys, Mindarie and Two Rocks. Dhufish and pink snapper have been caught between 50m to 70m in areas featuring ground off Mindarie, Hillarys and Fremantle. Dhufish, King George whiting to 50cm and breaksea cod have also been caught off the same areas closer to shore between the 25m to 40m depths. Murmurings regarding Spanish mackerel caught in the metro have been scarce, but that's likely because fishers in the know are keeping their cards close to their chests rather than spilling the beans! However, a couple of shark mackerel were reportedly landed near Rottnest Island on Boxing Day. Keen gamefisher David Gray reportedly landed the first metro blue marlin of the season last week. 

A trip out to RFW5 was worth it for Ash Bamford, spearing this almost 10kg dolphinfish. FAD-tastic!

Did you know we're running a FADs photo comp with our FADs fishing partners Richter Lures and Madfish Gear? The popular State-wide FADs program is now in the third and final year of its three-year trial, so it is more important than ever that we have a solid collection of photographic evidence that shows the FADs creating great fishing experiences. That’s why it’s great to have the Richter and Madfish crew on board sponsoring the photo competition — FADs fishing photos will help ensure the program continues into the future. If you're planning a FADs mission, send your FADs fishing photos to Fishing Report Editor Zach Relph for a chance to win awesome monthly Richter and Madfish prizes!

Shore-based

Big bartail flathead, beyond 50cm, have been caught in the Swan River this week on bibbed minnows and soft plastics. Fishers persisting with soft plastics along the flats seem to be getting rewarded with the bigger flatties. The Swan has also been fishing very well for tailor in the evening lately, with fish to 45cm reportedly caught. The tailor are responding very well to surface lures and small metal slices, while soaking a mulie on a three-gang hook after dark has also resulted in catches. The run of tailor along the metropolitan coast been slow, however, the toothy species can be found near Floreat Drain, Yanchep Lagoon and Swanbourne. 


Young gun Matthew Fisher landed this queen snapper behind Rottnest while aboard Blue Juice Charters on Wednesday.
 
 
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Recfishwest · 3/45 Northside Drive Hillarys · Perth, WA 6025 · Australia

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Catch Information

Species:
Australasian Snapper
Australasian Snapper

Barramundi
Barramundi

Black Bream
Black Bream

Blue Marlin
Blue Marlin

Bluefish
Bluefish

Breaksea Cod
Breaksea Cod

Dhufish
Dhufish

Dusky Flathead
Dusky Flathead

Flathead Catfish
Flathead Catfish

Hapuka
Hapuka

Mahi-mahi
Mahi-mahi

Mulloway
Mulloway

Rainbow Trout
Rainbow Trout

Samson Fish
Samson Fish

Spangled Emperor
Spangled Emperor

Spanish Mackerel
Spanish Mackerel

Whiting
Whiting

Yellowfin Tuna
Yellowfin Tuna

Yellowfin Whiting
Yellowfin Whiting

This Fishing Report was submitted on 1/6/2022 8:37:52 PM by Seamus and last updated on 1/9/2022 2:46:54 AM.


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3/45 Northside Drive
Hillarys, WA AU


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