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Hooking Up Anglers Since 2011.
12 September, 2025
Pic of the Week goes to Ruby @rubixcube_ for this cracker of a first ever mangrove jack on the spear during a northern sunset!
Message a snap of your capture to our Instagram page @recfishwest or the Recfishwest Facebook page and don’t forget to include where and how you caught it!
For your photos to be featured, make sure they follow our responsible fish handling and photography guidelines (fish held horizontally, minimal blood, one hand under the belly and the other around the tail, no fingers in gills, water or beach in background etc). Spearfishing snaps are also welcome. Stay safe, have fun and keep sharing your awesome catches!
Our Recfishwest crew will be at the 2025 Perth Boat Show from 19-21 September to have a chat with fishers from across WA!
We will be there to listen to what matters most to WA fishers, so we can advocate for your interests where decisions are made. Your stories and experiences shape the work we do to protect and improve fishing and every conversation helps us better represent the fishing community.
If you sign up at the boat show as a premium member for $10/year, you’ll get an exclusive Halco/Recfishwest designed LaserPro 120 lure, Recfishwest branded stubby holder and member sticker and go into the draw for one of several $500 Shimano prize packs!
And, as a Recfishwest member, you will get our exclusive statewide fishing report, monthly Broadcast newsletter and Members First newsletter, keeping you up to speed with all the important fishing issues.
1.08m of golden barra bliss for @j3llis and @c_royyyy up north, which was followed up by another metrey moments later!
We’re proud to partner with the Australian Border Force in a first-of-its-kind initiative that empowers West Aussie fishers to play a direct role in protecting our northern waters.
Click here to watch GWN7’s lead news piece on this new partnership.
Now you can report suspicious vessels directly through the Recfishwest fishing app, simply:
👉 Open My Tools
👉 Tap 'Report Suspicious Fishing Activities'
👉 Follow the prompts
With thousands of local fishers out there, together, we’re a powerful force in protecting WA’s coast for future generations. If it doesn’t feel right, flag it! Click here for more info on this new feature to our app.
The Broome Fishing Club’s marlin comp went well with a hook-up rate of 72 per cent and 69 marlin raised over the three days. A total of 44 marlin were hooked with 32 landed and tagged. All were blacks with most of the action near the FADs and a little further out. Among the bycatch were Spanish mackerel and wahoo. Spanish mackerel have been active both sides of town from 2-10km out, where bait has been holding on the lumps and Shoals, while threadfin salmon and barramundi have been scattered throughout Roebuck Bay. Bluebone have been holding on the gravel off Gantheaume and Entrance Points. Crab Creek has offered mangrove jack, threadfin salmon and small barramundi, as has the Fingers. Willie and Barred Creeks have offered the same species, with Willie Creek also going well for mud crabs. The weather is improving from today through to next week for the boaties so make the most of it.
Warmer water and land temperatures are boding well for this weekend’s barramundi competition in the Fitzroy River. This week good fish were reported from Langi Crossing, Telegraph Pool and in the fresh water at Camballin. Town Beach Jetty has produced bream, javelinfish, small trevally and queenfish, while Entrance Point has offered better sized queenfish and trevally. Willie Creek has offered small barramundi, the odd salmon and small trevally and jacks. Town Beach and Cable Beach could be worth a shot for whiting chasers, while the easterly winds could make it worthwhile to send out a balloon for Spanish mackerel at Gantheaume Point.
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.
Heading away? Visit wildtrak.com.au and use our code ‘recfish1025’ at checkout for 10% off all online orders of Wildtrak’s awesome outdoor gear. Discount code works even if the item is already on sale, so take advantage before your next trip!
How’s this spectacular sailfish action shot from @peak_sportfishing who reported three black marlin and 16 sailfish over two days off Exmouth!
Exmouth Gulf Marine Park: merry go round continues…
The State Government recently announced it will begin planning for a new marine park across Exmouth Gulf. This included a proposal to implement no-catch sanctuary zones in at least 30% of the proposed park area.
Recfishwest believes that locking in an arbitrary target for sanctuary zones before park boundaries or local needs are even discussed is completely premature.
The recent South Coast Marine Park process showed what happens when local communities are not genuinely engaged from the outset – it became contentious and divisive. Fishers want confidence that Exmouth Gulf will be handled differently. We have been assured that this planning phase will adopt a more inclusive, co-design approach, and Recfishwest will work to hold the Government to this commitment.
For more info on this announcement and our position, click here.
Billfish action on the west side fired up this week with sailfish the dominant species caught. Plenty of black marlin were mixed in on the 100m line and a few wahoo kept them company. Bottom droppers picked up goldband and a few pearl perch around the 80m marks, while red emperor and Rankin cod were active from 30m. Sharks have frustrated Spanish mackerel fishers on Helby Bank. Inshore fishers off Tantabiddi have caught mainly squid. Fishing at the islands improved this week with spearfishers finding plenty of coral trout, while giant trevally and Spanish mackerel were also about. It was fairly quiet in Exmouth Gulf this week. A few blue-lined emperor and school mackerel were taken on the Shoals and the odd small Spanish mackerel was landed. Squid fishing was fair, while the bottom of the Gulf produced mud crabs. Fly-fishers on the flats tangled with permit and big queenfish. Saturday is looking great on the forecast along with Sunday morning before the swell and wind take a spike upwards into next week.
In the town marina a couple of young anglers nailed big spangled emperor, with small queenfish, trevally and bream also featuring in their catches. Elsewhere in Exmouth Gulf, Learmonth produced squid, flathead, bream and whiting. Bundegi produced queenfish and trevally, along with whiting on the flats. A couple of decent bluebone were pulled out of Lighthouse Bay, but spangled emperor catches have tapered up that way with better numbers around Tantabiddi.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!
@curtiswatermanfishing from Halco Tackle has been having a ball north of town in Shark Bay, with the golden trevally, mulloway and pink snapper trifecta in quick succession.
It’s been mostly crayfishing this week but one angler has been taking his dinghy across to Oyster Reef, where he has picked up tailor to 75cm in the channel.
If calm weather windows can be found it may be worth a trip over to Jakes Bay to target yellowfin whiting and squid. Sunday doesn’t look too bad on the forecast but that is the pick of the days this week, with more undulating winds and swell expected from Sunday.
There has been good tailor action at the river mouth with fish up to 70cm being landed on poppers, while chopper tailor have been caught at Wittecarra. The cliffs have fished well too, with decent pink snapper being pulled up at Rainbow Gorge and Goats Gulch. In the Murchison River bream to 40cm have been caught around the boat pens and marina, while the marina and a bit further up river opposite the Kalbarri Anchorage Holiday Village has produced cod to 70cm. Yellowfin whiting have been in good numbers in front of the IGA on the foreshore, while mud crabs have been in reasonable numbers.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.
Ben Luff @northern_addicts continued his red hot tailor streak in town this week, landing this 73cm chunker. The reward from two hours of fishing!
Squid fishing has been hard going for most crews despite cooler water temperatures at usually reliable haunts such as Pages Beach and Point Moore. Out at the Abrolhos Islands surfers have reported seeing tuna working baitfish schools inside Evening Reef, while feeding birds and jumping Spanish mackerel have been sighted at North-East Reef and Long Island. The weather isn’t looking ideal this week with strong westerlies and a 2m+ swell expected to keep boats out of action.
Good-sized tailor have started to turn up in better numbers with bags of three to six fish coming from Drummond Cove, Coronation Beach, south of Flat Rocks and at West Bank. The bite has been very short and was reported either side of sunset. Quite a bit south of Greenough a father and son landed a nice dhufish around 7kg. School sharks around a metre have been caught at most beaches, while whiting catches have been good in the bay at Drummond Cove and at Lucys, Separation Point and Pages Beach. The marina at Port Denison has been thick with herring in the 25-30cm range. A few bream have been mixed in as well. Squid fishing has been hit or miss, but most rock platforms around town have produced a few on good days.Thanks to the team at Geraldton Sports Centre for their tips! They will happily provide you with great gear and the solid advice for your next fishing trip.
It’s not the best news for boaties, with more wild weather forecast this weekend following another run of sensational conditions. Most larger boats have been holding off until next week when the demersal season reopens. In the meantime, tuna schools have been reported just behind the White Bank in as little as 25m depths. Skippy and Samsonfish have been taken along the White Bank, while yellowtail kingfish around legal size have been schooling up around some of the bay’s reef breaks. Closer in, squid and herring have been featuring prominently in catches from the bay’s crystal-clear waters. Given the incoming swell and wind on the forecast boats will be out of action this week, but hopefully conditions will improve by next weekend.
Beach anglers enjoyed the calm weather during the week, but fishing has been generally slow. Wobbegong numbers have surged along the nearshore reefs, with drone fishers also reporting high numbers of them while chasing pink snapper, which were scarce. Tailor have been hard to come by, with only the occasional one or two turning up per session. Mulloway have been absent altogether, with flat tides and little swell offering poor conditions. Shallow gutters, caused by a negative sea level anomaly along the west coast, haven’t helped either. With a thumping swell forecast to return this weekend, the town jetty could again be the best option for shore-based fishing.
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.
Good numbers of nannygai and pink snapper have been landed south of Mondrain Island, while Sunk Rock has yielded big breaksea cod and queen snapper. Samsonfish have been plentiful near Black Island, while Cull Island has held blue groper and harlequin fish. Big sand whiting have been caught at Observatory Island, while Lovers Cove has been going well for big King George whiting and flathead. Plenty of herring and squid have been caught in Esperance Bay. Saturday may be the only chance to duck out this week before the wind and swell go haywire.
Gummy sharks and mulloway have been the main fare at Thomas River, while Dunns Beach has held big skippy and gummy sharks. Early mornings at Salmon and Fourth Beaches have yielded plenty of salmon, while King George whiting have been in good numbers in Bandy Creek Boat Harbour. Blue Haven has been a sand whiting hotspot, while the Town and Taylor Street jetties have been going well for squid, herring and garfish at night.
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.
The region copped a battering over the weekend but conditions late last week and the middle of this week proved ideal with good hauls of pink snapper and dhufish taken on the coral ground, along with plenty of nannygai. Waters off Cheynes and Peaceful Bay were particularly productive. In King George Sound, King George whiting fishers struggled with the dirty water and squidding was hardly worthwhile. The wind, rain and swell is ruining fishing plans this week but hopefully will look better soon.
Dirty water has ruled out most fishing but there may be enough clear water down at Whaleworld or Frenchman Bay to make fishing for squid worthwhile and a few herring or small King George whiting could be in the mix as well. Rock platforms at Cheynes produced a couple of nice harlequin fish when the swells were down, but many anglers found the dirty water a challenge this week. The King and Kalgan Rivers have been flowing very strongly, ruling out bream and mulloway fishing. Out at Bremer Bay a few salmon were landed late last week.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, you'll also catch just as many fish off the beaches than the rocks and it is always much safer to go with this option on the South Coast.
It might be their off season but salmon are still being spotted moving around in small schools on occasions, with skilled photographer @mat.kleczkowski.photography finding these fish in the surf.
King George whiting, tuna and squid have been active either side of Bunbury and down in Geographe Bay. At Bunbury’s artificial reef (can see the coordinates here) good numbers of tuna, yellowtail kingfish and Samsonfish have been landed, while decent skippy have been keeping them company. The weather is looking ugly this weekend but early on Tuesday may see better conditions.
The strong cold front proved hit or miss for pink snapper chasers, with drone fishers getting the best of it. Good fish were landed at Buffalo Beach, off the Busselton Jetty and in Eagle Bay, but Preston and Myalup were quiet. The Bunbury Cut is flowing strongly and has been hard to fish, while Back Beach and Dalyellup have also been quiet. Herring activity is expected to improve as the rotting weed accumulated over winter starts to produce maggots, which should fire up the herring. The Collie River has held bream and mulloway and bream have been spread throughout the Leschenault Estuary.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.
An awesome family snap for Matty Ma @instahungfishing and his boys at Waroona, who landed and released this lovely brown trout this week. In a great win for fishers, the nine days between Waroona Troutfest at Drakesbrook Weir on Saturday 4 October and the Southern Forests Trout Festival at Big Brook Dam in Pemberton on Sunday, 12 October will be licence free for freshwater fishers! That means you will not need to purchase a licence on any of those days to go freshwater fishing and this is something Recfishwest has advocated for over many years!
Want to know the trout stocking numbers and locations for more than 65,000 rainbow and brown trout making a splash in our South-West? Click here to read our latest article with all the inside goss from DPIRD!
Water levels are very high and most of the rivers and feeder streams have been flowing too strong to be a viable option, making dams the best bet. Flooded grass banks at Waroona Dam, Drakesbrook Weir, Harvey Dam and Logue Brook Dam have rewarded fishers with brown and rainbow trout, while the odd redfin perch was also about. Wellington Dam has proven a redfin stronghold recently, while kayak fishers may find it worthwhile launching for a reddy session at Lake Kepwari or Black Diamond Lake.
Don’t forget - we have our annual family friendly trout stocking events coming up and to celebrate these events, the nine days between Waroona Troutfest at Drakesbrook Weir on Saturday 4 October and the Southern Forests Trout Festival at Big Brook Dam in Pemberton on Sunday, 12 October will be licence free for freshwater fishers! Make sure you bring your family and come down from 9am at both events and help us release some radiant rainbow and brown trout!
King George whiting around the 35cm mark have been holding in the mid-30m depths off Dawesville, where the odd school of 50cm models has shown up at times. The back of the Five-Fathom Bank, almost in line with James Service Reef, has produced plenty of plump sand whiting with the odd King George whiting mixed in. Right on the Five plenty of solid skippy have been biting, while the estuary end of the Dawesville Cut has produced a few small King George whiting. North of town heaps of Samsonfish have been active and tuna schools have been spotted. The weather isn’t looking inviting over the next week or so, hopefully it will look more appealing by next weekend.
Few reports came in from land-based pink snapper chasers after last weekend’s blow. On the plus side winter tailor pushing 60cm have been caught at Tims Thicket, White Hills and Florida Beach. At the Dawesville Cut unfavourable tides and dirty water have made it tough for herring fishers and those chasing King George whiting at the estuary end. The Peel-Harvey’s Estuary’s marinas and canals have been producing bream, small pink snapper and soapy mulloway. Soapies and bream have been in the Serpentine and Murray rivers also.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!
Dinghy fishers close in have been catching plenty of sand whiting, with the odd King George whiting mixed in, while a bit of burley has brought around lots of herring and skippy. The better spots have been Mangles Bay, inside of Garden Island, behind Penguin Island and off Woodman Point. Bigger King George whiting have been caught behind Garden Island where big Samsonfish have been stretching arms, while the dirty water on the edge of the shipping channel produced a couple of decent mulloway this week. Squid fishing has been good at most of the whiting locations, with 2-5m the preferred depths. The weather over the next few days isn’t ideal but Tuesday may improve.
A few pink snapper were landed during the weekend storm front with the stretch between Secret Harbour and Golden Bay going well. Tailor fishing has gone quiet and herring numbers are down, but skippy have been caught from the cliffs at Henderson and in Safety Bay. The Ammo Jetty, Woodman Point, Palm Beach Jetty and Rockingham Jetty have offered skippy and a few herring, plus the odd squid. Squid have been caught at Point Peron also.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!
A big ol’ Swan River croaker for Dexter Payenberg posted to The Metre Mulloway Club on Facebook, check the page out!
Alas, the dreaded curse of magical weather during the weekdays only to turn bad by the weekend has returned. Thankfully during the better weather striped tuna were in the 40m depths around Direction Bank, while the back of Rottnest produced big Samsonfish. Decent squid have been caught out from South Fremantle and Leighton and at the Windmills. Sand whiting have been mixed in with King George whiting off City Beach and Swanbourne, while the bays at Rottnest have held herring, skippy and King George whiting. Skippy have also been at Three-Mile Reef, while good tailor have been taken on bait at Mewstones. There might be another good window opening up on Tuesday but patience is needed until then.
Come and have a yarn with the Recfishwest crew at the upcoming Perth Boat Show from 19-21 September! We’ll be there to chat with new and experienced fishers about current fishing issues and to hear your concerns and thoughts. We will also be giving away loads of Recfishwest merch and offering our popular Boat Show special for anyone who signs up as a Recfishwest member at the event!
The Swan River may not look like it’s doing well on the health front and it’s certainly not fishing well at the moment, but experienced fishers reckon wet winters usually lead to bumper tailor seasons in the Swan. Concerns have been raised about a few fish kills in the middle reaches, but so far, these have been attributed to the huge, sudden inflex of fresh water, not algal blooms. Bream have been the most consistent species in the Swan and have been worth targeting down river from Claremont, particularly near the yacht clubs. Mulloway have gone quiet, although a school-sized fish was taken from South Perth recently and Dexter Payenberg landed the beauty pictured above. The odd flathead was a surprise in the Mt Henry-Salter Point area of the Canning River on the full moon early in the week, but don’t expect any regular action on flathead in the system until at least October. The Canning River and the stretch from Maylands to Applecross generally fishes well for flathead in late spring, usually outperforming the lower reaches. At Fremantle Traffic Bridge a couple of decent Samsonfish were landed late last week. The big storm front had pink snapper chasers out in force, but catches were modest. The pinkies were widespread though with both Moles and the northern rock walls and beaches producing a few. Drone fishers up north around Wilbinga reported great captures. On the low tide a couple of mulloway around the 15kg mark were landed by snapper chasers at the Moles. Most of the rock walls have also offered good skippy, with Cottesloe Groyne one of the better spots. Chopper tailor had been active on the northern beaches, but this week bigger fish have been taken at night from Swanbourne and Cottesloe.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, with contributions from a rotating team of fishers each week.
Recfishwest’s fishing report contributors: Jarrad Lawford (editor and images), Sam Bock, Sedin Hasanovic, Sam Russell, Levi De Boni and Eligh Quigley.
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This Fishing Report was submitted on 9/12/2025 9:07:00 PM by Seamus and last updated on 9/17/2025 9:33:34 PM.
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