Recfishwest's State-wide Fishing Report 12 January 2024 🎣

Dirty water and early sea breezes shut down pelagic activity this week but some crews managed good feeds of demersal species. Pink snapper were caught around the Sand Patch along with baldchin groper and breaksea cod. Dhufish and baldchin groper were landed in 30-35m at Bald Face while past Bald Face pink snapper to 75cm and dhufish to 80cm hit the deck.

Thomas River and Poison Creek have fished well for big mulloway and metre-plus gummy sharks, while there have been plenty of skippy and Salmon at Dunns Beach. Local gun Tyson “TNT”  Tietjens landed a 1.45m mulloway east of town this week. Closer to town Wylie Bay has offered big flathead and Bandy Creek Boat Harbour has produced skippy and King George whiting. Big squid and herring have been caught from the Town Jetty, while big flathead have shown a liking for soft plastics flicked along the town foreshore. Lovers Cove has also held good flathead along with King George whiting, while there have been lots of salmon and skippy at Fourth Beach and 10-Mile Lagoon. Lure fishing at Woody Lake has produced bream up to 43cm and Stokes Inlet has also been a bream hotspot.

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. 

If you want to get your kids outside and learning how to fish along our beautiful south coast, Recfishwest's FREE SunSmart Southern Fishing Clinic Tour is back on the south coast next week and while our Albany clinics have already fully booked out, there is still spots open at Denmark and Walpole!

14th January - Denmark - two clinics from 9-11am and 12-2pm - click here to book. 
15th January - Walpole - two clinics from 9-11am and 12-2pm - click here to book. 

A few resident salmon have turned up at Sand Patch and Salmon Holes, while decent tarwhine have been caught at Shelley Beach. Holidaymakers have been catching squid and whiting at Frenchman Bay and Goodes Beach. Emu Point has been hammered by south-easterlies but has produced the odd squid, while Gull Rock has offered herring and tarwhine when fishable. The King and Kalgan rivers have been steady for bream and a few soapy mulloway have been around as well.

Good on the Trailblazers Albany crew for their tips this week! Swing by their store if you're after some top gear and advice ahead of your next fishing trip. 

The FADs have continued to fire for dolphinfish and tuna, while a wahoo was hooked there this week and Spanish mackerel were sighted. The action has tended to be much better very early in the mornings. Yellowtail kingfish have been caught at the West End of Rottnest, while big Samson fish have been stretching arms out at the wrecks. Dhufish have been caught in 80m depths south of Rottnest and big pink snapper have come from north of the island in 100m depths. Good King George whiting and chunky sand whiting have come from south of Rottnest and it’s been the same story at the Windmills but the KGs have been smaller there. Most anglers haven’t bothered chasing tailor at the exposed reefs such as Mewstones but they have been about and a decent yellowtail kingfish was also caught there this week. Dhufish and pink snapper have come from behind the Three-Mile Reef and in 40m depths out from Mindarie and Two Rocks, while good mixed bags of breaksea cod, King George whiting, skippy and flathead have come from inside the Three-Mile. Squid have moved out a little deeper with 6-8m off South Fremantle a good starting point. Trolling for chopper tailor has been good in the Swan River as far up as the Narrows, while dropnetters have been finding blue swimmer crabs at East Fremantle. Claremont, the old Swan Brewery, the Narrows and Como.  

Those chasing the elusive giant herring have found a few in the middle reaches of the Swan River with Alfred Cove and Claremont good starting points. Far less elusive in the Swan have been flathead and flounder which have been caught in good numbers at East Fremantle, Mosman Park, Bicton, Point Walter, Claremont, Peppermint Grove and Applecross. A lot of fishers have been targeting flathead from the drop-offs using micro jigs such as Palms or Major Craft Jigparas, or even 10g Halco Twistys worked vertically.  Tailor have also been prolific right though the system. A 50cm model was caught in Fremantle Harbour this week and they have been caught as far up river as the Causeway. Better spots have been Point Walter, Claremont, Crawley and the Narrows. Bream catches in the Swan and Canning rivers have been reasonable with structure around the Causeway and up river as far as Guildford and Shelley producing fish. Soapy and school-size mulloway have also been active in the river with Canning Bridge and the Narrows among the better spots.  Crabbing has been slower in the Swan this week but drop netters should concentrate on jetties around East and North Fremantle and Mosman or maybe the jetty at the old Swan Brewery or Como Jetty. Around East Fremantle yellowfin whiting have been caught at night and in the early mornings on fresh prawns and fresh squid, a few of which have been caught in small sizes in the river at night. Elsewhere, the Fremantle moles have been fairly quiet with North Mole offering herring in the day and tailor at night, while South Mole has its usual staples of herring and squid. Squid have been in better numbers from the southern metro rock walls as far down as Coogee, while a decent mulloway was landed at South Beach this week. The morning easterlies have been favourable for tailor catches at Trigg, Mindarie, Quinns and Yanchep, while City and Floreat beaches have fished well in the mornings for mixed bags of chopper tailor, herring, tarwhine, skippy and flathead.  By far the most impressive metro land-based catch this week was a slab of a dhufish caught at Rottnest’s West End.