Recfishwest's State-wide Fishing Report 23 August 2024 🎣

Skippy to 4kg have been caught at 14-Mile and Roses beaches with salmon mixed in, especially at Roses where big schools have been passing through. Big flathead have been landed on the big tides at 10-Mile Lagoon, while good skippy, salmon and bull herring have been the main fare at Fourth Beach with the first carpark the pick of the spots thanks to the big gutter formed close to shore there. At Lovers Cove schoolkids have been getting skippy to 2kg, while the port viewing area has held herring and King George whiting. Both Town Jetty and Taylor Street Jetty have offered garfish and squid at night. Bandy Creek Boat Harbour yielded skippy and King George whiting, while Wylie Bay has produced sand whiting, King George whiting and flathead.

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. 

It been pretty bleak around town but a glimmer of hope has been the bump in bream gear sold in the past week, suggesting their numbers have improved in the King and Kalgan rivers. The Hay River can also fish well for bream at times. Sheltered locations such as the town marina should offer herring and small skippy and squid are a chance if clearer water can be found. Frenchman Bay and Emu Point should offer these species too along with whiting.  A couple of big resident salmon were taken from Cheynes Beach earlier this week, while a decent harlequin fish was caught from the stones when the swells were down.

Cheers to 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. 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. 

Pink snapper catches were scattered along North Mole this week but the weekend cold front is expected to fire them up in better numbers, just rock a poncho and hold on to your umbrella for dear life if you're not sitting in the warmth of your car! Pink snapper have also been caught from the northern beaches, along with big tailor and a few mulloway. At the Mindarie rockwall a snapper chaser was surprised to land a dusky morwong this week. Both North and South Mole offered herring and skippy, often on the inside of the rockwall. Herring, skippy and tarwhine have been in Fremantle Harbour, while the rockwalls around South Beach have produced excellent skippy catches, with a whitebait or bluebait gang fished under a burley cage working well. Land-based squidding has been difficult because of the churned-up water and there has been little tailor activity at beaches south of the river, although this is often the time when big tailor cruise around the reefs at Cottesloe and Swanbourne. There seems to be a lack of baitfish in the Swan River this year, which may be the reason it has been a challenge to fish. Finding the bait has been the best tip and lure fishers are recommended to go for flashy lures or lures with a rattle, such as vibes. The heavy falls and big flush of fresh water this week could push many species down to the Swan River’s lower reaches. Bream have been holding between the Causeway and the Narrows but now it could be worth targeting them further downstream at Crawley, Nedlands and Claremont, especially near the yacht clubs. Tailor to 50cm have been caught at Canning Bridge and smaller fish came from Claremont and Nedlands this week. Stickbaits and surface lures have accounted for a lot of river tailor but don’t discount Halco Twistys or the bigger soft plastics in the form of minnow or shad patterns. Soft plastics also accounted for a few decent flathead at Heirisson Island, while a big mulloway was lost on the shoreline at Canning Bridge earlier this week.