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Hooking Up Anglers Since 2011.
22 August, 2025
Pic of the Week goes to @Grace Colarusso, who landed this absolute stonka of a Port Hedland bluebone – what a fight!
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!
In Exmouth this August? Register for the King of the Reef competition before the end of this month to have a crack at loads of great prizes!
Recfishwest is proud to be supporting this citizen science event for its second year alongside the Exmouth Game Fishing Club (EGFC) and Woodside Energy. Enter now and you could win a share of $15,000 in prizes on offer, including a Shimano Stella 18000 reel worth $1,500 for the most species caught on King Reef up until 31 August!
Every fish caught in this comp helps us advocate for more artificial reefs around WA, so if you haven’t already, head to the EGFC website on the link below and enter now for $30/person or $60/family to snag the last of the prizes!
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!
Zach and Sarah galloped into Broome for the Cup, but reeled in the gold standard with this trevally off Broome.
Offshore fishing has been good out wide north of town with good numbers of red emperor being taken. In closer, about 30km out, they have been caught along with a few trout off Port Smith. Late-season sailfish have also been landed out that way and Spanish mackerel have been kicking about. In Roebuck Bay, bluebone have been active, along with Spanish flag and schools of longtail tuna. Good threadfin salmon have come from Crab Creek, while Dampier Creek has fished well for mud crabs. When the easterlies have eased the Fingers has produced threadfin salmon and mud crabs in the afternoons.
Cable Beach and Coconut Wells have offered a few whiting, while bluebone and queenfish have been caught at Entrance Point. Gantheaume Point has produced a few bluebone also. Town Beach Jetty has held small trevally, and queenfish and a few bream. Barred and Willie creeks have offered trevally and queenfish, while a few bluebone have been caught at Quandong. Bluebone have been heavily fished at Barn Hill, while towards Beagle Bay Middle Lagoon has thrown up a couple of Spanish mackerel as well as bluebone. In the Fitzroy River Telegraph Pool and Langi Crossing have been busy but only a few barramundi have been landed.
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.
Jarrad Lawford is usually behind the camera doing our communications work, but this time he’s been putting in the work landing this huge Spanish mackerel!
With winds trending lower, conditions seemed ideal midweek and most crews that went out reported lots of baitballs and plenty of action on the sounder. But unfortunately, the fishing was pretty slow. Spanish mackerel were hit and miss on the west side, although Recfishwest’s own Jarrad Lawford boated a cracking 160cm model on a trolled garfish from his kayak, managing to fend off the sharks. It gave me a good tow for five minutes at four knots! I had the Sharkbanz hanging off the back and I think that actually helped keep it away from three sharks during landing! said a delighted Jarrad.
Meanwhile goldband snapper catches were steady in 80-100m. In 30-40m a few Rankin cod were landed and the lagoons at Tantabiddi offered reasonable numbers of spangled emperor which favoured vibes and soft plastics. Plenty of billfish were seen jumping behind Helby Bank but few were hooked. The Muirons were readily accessible but catches there were on the slow side as well. In Exmouth Gulf, spearfishers have been doing best, finding plenty of small bluebone and coral trout but a lot have been undersized. They also reported sighting plenty of golden trevally. One or two cobia were landed at the shoals, while closer in squid fishing has been excellent with many crews bagging out on bigger models.
A 35kg Spanish mackerel landed at the tip of the cape on a surface popper by an angler targeting giant trevally was the outstanding catch of this week. Also impressive was a 23kg wahoo landed in the same area. Balloon fishers have picked up the odd Spanish mackerel out that way as well and a few spangled emperor have been about. The lagoon at Tantabiddi has held a few spangled emperor and squid have been inside the reef at Ningaloo. Whiting fishing in Exmouth Gulf has been a little quieter than usual but plenty of garfish have made up the shortfall. In the town marina it’s been the usual fare of bream and small queenfish and trevally, with squid the main catch from the outside wall. The rocks at the industrial area and Learmonth Jetty have also rewarded squid fishers. At Bundegi, queenfish and trevally have been harassing schools of hardyheads. 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!
There’s been very little happening apart from crayfishing as the pelagic action seems all but over, although one or two crews have been fishing around Bald Face where a few Spanish mackerel were seen jumping recently. Tomorrow morning looks like the best opportunity to put the boat in, before the cold front on Sunday wipes out most boating action until at least Wednesday.
This week’s downpour has raised mulloway chasers’ expectations who are hoping the dirty water will bring the silver ghosts down to the river mouth. The Murchison River has been fishing steadily for bream and cod, while chopper tailor have been active at the sand spit and good numbers of yellowfin whiting have been caught on the foreshore in front of the IGA. Blue swimmer and mud crabs remain widespread in the system. Tailor to 40cm have been the main catch at Red Bluff, although one or two pink snapper have been landed there. The pinks have been in better numbers from the cliffs. Balloon fishers and droners have been targeting late-season Spanish mackerel at Wagoe but big tailor have been the main species caught. 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.
Chloe from @Northern_Addicts caught this lovely tailor on the pe1 outfit. Fishing on the reef for tailor just out of Geraldton is always good fun, great work!
Despite the glassy conditions, swells were quite lumpy this week before the cold front hit. A few dinghy fishers did well on squid on the weed banks north of Explosives, while crayfishing has been steady for those dropping pots. With another cold front expected on Sunday, tomorrow morning should see a few boaties take advantage of the weather window before battening down the hatches.
Whiting catches have been good at Drummond Cove and a few small threadfin salmon have been in the mix as well. Whiting from poddy size to 30cm have also been caught at Pages Beach and a quite a few flathead have been landed, including a rock flathead that went 60cm. Tailor have been patchy but when weed-free Tarcoola Beach has thrown up a few around the 40cm mark and mulloway around the metre mark have been taken there in the mornings. School mulloway around 5kg have been caught north of Drummond Cove and at Bowes River, and down at West Bank when it has been clear enough to fish.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.
Young gun Malekqi caught this 51cm tailor from one of the back beach gutters!
Most boats have been sticking inside the bay, with squid proving a popular target and producing some solid hauls. Herring schools have been working the southern sand holes, while snook have been active over the deeper seagrass beds. Good-sized skippy have also been caught along the channel drop-offs. Swell has restricted boating opportunities for most of the week, with Saturday shaping up as the best window to get out before conditions close in again until late next week.
Back Beach has been relatively weed-free, making it one of the easier spots to fish while the swell has been up. Make sure to look for deeper nearshore gutters. Even though numbers have been patchy, the quality is there with some solid greenbacks and the odd school mulloway. North of town, beaches are narrow and soft, with weed creating challenges closer in. A bit of effort mixing back-track runs with beach access has paid off, with cleaner holes further north holding better numbers of tailor.
Several groups made the most of the light winds to send out drone baits, landing some excellent fish including dhufish and pink snapper in the 6–10kg range. Drone users are reminded to be mindful of where they set up keeping vehicles off the dunes and leaving tracks clear for others to pass.
The jetty has been a reliable option after sunset, with plenty of herring on the chew. Scented plastics have been particularly effective, as herring respond well to added scent so stick to pre-scented brands or S-Factor for better results.
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.
Come and say g’day to us at our stand at this year’s Dowerin Machinery Field Days on Wednesday and Thursdays. We’ll be running a kids casting comp with our fab, fun new casting wall, handing out loads of Recfishwest merch and be on hand to chat about all things fishing.
Good numbers of nannygai and big breaksea cod have been caught at Figure of Eight Island, while 15-20kg Samsonfish have been landed at Cull Island. Big queen snapper and harlequin fish have been taken at Observatory Island, while Boxer Island has yielded yellowtail kingfish. Big skippy have been at Cooper Reef, while good numbers of sand whiting have been caught off Stockyards Beach and in Wylie Bay. Sizeable King George whiting have been landed at Lovers Cove, while squid have been plentiful in 16m at Cook Rocks.
There has been a cracking run of gummy sharks at Thomas River and a few mulloway have been caught out that way too, while Poison Creek has offered gummy sharks, mulloway and big skippy. Stockyards Beach has held salmon, flathead and skippy, while gummy sharks have been in good numbers at 14-Mile Beach. There has been a red-hot morning salmon bite in front of the first carpark at Fourth Beach, while the town foreshore has fished well for King George whiting. Flathead and King George whiting have been biting at Bandy Creek Boat Harbour, while the Town Jetty has produced squid, herring and garfish.
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.
Large Bream are still to be found even during winter. This 40cm plus model eating a vibe worked slowly along the bottom for @thereelside
Crews made the most of the excellent weather conditions early in the week and they weren’t disappointed. King George Sound and the islands produced plenty of King George whiting to 40cm with quite a few sand whiting mixed in and many crews bagged out. Squid catches though were hit and miss. Pink snapper and queen snapper were landed inshore and the coral ground fished well for dhufish, pink snapper, breaksea cod and nannygai. Eclipse Island produced the same species. Nannygai were plentiful towards the shelf, where hapuka and eight-bar cod were landed. Beach launching was a bit tricky at Hartman and Peaceful Bay but the rewards were worth it.
The stones either side of town produced good numbers of pink snapper and a few blue groper while the more remote platforms yielded harlequin fish and breaksea cod. The slow sales of mulies in Albany suggests there’s been little salmon activity though a couple were caught at Peaceful Bay late last week. Chunky skippy around 40cm have been caught at the old whaling station and Frenchman Bay, which have also been consistent for squid. In the town marina bream, small skippy and squid have been caught, while bream have also fished well in the King, Kalgan and Hay rivers.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.
After christening a new setup with a ZMan motor oil grub cast at the sticks in the local river, @Reef was rewarded with a quality 37cm fish that didn’t disappoint.
Skippy and King George whiting have been active both sides of Bunbury in 10-15m and reports of tuna have been coming in as well. Lumps in the same depths have produced plenty of Samsonfish with some good fish being taken on stickbaits. Some good-sized squid have been caught out from Bunbury but they have been in better numbers in Geographe Bay, where King George whiting and a few skippy have been caught as well.
Pink snapper catches have been quiet from the beaches with drone fishers doing much better than casters. Beaches either side of Bunbury have thrown up a few pinks and also one or two big winter tailor. Drone fishers have landed good dhufish either side of Dunsborough along with a few pink snapper. Herring have fished best at Dalyellup and Back Beach and up at Binningup and Myalup. Busselton Jetty has offered mainly squid. Herring and the odd tailor have been caught at the Bunbury Cut, while the Collie River is full of dirty water but the upper reaches have yielded a few bream.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.
Feeder creeks have been the most rewarding locations for trout fishers in the South-West and down in the Southern Forests region. The bigger rivers generally have been flowing too strongly. Pemberton has been fishing well for browns and rainbows with Big Brook Dam and Lefroy Brook fishing well. Sections of the Warren River with less intense flow have produced a couple as well along with redfin perch. Harvey, Wellington and Waroona dams and Drakesbrook Weir have offered more rainbows than brown trout, while redfin perch have been running hot and cold, but the odd 40cm-plus model has been landed. Water levels have started to rise at Harvey Dam and reedy sections near the boat ramp and areas near the causeway are worth targeting for redfin, either on soft plastics or worm baits fished under a float. Berkely Trout Nuggets should work as well. At Harvey Dam, Tassie Devil blades have been favoured for redfin because of their slim profile and longer casting attributes. Kayak fishers in the dams have been doing well trolling brown and gold-coloured hard-bodied lures and catching mainly redfin. Glen Mervyn Dam has been a good option for targeting perch from the shore.
Clearer water in the Peel-Harvey Estuary has led to improved whiting catches near the Dawesville Cut, while further into the estuary schools of juvenile salmon have been sighted. Offshore a few reports of tuna have come in, while the 20m depths off Dawesville and near the Bouvards have offered sizeable King George whiting at times. There has been plenty of action on the Five-Fathom Bank with sand whiting prolific and plenty of chunky skippy being taken on the broken ground with reports of small Samsonfish and yellowtail kingfish showing up in the burley trail as well. Those dropping pots close in have been doing well on crayfish, while squid have been going OK on the inshore weed banks off Seascapes and Falcon.
Weed has ruled out most beach fishing but pink snapper have been worth targeting from the ocean end of the Dawesville Cut and the town rock walls. The estuary end of the cut has been producing a few whiting and the odd herring, while the town bridges have held juvenile salmon and tarwhine. Bream catches have been good in both local rivers with the Murray having the edge on the Serpentine. The estuary’s canals and marinas have produced good bream as well, along with a nice mix of soapy mulloway, tarwhine, herring and skippy. 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!
Plenty of skippy have been caught on the broken ground inshore, while King George whiting and sand whiting have been active on Parmelia Bank, in Mangles Bay and inside of Garden Island. Squid catches have been good in 4-5m at these locations as well and also off Point Peron. A few tuna have been kicking about towards the Five-Fathom Bank with crews targeting them on small skirts and diving minnows.
A couple of pink snapper were landed around Secret Harbour and Long Point when the cold front passed through this week, while herring have been in good numbers on most local beaches and big winter tailor have been taken on mulies and metal slices. Land-based squidding has been hard work but the Henderson cliffs, Woodman Point, Ammo Jetty and Point Peron have yielded a few. Rockingham and Palm Beach jetties have held good numbers of sand whiting along with herring, while at Woodman Point and the Ammo Jetty it has been mainly herring caught. Herring and sand whiting have been active at Point Peron and herring have been swimming with some nice skippy in Safety Bay.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!
@Vincent Zaldivar landed a new PB mulloway at 81cm on a crab lure, though the battle with the silver ghost left his reel feeling like it’s ready for a service!
Crews have battled to find decent weather windows this week and overall fishing has been fair to middling. Another swordfish, this one around 50kg, was caught in the Perth Canyon, the result of a 24-hour overnight session, while there have been reports of tuna schools out wide but few crews have been able to get to them. Squid fishing hasn’t been easy but decent King George whiting have been caught at Stragglers, the Three-Mile Reef, in the bays at Rottnest Island and at Windmills where they have been mixed in with sand whiting. Yellowtail kingfish have been reported off Rottnest’s West End. When weather windows allow, inshore missions off Fremantle should produce herring, tailor and skippy.
Despite the midweek cold front pink snapper catches were subdued from the Fremantle moles and they were little better from the northern rock walls. A few herring and the odd skippy have been around most rock walls, while tailor have continued to be caught from the northern beaches but they have been down in size, averaging 40cm. The tannin-stained Swan River has been difficult to fish but bream have been hanging around structure from Bayswater downstream. Before the rain front arrived one or two flathead were landed in the deeper pockets of the Swan River around Blackwall Reach, Mosman Bay and East Fremantle.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 8/22/2025 4:17:45 AM by Seamus and last updated on 8/25/2025 7:08:44 AM.
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