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Hooking Up Anglers Since 2011.
19 September, 2025
Pic of the Week goes to @ktownpanda and his very excited crew for finally ticking off a sailfish from their bucket list of fish species! You can tell from their faces this was the best way for this bunch of Victorians to top off a great week fishing off WA’s north coast.
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!
Recfishwest has said No to a massive proposed solar salt project proposed for 40 Mile Beach west of Karratha.
In August, Recfishwest lodged a detailed submission to the Environmental Protection Authority outlining why we do not support the proposal to develop a 20,000ha solar salt farm at 40 Mile Beach, west of Karratha.
For generations, Pilbara residents have cherished 40 Mile as more than just a fishing and camping spot. It’s a sanctuary where families return year after year to reconnect with nature, community and themselves. At 40 Mile, those values run deep.
Recfishwest believes developments that strip away access, degrade habitats or diminish treasured recreational assets are unacceptable. We have urged the EPA to ensure the significant risks of this proposal are fully assessed.
We will continue to stand up for the rights of fishers, and for the social, cultural and environmental values that make WA’s coast so special.
Click here to read our latest web news item featuring our submission.
Thinking about wetting a line off the rocks? If you are inexperienced, Recfishwest strongly encourages you to keep the sand between your toes and fish from the beach instead, because no fish is worth risking your life for.
But if you are going to give rock fishing a crack, make sure you watch the safety tips above from Recfishwest’s Fish & Survive Ambassador, Gideon Mettam, aka Gido of Gido’s Fishing Adventures fame.
As Gido demonstrates - on all his fishing trips off the rocks, he always plays it safe and wears a lifejacket.
It doesn’t matter how experienced you are at fishing, if you end up in an emergency situation by getting swept off the rocks, that lifejacket will become your best friend. That’s why I never fish off the rocks without one, said Gido.
Don’t have a lifejacket? You can loan a lifejacket for free at any of the participating locations here.
Recfishwest’s Levi De Boni @levi_de_boni enjoyed getting on to a lovely barra courtesy of our exclusive Halco membership lure!
Barramundi and threadfin salmon have been the main species targeted this week with windy conditions limiting options. The odd tripletail has been sighted around the moorings in Roebuck Bay, but most crews have been heading to the shelter of Crab and Dampier Creeks which have fished well, with at least eight barramundi landed in Crab Creek this week. Towards Cape Leveque a few bluebone and coral trout were caught at Divers Creek, Smithy’s and Middle Lagoon. The wind is a bit all over the place over the coming days but will generally stay relatively low, so conditions should be nice out on the water once you manage to launch.
Town Beach Jetty has continued to throw up small barramundi, from the platform and also from nearby beaches and rocks, adding to its usual fare of bream, trevally and small queenfish. Trevally and queenfish have been caught at Entrance Point, while Willie and Barred Creeks have held small barramundi, trevally and queenfish. In the Fitzroy River barramundi have fished best at Langi Crossing and Telegraph Pool. Threadfin salmon fishing has been quiet at 80-Mile Beach.
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!
Cherished fishing experiences like chasing permit across the flats aboard @ningalooflyfishing is just one of many reasons why we want to protect fishing access in the Gulf.
The west side fished well this week with crews finding plenty of Spanish mackerel north of Helby Bank and down towards Mesa and Turquoise Beach. A few sailfish were around Helby as well, while further out black marlin, dolphinfish and wahoo were landed. Bottom fishers found Rankin cod, coral trout and a few red emperor in 40-80m, while goldband snapper were out wider. The back of the reef on the west side has been producing Spanish mackerel and the odd wahoo. Chinaman cod and spangled emperor have been in the lagoons down at Tantabiddi, where good patches of squid have been found on the weed banks and the odd giant trevally has been inside the reef. Spanish mackerel have been in good numbers at the Muirons which have also yielded Rankin cod, coral trout and goldband snapper in the deeper depths. A few sailfish have been about and they have been spotted moving into Exmouth Gulf. The Gulf’s shoals have offered good numbers of blue-lined emperor, a few coral trout and Spanish mackerel. Tuna have been plentiful at times and cobia have been sighted swimming with manta rays. Squid fishing has been good close in and the east side of the Gulf has fished well for queenfish and golden trevally. These species, along with spangled emperor have been landed by fly-fishers down that way when the wind has been down. The southerly winds will get a tad stronger from Saturday through to Tuesday along with the swell but today along with the next few mornings should be manageable for a send out.
A big banger for Boppa up in the Pilbara! This would’ve been even cooler if Boppa landed this on a popper, but alas, still an awesome snap.
Whiting fishing has picked up in Exmouth Gulf with nice-sized fish cruising the flats at Bundegi, which has also held a few queenfish. Queenfish and trevally have been down at Learmonth, which has also held whiting and flathead, as has the mouth of Wapet Creek. In the town marina it has been mainly bream and small trevally, but a few decent coral trout have been landed as well. Squid have been taken from the marina’s outer wall and from the rocks at the light industrial area. Fishing has been good for spangled emperor in Lighthouse Bay, where a decent Rankin cod was taken by a fisher floating out a balloon to target Spanish mackerel. All down the west side golden trevally and giant trevally have been kept company by spangled emperor.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!
A cracker of a croaker from @curtiswatermanfishing on the Halco 40g Karcass jig!
Crews that put in the miles north of town picked some nice dhufish and the odd baldchin groper, while most locals found decent pink snapper on the Sand Patch or along the coastal cliffs. When the swells have been down yellowfin whiting have been targeted at Red Bluff. Trolling around is a good option if you want to try your luck for tuna or even Spanish mackerel, with deeper diving lures trolled at 4-5 knots in current lines (surface slicks or intermittent weed sighted) a good starting point. Keep an eye out for bait on the sounder as well and keep working through it. There should be windows early in the coming mornings with lower south-easterly winds and the swell hovering around the 2m mark.
Swells have eased and the tailor action has picked up in the mornings at Red Bluff, which has also produced herring around the 30cm mark. Bigger tailor up to 55cm have been caught at the river mouth and Siphons, while the coastal gorges have produced good pink snapper. In the Murchison River good bream have been caught at the marina and from the rocky outcrops a couple of kilometres further up. They have been mixed in with decent-sized cod. Youngsters fishing the marina jetties and boat pens have picked up mangrove jack to 40cm on pieces of mulie and soft plastics. Yellowfin whiting catches have been good along the town foreshore, while mud crabs and a few blue swimmer crabs have been pulled up from the marina.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.
Although swells have been down the surge is still strong and the water often murky. Despite this, crews that have got out have generally done well. Dhufish of various sizes and baldchin groper were the main catches south and south-east of town, with the best fishing in close in 15-25m, while pink snapper were in good numbers to the north of town. While the swell is back around the manageable 2m mark the southerly winds will make it rather choppy over the next week if you decide to duck out.
Mulloway up to 19kg have been caught north and south of Drummond Cove, which has held tailor in the evenings. When weed has been scarce tailor have been caught in the mornings at Tarcoola Beach. An 80cm pink snapper was reportedly landed from the rocks in front of the Sail Inn, while several others were caught at the back of the Lives towards the eastern end. Whiting have been hard to find around town, but blue swimmer crabs have been pulled up in both the Fishing Boat Harbour and Batavia Coast Marina. Herring have been caught at Horrocks, while tailor and school mulloway have been landed at Little Bay.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.
Finally the weather broke on a weekend and boats were able to head west. Most fishers were reporting the demersals were not too hungry and it took a while to temp a few to take a bait. Tuna schools were well offshore with some activity reported around 30km out. Inshore there has been numbers of very small dhufish and use discretion as when to release these fish as depths from under 20m can be expected to have a higher survival rate if the fish is showing no signs of trauma. Any deeper than that means likely fatal barotrauma for species such as dhufish, baldchin groper and breaksea cod. Trolling small lures in the bay has been productive for herring and snook, while some good feeds of King George whiting can be found around the sand holes. Early on Saturday and Sunday morning should hold windows to duck out although it may be a tad choppy once you’re out. Given the warm weather recently trolling would be a wise option for a chance at some pelagics.
Beach fishing was a bit slow with flat tides and a trail of bogged 4WD's on the way to the fishing hole! The morning offshore winds produced the opportunity to cast stick baits and poppers to the reef breaks and gutters, with 50cm tailor a common sight. The mulloway were found to be on the bite generally around midnight. The town jetty fished well with some tailor at sunset, while herring were kicking on throughout the night.
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.
Big yellowtail kingfish have been mooching about Figure of Eight Island, while good-sized nannygai and breaksea cod have been at Boxer Island. Sizeable queen snapper have been landed at Observatory Island, while Charley and Cull Islands have been plagued with small Samsonfish. Sand whiting have been taken off West and Observatory Beaches, while the 20m depths at Cook Rocks have fished well for squid. Esperance Bay has held skippy, herring and squid. Despite a touch of rain on the forecast there may be a manageable window to duck out on Saturday arvo and Sunday morning.
Gummy sharks and small mulloway have been caught at Thomas River, while good skippy and gummy sharks have been landed at Dunn Beach. Roses Beach has yielded salmon and gummy sharks, while Stockyards has held skippy, flathead and sand whiting. Salmon Beach and 14-Mile Beach have produced salmon. The standout catch this week was a 21kg mulloway landed east of Esperance. In town, King George whiting have been taken from the foreshore, while Taylor Street and Town jetties have yielded herring and squid. King George whiting and bream have been active in Bandy Creek Boat Harbour.
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.
Crews that made the most of the great conditions over the past week weren’t disappointed. The coral ground held plenty of pink snapper, dhufish, breaksea cod and queen snapper, while nannygai were in good numbers out deeper. Crews that got out to the shelf were rewarded with hapuka. Peaceful Bay produced some good dhufish, while inshore waters off Cheynes yielded pike and King George whiting. Sand whiting and King George whiting have been in better numbers in King George Sound, but squid have been a little shy. Big schools of tuna have been busting up off the headlands and around the islands, smashing small minnows and metal slices. Those predominantly westerly winds will make it very choppy on the water over the next week but the diehard fishers might look to duck out on Saturday morning.
Beach fishing has been quiet, but herring numbers seem to have picked up. Skippy and herring have been caught at Cheynes, while Frenchman Bay and Whalers Cove have fished well for herring and a few King George whiting, along with sizeable squid which have fancied green jigs. Bream fishing has been better in the King and Kalgan Rivers now they are not flowing as strongly, while mulloway fishing should improve there as well. A few pink snapper have been taken at Denmark’s Wilson Inlet, which has also held bream.
Thinking of fishing off the rocks on the South Coast? Make sure you watch Gido’s latest video on safe rock fishing tips and how to manually inflate a lifejacket. As a Recfishwest Fish & Survive Ambassador, Gido never fishes off the rocks without one, so make sure you do the same.
Click here to see where you can loan a lifejacket for free. 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.
Pink snapper have been firing everywhere, from 12-40m with many crews struggling to get away from them. Sizeable baldchin groper were landed as well, while dhufish were mostly being taken further out in 40m-plus. Geographe Bay has produced good pink snapper as well, but squidding has been harder work close in where the water has been murky. Yak fishers found good squid in 5-7m, but struggled to get on to KG’s. Bigger squid in better numbers have been taken out deeper, with Shimano Sephia jigs in avocado working well. Off Bunbury, some pink snapper chasers supplemented their bags with a feed of squid, while Bunbury’s artificial reef has held plenty of big Samsonfish, some of which were landed on poppers. Early on Saturday morning should hold a decent window, Monday also looks like a good opportunity. The public holiday on Monday might also hold an opportunity but more choppy conditions and rain are expected.
Big tailor have popped up at Binningup and Preston, but not in great numbers. Drone fishers have been doing best on pink snapper north of town, but casters have mostly missed out. Herring numbers have improved at most beaches and sand whiting have started to show up. Bream and soapy mulloway have been active in the Collie River.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 brown trout for @westausfisherman after prospecting in the Perth hills!
The rivers have settled down a bit, but there is still plenty of run-off and fishing has been hard work. A few redfin perch and small rainbow trout have been caught at Potters Gorge and Honeymoon Pool on the Collie River, while Glen Mervyn Dam has held good numbers of redfin. Harvey Dam has fished well for redfin too and has produced the odd decent rainbow trout, especially for kayak fishers. It’s been a similar story at Waroona Dam and Drakesbrook Weir.
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 don’t 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! Make sure you arrive at both trout stocking events around 9am so you don’t miss the hundreds of trout being released!
A bicep-burning Sambo for @mandurah_fisho this week!
Demersal action didn’t disappoint this week with pink snapper plentiful and widespread on the Five-Fathom bank, James Service Reef, out from Dawesville and at the Bouvards. Dhufish have come to the party as well. A few were caught in close, but most were landed in 25-50m. Breaksea cod and big King George whiting have been among the bycatch, while Samsonfish and skippy have turned up in pink snapper chasers’ burley trails as well. Fat sand whiting and small King George whiting have been taken on Five Fathom in 12-15m, while small King George whiting have been caught off the estuary end of the Dawesville Cut. Herring have been in good numbers in the estuary. Saturday should hold a decent window to duck out along with the public holiday on Monday.
Tailor catches have improved at Seascapes and down at Tims Thicket and White Hills, with the latter two spots also producing pink snapper for drone fishers in the mornings. Herring have been in reasonable numbers off the beaches, while mulloway around 70-80cm and sand whiting have been landed as well. Herring, small King George whiting and the odd juvenile Samsonfish have been caught at the Dawesville Cut, while herring and tarwhine have been taken at the town bridges. Small pink snapper, skippy and juvenile Samsonfish have been in the estuary’s marinas, while a few soapy mulloway have been landed on soft plastics in the Murray River. When the temperature neared 30C in the middle of the week topwater yellowfin whiting guru Han Yeoh found a good patch of tings after a bit of prospecting in the estuary.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!
Just one of several solid mulloway landed by Jake Mayous @jake_b_fishing this week just north of Mandurah. All fish released to grow into future monsters.
Decent catches of demersal species were reported this week with the back of Garden Island and Carnac Island offering pink snapper along with some good dhufish, breaksea cod and a few baldchin groper, although make sure you mix it up and don’t target just these species as pelagics are also a good chance on the troll given the warmer forecast this week. Squid, King George and sand whiting have been harder to find in Cockburn Sound with the water a bit dirty, but good bags of sand whiting and squid have come from the behind Garden and Penguin Islands and towards the Five-Fathom Bank. Tuna have been spotted and solid skippy and herring have been close in. Both Saturday and the public holiday on Monday are looking best on the forecast at this stage.
Beach fishing has been steady, offering mainly chopper tailor, small mulloway, sand whiting and herring, from Warnbro down to Secret Harbour. Woodman Point, Ammo Jetty, Rockingham Jetty and Palm Beach Jetty have all held herring, a few sand whiting and the odd squid. Squidding is expected to improve at Point Peron on the weekend.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!
@samuel.colvin and the @sendnbend_sportfishing crew managed another stunning swordfish in the Perth Canyon, with this 138.7kg powerhouse of a fish providing a two hour fight on 37kg line. The boys had a look at this fish early before it took 400m of line straight down and made them work for it!
The solid swordfish (pictured) was landed south of Rottnest this week, while at Rottnest’s West End striped tuna have been about. Tuna have also been on Direction Bank. The back of Rottnest has yielded good dhufish and pink snapper, while bays have produced King George whiting and a few squid. Pinkies have been caught off Mindarie and Ocean Reef, at the Three-Mile Reef and in 11m just a kilometre or so out from Two Rocks. Skippy and Samsonfish have been showing up in the burley trails that have been bringing in pink snapper. King George whiting and sand whiting have been caught off the northern suburbs, while Windmills and waters off Cottesloe and South Fremantle have held the same mix. Trolling around at the moment could see tuna given the warmer conditions that arrived mid-week, with deeper diving lures that can get down to 3-5m a good chance. Keep an eye out for bait on the sounder and trolling through current lines with surface slicks or intermittent weed is also a good option given pelagics will cruise through these areas. Keep an eye on the rod tips to see if they stop vibrating as this will mean you’ve snagged a bit of weed, but trolling at 4-5 knots through here is a good starting point. Thankfully the forecast across the long weekend is looking pretty inviting, with Saturday and Monday morning looking best at this stage.
Fishers left in the dark on Defence plans for Cockburn Sound: Cockburn Sound – home to WA’s largest pink snapper spawning grounds and busiest boat ramp – faces an unprecedented wave of industrial development. At the centre of this is the Commonwealth Government’s plan for a new Defence precinct at Henderson. Despite a year of announcements and a $12 billion funding pledge, fishers say there are still no answers on what the Defence build-up will mean for access, amenity and the environment in Cockburn Sound. Click here to read our latest news article on this issue.
A fat and healthy 55cm skippy for Jacob Carlish on Three Mile! This species provides a great fight and a highly underrated feed, with Jacob initially thinking this fish was a snapper after it smashed half an unweighted mulie.
It’s been quiet at the Fremantle Moles with plenty of dirty water pouring out of the Swan River, which mainly saw just herring and yellowtail on the chew. The lower Swan has held a few mulloway, but tailor have gone a bit quiet. The lower and middle reaches have continued to improve for bream. Some big tailor were taken between the Scarborough dog beach and Trigg this week, while the northern beaches have continued to produce solid chopper tailor, with CiD GT Ice Creams in smaller sizes working well. Drone fishers found a few pink snapper in these areas too. Herring have been at Grant Street in Cottesloe and across Floreat, while the northern rock walls have offered herring and a few skippy as well. Make sure you get your entries in for the Swan River Chase as the comp is capped at 200 entrants, details below! 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 9/19/2025 8:15:00 PM by Seamus and last updated on 9/25/2025 8:23:52 PM.
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