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Hooking Up Anglers Since 2011.
17 October, 2025
Pic of the Week goes to avid fisher Zeke for his persistence finally paying off in landing a nice bluebone up in Karratha! The little lad was collecting crabs the arvo before on low tide and woke up before sunrise just to land this special fish for a great feed. Cheers to dad @shabeerman for sending in the snap!
Tag #recfishwest in your posts or send them via DM to our Instagram @recfishwest—don’t forget to include where and how you caught it!
For your photos to be featured, make sure they follow our responsible handling and photography guidelines, which means fish held horizontally and not vertically by the gills, no blood, one hand under the belly and the other holding the tail, preferably water in the background etc). Stay safe, have fun, and keep sharing your awesome catches!
A special thanks to around 250 attendees who gathered on the white sands beneath towering karri trees to help us hand-release around 300 rainbow and brown trout at the fourth annual Southern Forests Trout Festival on Sunday!
This year included some of the biggest sized broodstock trout we’ve seen in recent years making a splash into Pemberton’s Big Brook Dam. Check out the highlights in the video above!
Great trout and redfin fishing in Western Australia’s scenic South-West is now more accessible to freshwater anglers, thanks to the opening of the Pemberton Trout Trail!
This much-anticipated project was officially launched at the recent Southern Forests Trout Festival, marking a significant step forward for fishing enthusiasts and the local economy.
At the event the Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis officially unveiled the new angling attraction – an Australian Trout Foundation (WA) initiative supported by Government – which has seen a stretch of 1.6km of the Lefroy River cleared of brambles and thick vegetation to allow access to fishers and bush walkers alike.
The trail aims to enhance accessibility for anglers of all skill levels and ages, encouraging both locals and tourists to engage in fishing and outdoor activities.
Check out more info and walk parts of the trail in the video above!
A lovely bludger trevally out east for @un_professional_travellers!
Most of the attention has been on barramundi fishing with howling north-westerlies shutting down offshore activity. Dampier Creek has held barramundi, a few threadfin and the odd mangrove jack, while Crab Creek has held mud crabs in the upper reaches as well as few threadfin salmon and barramundi. The Fingers has offered barramundi and threadfin salmon too, but it has been hard to get to at times. The westerly winds will continue this week but the mornings should see them at their calmest.
A reminder to all fishers that you can now report foreign and illegal fishing activities through the Recfishwest app, thanks to our first-of-its-kind intiative and partnership with Australian Border Force.
In the past month, two Indonesian vessels were spotted at Augustus Island and Cassini Island in the East Kimberley, with another five vessels intercepted in the NT, so it is important to stay vigilant if you’re out on the water in these areas.
Here is how you can report suspicious vessels directly through the Recfishwest fishing app:
👉 Open ‘My Tools’
👉 Tap 'Report Suspicious Fishing Activities'
👉 Follow the prompts
West Aussie fishers care deeply about protecting our waters and fisheries. Reporting illegal activity is part of our duty to safeguard them for future generations. With thousands of local fishers out there, together, we’re a powerful force in protecting WA’s coast for future generations.
Shore-Based
The Fitzroy River has been quiet with barramundi fishers having to deal with swordfish, sharks and crocodiles taking hooked fish and live baits. Amidst all of that, Langi Crossing has produced a few barra in the 70-80cm range. The Town Beach Jetty has been the main spot this week with bream, small trevally and queenfish being landed. The creeks have been quiet, but anglers wading out early at Entrance Point before the wind really picks up have caught bluebone, trevally and queenfish.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.
A stunner of a permit on the Exmouth Gulf flats for @bomberfarrellfishing this week!
The west side has been pretty blown out as have the islands, ruling out a lot of bottom and game fishing. Afternoons in Exmouth Gulf have been fishable, although most boats opted to stay close in where they found squid in good numbers. A few boats that bashed out into the morning southerlies found tuna schools further out and did well in the afternoon lull. Small numbers of blue-lined emperor and coral trout were taken from the Shoals and manta rays have shown up there, but there haven’t been many cobia joining them. Sailfish have pushed into the top of the Gulf, but not in big numbers. Deeper in the Gulf mud crabs have been taken around the mangroves. The southerly winds are wreaking a bit of havoc this week and Saturday morning looks best before it gets more windy along with a swell pushing over 2m the next few days.
In Exmouth Gulf the afternoons have provided sheltered fishing around Learmonth Jetty and Wapet Creek where whiting, bream and the odd squid have been taken. The jetty has also produced small queenfish and trevally at times. In the town marina it’s been the usual fare of bream, cod, small trevally and queenfish with a few squid landed from the outside rock wall. Sheltered areas in VLF Bay have yielded bluebone, spangled emperor, queenfish and golden trevally, while those who could put up with the wind down Tantabiddi way managed to land a few 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!
@nickihuntfishing getting up to some mulloway mayhem north of town!
Big swells and early sea breezes spoilt the last days of the demersal season but earlier on good catches of sizeable dhufish, including one of 15kg and a couple of others in the 10-12kg range, were recorded north-west of town. Further north, coral trout around 5kg were in reasonable numbers and pink snapper were abundant on both sides. A snapper chaser south of town picked up a decent cobia off the bottom late last week. Trolling around is yet to produce mackerel in more numbers but tuna are always a chance, so it pays to have deeper diving lures in when trolling at 4-5 knots. The mornings are looking best this week with the lulls in the wind.
Pink snapper have been caught in good numbers at Red Bluff and further south. Goats Gulch has fished well for them and the cliffs have also offered decent tailor, while pink snapper and mulloway have been targeted at Oyster Reef. The river mouth has produced big tailor too with an 83cm model taken this week. Chopper tailor and herring have been active at Wittecarra in the mornings when the swells have been down. Down at Wagoe saw pink snapper, school mulloway to 80cm and sizeable tailor caught. In the Murchison River, school kids capped off their holidays with good catches of yellowfin whiting, bream, flounder, chopper tailor and juvenile spangled emperor at the Sand Spit and on the foreshore, while bream around the 30cm mark have been caught at the marina and cod were landed a bit further up. A good mix of blue swimmer and mud crabs have been in the system and there have been whispers of decent mulloway up river also.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.
It’s been very windy and subsequently very quiet on the boating front since the demersal ban came into effect this week. Squid fishing has been out of the question and most crews have been making quick trips out just to drop craypots. It should be manageable to duck out this weekend across both mornings for the larger boats but expect some chop on the water.
Winds have been challenging, but well-conditioned tailor in the 45-60cm range have been caught at Coronation Beach along with a few school sharks, although catfish were a nuisance. Pink snapper numbers have picked up with fish in the 60-75cm range being caught between Drummond Cove and further north past Coronation Beach. Another nice pink snapper was also caught from the rocks in front of the Sail Inn, which have also offered a few pike. Around town, tailor have been patchy. Weed has made Southgates and Glendinning Road a challenge, but good fish have been caught, along with mulloway to 80cm. South of Greenough and down to Dongara many fishers have found it easy to bag out on tailor. Tailor have also been caught by anglers wading out on to the reef at Separation Point, while those who stayed on the sand there found just the occasional tailor and a few whiting. School mackerel have been caught off the reef on the southern end of Southgates and a few fishers have waded out past the weed at Glendinning Road and caught them there too. A young lad fishing in the Chapman River picked up a 40cm bream on a soft plastic, but in the Batavia Coast Marina bream fishing has been much more of a challenge due to the ravenous schools of blowfish that have been monstering soft plastics.
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.
A very chunky tailor just under 70cm for Kobe, who ventured out with Peter Fullarton for a great morning session this week. The trusty Halco Rooster popper did the deed!
The demersal season wrapped up with a solid run of pink snapper, particularly along and inside the White Bank. Further offshore there was a healthy mix of dhufish, breaksea cod and baldchin groper, with the odd whiskery or gummy shark thrown in. Now that the demersal season has closed, there’s still plenty to keep fishers busy. Smaller boats have been having a ball inside the Bay, finding good numbers of King George whiting, skippy, squid, and herring. Out wider, tuna are turning up around the 30 metre line, giving boaties something to stretch the arms on. Crayfish have also pushed in close to shore, and with the new moon approaching, catches are expected to go gangbusters over the coming week. It’s looking rather wet and choppy out on the water over the coming days so land-based fishing might be your best bet.
The southern beaches have produced some quality King George whiting from the sheltered spots. Tailor fishing has fired right up this past week, with plenty of choppers in the 40–45cm range along the open beaches, while the larger 50–70cm fish have been taken from the deeper gutters and reef breaks. School-sized mulloway have also been active on the high tides, especially in the well-formed gutters. Soft sand conditions have caught out a few four wheel drivers chasing that perfect hole and plenty of rescues have been needed, so take caution if attempting this. Deflating your tyres down to around 12psi is a must this weekend, or better yet, take the back tracks to find an easier spot to fish from.
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.
Just Gido doing Gido things on the South Coast - how’s this for an epic camp spot! If you haven’t seen his recent video providing tips on safer rock fishing and how to deploy your lifejacket, click here.
Observatory Island has held small pink snapper, while yellowtail kingfish and Samsonfish have been active at Boxer Island. Figure of Eight Island has produced harlequin, nannygai and breaksea cod, while blue groper and more harlequin have been caught at Charley and Cull Islands. Cook Rocks has been good for squidding in 20m, while Lovers Cove has fished well for King George whiting. Esperance Bay has held lots of herring, snook and squid. The conditions are looking inviting over the next few days so get out there.
Poison Creek has fished well for gummy sharks and mulloway, while skippy to 6kg have been landed at Thomas River. Dunn Beach has yielded small gummy sharks, while mulloway, skippy and flathead have been caught at Stockyards. The corner of Roses Beach has offered good salmon and herring, while gummy sharks have been plentiful at Warrenup. The strong run of early morning salmon has continued at Fourth and Salmon Beaches, while the town foreshore and Bandy Creek have held King George whiting. Sand whiting have been in good numbers at Chapman Point, while night-time sessions at the Town Jetty have yielded herring and squid. Make sure you register for the Esperance Land Based Fishing Classic coming up next weekend! Click here to register and you can find more info on the image below!
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.
@thetidaltale crew know how to take some seriously good fishing snaps when the mulloway action is hot around Albany!
Sand whiting catches were exceptional out from Two People Bay this week and good numbers of squid were landed as well, while King George whiting have been plentiful at Mistaken Island, Seal Island and in Frenchman Bay. Squid have been sizeable at all these locations. Tuna schools were active at Bald Head, Michaelmas Island and Eclipse Island, while crews got out to the coral ground this week and found pink snapper in big numbers and also nannygai and breaksea cod. The inlets at Walpole and Denmark have produced respectable King George whiting for dinghy fishers. The conditions today were decent despite the rain, but it will become windy and horrible from tomorrow until at least Monday. Tuesday’s forecast doesn’t look too bad.
Cheynes Beach offered a few pink snapper this week, while salmon were picked up at Salmon Holes and Bluff Creek. As the water clears and sand returns to the shoreline, beach fishing is expected to improve generally. There has been nice clear water in the town marina where herring, skippy, leatherjacket, cuttlefish and squid have been caught, along with a few bream. Squid fishing has been good at Frenchman Bay, with herring and small King George whiting also caught. The Hay River has been the pick of the bream spots with the fish small but in good numbers. There have been whispers of mulloway in the Kalgan River.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, Trailblazers Albany have loan lifejackets available if you wish to fish off the rocks, but keeping the sand between your toes is always a safer option.
Trudy Morehouse @squidqueen.wa with another cracking gummy off Busso earlier this week!
The demersal season closed with a hot run of dhufish either side of Bunbury and also in Geographe Bay with solid fish being caught in the mid-20m depths and beyond. Pink snapper were still plentiful and some successful dhuie chasers changed down to smaller hooks and found good numbers of 45-55cm King George whiting. Squid fishing has been very good on both sides of Bunbury with the 8-14m depths firing, while squid have been closer in around Geographe Bay. Kayak fishers were finding them in 5-8m but they have been hot and cold. Tuna schools have been sighted in the Bay and also off Bunbury, but they have been skittish, while Bunbury waters also produced Samsonfish action on the surface with poppers, stickbaits and big soft plastics being smashed. Good snapper were caught out from Dunsborough last weekend, while yak fishers out from Smiths Beach found Samsonfish and dhufish before the close. The weather isn’t ideal over the coming days with wind and rain expected, but Tuesday morning looks promising.
In the Leschenault Estuary yellowfin whiting catches have become more consistent as the weather warms. Both vibes and surface lures have been working well and the tings have been widespread, with fish coming from the northern end of the system and also from Pelican Point. Whitey’s have Eco Gear ZX vibes in a range of new colours in stock and fishers should keep an eye out for their annual whiting competition which starts in November and runs over summer. The Collie River has offered a few bream and soapy mulloway and the Blackwood River will be the centre of bream activity this weekend when the Molloy Hideaway Park Blackwood River Bream Competition is held. On the beaches, pink snapper catches have given way to the spring-summer staples of herring and tailor in the 40-45cm range, although drone fishers picked up the odd pinkie at Preston. Beaches from Preston down to Peppermint Grove have been fishing steadily for chopper tailor and with warmer temperatures sand whiting should become more active. At Busselton Jetty squid have been plentiful and Samsonfish have been lurking at the deep end of the platform.
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.
A stonker of a rainbow for Isabella Tan @castawaybell who lended a helping hand at Waroona Troutfest recently!
A few nice rainbow trout have been caught in the Preston River, while Harvey and Waroona dams have yielded mainly small rainbow trout and redfin perch. Bigger redfin have been caught in the Pemberton area, although a lot of fishers reported it was a tough slog to find them over many kilometres. Perch fishing has improved for yak fishers in Wellington Dam, while small rainbow trout have been taken at Honeymoon Pool and Potters Gorge. Smaller lures and baits have accounted for most of the trout. A few nice redfin and brown trout have turned up at Pemberton’s Big Brook Dam and the fishing off the beach has been decent since 300+ big rainbow and brown trout were stocked on Sunday.
Boats
Good catches of pink snapper and dhufish closed out the demersal season. Big dhufish were landed off Dawesville, while pink snapper and Samsonfish were plentiful on the Five-Fathom Bank and at James Service Reef. The back of the Five held King George whiting to 60cm. Good mixed bags came from the Bouvards, including pink snapper, dhufish, harlequin fish, skippy and nannygai, while working birds and sounder activity suggested tuna schools were active in the 40m depths. Inshore weed banks at the Five and the Bouvards have produced squid at times. Dirty water has made fishing in the Peel-Harvey Estuary a struggle as more seawater is needed in the system. It’s looking a bit wet and choppy on the forecast over the coming days but mid-next week should improve.
Even though the Peel-Harvey Estuary is dirty a handful of yellowfin whiting have been caught, mainly on vibes and brighter coloured surface lures. Falcon and Heron Point have been among the successful locations. Elsewhere in the estuary small King George whiting have been the main target from the town side of Dawesville Cut and occasionally, when the tide brings clean water into the estuary, tailor and juvenile salmon have been taken from the Cut also. Bream chasers have been doing better in the lower reaches of the Murray and Serpentine rivers. Beaches that are isolated from the dirty water pouring out of the estuary have fished well. White Hills has produced snapper to 80cm, mulloway from 70cm to a metre and decent tailor, while Silver Sands and beaches further north have produced chopper tailor and school mulloway.
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!
The demersal season wound up quietly, but bread and butter species were in reasonable numbers with herring, King George whiting, sand whiting and skippy caught inside of Garden Island, on Parmelia Bank, off Woodman Point and in Mangles Bay. Squid fishing has been quieter than usual but Samsonfish have been caught towards the Five and behind Garden Island. She’s looking a tad wet and windy on the forecast but Tuesday onwards is looking better. A reminder to all fishers that when the demersal season opens back up the pinkies will still be under protection in Cockburn and Warnbro Sounds along with out west of Garden and north of Carnac Island until 31 January. You can see the map of where you can’t fish for pinkies between 1 August and 31 January on page 56 of DPIRD’s Recreational Fishing Guide here.
Tailor have fished well on the beaches, with Warnbro, Port Kennedy and Long Point among the better spots. Herring and school mulloway have been around as well, with most mulloway taken further south from Secret Harbour. Droners there have been picking up pink snapper too. The local jetties have been very quiet, as has the Penguin Island spit, but the latter should fire for herring, chopper tailor, flathead, flounder, sand whiting and yellowfin whiting as the weather warms. Point Peron has been the pick of the land-based squidding locations and has also held a few herring.
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!
@anton_pope with a fat and healthy KG this week near Rotto! the 5-15m depths of broken ground around the island are a good starting point for KG’s and a small strip of squid on a small circle hook is a good tactic.
Pink snapper dominated catches in the final days before the demersal ban, with fish in close to way out wide in 80-90m. Some of the pinkies were around 80cm and locations were widespread too, with Rottnest, Two Rocks, Marmion, the Three-Mile Reef, Ocean Reef, Mindarie and Fremantle all producing. When burley was used skippy, Samsonfish and yellowtail kingfish showed up for a feed, so this is still a great option. Yellowtail kingfish have been in good numbers around the Recfishwest fish towers and tuna schools have been reported at the back of Rottnest Island on the troll. It has been much quieter on the King George whiting front, although a few have been taken at the Three-Mile and at Rottnest. However, sand whiting have been abundant in 20-30m out from Cottesloe and City Beach. Squid fishing has been fairly slow. Once again, the weather during the week was decent only to soon turn choppy and wet over this weekend. Wednesday onwards should see better conditions return.
Beaches have been quieter than usual. Trigg and Mettams Pool have produced a few tailor, as have Brighton and Floreat beaches. Just a few pink snapper have been taken by drone fishers on the northern beaches and the northern rock walls have been quiet. A few chopper tailor have been taken from the Fremantle Moles which have produced herring in reasonable numbers and much improved squid catches. Squid have also been caught from the South Fremantle and Coogee rock walls. People have been stung by cobbler at Leighton Beach, so it’s worth keeping an eye out if wading in the sea. The Swan River has been going well. Bream have been caught from the yacht clubs in the lower reaches right up to Bayswater and soapy mulloway have been swimming with them. Tailor catches have been good too with choppers around the 35cm mark and a few bigger ones being caught from the Narrows, Point Resolution, Canning Bridge, Nedlands, Claremont and Mosman, both on bait and also sinking stickbaits. Flathead too have been following the script for late spring with good catches coming from Burswood, the Causeway and Heirisson Island, right through to South Perth, in Melville Water around Applecross and also around Claremont. Jigs, soft plastics and hard-bodied lures have worked well on the flatties, but the crew at Compleat Angler Nedlands also highly recommend 80mm Irukandji artificial prawns fished on a one-eighth jig head. The upper end of Canning River should also be worth a try for bream, flathead, mulloway and tailor. River waders should also keep in mind that the bull sharks have been sighted deep into the system, so take caution.
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, who contacts tackle stores directly around WA - love your work William!
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 10/17/2025 12:44:56 AM by Seamus and last updated on 10/19/2025 10:53:41 PM.
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