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Recfishwest
Fishing Report

04/08/23

Going eye to eye with a monster estuary cod in waters off Exmouth. Best of luck if you manage to hook up to one of these giants (your back and biceps will let you know when you do). Just remember if you catch an estuary or malabar cod over one metre in length, they need to be returned as quickly and safely as possible.

Our contributors

Sam Russell

Jarrad Lawford

Peter Fullarton

Sedin Hasanovic

G'day <>,

With the west coast demersal ban kicking off on Tuesday earlier this week, many boaties headed out beforehand to make the most of the remaining days over the weekend and caught some spectacular fish. Remember, there are plenty of other great species to target while the closure is in place until it re-opens on 23 September. For more info on how you can make the most of this seven-week-long demersal closure, click here.

Want to know the best tips for taking great fish photos and also on how to handle fish out of the water? We've got you covered with our r esponsible fish handling and photography tips page. The page gives a perfect explanation on the types of images we love to use in our weekly Fishing Report and why.

If you've got a cracking fish photo you want to send in, remember to keep sending us your catches by tagging #recfishwest in your online posts! You can also follow and private message your catches to our Instagram page @recfishwest and make sure you let us know where and how you caught it!

Keep up to date with events, clinics, news and amazing catches across WA by following our Instagram page @recfishwest and give our Recfishwest Facebook page a like!

For your photos to appear in the weekly fishing report, please make sure they reflect our responsible fish handling practices (so fish held horizontally, no blood, hand under the belly, no fingers in gills, etc) just like the images below.

If you're planning to head out this week, stay safe, take plenty of photos and have fun!

William Bennett

RECFISHWEST FISHING REPORT WRITER

Pic of the Week!

The crew from @2_oceans_tackle in Busselton are up to their usual antics of catching quality fish and taking some stunning snaps - this time up in our State's north in the beautiful waters off Dampier. This belter of a tuskfish dished out a major battle even on PE4 line, with the @nomadtackle_aus SquidTrex producing solid fish all day.

Your fishing photos

If you want to be included in our weekly State-wide Fishing Reports, send your best fishing photos and a description to jarrad@recfishwest.org.au to potentially be featured.

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RECFISHWEST CALLS FOR PROPER SOUTH COAST MARINE PARK CONSULTATION

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland has been busy appearing in the media this week calling on the Government to properly consult with the community on the proposed south coast marine park.

Recfishwest’s Dr Andrew Rowland and Sam Bock have been on the south coast recently hearing local fishers’ concerns about the proposed south coast marine park stretching along 1,000km of coastline from Bremer Bay to the WA/SA border.

Fears of an imminent unnecessary overreach coming from decision-makers in Perth seeking a predefined outcome have been stoked by a consultation process that appears to have gone off the rails.

While there, Andrew spoke to the Esperance Weekender and ABC Radio about Recfishwest’s call for the consultation to get back on track to ensure a balanced marine park is achieved.

Hear what Andrew had to say on radio and in the media by clicking here.

Broome catches

Another elusive catch this week! This Pennantfish (or African pompano) are arguably the best of the trevally species on the chew and this one is on the larger size at 115cm, which put @beat_the_tax_man's rod and reel to the test off Broome this week.

Boats

Plenty of boats took advantage of the glassy conditions this week and headed 4-5km out where they found Spanish mackerel and tuna in 15-25m depths. Similar depths offered red emperor and Rankin cod. In Roebuck Bay, Dampier Creek and Crab Creek there were plenty of blue-nosed salmon, but threadfin salmon and one or two barramundi have also been turning up. Both Dampier and Crab Creek have also produced a few mud crabs, while threadfin and blue-nosed salmon have also been caught at the Fingers. Around Entrance Point and the port, baitfish have drawn in bigger fish from the Deeps and boats fishing in close have had success on school mackerel and queenies using stickbaits. At Gantheaume Point boaties have been catching garfish for bait in close then heading out and trolling the reef line for Spanish mackerel. Sailfish were the dominant species caught in the Broome Billfish Classic last weekend, with 28 boats and 105 competitors. Kudos to the winning boat that landed 32 sailfish, while 192 sailfish were landed across the whole competition which just shows how good the billfishing currently is off Broome. The wind and swell should drop off from around midday throughout most of the week to provide another pleasant stretch on the water.

Shore-based

For land-based fishers the Town Jetty offered school mackerel, bream, mangrove jack and trevally while a northern mulloway was also landed there early in the week. The Port Jetty has been holding plenty of pelagics including queenfish, trevally, tuna and school mackerel, while around the jetty pylons a few small barramundi and mangrove jack were caught. Anglers wading out at low tide at Entrance Point have been casting metal slices and stickbaits at queenfish and school mackerel and a few bluebone have been pulled out from the snags. Willie Creek has fished well for bream, mangrove jack and small trevally, while Quandong Point has offered bluebone and trevally. With plenty of baitfish around Gantheuame Point it could be worth floating out a big bait under a balloon if conditions allow it. There were reports of threadfin salmon at 80-Mile Beach, while whispers of barramundi have come from Telegraph Pool in the Fitzroy River. Coconut Wells and Cable Beach produced good numbers of whiting and it could be worth having a heavier outfit on hand when fishing there in case a threadfin salmon happens to pass by. For the best tips and gear for your fishing expedition, make sure you visit the helpful pros at Tackle World Broome for advice and they will provide details on spots with the best access for a flick.

He loves his fishing in our State's pristine northern regions and @birchys_fishing_tours managed to find this cracker of a mangrove jack this week in the Pentecost river.

Exmouth catches

Jesse Smithson @jesse.smithson, better known for his fishing prowess down south in Esperance, proved he can find quality fish up north too! Land-based fishing in Exmouth can often see you patrolling the sand with no one else around and this silver stunner was landed on his first cast.

Boats

It was a decent week for catches on the boats off Exmouth, black marlin and sailfish have shown interest in skirted lures and garfish baits trolled in depths past 50m west of town and a few wahoo, tuna and dolphinfish have been among them. Closer in, the fringe reef off Tantabiddi has offered Spanish mackerel in 15-20m depths and coral trout and spangled emperor from the 30m depth line. Out wider, Rankin cod and red emperor have been caught in depths past 80m. The Muirons produced Rankin cod, spangled emperor and coral trout around the 50m depth mark. The Gulf and Shoals also produced plenty of species with school mackerel, golden trevally, blue-lined emperor and coral trout quite common. Casting towards the beaches south of Exmouth has also seen good numbers of squid. It will be a spectacular week on the water for the boaties though with low winds and a low to moderate swell.

Considering we don't often see green jobfish appearing in fishing snaps, we thought this great catch landed aboard @bluelightningcharters up in the Montebello Islands was worthy of featuring in the report this week. This species can be quite elusive, although fight hard for their size and also offer a 5-star eating experience.

Shore-based

For the land-based fishers around Exmouth there have been plenty of whiting caught from the beaches south of town and Learmonth Jetty continued to be reliable for squid and bream. The baitfish schools at Bundegi were being hounded by queenfish and trevally species this week. The marina held the usual fare of mangrove jack, bream and trevally, while around the Lighthouse and at Tantabiddi cod and spangled emperor have been caught in good numbers. Wapet Creek held mangrove jack, small cod and bream. Deep in the Gulf, a couple of fishers caught bonefish on fly-fishing outfits this week. Big thanks to the great crew from Tackle World Exmouth for their tips!

Kalbarri catches

Kudos to @dylan.fishing125 landing his first ever legal mulloway this week after venturing up north, which came in at 110cm and provided a great fight.

Boats

A bit quiet this week for the boaties in Kalbarri. Big swells made the last weekend of the demersal season a little uncomfortable, but a few boats went out between 500-1,000m from the river mouth and got a few pink snapper in quick time. Otherwise, it was tough going with no reports of other demersal captures flowing in. Water clarity has remained poor, but a few tuna were sighted offshore before conditions turned nasty. Thankfully the conditions will remain quite calm over the coming week so the catches should improve significantly.

Shore-based

The Murchison River was the most reliable land-based spot this past week with good bream captures reported from Gregory Rocks, including a couple of specimens over 40cm. Bream have also been worth a crack around the marina jetty and a few cod have been among them. Mud crabs have been in the river with good hauls coming just up river from the marina jetty. The Sand Spit offered a few whiting, but blowies and undersized tarwhine have often beaten them to the bait. Chopper tailor have provided a bit of action in the evenings at the Sand Spit and marina jetty. Ocean fishing has been hampered by big swells, but one experienced angler who found a lull landed a good snapper from the cliffs south of town and lost a bigger one. Reliable standbys such as Wittecarra and Red Bluff have been pretty much unfishable, but now that the conditions have eased they should offer herring, whiting and chopper tailor. Big thanks to Dean from Kalbarri Sports and Dive for his tips as always!

Geraldton catches

Boats

Inshore fishing offered plenty of variety this week with lots of squid on the seagrass beds out from Batavia Marina and back around to Port Grey. At Point Moore, Separation Point and the back of the Fishing Boat Harbour herring have been plentiful and dinghy anglers have been bagging out on the feisty little scrappers. While sizes have been down, the good numbers have been attributed to lower water temperatures. Skippy ranging from 500g to 1.5kg have been hanging around the inshore reefs along with quite a few snook, some up to 70cm. Snook have also been plentiful close in at Dongara, where pot pullers did well on crays when the swells were down. Stronger south-easterly winds and a 2m swell this weekend might see most boat fishers switch to land-based.

Shore-based

Onshore it has been a little quieter, but whiting have been caught most evenings and into the night from the rocks at the Fishing Boat Harbour. The lights there have also attracted good numbers of squid. Herring have been harder to catch from the shore but it could be worth using burley to bring them around. North of town a few tailor have been caught between Drummonds and Coronation Beach. Some of the tailor have been up to 60cm, but remember you can only keep two tailor over 50cm. A party fished from Port Gregory up to the Hutt River last weekend and encountered school mulloway around the one metre mark and a few tailor around 50cm. Moderate easterlies on Saturday with a 2m swell currently looks best for land-based anglers. Big thanks to Geraldton Sports Centre for their report as always!

Lancelin catches

jspencer_fishing, @finns_fishing_adventures and @anton_pope punched out from Cervantes this week and made the most of the last couple of days of the demersal fishing, with some thumping dhufish landed via jigging complimented by hard-fighting Sambo's like this beauty.

Boats

The demersal season quietly slipped away at Lancelin, with only a few boats fishing due to consistent swells making the beach launch difficult and the passages risky within the bay. Afternoon low tides made the beach launch much easier, with small boats that fished the safety of the bay finding it teeming with herring, skippy, snook, whiting and garfish. The plentiful garfish, although large, are the southern variety so still protected from Lancelin to south of Preston beach until fisheries finalise new management plans. Squid were a little more difficult to find with all the water movement. Samson fish have been roaming the shallows of the bay and often turn up at some stage during a session in the burly trail. While we may not be able to catch demersal species over the next seven weeks, the bay's fishing is usually superb with plenty of alternatives for a day on the water. The water is crystal clear at this time of year great, which also makes it great for casting light tackle lures and baits. The lower winds and 1.5-2.5m swell should see most boats sticking in close but trolling the back of the waves or flicking stickbaits around the reefy areas could see some big winter tailor.

Shore-based

Big swells limited opportunities along the beaches, but a few sheltered spots were providing a few tailor, herring and sand whiting. Drone fishers were able to set up higher in the dunes and send baits out over the wash to find some decent pink snapper around 300m out. Power has been out at the jetty while upgrades have been happening, so without the lights on in the evening the usual schools of herring have been absent. A few tailor caught at sunset or sunrise have made amends for it though. Tomorrow morning is looking great for a land-based flick for snapper, mulloway or tailor with a moderate easterly and lower swell, just try to find a deeper gutter that hasn't been filled entirely with weed. Big thanks to Lancelin's fishing guru Peter Fullarton for his tips and make sure you check out his Tailored Treks fishing tours if you want to be put on to the fish.

RECFISHWEST CAST OF THOUSAND CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES!

The faces of our Cast of Thousands campaign, Katlyn Yeeda, Scott Coghlan and Emma George!

Recfishwest has officially launched our Cast of Thousands campaign - bringing together WA's broad and diverse 700,000 recreational fishers to celebrate and protect the way of life we love.

In three great videos by our creative partners Lateral Aspect, three high profile West Aussie fishers talk about fishing's importance for well-being, family and relaxation and the role Recfishwest plays in standing up for all of that and more.

The Cast of Thousands campaign aims to bring the grassroots fishing community together, support what Recfishwest stands for and help us protect your rights, interests, sustainability, fishing safety and the environment.

For more info on our Cast of Thousands campaign and to meet the stars of the show, click here.

Esperance catches

Boats

Little bit quieter this week for the boaties. Esperance Bay produced good numbers of squid and sand whiting this week and sand whiting catches were also good around Lion and Observatory islands. The islands closer in offered decent shelter and offered sweep and pink snapper, while areas of white water have produced yellowtail kingfish on stickbaits and ganged mulies. Out wide, monster 40kg Samson fish have been caught, while the 50-55m depths have held plenty of nannygai in decent sizes. Thankfully it's looking like a great week of fishing is headed in though with relatively low northerly winds and swell, so make sure you make the most of it.

Shore-based

The Town Jetty continued to produce good-sized squid this week along with the occasional skippy and plenty of herring. Taylor Street Jetty has been closed, but around the port authority viewing area small King George whiting, squid and herring have been caught, while at Bandy Creek Boat Harbour, King George whiting, herring and flounder have been the main catches. Blue Haven held plenty of sand whiting this week, while the salmon hot spots were Salmon Beach and Fourths Beach for fish in the 5-6kg range. Roses Beach has fished well for salmon, tailor and 2-3kg skippy. Alexander Bay produced salmon, skippy and gummy sharks, while Israelite Bay also saw gummy sharks and small mulloway. Big thanks to the pros from Southern Sports and Tackle for their tips as always!

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland was in Esperance recently to chat with locals and the media about getting the community consultation on the proposed south coast marine park back on track. You can catch his comments in the press and radio by clicking here and make sure you have your say when these plans are made public.

Great Southern catches

Leatherjacket boast some tremendous colours and are also right up there in eating quality, as @mikkun.australia discovered near Albany this week. If you're fishing off the rocks on the south coast, make sure you follow his lead by fishing with a friend and tethering yourself to the rocks.

Boats

The weather was unfortunately atrocious again this week and when the rain and wind did ease, big swells kept most boats on trailers. The only saviour was the sheltered waters around Emu Point, which offered a few King George whiting, herring and squid in short weather windows when conditions were not too foul. Thankfully there should be some welcome reprieve from the weather this weekend, with a swell of around 2m accompanied by lower northerly winds allowing potential windows to punch out a bit wider.

Shore-based

The town marina has offered a few herring, squid and small skippy, along with plenty of pickers such as yellowtail and trumpeter. At Frenchman Bay squidding has been a decent option and the bay has been known to produce good flathead at times, while Emu Point and Gull Rock have also offered herring and whiting along with some tasty squid. East of town when conditions allowed, a few squid were caught from the Tourist Rocks at Cheynes Beach which is also known to produce decent skippy. Heavy rain has shut down most bream activity in local river systems, which has turned to chocolate milk over the past week. This weekend should see calmer conditions across the board though, so make the most of it. Big thanks to the crew from Trailblazers in Albany for their tips!

South West catches

A quick duck out from Busselton saw Trudy Morehouse @squidqueen.wa find a nice school of pink snapper before the demersal ban kicked off on Tuesday.

Boats

After a patchy end to the demersal season with many boats struggling with leftover swell from last week’s storms, offshore options have been more limited this week. Kayakers have started to target squid rather than pink snapper and they have done well from just north of Bunbury right down to Busselton, with the 10m depths often being the sweet spot. These depths have also offered sand whiting, herring and a few skippy. Geographe Bay also fished well for squid, King George and sand whiting. Some boaties who got out wide before the demersal season closed were keeping an eye out for tuna and bonito but didn’t have too much luck. Eagle Bay has produced a few squid for kayak fishers, with some hoods crossing the 40cm mark. It's going to be very glassy this weekend thankfully, so King George whiting and squid will be a good option over the broken patches of sand and weed in the 5-15m depth mark.

Shore-based

Big winter tailor have finally turned up and Preston and Myalup were the hot spots, with some of the tailor hitting the 60cm mark. Pink snapper fishing has also been good at these beaches too for both drone fishers and beach casters, but south of town around Peppermint and Forrest beaches have been too weedy to fish. Closer to Bunbury, pink snapper numbers have tapered off at Buffalo and Back beaches with herring the most reliable catches from there of late. Bream action in the Collie River has also waned, but the most reliable spot around Bunbury has been the Cut which has offered herring and a few small skippy, flounder and juvenile salmon. For bigger fish, Busselton Jetty has been hard to beat and continued to produce mulloway and pink snapper, along with plenty of herring and squid. Fly fishers targeting the less-fished South-West rivers have done well on big bream, landing several fish in the high 40cm range. Enjoy those calm conditions on the water this weekend though and kudos to the crew from Whitey's Tackle for their tips!

Freshwater

This stunning rainbow trout for @leanbackfishing_ was just one of many fish landed this week in our fresh waterways, with water levels in the dams and flows in the rivers at optimum levels.

Stronger water flows have made trout fishing in the streams difficult, but around the walls at Wellington and Harvey dams redfin perch have been active in good numbers and took a variety of lures including soft plastics and small vibes. The vibe lures that can wiggle their way down to 3-5m depths seem to be working best and make sure you give lures in redfin perch colours a go as redfin are a highly cannibalistic species. For the best rainbow and brown trout catches this week, the more isolated pools with a lower flow seemed to be more productive. Sheltered areas of the larger dams also saw some decent trout landed, for both fly fishers and spin fishers whipping out smaller vibe lures. If you catch any great trout or redfin, make sure you message us a snap of the catch to our Instagram page @recfishwest.

Want to read about all the tips, tricks and things to look forward to for the upcoming freshwater season including trout stocking improvements? Catch our latest news article here.

Mandurah and surrounds

@thecaptain_82 and @_flow_fishing_ had a cheeky drop on a bit of structure on the way out to their trolling grounds before the demersal ban kicked off and landed this healthy dhufish from shallow grounds.

Mandurah

The boat-fishing demersal ban may be in place but snapper chasers from the shore, especially droners, have been catching pink snapper south of town. Offshore around the productive Five-Fathom Bank is now a no-go for pink snapper, but there have been plenty of chunky skippy hanging about there, while closer in sand whiting have been caught in good numbers. King George whiting are certain to be targeted by many boaties until the demersal season reopens with broken ground in 30m depths out from Dawesville, 15-25m depths off Melros and the James Service Reef among the better spots for them. Before the storms plenty of tuna were sighted behind Five-Fathom Bank and they could be worth targeting with trolled lures or stickbaits when conditions allow. At the Dawesville Cut herring have been about in good numbers and the odd good skippy has been landed there as well, while the ocean end of the Cut has produced chopper tailor. A few chopper tailor were also reported from Halls Head before the weather turned sour this week and they could return this weekend. Both the Mandurah traffic bridges are holding herring and a few small skippy. Squid catches have been reasonable just off the coast at Melros and Dawesville. This weekend will be a great time to be on the water or casting off the beach with minimal wind and swell. Make sure you pay a visit to the great crew from Tackle World Miami for the best tips and gear!

SECRET HARBOUR / PORT KENNEDY / ROCKINGHAM / SAFETY BAY / WARNBRO SOUND

The last weekend of the demersal season resulted in plenty of good catches, but since the closure plenty of other species have filled the void when conditions were inviting. King George whiting and squid were inside Five-Fathom Bank, around Garden Island and in Mangles Bay, while sand whiting and herring were plentiful in Cockburn and Warnbro sounds. On the colder days squid were active in 4-5m depths and when it was warmer, 10-12m depths. On the exposed offshore reefs at Mewstones and Stragglers chunky tailor have been hitting stickbaits, metal slices and unweighted mulies, while tuna schools have also been sighted offshore. Try trolling the current lines for the best chances of hooking up. For land-based fishers Woodman Point and the Ammo Jetty have held plenty of herring and slimy mackerel, which were being smashed by Samson fish this week. Both locations have also fished well for squid. Around Point Peron, squid and sand whiting have been in good numbers and it has been a similar story at Long Point where chopper tailor are also a chance in the mornings. Rockingham and Palm Beach jetties have been fairly quiet but have offered scaly mackerel and a few herring. At Secret Harbour and Port Kennedy beaches tailor around the 40cm mark have been caught in the mornings. Enjoy those great conditions this weekend and big thanks to Compleat Angler Rockingham for their tips!

Perth catches

@nautibouyzfishing dropped a line near Rottnest this week and proved there are still great fighting species to be landed, with this chunky Samson fish giving his arms a solid workout.

Boats

There have been plenty of non-demersal options either side of the storm this week. King George whiting have been caught at the Windmills, Three-Mile Reef and inside of Rottnest, while at the back of Rotto, Samson fish and tuna have been active in good numbers. Good skippy have been about the inshore reef systems around Three-Mile and sand whiting have been plentiful a kilometre or so out from the old power station at South Fremantle and at the traditional whiting banks in 10-15m depths off City Beach. Tailor have been around the shallow reefs near Carnac Island, smashing ganged mulies, Halco twisties and stickbaits flicked into the whitewash. Squid have been plentiful inshore off Hillarys and Mindarie and kayakers have been getting their share out from South Beach as well. This weekend will be glassy and inviting on the water, so make sure you get out there as many delicious non-demersal species are still available to fishers.

Rottnest put on a show for these youngsters recently, with a double header of southern bluefin tuna complimented by a rainbow. Photo courtsey of @richterlures.

Shore-based

Pink snapper reports were a bit quiet from the moles early in the week but things could improve in the aftermath of Wednesday’s wild weather. North Mole offered plenty of herring and some smaller squid, but squidding has generally been better at South Mole and around Bathers Beach. A few salmon were spotted at North Mole earlier in the week but they showed no interest in baits or lures. The northern beaches and rock walls from Hillarys to Quinns and around Two Rocks have fished well for big tailor, some around 60cm. Some good pink snapper were also caught at these locations (remember, you can catch pinkies casting or drone fishing off the beach all year round) and the odd big flathead has snaffled pink snapper baits as well. The Hillarys marina has been a good spot for herring, while Floreat and Swanbourne beaches have been hard to fish because of the swell but they have produced a few tailor, herring and skippy. The Swan River system has continued to throw up decent tailor, quite a way up river, which surprised bream fishers. A few tailor have come from Canning Bridge, some in the 40-50cm range and another good tailor was caught past Mt Henry Bridge in the Canning River. Bream activity has picked up with the structure of Canning Bridge, Mt Henry Bridge, the Narrows and Causeway all producing fish along with the flats around Burswood and as far up river as Guildford. Some very good bream have been caught on live baits as well as on fresh mullet and river prawns. Lures have worked well for bream too, especially 3-inch paddletail soft plastics and small hard-bodied minnows. A few soapy mulloway have shown a liking for soft plastics in the Burswood area. We expect to see a lot of fishers targeting tailor, mulloway and snapper off the beaches this weekend following Wednesday's storm, so we recommend keeping an eye out for deeper gutters to soak some baits. Big thanks to Anglers Fishing World in Freo for their tips!

Recfishwest

3/45 Northside Drive Hillarys

Perth, WA 6025

Australia

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