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Recfishwest
Fishing Report

26/07/24

Our northern waters from Exmouth right up to Broome were firing for billfish this week and the youngsters at @saltwatergrommet s got stuck into more sailfish action off the Pilbara coast. Give their page a follow to see the next generation of fishers tackling some mighty species.

Our contributors

Sam Bock

Sam Russell

Jarrad Lawford

Sedin Hasanovic

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!

We love seeing West Aussie kids going toe to toe with great fish and Taj Meynall hit the jackpot when he pulled in this beauty of a mulloway within Kalbarri's Murchison River during glorious conditions this week. Awesome stuff Taj!

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Broome catches

Broome Fishing Club's recent Billfish Classic didn't disappoint over three days and @relphfishwest was one of 95 anglers across 25 boats who got in on the action. This sailfish was just one of 175 released from 461 raised during the competition, with the final marlin scorecard going 16-7-1. Check out the Broome Fishing Club Facebook page for more info on the comp!

Boats

Sharks have continued to frustrate crews with bottom fishing all but ruled out due to their big numbers. Billfish chasers north of town have been annoyed by sharks as well, with plenty of black marlin and sailfish being chomped, but conditions have been a little better wider out with more fish landed. Offshore from Barn Hill a few tuna and the odd Spaniard were landed, while off Gantheaume Point queenfish and the odd bluebone turned up. Sharks have been in Roebuck Bay as well but crews have managed to get a few threadfin salmon past them. Crab and Dampier creeks have held blue-nosed salmon and the occasional barramundi, while mud crabs have been mostly caught in Willie Creek. The weather should improve for fishers on the boats from Sunday arvo through to Thursday but Saturday arvo should be okay as well.

Shore-based

Not a bad way to join the metery club for @samlyonsfishing when you have an epic Kimberley sunset to compliment it!

Willie Creek offered small queenfish and trevally, with similar species caught at Barred Creek and Quandong. At Gantheaume Point garfish have been plentiful and a few queenfish were landed. Queenfish and trevally have been caught at Entrance Point on the low tide, while these species have also been the main catches at the Port Jetty and Town Beach Jetty. Cable Beach and Coconut Wells could be worth a crack for whiting, while in the Fitzroy River, Telegraph Pool has held a few barramundi.

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.

Exmouth catches

"One of those flat snouted long pointy things from down in the depths" according to @marcuslonghurst and that definition seems to fit the billfish. Love seeing swords!

Boats

The excellent billfish run on the west side continued with good numbers of sailfish and blue, striped and black marlin raised and landed. The blue marlin were mostly in 300m-plus depths. Wahoo were out wide in good numbers along with some big tuna. Fishers considering a mission to Winderabandi have been advised to gear up as there have been some very big wahoo causing havoc in the 50-60m depths. Those targeting bottom species have found ruby snapper, goldband snapper and Rankin cod in 100-150m depths. Closer in, Spanish mackerel have been a little scarce but spangled emperor and blue-lined emperor have been in good numbers, with the spangos fishing very well 500m or so off Tantabiddi. Spanish mackerel have been in good numbers around the Muirons, which also offered big queenfish and Rankin cod and red emperor in 50-60m depths. Plenty of Spanish mackerel have been in Exmouth Gulf this week, where they have been hitting trolled deep-diving lures, often just out from the town marina. Tuna have been busting up randomly in the Gulf as well and plenty have been caught on 30g silver slices. On the bottom, coral trout and blue-lined emperor have been in decent numbers, while on the offshore flats down near the Bay of Rest fly-fishers have tangled with big queenfish. Squid have been plentiful in the shallows and further down the Gulf blue swimmer crabs have turned up in good numbers. Weather is looking pretty good for the boats on Saturday but Sunday and Monday look better.

Shore-based

Shore fishers have been getting their share of Spanish mackerel this week with 8-10kg models landed from the town marina’s oceanside rockwall. Throwing stickbaits out past the reef and into the current line where baitfish have been holding has been the way to go, with locals recommending long-casting lures such as Strada Pro Tempests, Jackson Muscle Shots and Enso Ikagai Long Casts. School mackerel have been mixed in with the Spaniards. Inside the marina, squid have been in good numbers, along with mangrove jack around the structure, while hardyhead schools have attracted queenfish, giant trevally and golden trevally at dawn and dusk. Whiting have been the main catch at Learmonth Jetty, but a few mangrove jack have been spotted hugging the pylons. Divers not far off Learmonth Jetty have reported seeing Spanish mackerel, so that is another land-based option. Hardyhead schools have packed out the Bundegi boat ramp as well, where school mackerel, giant trevally, queenfish and golden trevally have been active. At Wapet Creek flathead and whiting have been caught near the mouth, while spangled emperor have been the main catch from Oyster Reef to Tantabiddi. If you're after a feed of squid, Tantabiddi was also a good spot this week.

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!

Kalbarri catches

If you don't mind a drive up north and the conditions off Kalbarri aren't to your liking, Shark Bay's more sheltered waters have been brimming with blue-lined emperor lately, with Dave from @thetidaltale enjoying plucking these beauties on plastics.

Boats

Despite the 2m swell, reasonable wind conditions last weekend enabled crews to get out and fish mainly inshore. Kalbarri Offshore & Angling Club members were among them and during their competition last Saturday they caught plenty of pink snapper around Rainbow Gorge, Three-Mile Reef, Red Bluff and the Sand Patch. Quite a few baldchin groper were mixed in as well and other surprises in the competition included a decent golden trevally and a nice spangled emperor. A bigger boat not entered in the competition headed out very wide and picked up a couple of dhufish and red emperor. All of Saturday and early on Sunday is looking great on the forecast if you wish to send it.

Shore-based

The good mulloway run in the Murchison River has continued with fish up to 20kg landed near the river mouth and soapies caught more up river, although more rain has made some of the tracks impassable out that way. A couple of good mulloway over a metre and quite a few smaller models were caught and released by Kalbarri Offshore and Fishing Club members competing in the river section over the weekend. Whiting have been in good numbers at the Sand Spit despite the dirty water, while bream and cod have been caught at the marina jetties. Both mud crabs and blue swimmer crabs have been caught around there and the marina jetty has also fished well for chopper tailor. At the river mouth and Chinamans sizeable tailor have been mixed in with the mulloway, with a few good whiting also turning up. A couple of nice pink snapper were caught at Red Bluff on Wednesday along with garfish and chopper tailor being caught there too. Out the front of Wittecarra has also held chopper tailor.

Shout out to Dean from Kalbarri Sports and Dive for his tips! Feel free to venture into his store to ask for advice if you're wetting a line around Kalbarri!

Geraldton catches

Boats

Good numbers of dhufish have been caught in 30m depths south-west and north-west of town, with the bigger models weighing up to 9kg. The odd baldchin groper has been mixed in as well and quite a few big pink snapper were taken on the north-west grounds in 40m-plus depths. Down towards Dongara, dhufish and pink snapper have been caught out wide in 40-50m depths. Closer in at Port Denison good numbers of respectable crays have been taken from pots dropped in clearer patches of water, while back towards African Reef 1-2kg skippy have been caught in 10-14m depths. Saturday morning is looking very inviting on the forecast for the boats but outside of that it's looking rather rough and swelly this week.

Shore-based

Beach fishing has been very tough but Southgates (when weed-free), has produced some nice tailor, including a 65cm specimen taken on a Halco Slidog. At the rockwalls around town, big herring have been caught in twos and threes, mixed in with chopper tailor. In the marinas, bream up to 35cm have been taking Cranka Crab lures, mussel imitations and baits such as prawns and pieces of mulie.

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.

Lancelin catches

The trusty CiD Shiverstick is a fantastic lure for plucking tailor out of the Lancelin surf and Peter Fullarton managed to find where they were schooling.

Boats

As we expect for the time of year swells have been rolling up the beach, so only a few boats have launched throughout the week and not many catches were reported unfortunately. Thankfully, there is a bit of reprieve from the rougher swell and wind on Saturday, which is great timing for Lancelin Angling & Aquatic Club's season finale competition. It's probably the last chance to grab a demersal before the seasons end on Wednesday as the other days up until then are looking pretty wild on the forecast.

Shore-based

Fishing from the beach has been surprisingly good with some stretches weed free and holding very clear water. Some great gutters have formed too, which have been inviting for soaking a bait. While tailor are not abundant off the beach, the quality is up there with some very healthy winter fish in the 50-60cm range. Drone fishing with drops around 150-300m offshore has been resulting in some great snapper and Samsonfish. Herring and sand whiting were a reliable option if you wanted to gather a feed along all the beaches or off the town jetty. Early Saturday morning looks like the best land-based window.

A big Recfishwest 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. Always a great time and Peter knows the best spots around Lancelin like the back of his hand.

Esperance catches

Boats

Big swells limited fishing this week, but Esperance Bay had an abundance of squid, with most crews bagging out with little trouble. Bright-coloured green and orange jigs and jigs with rattles have been the most effective. Wylie Bay has held plenty of sand whiting in 8-15m depths, while just offshore from Bandy Creek Boat Harbour big King George whiting have been caught. It doesn't look too bad on the forecast over the coming days with mostly northerly winds and a lower swell. Saturday and Wednesday currently look the best on the forecast.

Shore-based

Good-sized salmon have been caught at Salmon Beach, while decent tailor and salmon have been the main fare at Fourth Beach. Big surges and high tides have fired up flathead in 10-Mile Lagoon. The first kilometre along Wylie Bay has held good numbers of sand whiting, while Bandy Creek Boat Harbour has produced big King George whiting and flounder. At Roses Beach big skippy to 6kg and 80cm have been landed. Squidding has been excellent at the Town Jetty, while the foreshore has offered King George whiting and big flathead. Taylor Street Jetty is a nice sheltered spot to fish if the westerly winds are howling and this week it produced garfish, especially at night.

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.

Great Southern catches

Boats

Very few boats would made it out this week because of the big swells pounding the coast. King George whiting had been in reasonable numbers in King George Sound late last week as were squid, although dirty water is likely to have shut them down now. A big blue groper and a couple of Samsonfish were taken near the islands late last week as well and the moderate northerly winds and low to moderate swell on Saturday should see another window open up for the boats.

Shore-based

The huge swells also ruled out most beach and rock fishing but local rivers such as the King, Kalgan and Hay have been producing reasonable bream, with many caught on soft plastics. A few squid have been caught when clear water could be found. Even normally sheltered locations have been at the mercy of the elements this week but those determined to fish have managed to catch small herring and whiting at Emu Point and the town marina. Bream, herring, flathead, tarwhine, juvenile salmon and King George whiting could be worth targeting in Denmark’s Wilson Inlet, with smallish pink snapper also a possibility around Prawn Rock Channel.

Cheers to the Trailblazers Albany crew for their tips this week! Swing by their store if you're after some top gear and advice ahead of your next fishing trip. Remember, you'll also catch just as many fish off the beaches than the rocks and it is always much safer to go with this option on the south coast.

South-West catches

Geographe Bay produced the goods for @blackwoodboyz_outdoorz this week, landing this solid dhuie.

Boats

Pink snapper have been rewarding crews who have found weather windows and targeted them 500m to 1.5km straight out from town. The pinks have been hanging out in the burley trail with solid skippy and the odd Samsonfish and yellowtail kingfish. A big surprise has been dhufish in the 60-70cm range which have also been enjoying the burley party, while bigger dhufish have been caught in 10-15m on the drift. The big cuttlefish that had taken up residence either side of Bunbury have all but disappeared and while a few squid have been caught in their place catches have been pretty hit and miss. Squid catches have been more reliable in Geographe Bay where they have been keeping company with herring, King George whiting and, further out, pink snapper on the broken ground. Some stronger north-westerly winds are expected over the coming days but early tomorrow could be okay for the boats.

Shore-based

A lot of sand has been washed away by the big swells, making beach access difficult and the seaweed hasn't helped either, which has given drone fishers the edge on finding pink snapper from Preston Beach all the way down to Forrest Beach, with a few mulloway among the bycatch. Locations close to town such as Back Beach and the Bunbury Cut have offered mainly herring, but chopper tailor and tarwhine have turned up at the cut as well. Bream fishers are waiting for the Collie River to get flushed out as it is very dirty at present. There have been no reports of pink snapper or mulloway catches from the end of Busselton Jetty, but plenty of a herring and a few squid have been taken all along the structure. Good numbers of sizeable bream have been caught in the Blackwood 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.

It pays to move around and find the deeper pockets of water in the more remote areas for redfin perch, with this great 40cm+ model landed by @willznmillz_adventures.

Plenty of rainbow trout up to 40cm have been caught in Harvey and Waroona dams, especially from the little feeder creeks. Berkley PowerBait Nuggets have worked well on them, along with small soft plastics, yabby imitations and red spinners such as Mepps and Celtas. A few brown trout have turned up at Logue Brook Dam. Redfin Perch have been in good numbers at Drakesbrook Weir and Harvey Dam. Honeymoon Pool near Wellington Dam has also offered rainbow trout, while big redfin perch have been taken from the Collie River. Redfin have been caught from rivers in the Southern Forests. Around Pemberton saw trout fishing improve for fly-casters.

Mandurah and surrounds

Mandurah

Boats: It’s been a bit of a struggle this week but a couple of boats that found weather windows managed to find pink snapper, chunky skippy and a few small Samsonfish inside James Service Reef and the Five-Fathom Bank. Pink snapper were on the broken ground in 10-20m depths out from Dawesville, with the odd dhufish turning up as well. Plenty of herring have been pulled from the channels and drop-offs in the estuary. Small King George whiting have been caught at the estuary end of the Dawesville Cut. Very early on Saturday looks like the best window for the boats at this stage.

Land-based: Quite a few juvenile salmon have been caught at the Old Mandurah Traffic Bridge, while the Dawesville Cut has fished well for herring, small tarwhine and solid skippy. The Cut has also produced a few squid at the very beginning of the outgoing tide when the water has been clear, and small King George whiting have been caught off the rocks at the estuary end. A couple of nice bream were taken on soft plastics in the Murray River this week, while in the estuary’s canals and marinas the bream have been more skittish, with most caught on unweighted pieces of mulie and cubed mullet baits. Beach fishing has been difficult, but a few small tailor have been caught mostly south of town and in the same areas school mulloway have shown up between the showers right on high tide. The odd salmon has been swimming with the mulloway and most local beaches either side of town have held herring.

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!

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

Boats: Big swells kept most boats close to shore where they encountered good numbers of pink snapper in Cockburn Sound. More good catches were reported behind Garden Island and along the causeway. Most fish were in the 70-80cm range and good-sized skippy were the main bycatch. Decent King George whiting were also taken in the Sound and inside of Garden Island, with herring thick as well. A coupler of bigger boats went out behind Garden Island and others out past the Five-Fathom Bank to target other demersal species for modest returns. Big tailor have been hanging around the exposed reefs at Mewstones, along with lots of herring. Saturday up until midday looks best for boating at this stage.

Land-based: With most of the beaches heavy with weed it has been drone fishers who have done best on pink snapper and mulloway at Secret Harbour, Golden Bay and Long Point. They have managed to land a few big tailor as well. When clean water can be found most of the beaches have offered herring and skippy. At Woodman Point and the Ammo Jetty herring have been the main catch, although garfish have shown up when it has been calm. Rockingham and Palm Beach jetties have held plenty of herring, as did Point Peron. When the swells have been down and clean water can be found Point Peron has also produced the odd squid.

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!

Perth catches

A nice little Swan mulloway that took a @zerekinnovation Fish Trap hopped along the bottom by Jake Rotham @rothy_mate.

Boats

Pink snapper chasers who found weather windows did well at Stragglers and on the sheltered sides of Rottnest Island. Chunky skippy and yellowtail kingfish were attracted to the burley trail as well. A couple of dhufish were also picked up by bigger boats at Rottnest, while the island’s bays held herring, sand whiting, King George whiting and skippy. King George whiting, sand whiting and skippy were also taken close in off Hillarys and the same species, along with herring, were active in Fremantle’s inshore waters. The Windmills held both King George and sand whiting this week, while sandies were also in good numbers off City Beach. Early tomorrow morning until around midday is looking best for boats over the coming days, with the bigger winds and swell returning from Sunday.

Shore-based

Chasing an easy and delicious feed? Squid are plentiful around Fremantle off the moles and rockwalls at the moment, especially when the water has been clear. @saltyfishos got in on the action and you can watch his latest catch and cook footage here.

This week’s storm fronts failed to produce the anticipated run of pink snapper from the metropolitan rockwalls, with only a few taken from North Mole and a couple from Cottesloe groyne. However, North Mole did produce plenty of solid 45-50cm skippy and some big flathead and tailor. More decent tailor were also caught in the gutters at Port Beach and Cottesloe along with big skippy. Big tailor have also been taken from the northern beaches such as Trigg and Floreat. The rockwalls and marinas around Fremantle have produced bream, skippy and herring, with micro jigs working well on these species. In the Swan River sizeable tailor continued to be caught at Canning Bridge in the early mornings and evenings, while bream have been active at Garvey Park and the Causeway. The Optus Stadium to Causeway stretch has also thrown up some decent flathead, while in the river’s lower reaches squid have been caught. If you're wanting to wet a line off the land then Saturday morning is your best bet before the stronger westerly winds roll through over the coming days.

A big thanks to Anglers Fishing World in Fremantle for their great tips! These guys love their fishing just as much as we all do, so make sure you ask their super friendly team for advice and stock up before wetting a line off the land or boat!

Recfishwest

3/45 Northside Drive Hillarys

Perth, WA 6025

Australia

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Recfishwest · 3/45 Northside Drive Hillarys · Perth, WA 6025 · Australia

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