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Recfishwest
Fishing Report

19/07/24

If you're wanting to see some cracking underwater snaps of West Aussie species like wahoo, yellowfin tuna, swordfish, dolphinfish and many others, give the @sport_fish_gallery page a follow. If you have any great underwater snaps of your catches though, send them in and we'll tag your page!

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!

Skilled spearfisher @jade_dean_84 doesn't usually spear barramundi cod but this solid 4.07kg specimen she spotted off the Dampier coast was too good to resist. One of the prettiest and best eating fish in the sea.

Your fishing photos

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Broome catches

An early morning mission for @willmart87 up one of the creeks turned into a great session, with @clayton_fish_hunter managing to land this lovely threadfin salmon.

Boats

A lot of Spanish mackerel are being hooked at Grey Shoals but sharks have been a pain there, so if you are trolling for Spanish mackerel make sure you’re holding the rod so you can respond faster and if a shark is hot on the tail of the fish, try flicking your bail arm over and letting the fish run because it should easily outpace the shark. Sailfish have also been active, with one seen just 100m from shore, but crews report billfish too have been falling victim to sharks. Crews prepared to head way out, about 70km or so, have done well on Rankin cod, coral trout and red emperor, with most of the reds around the 5-6kg mark. In Roebuck Bay, northern mulloway either side of a metre have been taken from the lumps along with a few fingermark. Wolf herring have been active as well. Good-sized tuna have been caught around the pearl farm, while nice bluebone have been landed near the old oil well structure off James Price Point. It has been hard going in Crab and Dampier Creek with mainly small blue-nosed salmon and catfish being caught, but mud crabs have been worth targeting. Most of the afternoons this week are looking calmer than the mornings if you're thinking of taking the boat out but aim for a retrieve during the high tide point. Our CEO Dr Andrew Rowland also recently spoke with ABC Kimberley on how Broome is in desperate need for safer and more accessible boat ramp facilities that can handle any tidal conditions. You can listen to Andrew's ABC radio chat here.

Shore-based

Bream, small trevally and queenfish have been the main catches at the Town Beach Jetty but this is the time of year when it can throw up a few surprises such as Spanish mackerel and cobia. Make sure you take a heavy rod just in case and a wire trace if you're chasing the mackies. Port Jetty produced the odd trevally, queenfish and small blue-lined emperor but nearby Entrance Point has been very quiet. Barn Hill has offered spangled emperor and bluebone, while the outgoing tide at Willie Creek has produced small barramundi and threadfin salmon. Quandong held trevally, queenfish and bluebone, while at Gantheaume Point blue-lined emperor and red-throat emperor have been caught. In the Fitzroy River a few threadfin salmon and barramundi have been landed near Pelican Pool.

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

The first day of the recent junior billfish competition out of Exmouth saw plenty of action and after hooking up to several fish, @jacobknoxy and his crew managed to get this beauty of a marlin to the side of the boat for a great snap before a quick release.

Boats

Conditions have been a little rough in the mornings but the afternoons have fished well on the west side, where bottom droppers have been getting mostly small goldband snapper. Billfish chasers have also done well, encountering black marlin, sailfish and striped marlin in the 100m depths. Plenty of wahoo and big tuna have been among the bycatch. Closer in, Spanish mackerel have been scarce, but spangled emperor have been in good numbers. Spanish mackerel have been in much better numbers at the Muirons, where bottom fishers also have encountered red emperor in 40-80m and coral trout, bluebone and spangled emperor in shallower waters. Spanish mackerel have been in Exmouth Gulf as well with King Reef producing some good catches. School mackerel have been widespread and hard to shake off in the Gulf and blue-line emperor, coral trout and spangled emperor have been at the Cooper and Camplin shoals. Spearfishers at the top end of the Gulf and at the Muirons have been doing well on coral trout. Squid have been plentiful close in on the Gulf side and blue swimmer and mud crabs have been targeted as well. Deep in the Gulf fly-fishers have tangled with big queenfish. The conditions will only get even better from midday on Saturday through to Tuesday evening so make the most of it.

Shore-based

He's been catching some very impressive fish lately around town and this beast of a giant trevally definitely gave Wade Williams @salty_slidog's arms a serious workout. The Stella SWC 18000HG got the job done!

Plenty of small giant trevally have been providing light-tackle fun along the Bundegi to Learmonth stretch where they have been smashing a range of lures. At the Learmonth Jetty, whiting, bream and mangrove jack have been the main catches, along with a few squid. The Bundegi boat ramp has produced school mackerel and small trevally and queenfish, while across at Tantabiddi spangled emperor have been caught mainly on baits. Spangled emperor have also been the main catch at the Lighthouse and Mildura Wreck. The town marina has thrown up a few surprises this week, along with the regular fare of bream, javelinfish, small cod and trevally, schools of tarpon around the kilo mark have been hitting stickbaits and paddletail soft plastics. The inside of the marina has also been producing quite a few squid.

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

@nickihuntfishing put her Shimano Stradic 6000 and Extraction rod combo to good use off the coast recently and golden trevally always put up a solid fight regardless of their size.

Boats

Pink snapper catches have been good either side of town, including at the Sand Patch and Three-Mile Reef. But despite the good conditions there have been no reports of other demersal species landed. On the plus side, Spanish mackerel have been taking trolled deep-diving lures along the cliffs, with one crew managing to hook up to seven Spaniards in a session. Spanish mackerel have also been caught offshore at Wagoe. Dinghy fishers have been anchoring either side of Oyster Reef and picking up some big mulloway. This weekend right into Monday is looking glorious for the boats with the sun coming out to play too, so make sure you're trolling for pelagics whenever you're moving around.

Shore-based

The mouth of the Murchison River has provided plenty of mulloway action with fish up to 20kg landed, often up to four a night. The hotspot has been Chinamans, but mulloway have started to mooch up the river with the Sand Spit yielding good fish, while a big mulloway was lost at the marina jetty recently as well. Chinamans, Back Beach and Pot Alley have produced tailor to 55cm, while chopper tailor and dart have been caught at Red Bluff and Wittecarra. Pot Alley also produced big skippy. Pink snapper, good tailor and one or two Spanish mackerel were landed at Wagoe when the swells were down. In the Murchison River bream and cod have been caught around the marina jetties, while yellowfin whiting catches have picked up at the Sand Spit, with ocean fishers also having caught them at Chinamans. Mud crabs have shown no sign of shutting down in the river with great numbers reported, while a rare species for the Murchison, southern cobbler, showed up around the rocks near the town marina.

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

It went yak mackie, yak pinkie, yak mackie, now yak Sambo for @mat.svenson off Geraldton over the past few month. We were expecting a pinkie, but we're also assuming Mat needed a tow home so fair play with this catch Mat.

Boats

A crew fishing around South-West Bank near African Reef did very well on demersals after a bit of moving about, landing decent dhufish, pink snapper and baldchin groper. Waters north of Coronation Beach and out wider have also produced dhufish and pink snapper as well, but crews have had to work hard. Dhufish sizes have been very varied in Mid-West waters this year but most of the bigger fish have sat around 9kg. Dirty water has shut down most inshore fishing and while the low winds are looking ideal across this weekend, the swell is still sitting rather high at around 3.5-4m so have this in mind if you're deciding to have a drop to the bottom. It could be worth having a troll through the cleaner water if you can manage to find it.

Shore-based

When there has been no weed at the Greenough River mouth good numbers of school mulloway have been caught. The river there is now tidal, which has brought in ocean species near the mouth such as herring, tarwhine and whiting, while up river, bream have been taken in good numbers. At Southgates, anglers using heavy gear at night have been busted off by unknown adversaries. Whiting to 30cm have been caught at Separation Point, which has cleaned up nicely, along with the odd herring, while anglers who braved the swell and waded out on to the reef there picked up good tailor and sizeable skippy. The Lives has become more consistent, producing tailor at the western end along with small whiting and the odd decent skippy. The entrance to the Fishing Boat Harbour has produced sporadic catches of 20-30cm whiting and, very surprisingly, herring-sized juvenile salmon. Blue swimmer crabs have also turned up in this area. Down at Dongara the marina has been fishing very well for skippy ranging from 30-35cm, big yellowtail scad to 30cm, small chopper tailor, nice bream and herring.

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

Boats

As expected this time of year, the swell can make it difficult to launch and safely leave the bay with trailer boats. Last weekend’s Lancelin Angling Club competition saw a few boats battle with larger waves leaving the bay and it's always best to watch the swell patterns for some time before attempting to leave the bay and make sure you always wear a lifejacket. Once out of the bay, the Angling Club fleet enjoyed a windy but productive day on the water with some great captures across a range of depths, including several dhufish well over 10kg, some stonker pink snapper, and breaksea cod pushing almost 2kg. Other great captures included baldies, queen snapper, foxfish, eight-bar cod and an impressive range of mixed smaller species. The very low tides during the afternoons next week offer a better opportunity to launch off the beach fishing inside the bay, with boats finding a few squid alongside the plentiful snook, herring, and skippy. Unfortunately the weather is not looking like easing down until at least Thursday next week at this stage, with some pretty treacherous winds, rain and high swell expected until then. At least the water will stir it up nicely for a few days for a better crack at pinkies just before the demersal season closes on August 1st.

Shore-based

The odd tailor have recently been tempted to hit lures while herring have been prolific along the beach, so downsizing on lures will manage mixed catches of both species. Smaller Halco Twisties are a good option as they can still be cast long distances despite stronger winds and can still accommodate the smaller herring up to the bigger tailor. Bait fishers have been catching some plump winter sand whiting, with small strips of squid tentacles working best. The jetty has been going off, with plenty of herring and skippy, while flicking mulies around sunset has seen a few cracking tailor around 60cm.

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

Offshore fishing has been excellent with nannygai to 60cm landed at Figure of Eight Island and breaksea cod to 3.5kg hitting the deck at Humilaria Reef. Enormous skippy have been caught at Termination Island, while good numbers of harlequin fish and blue groper have been taken at Cull Island. Big queen snapper have been the order of the day at Lion Island and Observatory Island, while drifting in 10-15m depths off Observatory Beach has yielded big sand whiting. Thumping King George whiting have been caught in Wylie Bay, while in Esperance Bay behind the the breakwater, squid with 40cm hoods have been taking jigs. Squid fishing has also been good in Lucky Bay. Unfortunately while the fishing has been great off the boats this week with better weather, it's looking very rough out on the water this week with very strong winds and swell expected. Land-based is looking like the only viable option if you can use those howling north-westerly winds to your casting advantage.

Shore-based

Good-sized mulloway have been caught on the low-tide change at Dunns Beach, while big salmon have been taken at Stockyards Beach. Skippy to 4kg have been caught at 14-Mile Beach and at Roses Beach, where multiple schools of salmon have been passing through. At Taylor Street Jetty, 7pm is the best time to catch garfish, while the Town Jetty has offered big herring and squid. Castletown Quays has produced sand whiting and big herring in the mornings, while salmon have been at Salmon Beach in the afternoons. Bream, flathead and King George whiting have been caught at Bandy Creek Boat Harbour, which is a good option given the ugly weather heading into town this coming week.

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

Augusta was the place to be recently for some top quality bottom fish and Jayson Spencer @jspencer_fishing was in the right place at the right time with his mates, landing this cracker of a dhuie along with some nice harlequin, yellowtail kingfish, breaksea cod and Samson fish.

Boats

Crews took advantage of the better conditions to head way out over the weekend and earlier in the week, launching from town, Cheynes, Two Peoples Bay and Hartman Beach and picking up good hauls of pink snapper, dhufish, breaksea cod and nannygai. Plenty of boats fished King George Sound as well and caught some solid King George whiting along with plenty of squid. Some of the bigger squid have been out quite deep, around the 15m mark. Forget boating until at least later next week however, it's looking pretty rough and horrible until then. Now would be the time to target freshwater species inland.

Shore-based

Big swells made local beaches hard to fish but those that found sheltered locations caught the odd stray salmon (at Salmon Holes and Shelley Beach), herring, skippy (around Cheynes) and tarwhine. Squid have been caught in good numbers at the town marina, Frenchman Bay, Whalers Cove and Emu Point. Most of these locations have held herring and small King George whiting. In the King and Kalgan rivers the bream have been on the small side. When the sandbars broke at Torbay and Taylor inlets herring, King George whiting and flathead entered the systems.

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

After persisting from a slow bite at the start of the day, @livinginsalt_ managed to find this quality baldchin groper along with a healthy pink snapper, which were in great numbers again after the recent rough weather that rolled through the South-West.

Boats

Plenty of pink snapper have been caught, often close to shore. Targeting broken ground and watching the sounder has been the key to good catches. Good snapper have been taken out towards Bouvard Reef, along with dhufish, breaksea cod and yellowtail kingfish and these species have been caught in just 5-10m as well. Kayak fishers south of Bunbury have got their share of pinkies also, while most of burley trails set out for pink snapper have brought in chunky skippy. Big cuttlefish are still annoying snapper fishers by stealing their floating mulie baits and squid have hardly got a look-in this week due to their dominance. In Geographe Bay pink snapper, skippy, King George whiting and a few tuna have been active and kayak fishers have caught pink snapper, skippy and squid. Geographe Bay has held cuttlefish but squid have been in better numbers there. The strong westerly winds won't make it comfortable out on the boats but the jetties are likely to produce pinkies in this weather, so maybe make the switch to land-based.

Shore-based

Good pink snapper have hit the sand at beaches from Preston in the north all the way down to Busselton, with Myalup and Belvedere among the better spots. Most of these beaches have held plenty of herring and a few sand whiting. Good bream have been caught in the Collie River and also in the Capel River, along with the Blackwood River near Molloy Island. The Bunbury Cut held sand whiting, herring and tarwhine and when the water has been clear squid have been a chance. Busselton Jetty has lost some of its lustre for mulloway and pink snapper this past week but the blow should fire them up over the weekend. Squid and herring have been at the jetty in decent numbers.

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.

@freshwest_ has been catching and releasing loads of healthy rainbow and brown trout in our South-West recently which just shows they are up and about following the recent rains. Keep an eye out for the deeper sections after rapids or falls as they love to sit in there in the oxygenated water and ambush insects and smaller fish that flow through.

Logue Brook has been the best spot near Perth for brown and rainbow trout, while some good rainbows have been caught at Drakesbrook Weir. Nice redfin perch have come from Harvey Dam, while big redfin nudging 50cm have been caught at Wellington and Glen Mervyn dams and also in the Collie River. As for lures, 2.5-inch Zman Grubz have accounted for many of the bigger redfin. Feeder streams around Wellington Dam have also thrown up the odd small rainbow trout.

Mandurah and surrounds

Mandurah

Boats: Pink snapper have continued to dominate boat captures and they have often been very close in, with a jet-ski fisher getting a big pinkie just 250m from shore. Pink snapper have also been active at James Service Reef and they have been kept company with small dhufish at the Five-Fathom Bank. At both these locations chunky skippy and King George whiting have been among the bycatch. A big tuna was caught at the back of the Five as well. In the estuary herring have been the main catches and this will be the better place to fish over the coming days on the boat with some ugly winds and swell expected.

Land-based: Very out-of-season yellowfin whiting popped up in the estuary on Monday afternoon. A couple of anglers expecting a feed of herring or juvenile salmon and were surprised to find hungry schools of whiting, some nudging 40cm, that were eager to smash Bassday Suga Pen and Halco Slidog surface lures. It will be interesting to see if this was just a once-off. Elsewhere in the estuary herring, a few juvenile salmon and skippy have been at the Dawesville Cut and the Mandurah traffic bridges, often feeding under the lights at night, while big bream have been caught from the estuary’s canals and rock walls. Chopper tailor have been taken from Mandurah reefs, while south of town a couple of mulloway and pink snapper were caught, with drone fishers having the edge. Sundown has been the best time to target the pinkies, while mulloway have preferred high tides during the day. Small King George whiting have started to show up at the estuary end of the Dawesville Cut. When the good weather returns squid could be worth targeting, either with a jig under a float or a baited spike, on the weed beds at Falcon and Avalon.

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: Cockburn Sound continues to be reliable for pink snapper with the broken ground along the Garden Island causeway producing plenty of fish. They have also been in good numbers at the Five-Fathom Bank and behind Garden Island, where they have been kept company by dhufish and breaksea cod. Snapper chasers have encountered plenty of chunky skippy in their burley trails as well. Warnbro Sound has been fishing well for pink snapper too, with several caught on soft plastics and Nomad Squidtrex vibes. Big King George whiting have been part of the demersal bycatch as well and they have also been targeted closer in with plenty of fish in the 35-45cm range in 2-3m depths in Mangles Bay. Sand whiting, herring and garfish have also been in good numbers in the Sounds and at Parmelia Bank, while tailor and the odd yellowtail kingfish have been picked up at Mewstones. Squid catches have been going off in the Sounds, Mangles Bay and Garden Island, with 3m a good starting point. If you want some great squidding tips for within Cockburn Sound, check out Tony Thwin's great squidding advice here.

The broken ground in 3-15m depths all around Rockingham, Point Peron and within Cockburn Sound has been very productive for King George whiting, which can provide an easy and delicious feed. It also pays to have one rod targeting squid in the same area over the weed beds as squid usually roam in the same patches as the KG's. Image: @cacwrockingham.

Land-based: The gutters at Secret Harbour have thrown up pink snapper in the 65-70cm range along with tailor to 65cm and the odd mulloway around the metre mark. Half a herring or a fresh tailor fillet have accounted for most of the pinkies. Most of the local beaches have held good numbers of herring. At Woodman Point and the Ammo Jetty garfish have been plentiful, along with herring and squid, but the big surprise there has been small schools of longtom, which have caused havoc for herring fishers at times. Rockingham and Palm Beach jetties and Long Point have been reliable for squid, herring and chopper tailor in the evenings and the odd small mulloway has sometimes turned up. When conditions weren’t too choppy whiting were caught at the Penguin Island spit, while Point Peron has produced herring and a few 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

Aaron Moses @aaron.blaize95 was put on to a great spot off the coast by @jspencer_fishing and it resulted in this 91cm beauty of a pinkie. Given the bigger swells and storms rolling through again this week the snapper will likely be rolling in close to shore once again, meaning the rockwalls and gutters off the beaches are a good place to start soaking baits.

Boats

Crews took advantage of the good conditions last weekend to target demersals with nice catches of pink snapper, dhufish and baldchin groper in 40-50m around Rottnest and Carnac Islands, and also off Ocean Reef and Two Rocks. Bigger pinkies around the metre mark have been picked up in 80-100m depths and have also been active closer in as well, in 10m depths off Fremantle and Mindarie. Solid skippy and the odd King George whiting were the main bycatch. Pink snapper, skippy and small Samsonfish have been caught at the Three-Mile Reef, while at Stragglers yellowtail kingfish have been showing up in snapper chasers’ burley trails. Kayak fishers have picked up pink snapper off Pinnaroo Point too, with whiting in good numbers also. King George whiting to 45cm have been taken off Hillarys, while traditional haunts such as out from South Fremantle, the 15m depths off City Beach and at the Windmills have held a nice mix of King George and sand whiting. Sizeable skippy have been among the whiting schools at City Beach. Herring and garfish have been thick in Fremantle’s inshore waters, while squid fishing has been excellent out from South Beach and Coogee, with 3-4m depths the sweet spot. In the Swan River it could be worth targeting the deeper pockets for an elusive mulloway. It's looking rough and treacherous this week for the boats and it will only calm down from around Wednesday evening at this stage.

Shore-based

During the sunny and flat conditions earlier this week it saw the water clarity clear up nicely, which meant squid numbers took a good spike off the jetties and rockwalls. Isabella Tan @castawaybell took full advantage on the tasty critters but you'd be lucky to find good numbers of squid in close this week given the high swells, rain and wind will make the water murky once again.

Bream fishing in the Swan River has continued to be hit and miss but good catches have come from Bassendean and from behind Belmont racecourse. Other options for bream chasers are areas of heavy structure such as Canning Bridge, or very deep water such as Blackwall Reach, where they could be worth targeting on large soft plastics, mussel and crab imitation lures, or mussel baits. Some bream chasers have headed out of the metropolitan area and done well on bream in the Moore River. A few flathead to 50cm have continued to hole up between Optus Stadium and the Causeway, including Heirisson Island, while the odd big tailor has been caught between the Narrows and Canning Bridge. Fremantle Harbour has fished well at times, producing herring, skippy and squid, and with all the fresh water flowing out the Swan now, a visit to the E-Shed wharf could produce a big mulloway. North Mole was quieter than usual before the blow, producing just the odd snapper but good numbers of herring, garfish skippy and at times blue mackerel. It has thrown up some nice squid too. Good squid have also been taken from the Fremantle Sailing Club rockwalls and bream, skippy, tarwhine and herring could be holding up inside Fishing Boat Harbour and the marinas. Drone fishers at north metro beaches have picked up pink snapper and the odd dhufish. Nice winter tailor have been taken up there as well. Between the cold fronts it could be worth targeting reefy beaches such as Cottesloe and Leighton for big winter tailor and possibly pink snapper.

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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