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Recfishwest
Fishing Report

12/07/24

Now that the fresh waterways are flowing a little more, there's good numbers of rainbow and brown trout in the shallows, get out there and start chasing them in our South-West!

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!

@ellicooper's 1.17m barramundi takes pic of the week and it looks like this beast could swallow anything smaller than it given the size of its head! A cracking fish from our Kimberley region and make sure you stay croc wise in our State's north!

Your fishing photos

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SENSATIONAL NUMBERS FOR MARY ISLAND FISHING CLUB'S DERBY FISHING CLINIC!

This is the great community connection and bonding that fishing provides at its very best

Supported by Recfishwest’s community grants program, the Mary Island Fishing Club's Kids Fishin' Derby over the weekend saw more than 100 kids and their families wetting a line in the West Kimberley town of Derby, with Recfishwest delighted to be there to lend a hand for the bustling kids fishing clinic on the jetty!

Fishing is a way of life for regional communities and with more than a hundred goodie bags packed with free crab nets, fishing lures, hand-lines and much more handed out to all participants, it's rewarding to know our future generation of fishers have a good arsenal of gear to help them chase a wide range of species that flourish in these pristine waters.

A big Recfishwest thanks to the Mary Island Fishing Club, Derby for hosting such a brilliant event, along with the Shire of Derby/West Kimberley, DPIRD, Derby Volunteer Marine Rescue Group, SunSmart and Healthyway for their tremendous support

Broome catches

A double up on the reds for @dylanprice2004 this week! It was great to see boat and spearfishers getting in on the action out wide during a nicer weather window.

Boats

Strong winds kept most fishing activity inshore but a couple of the bigger boats that found a weather window encountered blue-lined emperor and a few Rankin cod about 12km offshore. Boats that stayed in close caught mainly bluebone, while others found tuna off Gantheaume Point and Spanish mackerel off Grey Shoal in the afternoons. Crab Creek and the Fingers have been worth a crack for mud crabs but threadfin salmon have been hit or miss in both Crab and Dampier Creek, although some nice blue-nosed salmon have been caught in these creeks when baitfish can be found. Roebuck Bay has been pretty choppy but the odd threadfin salmon has been caught there. It's not bad boating weather over the coming few days so get out there.

Shore-based

Both Town Beach Jetty and Port Jetty have been reliable for queenfish and trevally, while Entrance Point has produced some nice queenfish. Sending out a balloon on the easterly at Gantheaume Point can produce Spanish mackerel and bluebone are often caught there. Cable Beach has been good for whiting and threadfin salmon have been active there as well. Creeks close to town have been very quiet but bream and mangrove jack are always a chance, while in the Fitzroy River barramundi have been holing up at the front end of the river, where the tidal movement compensates for the cooler water temperatures.

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

Ningaloo Reef was firing for dolphinfish over the past few days and the @nonstopfillets crew managed a three-way hookup on these beauties while trolling, so it pays to have lures in the water whenever you're moving around but the FADs are a good starting point!

Boats

Howling north-easterly winds ruled out a lot of activity on the west side with those chasing billfish having little luck. Dolphinfish have been caught at the FADs and a couple of decent wahoo were taken in 40-50m depths, one on a deep-diving Strada Pro and the other on a Richter Soft Grassy skirt. Those fishing on the bottom out west encountered goldband and red-throat emperor, while an 8.6kg red emperor was caught in 80m depths there. In closer, spangled emperor catches have been good but Spanish mackerel numbers have been hit or miss and the sizes were nothing special. The Muirons have offered better Spanish mackerel, Rankin cod, and spangled emperor. In Exmouth Gulf, Cooper Shoal has thrown up coral trout and blue-lined emperor, while at King Reef big cod and golden trevally have been the main catches. School mackerel have been plentiful in the Gulf, along with a few cobia. Squid fishing has been good in close both north and south of the marina and down towards Learmonth. Saturday is looking like the best day this week for the boaties.

Shore-based

The strong north-east winds limited shore fishing options but the town marina has been reliable for bream and mangrove jack, while squid have been caught from the rockwall at the south end of the marina, fishing into McLeod Beach. Wapet Creek, especially around two hours before high tide, has fished well for whiting and small trevally, while on the west side spangled emperor have been caught from Tantabiddi down to Yardie Creek. Light southerly winds on Saturday should provide land-based fishers with plenty of options on either side of the Cape, whereas stronger winds next week may dictate where is fishable.

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 was casting lures into bait schools this week and these speedy predators are usually the culprits attacking from below.

Boats

The weather hasn’t been ideal this past week but those who don’t mind a bit of discomfort have caught reasonable pink snapper along the cliffs and out at the Sand Patch. Most boats haven’t been staying out long, often just heading out to pull their cray pots before having a quick fish. Thankfully the next few days on the forecast are looking very inviting for the boats where tuna and mackerel are a solid chance. For those days when the weather isn’t playing the game to head offshore, it’s always worth getting the tinny wet in the Murchison chasing tailor and bream.

Shore-based

Mulloway have finally come to the party with good fish landed at Chinamans, Back Beach and the Murchison River mouth. A 14kg mulloway was caught at Back Beach in the mid-afternoon earlier this week and a 20kg model was caught near there a day later. Several school-sized mulloway have been landed as well, while around the jetties in the Murchison River soapy mulloway have been thick. The same areas of the river have produced good numbers of bream, cod and mud crabs. Big tailor have been active at the river mouth and have been targeted on poppers and garfish baits fished on ganged hooks. Many fishers there have been throwing lures about while having a big rod set out with a bait for mulloway. Meanwhile, pink snapper, small Samsonfish and the odd big tailor have been caught from the cliffs, while Wittecarra Creek and Red Bluff have offered chopper tailor, dart and herring. With whiting absent in the Murchison River, many fishers have been targeting them at Red Bluff when the swells have been down. Spanish mackerel, good tailor and pink snapper were caught at Wagoe late last week before the wind and swells picked up.

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's gone yak mackie, yak pinkie, now back to yak mackie for @mat.svenson off Geraldton over the past few weeks, so based on the pattern next week will go back to a thumper of a pinkie. Pressure is on Mat.

Boats

Unfortunately, the weather hasn’t played ball for the last week of the school holidays, ruling out pretty much all boating activity. If the swells dip early next week there may be opportunities to fish in close around town for skippy and herring. Dirty water has likely ruled out fishing for squid in the short term. Thankfully Saturday through to Monday looks decent for the boats, otherwise it might be worth dusting off the surf rod and getting amongst the land-based action.

Shore-based

Big skippy, some nudging 2kg, have been the order of the day from the Dongara rockwalls, which have also fished well for decent bream, jumbo yellowtail up to 30cm and tailor around the 35cm mark. In Geraldton, most of the beaches have been weeded out and the swells have been well up, but big tailor to 60cm have been caught from behind the Lives well after dark. The Lives has also held lots of school whiting and the odd herring. At the eastern end of the town breakwater a 1.3m mulloway was landed this week and the stones there have also produced skippy, chopper tailor and pike. School mulloway up to a metre have been caught at the Greenough River mouth, along with chopper tailor. A decent pink snapper was taken near Greenough, while in the Greenough River nice bream have been landed. In Dongara and at Geraldton’s Fishing Boat Harbour and local marinas, keen young guns have been catching bream, flathead and cod on small vibes and micro jigs.

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

The weather was ordinary last weekend, with winds confining boats to the bay. Mid-week saw some boats heading out for a short window, fishing the 40m depths with plenty of baldchin groper turning up along with snapper, while the 30m depths were very difficult to find much at all. Big skippy have made the inshore move, with some schools producing solid fish to 50cm. Lower winds and swell forecast 2.5-2m this weekend should see fishable conditions for the Lancelin Angling Club's Commodores Cup.

Shore-based

Strong easterly winds flattened out the seas late last week. Fishers were treated with flat seas and low swell, with the wind nicely assisting with long casts for lures. There was at least one decent mulloway landed by the mulloway whisperer Graeme Doodson. Smaller lures were the go with lots of herring and an unusual run for this time of year of tailor around the 30cm mark full of ripe roe. Conditions quickly deteriorated to strong onshore winds as the week progressed, so hopefully the big fish will be back in close this weekend now that the inshore gutters have been stirred up.

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

Chase the Kraken update! Just three weeks remaining for the comp with lots of squid around (including off the platform at the end of the jetty) with green and yellow jigs being the colour of choice. Current cash prize pool is just under $1700 and still no squid over the magical 40cm hood have been weighed in, so make sure you get out there and submit your catch to the @southernsports_tackle crew!

Boats

Good numbers of Samsonfish and nannygai have been caught at Figure of Eight and Boxer islands, while big breaksea cod have come from Douglas Patch. At Black Island and Sweep Rock nice harlequin fish have been landed, while big sand whiting have been caught in Wylie Bay and out from Observatory Beach. Wylie Bay has also held good numbers of King George whiting. Decent squid have been caught in 12-15m depths at Cook Rocks, while bigger squid have been plucked from the weed in the 5m depths of Esperance Bay. From Saturday through to Tuesday morning looks great for the boaties at this stage so get out there.

Shore-based

Poison Creek has been a hotspot for big gummy sharks and mulloway, while Dunns Beach has held skippy to 5kg. Salmon to 6kg have been caught at Rossiter Beach, while big schools of salmon have been feeding at 14-Mile Beach and Roses Beach with skippy to 3.5kg keeping them company. Wylie Beach and Stockyards have fished well for large tarwhine, big sand whiting and flathead, while the early mornings at Salmon Beach and Observatory Beach have been productive for salmon. Big flathead have been caught at Observatory Beach, while Bandy Creek Boat Harbour has held flathead, herring and King George whiting. Squid have been running hot at the Town Jetty in the mid-afternoons, while Taylor Street Jetty has offered big herring and garfish at night. Bream to 35cm have been biting at Woody Lake.

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

Even by Gido's lofty standards this land-based dhufish on the south coast would have to be up there for him! Give his page @gidos_fishing_adventures a follow! For safety tips for rock fishing on our south coast, check out our safe fishing webpage here.

Boats

Poor weather has kept boats on trailers but a few crews that found shelter in King George Sound worked hard for squid, herring and small King George whiting. Thankfully the weather is looking a lot more inviting over the coming days for the boats so enjoy wetting a line out there.

Shore-based

Squid have been the main fare for shore fishers this week with the town marina one of the better spots for them, along with Middleton Beach at night. The marina has also held a few herring. Fishing has improved a little at Emu Point with a few squid caught, while Frenchman Bay and Whalers Cove have offered squid, herring and small King George whiting. Some big King George whiting were caught at Gull Rock last weekend, while the King and Kalgan rivers have offered a few small bream. Salmon catches have been well down but most beaches have produced herring.

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

Don't forget that if the weather isn't ideal for boating in our South-West, you can simply travel inland and chase these five-star quality eating redfin perch in our freshwater dams and streams, with @daniel.dimech.9 finding this nice specimen earlier this week.

Boats

Most crews enjoyed good pink snapper and dhufish sessions from Preston Beach all the way to Busselton with both species in very close, sometimes in just 5m. Chunky skippy and big King George whiting have been among the by-catch. Cuttlefish have continued to be caught in big numbers in a wide range of depths and have often frustrated snapper chasers by snatching their floating mulie baits. Squid have been harder to find and were timid, with many fishers doing better on baited pencil jigs. In Geographe Bay, herring, squid and small King George whiting have been caught, while a few tuna have been active in the deeper depths. There is a few great days of boating weather approaching so enjoy sending it out there.

Shore-based

Pink snapper have been caught both north and south of town, mainly by drone fishers and the odd salmon was picked up at Preston Beach late last week. Most beaches have held good numbers of herring but tailor have been scarce. Some good pink snapper have been caught from the rockwalls at Back Beach and plenty of herring can be burleyed up from the Lava Rocks. Herring have also been active at the Bunbury Cut. Clearer sections of Buffalo Beach, the Cut and Belvedere Beach have held squid. Busselton Jetty has held squid and herring, while good pink snapper and big mulloway have been caught at the end. The lower reaches of the Blackwood River have fished well for bream, while Augusta’s beaches have held herring and skippy.

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.

Now is a great time to target trout in our freshwater systems and @instahungfishing managed to catch and release this beautiful brown trout in one of the dam runoffs in our South-West.

Good brown trout have been taken at Logue Brook Dam, mainly on fly, while the feeder creeks at Harvey Dam have produced brown and rainbow trout which have shown a liking for soft plastics, spinners and old-fashioned baits. Redfin perch have been in good numbers at Harvey Dam, especially in the deeper sections around the causeway and in streams around Pemberton. Redfin perch have been in good numbers at Wellington and Glen Mervyn dams, as well as in the Collie and Capel rivers and in Collie itself around the swinging bridge, with small soft plastics in the Motor Oil colour working well.

Mandurah and surrounds

Mandurah

Boats: Fishing for pink snapper at the James Service Reef and Five-Fathom Bank has been steady rather than spectacular, but most crews have been rewarded with a bit of hard work. Plenty of big skippy have been among the bycatch. With dirty water flowing out of the Peel-Harvey Estuary pink snapper are soon expected to congregate 500m or so out from heads on the edge of the dirty outflowing water. Inside Five-Fathom, decent sand whiting have been caught with many whiting chasers also landing pink snapper. Out from Dawesville, snapper chasers in 12-30m depths have found plenty of small dhufish among the pinkies, with most of the dhuies in the 50-60cm range. The estuary has yielded little else but herring for boat fishers this week. It's green light for the boats on the weather over the next few days.

Land-based: Beaches south of town have produced pink snapper and some big mulloway, with several mulloway caught in the middle of the day right on high tide. Other than that, the beaches have held mostly pickers and a few small herring. The Dawesville Cut has held good numbers of herring and a few have shown up at the Mandurah bridges, while the local marinas have fished well for bream. The ocean end of the Dawesville Cut should be a good spot to target pink snapper after the recent blow.

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: Pink snapper catches have been good in Cockburn Sound, along the Garden Causeway and inside of Garden Island, with plenty of chunky skippy among the bycatch. Late last week bigger boats fished behind Garden Island and caught dhufish and baldchin groper as well as pink snapper, while a crew of deep-droppers landed a bass groper. In Cockburn Sound, Mangles Bay and inside of Garden Island herring, garfish and a few whiting have been caught. Dirty water has shut down squid fishing but the nice flat conditions over the coming days should see them return along with boats punching out wide.

Land-based: Drone fishers have been catching pink snapper off the sand at Port Kennedy, Secret Harbour and Long Point with a few big mulloway mixed in usually around the 80cm-1m range. For casters, pink snapper have been caught at Woodman Point, while a big mulloway was landed at Rockingham Jetty this week. Rockingham Jetty, Woodman Point, Palm Beach Jetty and the rocks at Point Peron have held mainly 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!

Perth catches

There is a lot of monster pink snapper that frequently prowl around Cockburn Sound and Tom @fairenough93 managed to be in the right place at the right time, spearing this 11kg, 94cm horse over the weekend. What a fish!

Boats

Before the cold front rocked up crews enjoyed good sessions on dhufish and snapper at Rottnest and Carnac Islands, while the Three-Mile Reef offered pink snapper and chunky skippy. Small tuna showed up at Rottnest’s West End, while at most of the pink snapper spots decent King George whiting were among the by-catch. Sand whiting have been in good numbers in 12-15m depths off City Beach and at the Windmills, where they have been caught with their bigger King George cousins. At Stragglers, tailor have been active in the white water but it has been hard to get past the hordes of herring at times. Squid fishing is expected to pick up again once the water clears in the coming days. Squid catches have been good off Hillarys, Mindarie, South Fremantle, Coogee and in the bays at Rottnest. At night, the deeper sections of the Swan River such as Blackwall Reach, Mosman and Claremont should be holding big mulloway, while a late-afternoon troll in the lower reaches could produce a feed of chopper tailor. With lower swells and a more gentle easterly wind expected until Monday afternoon it's a nice green light for the boaties.

Shore-based

This week’s blow fired up pink snapper activity with good fish landed at North Mole and the Coogee, Hillarys and Mindarie rockwalls, as well as the far northern beaches where good tailor were caught and drone fishers picked up a couple of dhufish. With clearer water, North Mole should offer plenty of squid and it has produced herring, garfish and skippy. One or two mulloway were landed from North Mole as well, while South Mole has offered a few squid along with herring, garfish and skippy. Rockwalls around South Fremantle have been reliable for squid when clear water can be found and the Freo Fishing Boat Harbour has offered herring, tailor, skippy and bream. Fremantle Harbour has held good numbers of herring and has also offered tarwhine and skippy. A couple of anglers fished Rottnest’s Radar Reef this week and caught some decent tailor along with a yellowtail kingfish. Big tailor have been targeted successfully from reefy beaches such as Cottesloe, Grant Street and Leighton, while Floreat and City beaches have held chopper tailor, herring and skippy. A couple of sizeable tailor were landed at Pinaroo Point and Quinns. There have been plenty of soapy mulloway hanging around structure in the middle to upper reaches of the Swan River. Soft plastics in white or motor oil colours have accounted for good fish at Garratt Road, the Causeway, Windan Bridge, Redcliffe Bridge and Canning Bridge. The Mt Henry Bridge could be worth a try as well. Big mulloway have yet to show up in significant numbers but soaking a live bait at the Narrows or Canning Bridge could produce a result. Bream catches have been sporadic, but there have been a few hanging around structure with the soapies. They have often shunned lures in favour of baits such as cubed mullet and bony herring. A few flathead have been caught on the Burswood flats and they seem reluctant to move down river to saltier water. Heirisson Island often produces big flatties over winter as well. Things have been quiet in the lower Swan, but there may still be a few big flounder or perhaps a flathead around and a few decent tailor have been taken from jetties on sunset. There were even a few squid around East Fremantle this week. It's great conditions for beach fishing over the coming days though so make sure you wet a line.

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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