Fishing Lure

By Seamus on 8/7/2024 4:10:51 PM • Rank (54) • Views 55
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Recfishwest Newsletter
Recfishwest
Fishing Report
02/08/24
@kurtkrispyn managed to snap this remarkable photo of this harlequin fish, one of the prettiest species off our coastline. The yellow dots on the side are found on females or immature males, if they are blue dots the fish are older males. Nicknamed the coral trout of the south - they are right up there in eating quality too! 
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 responsible 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 @2_oceans_tackle crew from Busselton ventured up to Karratha for a quick queenfish session and they certainly know how to take some awesome photos. This metrey queenie put up a solid fight on the light gear in a cracking fishing spot. The Pilbara at its finest. 

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HEADS UP TO ALL FAMILIES IN DAMPIER AND KARRATHA!
The Recfishwest crew will be cruising up to Dampier on Saturday, August 10th to run our popular SunSmart Fishing Clinic for the youngsters! Give Sam a call if you wish to register your kids and while we provide all of the fishing gear, you are welcome to bring down your own gear. 
Broome catches
If you're in the right place at the right time on the local jetty then the opportunity to sight cast a barra can roll through, with this nice winter barra turning up for Jesse Wood @woody_49 during an evening sesh. 

Boats

Sharks have continued to make bottom fishing very difficult with most crews having little to show for their efforts. The 18m depths off Barn Hill and Thangoo have produced spangled emperor and bluebone but heavy gear has been required to get them up before the sharks strike. If sharks are around before you even wet a line, don't even bother and move spots and even if you start catching fish, it's a wise move to move frequently before they turn up. The odd Spanish mackerel has been taken on the troll off Barn Hill and Thangoo too but again sharks have been a problem. Inshore, a few sailfish have been landed and further out blacks have been active. At the FADs plenty of dolphinfish have been about but only a few have been caught as they have been skittish. Roebuck Bay has been very quiet as was the creeks and the Fingers, although mud crabs have been in good numbers in Crab and Dampier Creek. The weather is looking decent for boats from this afternoon through to Sunday evening. 

Shore-based

Town Beach and Port Jetty have held good numbers of golden and brassy trevally as well as queenfish. The same species have been active at Entrance Point and in Willie and Barred Creek, while at Quandong and Manari Beach tuna have at times come within casting distance. In the Fitzroy River barramundi fishing has been good at Telegraph Pool and Langi Crossing. There were no reports of whiting catches this week but Cable Beach and Town Beach could be worth a crack.

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
You know it's a solid ruby snapper when it can barely fit in the frame! What an absolute horse landed on Ningaloo Reef by @alex_carter_fishingwa. 

Boats

Afternoon glass-offs have led to some cracking sessions in Exmouth Gulf with plenty of tuna schools kicking around the shoals and towards Learmonth. Crews have been keeping an eye out for surface bust-ups and were throwing small metal slices at them to good effect. Tuna have also been active near Exmouth Reef. The Gulf has also held plenty of Spanish mackerel around the 10kg mark, which have been taking trolled deep-diving lures with Halco and Nomad DTX minnows in metallic colours working well on them. School and shark mackerel have often been feeding on scraps underneath the tuna schools and they have been caught on soft plastics. Bottom fishers have done well on spangled emperor and blue-lined emperor in the Gulf and Rankin cod have been moving through the Gulf as well. Coral trout have been in good numbers and they have fancied 5-inch soft plastic paddletails or mullet fillets. Mud crabs have been caught in threes and fours out from Wapet Creek and at Exmouth Station, while squid have been in excellent numbers in only 1m depths off Golf Course Beach and the Prawn Farm, with bright jigs in pink, blue and white working best. At the Muiron Islands, big baitballs have turned up and along with them tuna of various sizes and wahoo around the 8kg mark. In the deeper depths bigger wahoo and Spanish mackerel up to 20kg have been landed. Red emperor have been caught at the islands in 40-70m depths, although sharks have been a problem, while on the ledges in the 50m depths Rankin cod and coral trout have shown up. One or two sailfish and black marlin a day have been raised on the west side of the cape in 60-150m, along with tuna in a range of sizes, while blue marlin and striped marlin have been in 300m-plus depths. Goldband snapper and cod have been caught in 100-150m depths and around the 200m depth mark big ruby snapper have been active. Closer in saw spangled emperor, blue-lined emperor and queenfish to 75cm caught inside the reef. Trolling at six knots has produced Spanish mackerel just outside the reef. There should be more beautiful boating weather rolling through over the next week and the action this week was red hot so get out there. 

Shore-based

Whiting have been prolific in Exmouth Gulf with big numbers caught around the waist-deep flats at Bundegi and Learmonth, where they have been taking peeled prawn baits or surface lures. Learmonth has also held small trevally and queenfish that have been hitting stickbaits, while floating a bait on a balloon from the jetty has produced school mackerel. Small queenfish and trevally have also been at Bundegi. Tuna have been caught off the town marina’s outer rockwall, which has also fished well for squid, as did the rocks at the industrial estate. Inside the marina small cod, bream and the odd mangrove jack have been caught. The mouth of Wapet Creek has produced whiting and flathead, with small vibes and soft plastics working well, while deeper in the Gulf fly-fishers have encountered bluebone. Northerly winds have made fishing at the tip of the Cape difficult, but good spangled emperor and the odd trevally have been caught on imitation crab lures on middle to low tides. At Tantabiddi, spangled emperor have shown a liking for 100mm stickbaits, while down towards Yardie Creek anglers chasing whiting on the flats with soft plastics stumbled on to a school of small bonefish.

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
Shimano ambassador @nickihuntfishing's Stradic 6000 was peeling some serious line after this tuna decided to engulf her Shimano Sardine Ball Flash Boost. Just one of many great pelagics landed off our Mid-West this week thanks to some better weather windows.  


Boats

Crews taking advantage of weather windows before the demersal closure encountered plenty of baldchin groper mixed in with pink snapper. Most of the best catches were reported either side of town, especially at the Sand Patch where an 8kg dhufish was landed in 30m this week. Crayfishing has been steady and if the water clears and the swells ease Spanish mackerel and tuna could be worth chasing along the cliffs. The weather should steadily improve for the boats over the weekend with Sunday, Monday and Tuesday currently looking best on the forecast. 

Shore-based

Once again the Murchison River has been the hotspot for mulloway with a couple of good fish taken most nights, including a 17kg model landed at the marina jetty this week. Mulloway have also been in good numbers at the river mouth and at the Sand Spit, with signs indicating they are moving further up river. Blue swimmer crabs have been caught near the mouth of the Murchison River and mud crabs made an appearance further up river, while bream and cod have been in reasonable numbers throughout the system. Chopper tailor have shown up in the evening at the marina jetty. Bigger tailor have been caught at the river mouth and they have been successfully targeted at Frustrations and Oyster Reef when the swells have been down. Pink snapper have been caught at Red Bluff along with decent tailor, while Wittecarra has held tailor and produced school mulloway around 80cm. A sizeable cod was caught at Pot Alley along with some big tailor when the swells were down this week.

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
Death, taxes, Jessica Fox annihilating her Olympic opponents in the kayak slalom, @mat.svenson beating his Sambo opponents in his yak off Geraldton. All certainties in life.

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Boats

The final week of the demersal season ended well for most crews, with consistent catches of good pink snapper along with dhufish in smaller sizes often in 10-15m depths. Crews who found good ground south of town managed the odd pink snapper but bigger numbers of dhufish and baldchin groper. They also saw some surface action from what they believed to be small tuna or bonito. The weather will gradually improve for the boats, with the moderate swells and easterly winds calming down to pleasant levels by Sunday evening and all of Monday. 

Shore-based

Skippy have been the most consistent shore catch this week with good numbers encountered on the reefs at Point Moore and Drummond Cove, where the weed has been acceptable but the swells and rain have been challenging. Whiting around 25cm have been caught in isolated pockets around town, including the Fishing Boat Harbour and the odd juvenile salmon has popped up among them. Just north of Drummond Cove pike have been hitting lures and the odd tailor has been landed. Bream have been targeted on lures in the Fishing Boat Harbour and the Batavia Coast Marina. Flat Rocks has also produced the odd tailor and many locals are saying that the cooler water temperatures and the success of boaties in shallow depths suggest areas such as Flat Rocks could throw up some of the winter dhufish that this reefy stretch was once renowned for. Sunday and Monday is looking decent for the land-based fishers. 

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

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Boats

Lancelin Angling & Aquatic Club made the most of the last weather window on Saturday to fish for demersal species. Some great fish were landed with baldies, snapper and dhufish providing some good fun for participants. Of particular note was the number of dhufish and breaksea cod being caught 8-12m depths. A few tuna have been encountered offshore with small bluefin in schools and a few larger yellowfin. We can expect tuna numbers to increase in the following weeks, so it will still be worth heading out and kicking back to troll a few lures. Smaller boats fishing the bay's clear and sheltered waters were rewarded with some prime King George whiting, along with skippy to almost a kilo and garfish schooling in the burley trail. This weekend should produce some better conditions for the boats with the swell dropping off between Saturday and Monday and low to moderate easterly winds expected. 

Shore-based

Big swells limited opportunities along the beaches, but a few sheltered spots were providing 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 that not only pink snapper were within range, but also dhufish and breaksea cod have been caught. Lancelin jetty produced the usual schools of herring, which were gathering under the lights each night. The weekend is looking great with offshore winds for a land-based snapper fish after a week of rough seas. Mulloway or tailor might also be lurking in a deeper gutter. 

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
Of all the impressive fish that @gidos_fishing_adventures catches along the south coast, blue groper are up there regarding the species that pulls the hardest. Just one of many great catches from Gido's last trip. 

​Boats

Good numbers of nannygai have been caught at Mondrain Island in 50m, while harlequin fish have been plentiful off the headlands at Cape Le Grand in 10-15m. There have been lots of Samsonfish at Black and Woody Island, while big queen snapper and breaksea cod have been caught at Observatory Island. Squid have been in huge numbers in Esperance Bay, while good numbers of King George and sand whiting have been caught from the start of Wylie Bay in 10m. King George whiting and plenty of herring have been taken at Lovers Cove. Saturday right through to Monday is looking glorious on the forecast so enjoy the send out. 

Shore-based

Mulloway to a metre and lots of salmon have been caught at Dunns Beach, while halfway along Wylie Bay salmon, skippy and gummy sharks have been landed. Sand whiting have been prolific at the start of Wylie Bay. Roses Beach has held 5kg-plus skippy at the western end and salmon have been in abundance as well. Fourth Beach and 11-Mile Lagoon have been hotspots for salmon, while big flathead have been caught on the high tide at 10-Mile Lagoon. Plenty of fishers have been bagging out on squid at the Town Jetty, while at Taylor Street Jetty, which is a good spot to fish when the westerlies are blowing, skippy have been caught in the day and garfish at night. Bandy Creek Boat Harbour has held King George whiting and skippy, while bream have been fishing well 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


Boats

Lousy weather ruled out practically all boating activity in King George Sound this week but the weekend is looking pretty good for inshore fishing. King George whiting should be in good numbers and squid should be active where clearer water can be found. Otherwise, Wilson Inlet could offer dinghy fishers herring, King George whiting, flathead and maybe even a pink snapper. Both Saturday and Sunday look inviting for the boaties but Sunday is looking best at this stage with a lower swell and light north-westerly winds forecast. 

Shore-based

Once again poor weather cruelled a lot of shore fishing activity but this weekend offers hope. Squid have been caught at their usual haunts such the town marina, where it has often been a case of waiting for the tide to bring in some clear water. The marina has also held herring and a few small skippy. Emu Point often holds good squid as well as herring and whiting, while Frenchman Bay and Whalers Cove usually produce good squid, along with herring and whiting. The King and Kalgan rivers should be holding bream, while herring and juvenile salmon are often a bycatch near the river mouths. The beaches have been carved up but if the swells are down herring, tarwhine and good skippy could be caught, along with the odd resident salmon.

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
@jamie.thompson._ managed to reel in one of the weirdest looking, yet tastiest fish in the sea with this John Dory coming over the side, along with his first ever dhuie in our South-West. 

Boats

Before the demersal season closed good dhufish were landed straight out from Bunbury in depths as shallow as 5m and out to 12m, within a few kilometres of shore. Surprisingly, pink snapper were very inconsistent with many crews missing out. Tuna have shown up in 12-16m, manly in schools of three and four. There were no tuna bust-ups, but quite a few were appearing in burley slicks meant for pink snapper and were picked up on stickbaits. Squid fishing has been hard work due to the poor water clarity. A few big ones were landed either side of town in 10m depths but better catches were recorded in Geographe Bay, where King George whiting were also present. You're in luck with nice weather lining up between today and Sunday for the boaties so make the most of it. 

Shore-based

The beaches either side of town have been very quiet, with mainly herring and the odd tailor being caught. In town, Back Beach and the Bunbury Cut have offered herring, small skippy and the odd whiting and it’s been a similar story at Dalyellup. One or two mulloway and a couple of pink snapper have been taken from the end of Busselton Jetty this week and squid and herring have been the mainstays closer in on the jetty.

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_ managed to score himself a cheeky freshwater session on Tuesday and it resulted in this rainbow trout from one of the feeder streams. Trout catches are likely to improve over the coming months, so make sure you get out there and give it a crack. 
Nice brown trout have been caught in Lefroy Brook near Pemberton and rainbow trout have been caught at Big Brook, while closer to Perth good rainbow trout have been taken at Honeymoon Pool on the Collie River and also at Logue Brook Dam near the feeder creeks, with the odd brown trout at Logue Brook. Trout have been taking flies but success has also been had on Berkley Powerbait Nuggets. Redfin perch have been in good numbers in the Collie River and a few have been caught in the Capel River as well. Wellington and Harvey Dams also offered redfin perch, while at Drakesbrook Weir rainbow and brown trout have been caught along with redfin perch. Waroona Dam has offered perch and the odd rainbow trout.
Mandurah and surrounds


Mandurah

Boats: Saturday morning’s small weather window produced nice dhufish out from Dawesville in the run-up to the demersal closure but local pink snapper catches were subdued. Some nice skippy were taken in burley trails at James Service Reef and on the Five-Fathom Bank. Small King George whiting, many undersized, have been caught from boats anchored off the estuary end of the Dawesville Cut and circle hooks are recommended to target them rather than traditional whiting hooks as they are much kinder to the bycatch. The weather is looking peachy for boats between today and Sunday which is perfect timing. 
 
Land-based: Coffee-coloured water has shut down a lot of fishing, especially in the estuary, but when the odd clear patch can be found on the incoming tide the Dawesville Cut and the old Mandurah Bridge have produced small tailor, herring and the odd juvenile salmon, while the estuary’s marinas and canals have held decent bream. A few school mulloway have been caught in the dirty water from beaches south of town, while the odd pink snapper has been landed in the White Hills area. Probably the best bet this weekend is to find one of the more sheltered beaches such as Falcon or Seascapes, throw in a heap of burley and target bread-and-butter species such as whiting, herring and skippy.

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: Crews got into pink snapper in 10m depths around Garden Island and in Cockburn Sound in a last hurrah before the demersal ban kicked in on Thursday, with fishers also doing well on dhufish. They reported plenty of chunky skippy in their burley trails which are great fun on the light gear and provide a great feed. Boats fishing closer in got good hauls of 35-40cm King George whiting in Mangles Bay and on Parmelia Bank, where they also found heaps of herring and skippy. Squid catches were fairly good in these locations as well. Good tailor came from Mewstones along with heaps of herring, while in Cockburn Sound a couple of tuna schools have been seen busting up. Today right through to Monday is looking rather inviting for the boaties on the forecast. 

Land-based: Beach fishing has been very quiet with only herring and the odd tailor being caught at Secret Harbour and Port Kennedy, although the tailor have been big ones. At Long Point drone fishers have landed school mulloway, while the rocks at Henderson have produced a couple of just-sized pink snapper. Woodman Point and the Ammo Jetty have offered a few squid but mainly herring and the odd skippy. Herring have been plentiful at Palm Beach Jetty and Rockingham Jetty, while blue mackerel and chopper tailor have also shown up at both spots. Squid fishing is expected to improve at Point Peron in the next few days but for now it has 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
Before the demersal closure kicked off yesterday on August 1st, there were some good weather windows that allowed boats to punch offshore, resulting in some nice demersal catches before these species earned a break. @rhys__bulloch managed to hook this solid dhuie via jigging near Rottnest. The next date you can wet a line for demersals off the boat is September 16th but there are still plenty of other species to target during the demersal closure such as squid, whiting, skippy, tailor, pelagics and freshwater species. 

Boats

Crews who did well on pink snapper in depths from 10-30m in last weekend’s weather window will now be turning their attention to sand whiting, skippy and King George whiting, which have been a regular bycatch throughout the now-closed demersal season. Both species have been in abundance inshore from Fremantle, along with herring and garfish, while King George whiting have been mixed in with sand whiting at the Windmills. Once again, sand whiting have been in good numbers off City Beach. Big King George whiting have been consistent at Rottnest and Carnac Island, while inshore waters off Hillarys and around the Three-Mile Reef have offered good King George whiting and skippy. Samsonfish have shown up at Three-Mile as well. Squid fishing should improve as the water clears, but crews have been finding a few in the deeper depths. On the high tide Stragglers has produced some good tailor and yellowtail kingfish have shown up both there and at Rottnest’s West End. In the Swan River, unsuccessful mulloway chasers in Mosman Bay have been catching some decent tailor in the evenings and dab netters have been doing very well on king prawns just up river from the Fremantle bridges. The nice boating weather will fill out the entire weekend with a lower swell and easterly wind expected, so make the most of it before the strong northerly winds and swell returns from Tuesday onwards. 

Shore-based

After a lull, North Mole bounced back to its winter best with a good run of pink snapper on Wednesday with 10-15 fish landed in total along with some monster skippy that nudged 60cm. Herring were also in good numbers there and blue mackerel were caught on the inside of North Mole, but the dirty water wasn’t favourable for squid. For fishers wanting to know when South Mole will reopen to vehicles, Fremantle Ports are hoping it will be some time in August once they have set up the parking ticket machines. Further south at Challenger Beach yellow-eyed mullet have been in good numbers among the herring. The rockwalls around South Fremantle have fished reasonably well for herring, garfish and squid on the few days when the water has been clear, but inside the marina bream chasers have been thwarted by blowies. Deep gutters quite close to shore have formed along the stretch between Scarborough and City Beach which have held big tailor in the 50-60cm range, while big tailor have also come from beaches north of Two Rocks. When the water is clear and swells have been down Alkimos and Quinns have held sand whiting, while Cottesloe and Grant Street have fished well for herring and gardies. The Swan River has been quiet this week, but there have been whispers of school-sized mulloway being caught on large soft plastics at the Causeway, Canning Bridge and Shelley Bridge. Bream catches have been patchy in numbers and sizes, but they have been active between Maylands and the Narrows, while one or two flathead have been holding in these locations as well. It should be great conditions for a land-based flick as well off the beaches over this weekend and we expect to see good numbers of tailor, mulloway and potentially pink snapper from the metro beaches. 

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! 
 
 
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