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Recfishwest
Fishing Report

09/08/24

This is the last sight for a lot of herring, garfish, tailor, squid and generally anything that can fit inside a Spanish mackerel's gob. Trolling a garfish on gang hooks and a wire trace off the coast is a popular method for catching these brilliant pelagics, which provide plenty of top quality meat (especially when you catch a 30kg+ monster).

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!

The @sendnbend_sportfishing crew have crossed swords with another monster west of Rottnest this week, except this one has set a new WA All Tackle record at 156.3kg! None of this fish went to waste and check out their channel to see their other great captures!

Your fishing photos

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PAY US A VISIT AT THE 2024 CLUB MARINE PERTH BOAT SHOW!

The Recfishwest crew will be at the 2024 Club Marine Perth Boat show to answer any questions you may have about fishing across WA, with all new Recfishwest premium members receiving exclusive Halco lures to go target pelagics! Click on the banner image above for more info on this popular attraction.

Broome catches

"Bloody Broome barnacle bashers" according to @will_cameron148, who landed this stonker of a permit off Broome this week in glorious conditions.

Boats

Unfortunately the big numbers of sharks appear to have all but wiped out inshore billfishing activity for a while, with up to 50 sharks appearing behind boats and snaffling sailfish and black marlin. Bottom fishers have fared even worse. If there is a silver lining, big numbers of tuna have been active north and south of town and many have been landed without being sharked. The creeks have thankfully been fishable, with mud crabs having also been active in Crab and Willie Creek. Mud crabs have also been in good numbers at the Fingers, while blue-nosed salmon have been caught at Dampier and Crab Creek. In Roebuck Bay tripletail could be worth targeting around the buoys. The weather from this afternoon right through to Wednesday next week is looking decent for the boaties.

Shore-based

This absolute ripper of a photo didn't come easy for @good_dhu_dhu out at Lake Argyle, it took days of fishing with ripped cast nets before this beauty turned up on a lure during fading light. Barra pics don't get much better than this.

Telegraph Pool has been the pick of the Fitzroy River’s barramundi spots, while at the Broome Wharf a decent barramundi was landed this week. Entrance Point, the Port Jetty and Town Beach Jetty have been reliable for queenfish and trevally, while bigger queenfish and trevally have been caught at Quandong. Cable Beach has been worth a shot for a feed of whiting.

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

This whopper of a ornate crayfish was quickly snapped by @salty_rena on Ningaloo Reef before it was put back with its pals under the same ledge. Good to see these critters in such big sizes and numbers.

Boats

Conditions have been excellent in the past week and the billfishing activity has been hectic in a very good way, especially for the bigger boats which have fished way out near Barrow Island with one boat landing 53 sailfish in one day and more than 150 for the extended trip. Another boat landed 23 sailfish, a few black marlin and a big wahoo in a day-long session. Richter Soft Grassys, Bonze skirts and rigged garfish baits have been getting the best results. A few black marlin and sailfish have been caught closer to town on the west side as well, and one angler caught and released a 60kg yellowfin tuna this week. Those deep dropping on the west side have caught goldband snapper, spangled emperor and red emperor in 80-120m, while closer in red-throat emperor, spangled emperor and Robinson sea bream have been caught. Also in close, Spanish mackerel to 24kg have been landed. North of the Muirons, again in 80-120m, Rankin cod, spangled emperor and red emperor have been caught, while in 180-250m depths pearl perch, big cod and ruby snapper have hit the deck. A few Spanish mackerel have also been hooked around the lumps close to the Muirons, but sharks have been a problem. In Exmouth Gulf, spearfishers have encountered good numbers of bluebone and coral trout, while school mackerel and broad-barred Spanish mackerel have been taken from Cooper Shoal. In the shallower areas of the Gulf coral trout have been snaffling stickbaits. Squid have been plentiful for inshore fishers, while mud crabs have shown up at Wapet Creek and down in the Bay of Rest. It's looking decent again this week on the forecast so make the most of the great fishing on offer.

Remember, If you donate your mangrove jack fish frames to an exciting first-of-its-kind Australian study, you can claim an exclusive Halco lure for free in return!

To better understand mangrove jack’s stock structure across northern Australia and ensure this popular fish remains sustainable into the future, Recfishwest is teaming up with DPIRD to drive this FRDC funded study “Basement Jacks – where’s your stock at?”

Simply hand your jack frames in with the heads and guts intact to Exmouth Tackle & Camping and you’ll also go in the draw for a wicked Basement Jacks fishing shirt – so do your bit for fisheries science and get around it! Click here for more info.

Shore-based

@maccydave has been putting a lot of clients on to some great Spanish mackerel around the Ningaloo Reef lately and he's got some great footage on his channel. Give his page a follow and if you want to experience a peak adrenaline rush of landing one of these beauts on a kayak, check out his tours by clicking here.

Whiting have been in good numbers on most of the Gulf's beaches and keeping them company in the more lumpy areas have been great numbers of Spanish flag. Wapet Creek held Spanish flag at its mouth where they have been kept company by flathead, while mangrove jack have been active further into the creek. In the town marina, big cod have been blamed for a spate of break-offs but anglers have been compensated with smaller cod, sizeable mangrove jack and a few trevally and queenfish. The marina’s ocean wall has offered good numbers of squid in the daytime and the Bundegi boat ramp has produced squid at night. Squid have also been at Learmonth Jetty, while small trevally and queenfish have been harassing hardyhead schools at Bundegi. Squid have shown up at Tantabiddi, along with dart, blue-nosed salmon and a few trevally. From Oyster Reef around to the lighthouse, spangled emperor have been caught along with queenfish, school mackerel, the odd Spanish mackerel and trevally. Stickbaits, Halco Twistys and four-inch soft plastics have been effective lures there.

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

Boats

Fishing offshore has been quiet since the demersal closure despite good conditions last weekend. A couple of boats trolled for Spanish mackerel south of town, around Arnie’s Lump and the Blue Holes, but no catches were reported. Crayfishing has been steady and dinghy anglers have targeted mulloway and tailor near the reef at Frustrations and Oysters. Tomorrow morning is looking very nice on the forecast so give it another crack, Tuesday morning also doesn't look too bad either.

Shore-based

Mulloway catches have been good at the mouth of the Murchison River, the Sand Spit, Town Marina and from the rocks opposite the Anchorage Caravan Park. Bream and cod have been caught from the boat pens and further up river, while the Sand Spit has fished well for whiting. Mud crabs were still in the system and a few blue swimmer crabs have been caught near the river mouth. Chopper tailor catches have been consistent at the marina in the evenings. At Chinamans, where work to repair cyclone damage is in progress, big tailor have been targeted and several pink snapper were landed there this week. Pink snapper have also been caught from Red Bluff, which also offered a few tailor. Other good pink snapper spots have been Goats Gulch and Pot Alley. Wittecarra Creek, which is flowing into the ocean, has 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

Another yak mission this week for @mat.svenson resulted in a surface strike from this lovely YTK, which was released to grow bigger for Mat to catch next year.

Boats

Most of the boating activity has focused on crayfishing, with pot pullers doing well both for size and numbers although weed wrapping around pot ropes has been a challenge at times. There have been no reports of pelagic activity, but the inshore reefs have been holding good numbers of skippy up to 1.5kg. Saturday morning is looking quite flat on the forecast so get out there.

Shore-based

Drago Bozuric from Dragos Autos is generally known more commonly as the Mitsubishi Pajero guru in Perth, however not many people know how his fishing skills are on par too! great mulloway from the gutter near S-Bend this week.

Shore fishing has been a struggle this week. Tailor have been patchy, but mulloway have been a little better south of Geraldton, near Greenough River, and north of Coronation Beach despite weed being a challenge sometimes. The mulloway have ranged from 65cm to just over a metre. There has been a lot of night-time activity at Flat Rocks, suggesting dhufish are being targeted from the reef, but no catches have been confirmed. Drone fishers who managed to avoid the weed have done well on pink snapper up to 65cm north of Drummond Cove right up to Horrocks. Dongara’s marina has been holding sizable bream, while Geraldton’s Fishing Boat Harbour and the nearby marinas have held bream, tarwhine and flathead.

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

Make sure you have a troll around the cleaner water like Peter Fullarton did this week when you get the chance as tuna have been around in good numbers. If taking them home for a delicious feed, make sure you bleed and ike jime the fish immediately to dispatch them as humanely as possible and put them straight into an ice slurry to preserve the flesh.

Boats

Since the demersal closure a few diehard locals have opted to pull pots for rock lobster when the weather has allowed it, finding some good catches close to town. A little further offshore schools of tuna (mainly southern bluefin) have been passing through the 20-25m depths. It’s a great time to pick a nice day to take the family out for a trolling run while looking for the tuna schools, watching the many whales that are in a playful mood on their annual migration also adds to the enjoyment. Other fishers have been finding plenty to do in the bay, with whiting, squid, snook, herring, skippy and tailor all in good numbers this week. Snook have been hitting everything that moves, including squid jigs, so it is best to keep the expensive squid jigs in the tackle box. There should be a brief window on Saturday morning that looks okay on the forecast but the strong northerly winds will roll through on Saturday arvo before westerly winds and bigger swells make it too rough for a launch on Sunday and Monday.

Shore-based

The beaches suffered from recent storms and have become very steep and soft, making the 4WD trek north of town very difficult. The waters both north and south are very clean and it has been a great winter to see beautiful blue nearshore waters. The weed also hasn’t been as big of an issue as recent years. Over the past week there’s been sightings of tailor reported in the waves, though they can be frustrating at times to get them to bite well. The bay's southern beaches are a great place to cast lures and baits for an excellent spread of species such as flathead, flounder, yellowfin whiting, skippy, herring and tarwhine to name just a few. The local jetty was once again a great spot to grab a feed of herring each night.

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

In Esperance Bay big sand whiting, decent squid and King George whiting to 45cm have been caught, while nice squid and lots of sand whiting have been landed near Lion Island. Good weather had crews fishing far and wide on the weekend with mixed bags of nannygai to 3kg, along with plenty of breaksea cod, queen snapper and Samsonfish to 15kg topping off the day. Some of the better spots were Moby Dick, Baynes Reef and Mondrain Island. Saturday looks like the best day on the forecast this week with lower swell and northerly winds expected.

Shore-based

The Town Jetty has held good numbers of squid, plenty of herring in the day and garfish at night, while Taylor Street Jetty has offered King George whiting. Small King George whiting have been at Bandy Creek Boat Harbour, along with flounder, bream and flathead. Herring have been plentiful at Fourth Beach, which also held big skippy, decent flathead and a few salmon. Blue Haven Beach has fished well for sand whiting and squid have been caught from the rocks there. At Alexander Bay skippy to 3kg have been mixed in with salmon, while Thomas River has also produced big skippy along with school mulloway. Wylie Bay offered herring, flathead and sand whiting, while most of the lakes have been producing bream.

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

Big jig for a big blue eye trevalla off Albany this week for Alesandro Daniele @thereelside. This fish is rated right up there with some of the best on the table and are caught in deeper waters from Geraldton right through to the South Australian border. Like a buff bream on roids, except they don't taste like an ashtray.

Boats

Crews made the most of the excellent weather window last weekend. Most boats launched from town, Hartmans Beach and Cheynes Beach with most doing well on the usual reef species. Queen snapper, nannygai and breaksea cod were in good numbers but not so much pink snapper, while some cracking dhufish were caught. A big blue groper was also landed near Vancouver Rock. A couple of kayakers braved big swells and got there share of demersals as well, mainly pink snapper, queen snapper and breaksea cod, but also fox fish and harlequin fish. Good squid and King George whiting catches came from King George Sound. Tonight and Saturday should be manageable in the boats despite a moderate swell and northerly wind but it will become rough from Sunday onwards. A nice weather window could pop up around Wednesday morning.

Shore-based

Squidding has been steady around town with the town marina, Emu Point, Frenchman Bay and Whalers Cove producing a few. Nice King George whiting have been mixed in with herring at Emu Point, while Frenchman Bay has also held King George whiting. Herring and small skippy have been at the town marina. There has been little bream activity in the King and Kalgan rivers and beach fishing has been quiet too, although many of the beaches have been carved up by the big swells.

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

Boats

Despite a good weather window last weekend only a few boats went out, which is strange because skippy should still be on the inshore reefs. Samsonfish and maybe even yellowtail kingfish could also show up in the burley trail. The broken ground out from Bunbury should yield sand and King George whiting. The dirty water has put off many squid chasers, but kayak fishers got among them south of Bunbury and they have been caught in Geographe Bay, which has also offered herring, King George whiting and a few blue swimmer crabs. Tuna are expected to show up in inshore waters around Bunbury, more likely when conditions are clearer, but a few bonito have been reported out wide in Geographe Bay. Sunday arvo is looking like the calmest weather window this weekend but it should glass right off on Tuesday arvo and Wednesday morning.

Shore-based

The decent pink snapper run for shore fishers seems to have dried up, but to be fair the beaches have been fairly weedy. Even big winter tailor and mulloway have been hard to find at their usual haunts such as Preston and Myalup. In Bunbury, herring, tarwhine, small skippy and the odd whiting have been caught at Back Beach and the Dawesville Cut. Bream have shown up in Koombana Bay and at the mangroves near the tornado-damaged Parade Hotel. The Busselton Jetty has been quieter than usual, but a few pink snapper have been caught, while herring and squid have been reliable and skippy have turned up too. Pink snapper, juvenile salmon, herring and skippy have been caught from Dunsborough’s beaches and also at Siesta Park and Abbey Beach. In Flinders Bay, big King George whiting and skippy have been caught not far from the mouth of 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.

@freshwest_ caught and released some fat and healthy brown trout this week in a nice South-West feeder stream, with this mid-40s specimen being plucked from some fast flowing water. If you spot some rapids, make sure you wet a line in the deep pockets downstream because that's where trout love to ambush their prey.

Rainbow trout have been taken on the fly at Honeymoon Pool in the Collie River, while at Wellington Dam and the upper Collie River near the town, redfin perch have been snaffling soft plastics. A few rainbow trout have been caught at the mouth of Nanga Brook near Dwellingup and also in the upper reaches of the Blackwood River. At Harvey Dam, fishers have been targeting areas of flooded vegetation and were catching good redfin perch on worm baits.

Mandurah and surrounds

Mandurah

Boats: There have been good catches of tuna, yellowtail kingfish and Samsonfish from lumps in 30-40m. Trolling deep-diving lures has worked well, as did finding fish on the sounder and using jigs such as Ocean’s Legacy Long Contacts. At the Five-Fathom Bank, chunky skippy have been in big numbers. In the estuary, clearer patches of water have mainly produced herring along with a few tailor and juvenile salmon. It's looking a tad choppy on the forecast this weekend but Saturday is looking like the only manageable day until the wind calms down a bit on Tuesday.

Land-based: A session intended for skippy produced several decent school mulloway for an angler fishing near Tim's Thicket last weekend. Mulloway should be in good numbers this time of year and targeting them on outgoing tides near ocean outlets is a good strategy. Elsewhere, the pickings have been rather minimal over the past week. The Dawesville Cut and the Mandurah bridges have held a few herring, while bream have been active in the estuary’s marinas and canals along with the Murray River.

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: Squid and whiting have been the main fare for boat fishers this week. Squid sizes have improved and they have been caught in a range of depths starting from 2m, with some good ones caught deeper out near the D9. Plenty of squid have also been around the mussel farm and in Mangles Bay, which has also produced King George and sand whiting. Mewstones was another good squid spot with the 10m depths working best and they have been caught in 8-9m throughout most of Cockburn Sound, which also offered King George whiting and a few sand whiting. Broken ground in the Sound, inside of Garden Island and near Mewstones also yielded lots of chunky skippy, while herring have been plentiful at most inshore locations. Saturday is looking like the better of the days this weekend before strong westerly winds settle in so make the most of it.

Land-based: Beach fishing has been a bit of a fizzer this week with no reports of big pink snapper, greenback tailor or mulloway coming in. Long Point has however been reliable for herring in the day and chopper tailor in the mornings and evenings. A few sand whiting and herring have been caught at the Penguin Island boat ramp and herring have been plentiful at Woodman Point, with garfish mixed in on calmer days. The Ammo Jetty has offered squid and a few herring, while Palm Beach and Rockingham jetties have produced squid, herring and chopper tailor. The rocks at Henderson have produced King George whiting and 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

@saltfix spotted some midwater Sambos on the sounder and it was a surface lure that enticed this fish to come up and make the strike. There were good reports of Samsonfish turning up around the inshore reefs such as Mewstones and Stragglers this past week so brace yourself for a potential forearm burn if flicking lures into the whitewash.

Boats

The highlight of last weekend’s catches would have to be the WA All Tackle Record swordfish (which took out pic of the week), caught by renowned billfish anglers the @sendnbend_sportfishing crew by dropping a squid down deep into the Perth Canyon behind Rottnest Island. Rottnest has produced plenty more decent catches too, including yellowtail kingfish at the West End, decent King George whiting around Phillip Rock and good squid in Thomson Bay. The bigger squid seem to be in deeper water, anywhere between 8-13m depths. The stretch from North Mole to Port Beach has also produced plenty of squid in 8-9m and they have been in reasonable numbers inshore of Hillarys and around South Fremantle. One of the more popular squid jigs this year has been the Shimano Clinch Jet Boost in Banana Chartreuse. King George whiting have been caught in threes and fours around Windmills and off South Beach, but just north of Windmills good numbers of sand whiting have been caught and they have been thick in 10m depths at Gage Roads as well. Nice King George whiting have been caught at the Three-Mile Reef, along with skippy and the odd Samsonfish, while smaller KG's in better numbers have been caught in 10m off Hillarys, along with herring and the odd big flathead. More King George whiting and squid have been caught inshore at Two Rocks in 5-10m depths. Chunky skippy have been hanging about Rowboat Reef and Stragglers, where small yellowtail kingfish and big tailor are a chance if you can get past the hordes of herring. If you're wanting to punch out in the boats this weekend Saturday morning is your best bet as the stronger swell and westerly winds will return from Sunday onwards.

Shore-based

Long-time weekly fishing report reader Isaac Pierson decided it was time to make an appearance this time, courtesy of this lovely 44cm flatty plucked from the sand in Burswood during a sunset session. A great fish for a dedicated fisher, awesome work Isaac and a great snap taken by his dad Ben!

Good pink snapper have been taken from North Mole, especially when the swell has been up, while on calmer days some nice squid have been taken closer in near the service station. Pink snapper have also been taken from the Mindarie rockwall and from northern beaches. Herring have been in good numbers around Cottesloe and they have been firing in the mornings at South Mole. Other good squid spots have been along Capo D’Orlando Drive and at the Fremantle Sailing Club rockwall, which has also held herring and sand whiting. A few garfish have been mixed in with the herring but mostly herring have been beating them to the bait. Tailor fishing has been relatively quiet, but nice fish have been taken around Quinns. A few big tailor are still kicking around in the Swan River with several nudging 50cm taken on surface lures near Canning Bridge. Bream catches have improved slightly but the fish have remained widespread throughout the middle of the system. Canning Bridge, Garratt Road Bridge, the Causeway and Maylands have been worth a go. Flathead catches have tapered off although a few turned up around Burswood, while king prawns have been dabbed from the water police jetty in North Fremantle on the outgoing tide at night. Fremantle Harbour has held a few herring along with scaly mackerel and a few yellowtail. Saturday morning is your best land-based window as the strong westerly winds forecast until Wednesday will make casting a challenge.

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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