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Recfishwest
Fishing Report

08/11/24

A big week for the south coast fishing community - but we have secured a better outcome for fishers in South Coast Marine Parks.

As a result of the thousands of local fishers making their voices heard, we’ve got a much better South Coast Marine Parks outcome for fishing than what the Government originally planned.

Thanks to our united efforts, the Government accepted more than 80 per cent of the key points raised in our submission. So if you were one of the passionate fishers who also made a submission asking for a rethink of no fishing zones proposed in more than 20 much loved fishing spots like Warrenup, Poison Creek, Thistle Cove, Trigelow and many others – you’ve got what you asked for.

It means WA fishers and future generations can continue to enjoy fishing in these much-loved areas. Recfishwest will continue leading efforts of the cast of thousands to protect fishing and the huge benefits it provides to West Aussies.

To see what we asked for in our submission and what we got, click here.

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!

Considering this dogtooth tuna was the species Troy Moore @mooreys_adventures was after yet this specimen was "not the size we wanted" off the Karratha coast - we would love to have seen what other donkeys were down there! Great fish on the spear nonetheless!

Your fishing photos

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Broome catches

The aptly named tripletail pulls like a train as @celestemcdonald discovered this week in the bay. If you see a bit of mooring, floating weed or debris, flick a plastic around it as tripletail love to lurk around structure.

Boats

Crab and Dampier Creek have been consistent for barramundi and threadfin salmon catches have improved there as well. Both creeks have also held mud crabs with most of them full of meat. Fishing for barramundi and threadfin salmon has also picked up at the Fingers but a bit of exploration is often needed there. Roebuck Bay has been pretty quiet, but northern mulloway have been taken from the lumps and ledges, while tripletail have been caught around the moorings (as pictured above). Those westerly winds will stick around this week but thankfully they are generally low to moderate in strength. Saturday currently looks best on the forecast for this weekend.

Shore-based

Town Beach Jetty has been popular since the closure of the Port Jetty and has rewarded fishers with consistent catches of small trevally and queenfish along with the odd bream. Willie Creek has produced mangrove jack and the odd barramundi with soft plastics working best. In the Fitzroy River the tracks have been treacherous at times and the weather unpredictable which has caught a few fishers out, but barramundi have been taken at the ever-reliable Langi Crossing and Telegraph 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

A solid PB queenfish for Simon this week on the Exmouth Gulf flats. Simon had to wrestle it out of the mangroves which is no easy task given their speed and power. A great snap courtesy of @ningalooflyfishing.

Boats

Fishing the west side has been a real struggle but a few of the bigger boats ploughed through the slop to target blue marlin out wide with mixed success. A few wahoo were among the bycatch. Boats that targeted the Exmouth Reef and North West Reef did well on Spanish mackerel and the odd sailfish. Many crews then headed to the Muirons where they found red-throat emperor and spangled emperor in the shallows west of the south island. Good cobia were encountered between the Muirons and Long Island with a charter landing 20 cobia in a day. A few sailfish have been taken from the tip of Exmouth Gulf, while on the Shoals in the Gulf spangled emperor, bluebone and a few coral trout have been caught. For coral trout, soft plastics and live baits have worked well, while Nomad Squidtrex vibes have been a good choice for the other species. The odd Spanish mackerel has been taken in the Gulf from Bundegi to Learmonth and school mackerel have been widespread and in good numbers. Better squid spots have been north of the sanctuary zone near the naval pier and off the light industrial area. It's looking pretty rough for the boaties this week and staying inshore or further down within the Gulf might be your best bet, with 2m swell and moderate southerly winds hanging around for a while. The mornings are your best bet.

Shore-based

Fly-fishers have been doing well on the flats in Exmouth Gulf, catching queenfish and golden trevally around Bundegi and bluebone at the Mildura Wreck. The tip of the Cape (especially from the naval pier to the lighthouse) has also produced Spanish flag, spangled emperor, bluebone and the odd coral trout for those casting lures or baits. The flats around Bundegi have held some good queenfish, especially on the higher tides, while mangrove jack, whiting, trevally and squid have also shown up. Learmonth has produced good queenfish as well, along with whiting on the flats. Good sessions on queenfish have been enjoyed from the outside wall of the town marina, which has also been a reliable spot for squid. On the Inside of the marina, bream, trevally, cod and mangrove jack have been caught with the fuelling jetty and the floating platforms good spots to target the latter. Fishing the west side has been difficult, but sheltered pockets in Coral Bay further south have produced excellent numbers of flathead and the fence line near the national park has produced a few queenies and the odd spangled emperor.

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

It was fly-fishing heaven for @thetidaltale crew north of town in Shark Bay this week, with big schools popping up in the sounder in only 10 metres of water. Using an 8wt with the fast sink line to get the fly down into the zone didn't take long for the strike.

Boats

A few crews have been trolling lures along the cliff fronts targeting tuna or Spanish mackerel, but no catches have been reported yet. Those dropping craypots have been doing well, although they have found plenty of tar-spots among their catch so make sure these critters are carefully released. Quite a few boaties have headed across the river to fish Oyster Reef and have picked up decent tailor and a few pink snapper. The constant 2m swell and strong southerly winds roaring through from around 8am every morning this week will make it tough, but aim for a very early morning send if you plan to duck out this week.

Shore-based

Tailor catches have been steady along the Red Bluff to Wittecarra stretch, with a few dart mixed in as well. Schools of herring have been sighted there also. One or two pink snapper have been caught at Red Bluff, but Mushroom Rock and Pot Alley have been more consistent spots for them and have produced big tailor as well. Decent tailor have also been caught at the Back Beach. In the Murchison River, yellowfin whiting have been taken on the incoming tide at the town foreshore, the Sand Spit and at the river mouth. A few mud crabs have been pulled up around the town marina which has also held small chopper tailor in the evenings, while bream fishing has been good around the rocky outcrops further up river. At Wagoe, plenty of good tailor have been caught along with one or two pink snapper.

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

Trying to find a weed-free gutter has been difficult this week around Geraldton but thankfully @mat.svenson managed to find this solid mulloway regardless!

Boats

It’s been another dismal week for boating activity, but at the Abrolhos Islands very big squid have been taken. Closer to town divers have been doing well on crayfish but only a few good reports have come from pot-pullers. The weather isn't looking good for the boaties again this week with higher swells and strong southerly winds expected, land-based is looking like a more comfortable option if you can manage to find a spot that's not weeded out.

Shore-based

Tailor catches have been patchy. There have been some turning up north of Drummond with a few caught on the reef there, with herring of various sizes mixed in. Back in Geraldton, the Point Moore to Fishing Boat Harbour stretch has held tailor and whiting. Weed has been a problem at Tarcoola and Southgates but those prepared to wade out past it have found a few tailor in the mornings. Tailor have been caught north of the Greenough River mouth and off the rocks, with a few school mulloway plucked from the weed on the north side. The north side of the Batavia Coast marina has offered a few squid. The big surprise has this past week has been the cracking run of robust garfish, often called storm gars, which have shown up at Drummond Cove. As well as being caught on the traditional float and small piece of prawn method, they have been smashing a range of lures including the smallest-size Nomad Squidtrex vibes in gold colour, 3g Halco Twistys, 50mm imitation prawns and even flies. These healthy gardies have been hailed as excellent fighters on light gear, so definitely give this a crack while they are there.

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

Offshore anglers have been catching southern bluefin and skipjack tuna. There was plenty of plump sand whiting from around the 20m depths, although northwest blowfish have been a nuisance (use pliers when de-hooking, their teeth are incredibly strong). Small boats and kayaks fishing the bay have been catching some decent herring, with most catches coming from the southern end of the bay. Casting soft plastics or vibes to broken ground has resulted in some very good flathead crossing the 50cm mark. Activity in the cray pots has dropped off, with fishers now waiting in keen anticipation for the upcoming whites run to kick off around November 20. While this morning held a brief yet good window, it's looking like it might have been the last comfortable opportunity for the boaties this week with some stronger southerly winds and 2m swell coming through from this afternoon. Land-based might be the way to go with Sunday morning looking best at this stage.

Shore-based

The beaches around the southern bays have been rewarding anglers with lots of action, a good number of tarwhine have been smashing baits and lures in a wide range of sizes and these were mixed in with some thumping bull herring and chopper tailor. The big herring have been plentiful in the evenings off the jetty and are making a comeback along the surf beaches. While tailor were not in huge numbers, they have been in good condition and were biting throughout the day. Some awesome big blue spotted flathead have been a common bycatch.

Big 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

Click on the image above to see our South Coast Marine Parks submission 'scorecard' and if you want to see DBCA's final interactive map of the final marine parks plan, click here.

Boats

Thumping sand whiting have been caught at Wylie Bay towards Lion Island, while big King George whiting have been lurking in the corner of the bay as well. Lion Island and Sweep Rock have offered Samsonfish and queen snapper, while Figure of 8 Island has yielded nannygai and breaksea cod. Nannygai to 3kg have come from Giants Rocks, while pink snapper and the odd dhufish have been caught at Baynes Reef. Plenty of squid have been in Esperance Bay and at Cook Rocks. This morning saw the calmer easterly winds but the conditions will become a bit more choppy from this afternoon with stronger easterly winds and a swell of 3m+ expected this weekend. The next best window for the boaties is looking like Tuesday morning at this stage on the forecast.

Shore-based

Poison Creek and Thomas River have fished well for mulloway and gummy sharks on the high-tide change, with the shallower gutters fishing better than the deep holes. Dunns Beach has offered smaller gummy sharks and plenty of salmon, while Roses Beach has held mulloway, salmon and skippy. Fourth Beach has been going well for salmon, as has 14-Mile Beach. The edges of the weed patches just off the town foreshore have held King George whiting, while Twilight Beach and Wylie Bay have yielded good sand whiting. Lots of squid have been caught at Lucky Bay, while the Town Jetty and Taylor Street Jetty have offered squid and garfish. Woody Lake has fished well for bream, while Bandy Creek Boat Harbour has held King George whiting and flathead.

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

The @outback_breamer_baits crew found fish gathering in cleaner water and the little mussel vibe in black gold was the key for pulling 40cm+ beast out of the structure. This 45cm model was just one of at least six 40cm+ models landed.

Boats

Strong easterlies restricted boat fishing but in the sheltered parts of King George Sound good catches of squid and reasonable numbers of King George whiting plus a few sand whiting were achieved. Thankfully, the boating conditions should gradually get much better as the weekend progresses with some glorious conditions expected on Sunday and Monday, get out there if you have the time!

Shore-based

The King and Kalgan rivers have started to fish much more consistently for bream and soapy mulloway catches have started to pick up there as well. Strong winds have restricted beach fishing, but sheltered areas around town have offered bread-and-butter species. Squid have been in reasonable numbers at Whalers Cove, Frenchman Bay, Emu Point and the town marina. Herring and small King George whiting have been caught at Emu Point with small strips of squid baits working best. Frenchman Bay has held small KG's and the town marina has offered herring and skippy among the many pickers.

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

Trudy Morehouse @squidqueen.wa made the most of some better conditions in water with great visibility off Busselton. Your odds of landing squid with always improve with cleaner water, so keep moving around until you see easily visible broken patches of weed and sand and then drift over it with your squid jigs.

Boats

Swells and strong south-westerlies have kept most boat fishing on hold. Even in the usually reliable Geographe Bay King George whiting and squid have been hard to find. For Bunbury fishers, the best bet looks to be waiting for a weather window either to target tuna a few kilometres offshore, or to stay in close and try for squid, herring skippy and whiting. Dinghy fishers trolling in the Leschenault estuary have been getting small chopper tailor. The sea breeze swinging through in the afternoons has brought a lot of choppy conditions with it and this week is looking no different. Aim to head out in the early mornings during the calmer south-easterly winds if you're planning on wetting a line over the coming days.

Shore-based

Just when things were looking to fire up the weather has hit the pause button. Last weekend’s warm days produced good numbers of yellowfin whiting for those wading in the Lechanault estuary casting surface lures and vibes, but that activity has since slowed right down. In the Collie River small bream and soapy mulloway to 65cm have been taken on soft plastics and vibes, while Dalyellup has produced sand whiting and nice flathead. At the Back Beach and the Bunbury Cut small tailor, herring, skippy and tarwhine have been in reasonable numbers with burley being a big help. Beaches north of town have been very quiet, offering just-size tailor and herring. Busselton Jetty has held plenty of squid with a few herring and the odd Samsonfish taken in the deep water at the end.

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.

@collie_yak had a cracker of a session with Zane Davey on Wellington Dam this week, where kayakers have had the advantage by being able to drop plastics down into deeper waters where the 40cm+ models lurk. If you land the magical 50cm+ redfin perch, make sure you take a snap and send it in because that will be a shoe in for pic of the week.

Wellington Dam has continued to produce monster redfin perch with slabs of 40-50cm being pulled up from the deeper water. Once again, kayak fishers have been in the box seat. Smaller redfin have been in Harvey Dam, while around Collie the water is a little murky and bright-coloured lures or those with rattles have been more successful on redfin. One of the stand-out lures has been the red, white and gold Tsunami. Trout chasers have picked up some nice browns in the 35-43cm range on small hard-bodied lures at Honeymoon Pool on the Collie River. The trout have been active right on the surface, so they also should be amendable to a well-cast fly. Drakesbrook Weir and Waroona Dam have been fishing well for rainbow trout, many of which have been taking flies.

Mandurah and surrounds

Mandurah

Boats: Some big King George whiting in the 50-60cm range have been taken in the 20m depths towards the Bouvards, while the 30m line has been holding schools of tuna. Skippy have been caught just inside the Five-Fathom Bank, along with heaps of sand whiting and some small King George whiting. Fishers in the estuary have been finding lots of tailor and herring. Water visibility has improved for divers chasing crayfish, but catches have been a bit quiet as they have been in their shedding phase. Cray catches are expected to improve once the whites run kicks off at the expected date of 20 November. Staying inshore looks to be the more comfortable option this week as the persistent southerly winds will make it a tad choppy on the water. The mornings look better.

Land-based: Cooler weather has slowed yellowfin whiting activity in the estuary but on warmer days they have been hitting lures with gusto. With the cooler and cloudy weather they are more likely to be in areas with entrances to larger bodies of water. Bream chasers have found their quarry further up the Serpentine and Murray rivers this week and a few soapy mulloway have been mixed in with them. Herring and small chopper tailor have been the main catches at the Dawesville Cut and the bridges have also offered those species along with juvenile salmon at times. A few squid have been caught at the Dawesville Cut now that the water has become a little clearer and they could be worth targeting at sheltered beaches that have weed banks just offshore, such as Falcon and Avalon. Tailor fishing from local beaches has been underwhelming, but herring have been in good numbers and a few sand whiting have been about. With a few patches of dirty water still around it is hoped mulloway will fire up, while similar conditions south of town could bode well for pink snapper chasers around White Hills.

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: King George whiting catches were very good over the weekend especially around Garden Island. Squid also fished well with good numbers coming from Garden Island, Mangles Bay, Parmelia Bank, Cockburn Sound and out from Woodman Point. These spots have also produced good numbers of sand whiting and herring, and skippy have been on the broken ground. Schools of tuna have been spotted behind Garden Island. The mornings look best with the calmer south-easterly winds expected but aim to duck back in before the 11:00am sea breeze comes roaring in as it should do so very quickly this week.

Land-based: Tailor fishing has been nice and steady with plenty of 35-40cm models being caught at dawn and dusk at Secret Harbour, Long Point and Point Kennedy. With the mullet schools starting to pass by and gutters starting to form off the beaches, big mulloway are expected to show up alongside the school mulloway that have been mixed in with the tailor. Most beaches have held good numbers of sand whiting and herring, which have been taking small pieces of prawn, while near the grain terminal the warmer days have produced a few yellowfin whiting for lure casters. The Penguin Island sand spit has thrown up sand whiting, herring, a few flathead and flounder, while the jetty there has produced squid. Woodman Point has held herring, garfish, small tailor and a few squid, while the Ammo Jetty has been thick with scaly mackerel and the odd slimy mackerel has shown up as well. Palm Beach and Rockingham jetties have held plenty of herring, chopper tailor in the evenings and a few squid at night, with soapy mulloway and the odd bigger model also a chance there. Point Peron has produced a few squid in the more sheltered areas.

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

If you enjoy your cray fishing around Rottnest, the Old Man Blue and Gage Roads Rottnest Cray Competition is kicking off on Saturday, 16 November and there is a bunch of categories to choose from along with some cracking prizes to snare. It's open to @waunderseaclub members and you can find more details by clicking here.

Boats

King George whiting have turning up in decent numbers lately and good fish have been caught in a wide range of depths from 3-30m. Crews anchoring and using burley have caught mainly smaller KG's, sand whiting, skippy and herring, while those opting to drift have come across bigger King George whiting. Better spots for King George whiting have been the bays at Rottnest, Carnac Island, the Windmills and off Two Rocks. Sand whiting have been in good numbers at the Windmills too and mixed bags of whiting species have come from Hillarys, City Beach and Cottesloe. Squid have been another a popular target and best results have come from crews fishing a little further away from the mouth of the Swan River, in areas such as Coogee, Hillarys and Mindarie and inshore at Rottnest. Stragglers should be worth a try for herring, tailor and skippy. This morning saw nice flat conditions for those lucky enough to duck out, but the next best window is looking like early on Sunday morning at this stage. Only the bigger boats are expected to venture towards Rottnest or further out this week as it should be pretty choppy with those consistent southerly winds.

Shore-based

The red-hot flounder action in the Swan River just won't cool down and we had to do a double-up on the snaps! Catches were reported from East Fremantle right up to Burswood by both spin and fly fishers, with avid fisher Isabella Tan @castawaybell (left) landing several big fish and 12-year old Bodie Blackwell (right) stalking this 38cm flounder with dedication for 30mins before finally enticing it to strike! Casting into the deeper drop offs and working it back over the shallows seems to do the trick.

The Swan River has been a hive of activity, teeming with dolphins and baitfish at times. Tailor fishing has continued to be excellent with fish up to 60cm being taken from structure and drop-offs at the Narrows, Canning Bridge, Como, Claremont, Ardross, Blackwall Reach, Point Walter and Matilda Bay. In the lower Swan a few snook have been mixed in with the tailor schools. Good flounder have been taken at Point Resolution and in Mosman and Freshwater bays. Flathead have been widespread and most fishers are picking up between one and five per session, with nice flatties taken at the Narrows, Claremont, the Causeway, Bicton, East Fremantle and Point Walter. Yellowfin whiting have been ghosting the flats in the lower reaches and better spots for them have been Bicton, East Fremantle, Claremont and Freshwater Bay. Small Nomad Squidtrex vibes and Ecogear ZX vibes have worked well on them and a few have fallen to micro jigs. Good bream have been taken on mussel lures and soft plastics alongside the Causeway bridges, while on the Maylands flats bream to 35cm have been pulled out from among the rats by fishers slowly rolling hard-bodied lures. Soapy mulloway have been caught at the Causeway and further up river. Fremantle Harbour held heaps of herring and underneath the floating weed drifting through the harbour have been good numbers of small squid. Areas around the harbour and the Maritime Museum have held plenty of yellowtail scad which have been caught on baitchaser rigs. Tailor chasers have done best at Cottesloe and the northern beaches, the latter of which has been holding a few whiting as well. A few just-sized pink snapper turned up at North Mole early this week, along with a few tailor and herring, while South Mole has fished well for herring and squid. Early on Sunday morning also looks like the best window for land-based fishers but expect that strong southerly sea breeze to swing around from the calmer easterly wind quite rapidly.

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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