Fishing Lure

Recfishwest Newsletter

View this email in your browser

Recfishwest
Fishing Report

15/11/24

In great news for West Aussie abalone fishers, the upcoming West Coast abalone season will see the reopening of the stretch of coast north of Moore River up to Greenough River, in addition to the rest of the fishery through the metro down to Busselton Jetty.

It means around 16,000 licenced WA abalone fishers can enjoy exploring more coastline for Roe's abalone between Busselton Jetty and Greenough River Mouth this season.

This season, abalone fishing sessions have been set for the following Saturdays between 7am and 8am:

14 December, 2024;
11 January, 2025;
1 February, 2025;
15 February, 2025.

NOTE - Mid-West abalone fishers should note this extended coastline north of the Perth metro area will not be patrolled by Surf Life Saving WA (SLSWA) volunteers. so we encourage fishers to have personal safety at the front of their minds, if walking or diving the reef this summer.

Find out more and see SLSWA's safety tips 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!

All hell broke loose when this cracker of a trevally decided to punch it straight into the mangroves after smashing Brody Sutton's fly in Exmouth Gulf! Thankfully a team effort got it in the net for this quick snap before letting it go to fight another day.

Your fishing photos

If you want to be included in our weekly Statewide Fishing Reports, message your best fishing photos and a description to our Instagram page @recfishwest.

Send photos

Changed your email?

If so, please e-mail our Membership Officer your new details and mention your name, old email and new email address in order to keep receiving the State-wide Fishing Report.

Change e-mail

DONATE TO OUR RECFISHWEST MOVEMBER TEAM TO RAISE MONEY FOR MEN'S HEALTH!

Help eight of the most manly men at Recfishwest raise money for a great cause by donating to our Movember team - The Brown Lip Abalonely's!

We're growing some almighty slugs, some look like we've been growing them since puberty, but we are dedicated to the cause.

Every dollar helps, and you will be helping us make a difference to raise awareness of men's health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men's suicide.

We've raised nearly $3,000 - help us double that and make us feel more masculine, even if some of our mo's don't look it.

DONATE TO THE BROWN LIP ABALONELY'S HERE!

Broome catches

The Tackle World Broome crew certainly made the most of the last week of the FADs being deployed off the coast before they came in for maintenance, with the devices going out with a solid bang. Sailfish, marlin, dolphinfish and wahoo were running wild to round out a great season and DPIRD are planning to redeploy the devices around March next year.

Boats

Last weekend boats headed offshore and made the most of the Refishwest FADs before they were pulled out, landing sailfish, wahoo, dolphinfish and even a black marlin that went 130kg. It has been quiet in Roebuck Bay but schools of mack-tuna have been seen near the port. Both Dampier and Crab Creek have offered threadfin salmon and barramundi along with a few mud crabs. The Fingers has been hit and miss this week, but when bait can be found it has usually fired for threadfin salmon and barramundi. Winds look favourable this week for a fish on the boats but expect a bit of rain and potential storms towards the end of this weekend into early next week.

Shore-based

The Broome and Derby interclub barramundi competition is being held in the Fitzroy River this weekend and not surprisingly the better spots are being kept secret but the usual Telegraph Pool or Langi Crossing are usually reliable options. The tides are a bit tricky over the next few days so areas with little tidal influence are expected to be targeted. Fishing in Broome has been quiet, but the Town Beach Jetty has offered bream, small trevally and queenfish, while bigger queenfish have been landed at Entrance Point.

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

Mike ventured out with Maccy Dave and they managed to rustle in a couple of fat mackies via trolled garfish. Maccy Dave caught hundreds of Spaniards over the past year and has mastered the tactics behind it, so make sure you book in to one of his sessions out on the yak to experience catching this great species.

Boats

There were good afternoon weather windows in Exmouth Gulf which saw nice catches of Rankin cod and coral trout on the Shoals and at King Reef. Good queenfish, cod and blue-lined emperor have been caught in the shallower waters of the Gulf, while further out tuna and mack-tuna have been active. A few cobia have been hanging around the bottom of the Shoals. Inshore waters saw squid and whiting fishing improve. The Muirons have fired for Spanish mackerel in the 15-20kg range and giant trevally, while the 40-60m depths have offered red emperor and coral trout. Inshore billfishing has been quiet on the west side but a few dolphinfish have been picked up by those trolling for black marlin and sailfish. A couple of wahoo were landed at the FADs and they have been spotted in good numbers this week. Out wide blue marlin catches have been reasonable when the weather has been decent. Goldband snapper have been prolific in 80-120m depths out west, while the 200-240m depths produced big cod and ruby snapper. Helby Bank has been holding Spanish mackerel and school mackerel, while just off the lagoons spangled emperor and Chinaman cod have been in good numbers. Sunday morning at this stage on the forecast looks best for a fish out on the boats with gentle south-westerly winds but Monday right through to Wednesday also look inviting.

Shore-based

The Gulf has been fishing very well for queenfish, whiting and bream. At Learmonth decent trevally have been among these species, while at Bundegi bigger queenfish have shown interest in live baits and whiting have been abundant on the flats. Mangrove jack were caught in the marina along with small cod, bream and trevally. School kids have done well on the jacks by burleying with mulies then sending down a piece of mulie on an unweighted hook. The marina’s outside wall has produced squid and queenfish. Squid have also come from the rocks at the industrial estate and at Learmonth Jetty. From VLF bay around to the Lighthouse spangled emperor catches have been improving, while the odd bluebone has been taken on fresh crab baits. Golden trevally and smaller giant trevally have also shown up at times. At Tantabiddi, queenfish, spangled emperor and blue-lined emperor have been caught.

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

Crayfishers have been having a troll along the cliffs after pulling their craypots but nothing much happened in the way of pelagic activity. As for crays, there have been plenty of them but quite a few have been berried or tar-spotted, so make sure these go quickly back to the water. Dinghy fishers have been heading across the river to fish at Oyster Reef where they have picked up decent tailor. This weekend isn't ideal for the boaties but very early on the mornings between Tuesday and Thursday look better.

Shore-based

With the strong sea breezes this week mornings have been the go for tailor chasers. Those baitcasting garfish baits or throwing poppers at Back Beach have been catching tailor to 50cm, while better tailor have been landed at Chinamans. Red Bluff and Wittecarra have held mainly smallish chopper tailor but big whiting have been in good numbers there and the odd small mulloway has been caught. North of Oyster Reef saw fishers on quad bikes land school mulloway and tailor. Big tailor and the odd pink snapper have been caught from the cliffs, while in the lagoon between Wagoe and Lucky Bay big tailor have been taken. In the Murchison River nice bream and the odd sizeable mangrove jack have been caught from the marina jetty, while chopper tailor have shown up there in the evenings, and also at the Sand Spit. The latter has also offered a few whiting but the sizes have been nothing special. Mud crabs have been active in the river as well and a few ink stains have appeared on the marina jetty suggesting squid could be worth targeting, especially at night.

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

Boats

Early sea breezes haven’t done boaties any favours and there’s been very little interest in chasing pelagics or squid. Plenty of pots have been dropped for crayfish, while those diving for crays have struggled to find clearer patches of water but when they have they been catching big jumbos. The boats will be staying dry this weekend with big swells and wind but a window could open up on Monday evening.

Shore-based

While beach fishing has been patchy with weed a problem, by far the outstanding catch this week was a 24kg mulloway landed near Lucys. North of Lucys the occasional pink snapper has been caught from the beach, while a regular annual visitor to Geraldton battled weed and caught lots of school mulloway. Only the odd tailor turned up between Greenough and West Bank. One fisher landed a couple of sand snapper in the 2-3kg range in this stretch which fight hard. A fisher who bought an Assassin rod was pleased to have christened it by landing a baldchin groper around the 4kg mark at Coronation Beach this week. In town, the small groyne near the Sail Inn has drawn plenty of anglers in the evenings, believed to be targeting chopper tailor and pike. The north side of the marina at Dongara has attracted herring and tailor chasers, while inside the marina saw yellowtail and just-sized tailor caught.

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

Peter Fullarton managed a typical-sized pinkie for this time of year via the drone drop, with this 4kg specimen smashing the bait around 200m offshore.

Boats

Saturday morning will see Lancelin Angling & Aquatic Club holding a herring competition followed by a lunch time cook up. The social comps have been very popular keeping the club going during the demersal ban periods. The next one is scheduled in a fortnights time getting the big boats heading out wide to check out the Lancelin FAD’s. Smaller boats and kayaks have been enjoying some beautiful calm mornings catching herring, skippy, flathead and king george whiting. There were a few large squid caught over the sea grass late in the afternoon and the tailor come on the bite around sunset. The 2m swell and strong winds are hanging around so land-based might be your best bet. Monday morning looks best at this stage.

Shore-based

Herring, skippy and tailor have been biting well off the jetty from sunset throughout the night. Beach casters have been finding the cycle has turned to a summer pattern with calm mornings and strong afternoon breezes, low swell has allowed the seaweed to settle and not tangle lines. Smaller chopper tailor have dominated the catces this week. There’s been lots of tarwhine in the gutters and anywhere near reefy ground. It is certainly time to break out the drone and send some baits out, with a lot of snapper activity around 150-250m from shore. Small whaler sharks have been active at night along the beaches.

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

They might fight like a wet sock, but Harlequin are always a welcome sight for fishers in Esperance on the boat or land. If you're land-based fishing this weekend, keep the sand between your toes though as the Bureau of Meteorology have put out an alert for possible dangerous rock fishing conditions over the next few days.

Boats

Big Samsonfish have been caught at Mondrain Island, while nannygai to 3kg have come from Giant Rocks. Big pink snapper and queen snapper have been landed at Red Island, while Observatory Island has held blue groper and harlequin fish. Big sand whiting have been taken at Twilight Beach behind the surf club, while pink snapper have been caught at Pot Rock. Good numbers of squid have been taken in Esperance Bay and at Cook Rocks. This weekend looks a little rough with Sunday looking better out of the two days, but later next week could see better conditions.

Shore-based

Gummy sharks and mulloway have been caught at Israelite Bay, while the old jetty there has produced some big King George whiting. Thomas River has held skippy, mulloway and gummy sharks, while gummy sharks to 15kg have been landed at Tagon Beach. Dunns and Rossiter beaches have offered salmon and big flathead, while 14-Mile and Roses beaches have yielded salmon and big skippy. Salmon have also been taken at Salmon Beach, Fourth Beach and 10-Mile Lagoon. Sand whiting and big herring have been caught at Chapman Point, while the first stretch of Wylie Bay has offered flathead, skippy and whiting. King George whiting have been active on the weed line at the town foreshore, while Bandy Creek Boat Harbour has held flathead and small King George whiting. The Town Jetty has held garfish and squid, while Taylor Street Jetty has offered King George whiting and squid during the day. Bream to 40cm have been caught 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

Squidding has been good throughout King George Sound with Middleton Beach fishing especially well in 5-10m. King George whiting catches in the Sound have been reasonable also. When the coral ground has been accessible pink snapper, queen snapper and breaksea cod have been caught in good numbers. Pink snapper and queen snapper have also been caught off Cheynes Beach, with squid and King George whiting taken in good numbers closer in. With excellent conditions last Sunday kayakers launched off the coast and a couple did well on nannygai, queen snapper, breaksea cod and dhufish. Doesn't look too great on the forecast this weekend but Wednesday or Thursday looks decent at the moment.

Shore-based

Beach fishing has started to pick up a bit with Sand Patch and Shelley Beach producing herring and whiting. At Cheynes Beach herring, sand whiting, skippy and the odd salmon have been caught. The King and Kalgan rivers have been steady for bream chasers and a few mulloway have turned up as well. The town marina and Emu Point have offered herring, whiting and squid, while Frenchman Bay has yielded squid and a few small King George whiting. We recommend keeping the sand between your toes this weekend and sticking to safer fishing locations, as the Bureau of Meteorology have issued an alert forecasting possible dangerous rock fishing conditions from Augusta to Israelite Bay.

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

The yellowfin whiting are really starting to fire up in the flats, with a lot of fishers spotting the golden flashes in ankle deep water around the Lechenault Estuary. Plenty of small surface lures can get the job done so cruise into the South-West tackle stores for the best tips. Image: Geographe Camping & Tackle World.

Boats

Pickings have been slim but out from Bunbury near the artificial reef skippy and Samsonfish have been responding well to burley. Big mulloway often show up at the reef between seasons, so putting out a fresh fillet or live bait there could be worthwhile. Elsewhere, tuna schools have not been as prolific as in recent weeks. Water visibility has improved for those diving for crays and pot pullers in 30m have reported a few whites starting to show up. In the Leschenault Estuary dinghy fishers have found plenty of chopper tailor and herring when trolling. Squid, King George whiting and sand whiting have been the main catches in Geographe Bay, where the odd tuna school is still about. Kayakers launching from Dolphin Road in Geographe Bay have had to work hard for feeds of squid and King George whiting but cleaner water had the best catches. Sunday has a low swell and low to moderate easterly winds so it could flatten out for the boaties.

Shore-based

Yellowfin whiting have been widespread in the Leschenault Estuary where they have been hitting small vibes and surface lures. A new lure that has been working nicely is the Asakura Tiny Clammer in the pipi colour. At the Bunbury Cut, the groynes and black rocks at Back Beach herring and chopper tailor have been caught in good numbers. This was also the case at Buffalo and Belvedere beaches. Preston and Myalup beaches have been quieter than usual, although a couple of big mulloway were landed around Myalup recently. Land-based snapper fishing has been quiet but with crayfish starting to get on the move and octopus feasting on them, a shore-caught dhufish is not out of the question, especially down Dunsborough way. Most rocky headlands around Dunsborough have produced herring and yellowfin whiting have started to show up on the flats at Elmore Road and Quindalup. The storm drains between Busselton and Dunsborough have held bream, while a few blue swimmer crabs have been scooped or caught from jetties and ramps in Geographe Bay. Shore-based crayfish divers have started to do better at Dalyellup and Forrest Beach. In the Collie River bream and soapy mulloway to 80cm have shown a liking for soft plastics, while at Busselton Jetty squid have been thick and quite a few Samsonfish have been landed, often caught on fresh squid baits.

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.

The Bushrats crew had a long awaited prowl in our South-West for some fat redfin perch and came up trumps this week. No one has cracked the 50cm+ challenge though, so make sure you get out there and find the beast for a red-hot crack at taking out pic of the week.

At Harvey Dam kayakers trolling small hard-bodied lures have been picking up rainbow trout in the 30-40cm range. Further south it has been a good time to target trout with the Preston River, Glen Mervyn Dam, Wellington Dam and Collie Gorge recently stocked with brown and rainbow trout. Waroona and Drakesbrook Dam have fished well for mainly rainbow trout, while in Lefroy Brook near Pemberton fly-fishers have done well on rainbow trout. Wellington Dam has continued to produce big redfin perch, while Harvey Dam has held a few as has the Collie town site. Redfin perch have also been taken from McKail Lake in Albany.

Mandurah and surrounds

Mandurah

Boats: Trolling in the estuary has been productive for tailor, herring and juvenile salmon, while inside the Five-Fathom Bank good sand whiting have been pulled out of the holes in 6-8m. Behind the Five, Samsonfish have been active along with a few tuna and the odd yellowtail kingfish around 75cm. Good King George whiting and skippy have been right on the Five and sizeable KG's have been in good numbers out from Dawesville as well. Crayfish have gone quiet but this should heat up in the next few weeks. Midday on Sunday might hold a brief weather window but later next week looks best on the forecast for the boaties.

Land-based: The Dawesville Cut and the Mandurah bridges have been fishing well for herring, juvenile salmon and chopper tailor, while yellowfin whiting have been widespread in the estuary. The Serpentine and Murray rivers have continued to fish well for bream and soapy mulloway. Beaches both sides of town have started to produce decent chopper tailor and a few juvenile salmon have been mixed in with them. Most beaches have offered herring and sand whiting.

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 King George whiting have been the main species targeted and once again the usual spots have delivered. Inside of Garden Island, Mangles Bay, Parmelia Bank and off Woodman Point have all fished well. With the warmer days squid chasers have often done better fishing a bit deeper, in 8m or so. Sand whiting to 30cm have also been mixed in with their King George cousins, especially at the back of Penguin Island. Skippy in the 30-40cm range have been consistent off the Garden Island causeway, while Samsonfish have been stretching arms behind Garden Island. A few yellowtail kingfish have been caught out towards Five-Fathom Bank. Around midday on Sunday doesn't look too bad but expect a bit of chop on the water.

Land-based: Tailor fishing continues to be consistent at beaches including Long Point, Secret Harbour and Port Kennedy. Lures such as Halco Twistys and CID Shiversticks have worked best in the mornings, while mulies have got the job done in the evenings. School mulloway have often been mixed in with the tailor, while during the day local beaches have produced herring and sand whiting. At the Penguin Island spit herring and whiting have been caught, along with the odd flathead and flounder. Rockingham and Palm Beach jetties have been holding scaly mackerel and yellowtail scad, along with herring and squid. Woodman Point has held herring and garfish and the Ammo Jetty has produced herring and squid. Point Peron has also been a good land-based squid option.

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

Archie and his Pop went fishing just north of Hillarys on Sunday morning and on the last cast of the morning Archie reeled in this cracker of a 50cm flathead. Onlookers were high-fiving Archie as it was the best catch seen on that beach that morning! Great stuff mate!

Boats

Whiting and squid have again been the main targets this week and good numbers have come from the bays at Rottnest Island, off South Fremantle, the Windmills, off City Beach and on Success Bank. Bigger King George whiting have been caught at Rottnest, while the other locations have held a mix of smaller KG's and sand whiting. Squid have been at all these locations and also off Hillarys. Samsonfish have been in good numbers at the back of Rottnest and also off Ocean Reef with poppers and live baits accounting for plenty. Rottnest’s West End has offered a few tuna and at times sizeable yellowtail kingfish. Tailor have been worth a crack at Stragglers, while good numbers of chopper tailor have been taken on small trolled stickbaits in the afternoons in the Swan River. While the weather isn't perfect this weekend, it might be manageable for a duck out on Sunday morning until midday. Wednesday onwards should see these winds finally ease off.

Shore-based

Not bad for a midday mulloway in the Swan! Jake Rotham managed to land this healthy croaker on 12lb gear using a 70mm vibe in the upper reaches. Just shows how healthy our metro waterway is at the moment.

Tailor catches have become more consistent from metro beaches. Cottesloe has held a few as has Grant Street, City Beach, Hale Road, Trigg and the northern rock walls, along with lots of herring. Chunky tailor have been taken at Floreat too, but only at first light. The beaches have also held lots of herring and good numbers of sand whiting. Drone fishers have been getting pink snapper on northern beaches. Herring, skippy and squid have been taken at North and South moles and from the rock walls in South Fremantle. Herring have been thick in Fremantle Harbour at times, along with a few yellowtail scad. Tailor fishing has waned a little in the Swan River but good fish have been taken downstream from the Narrows with Claremont, Como, Canning Bridge, Applecross, East Fremantle, Point Resolution, Matilda Bay and Point Walter among the better spots. Plenty of yellowfin whiting have been sighted in the river’s lower reaches but few are biting, while those wading the flats have noticed blue swimmer crabs have begun to appear in better numbers and sizes ahead of the season opening on December 1. Flathead and flounder catches continue to improve in the lower Swan with better spots including Applecross, Alfred Cove, Point Walter, Bicton, Claremont and Mosman Bay. Flathead have been in good numbers up river as well with the Narrows, the Causeway, Burswood, Redcliffe, Belmont and Maylands all producing and even a few flatties pushing as far up as Guildford. Soapy mulloway have been harder to catch in the Swan and the key has been finding bait around structure, so bridges are a good starting point. Bream are still scattered throughout the Swan and Canning rivers and once again structure is fishing better than the flats.

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

This email was sent to <>
why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
Recfishwest · 3/45 Northside Drive Hillarys · Perth, WA 6025 · Australia

Only registered users may download. Registration is free.

Map Location