Fishing Lure

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Recfishwest
Fishing Report

25/04/25

You would be forgiven for thinking these are salmon, but in reality there are huge schools of mullet working their way up the West Coast at the moment as seen in this brilliant snap from @mat.kleczkowski.photography this week. They are rather difficult to catch, but many fishers swear by using the smallest hooks you can find and bakers dough for bait, with just enough to cover the hook. They are very finicky and easily spooked, so light line is the way to go.

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!

Was great to see our free loan lifejackets being put to the best possible use recently on the South Coast by @southern_surfcaster and his mates! The Oceans Legacy 40g Slingshot did the trick to land some chunky southern bluefin off the rocks. If you're ever wetting a line off the stones, make sure you play it safe and always wear a lifejacket. Don't have one? Check out our free loan lifejacket locations across WA by clicking here.

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Broome catches

It was a pretty average session for @good_dhu_dhu and his mate Scott on Lake Kununurra until this 109cm chrome beast decided to make the reel scream. The boys may have drunk too much vodka afterwards in celebration but fish like this are worth the hangover!

Boats

The Fingers has produced the odd threadfin salmon and small barramundi, but Crab Creek has fished better for threadfin salmon to 80cm along with small barramundi and mangrove jack. Mud crabs have been reasonable numbers in all the creek systems. Dampier Creek has produced good salmon at times, but was not as consistent as Crab Creek. Small Spanish mackerel and decent tuna have been picked up in Roebuck Bay and tripletail have been taken around the moorings. One crew that went out wide last weekend picked up big cod, Rankin cod and coral trout and then fished in close off Gantheaume Point and rounded out their bag with some sizeable bluebone. The moderate southerly winds are picking up over the weekend before stronger easterly winds settle in from mid-next week. Both Saturday and Sunday evening could hold decent windows.

Not bad for a first threadfin salmon for @nickihuntfishing on 80 Mile Beach this week! The Shimano Saragosa 14000 made easy work of this solid fish.

Shore-based

Mozzies have been doing most of the biting on the banks off the Fitzroy River, but barramundi chasers have managed to land a few at Telegraph Pool. Sizeable trevally have been taken from the Town Beach Jetty, along with the odd smaller queenfish, while better queenfish and a few trevally and bluebone to 50cm have been caught by those wading out at Entrance Point. Gantheaume Point has produced a few bluebone and some good cod, mainly on squid baits, while Willie Creek offered mangrove jack and small trevally. Good threadfin salmon have been caught at Eighty Mile Beach (as seen with Nicki Hunt’s great fish).

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 cheeky cobia for @jesse._.sutton aboard @shallowwatersafaris this week near Exmouth!

Boats

Billfish activity on the west side of the Cape has slowed a great deal and even the ever-reliable goldband snapper lumps in 80-100m have struggled to produce. A few dolphinfish and the odd wahoo have been caught at the FADs, while Rankin cod, a few coral trout and red emperor have been in the 40-60m depths. Spangled emperor were scarce in the lagoons at Tantabiddi, while Helby Bank has been exceptionally barren. The Muirons have been considerably better. Spanish mackerel have been in reasonable numbers and red emperor, Rankin cod and coral trout have been active as well. Spearfishers have been getting into the action also and a solid jobfish was speared there this week. In Exmouth Gulf, squid fishing has continued to improve in close but at the Shoals it’s been on the quiet side. Blue-lined emperor, small coral trout and school mackerel have showed up at times around there though and a big slab of a mulloway was pulled up from the lumps this week. The boating weather starts out nice from Saturday and will only improve throughout the week.

@graceyycolarusso with a cracker of a longtail tuna putting her arms to the test in Pilbara waters over the long weekend!

Shore-based

A lovely queenie for @claterz putting some sing into the reel this week. The Exmouth Gulf flats are a handy place to fish for these beauties considering they are in awesome numbers and you can take a dip to cool off after the fight!

Whiting catches have rewarded holidaymakers on the flats at Bundegi, which has also produced queenfish and trevally, while at Learmonth Jetty and the nearby flats there have been lots of small trevally, bream and a few squid, There’s been no surprises in the town marina with bream the main catch and one or two mangrove jacks being picked up at night. Spangled emperor have been much harder to find at Tantabiddi and they have been scarce around the wrecks and the Lighthouse as well. With conditions improving into next week we expect this action to spice up.

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

Wagoe was the place to be for ballooners chasing Spanish mackies recently, with a strong easterly wind allowing fishers like @brodie_copey to easily tease baits above plenty of fat and healthy fish.

Boats

Pelagic action has slowed a little, but good Spanish mackerel and the odd big tuna have been caught around Bald Face and Sand Patch. Demersal catches have improved with plenty of pink snapper, dhufish and Rankin cod being caught north of town and straight out wide. At Lucky Bay crews have tangled with good Spanish mackerel. The moderate easterly winds are hanging around and they should drop down up until mid-next week, so get out there while it is favourable.

@b_3n_ji and his son Isaac had some topwater fun out from Kalbarri this week, landing this nice tuna while trolling a Halco Laser Pro on the way out to Sand Patch before Isaac hooked a breaksea cod on the bottom. They also had a drop in the Murchison River just up from the marina and went home with a chunky mud crab - mixing up your catch done correctly!

Shore-based

Red Bluff and the cliffs have been fishing well for pink snapper, while the Bluff and Wittecarra have offered excellent tailor fishing in the mornings, with many holidaymakers bagging out on chunky choppers. A few big dart have been swimming with the tailor. At the river mouth bigger tailor have been caught in the evenings, while a couple of good mulloway have been hooked and lost. A mulloway chaser who battled weed and swells landed a couple of decent cobia this week at an undisclosed location. At Wagoe, balloon fishers and droners have done well on Spanish mackerel. In the Murchison River chopper tailor have been plentiful in the evenings around the marina jetty, while bream and cod have been active there and as far up river as Castle Rock. Giant herring to 45cm, javelinfish and fingermark have also been caught in the system, along with mud crabs between the marina and Castle Rock. A few yellowfin whiting have been taken from the Sand Spit, but the flats on the other side of the river have been fishing better for them. Conditions are looking great again for ballooning with the easterly winds lurking around and given the Spanish mackerel action this past week Wagoe would be a great option.

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

A first yellowfin tuna for @mat.svenson off the yak just off Gero this week! Mat got to enjoy the awesome buzz of seeing these fish busting up right next to his kayak before this fish smashed his stickbait.

Boats

Good mixed bags of demersals have come from the 20m depths south of town with dhufish, baldchin groper and sweetlip dominating catches. West of town in the 40s saw dhufish and baldchin groper as the main catches. On the pelagic front various species of small tuna have been active towards the Abrolhos Islands, while the lumps of Coronation have produced the odd Spanish mackerel and decent yellowfin tuna. With the 2m swell and stronger easterly winds hanging around it should be manageable to duck out. Wednesday onwards should be better for the boaties.

Sophie sorted dinner after landing this cracking coral trout on a Halco Laser Pro 160 in the Abrolhos Islands! Make sure you try shallow frying coral trout skin on its own (scales on) in oil at a red hot temperature for a couple of minutes, it turns into some of the best crispy seafood crackling and is a very underrated part of the fish. Image @halcotackle.

Shore-based

Metre-plus mulloway have been taken south of town towards Lucys while a few tailor have been landed there when the weed cleared up. Tailor, sand whiting and dart have been taken from Dongara beaches, while at the Port Denison Marina bream fishing has been patchy but big skippy have been more enthusiastic, with a couple of 45cm models landed along with chopper tailor. When weed-free, Tarcoola Beach has produced whiting and chopper tailor. Coronation Beach has also offered tailor to 70cm after dark along with lots of soapy mulloway. Plenty of people have been crabbing in the Port Denison and Batavia Coast marinas and have been picking up just-sized blue swimmer in their twos and threes. A few squid have been landed north of the Batavia Coast Marina, while inside the marina young anglers who fish there regularly have caught bream to 43cm and skippy to 50cm.

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

Fishers heading west for demersal species were having trouble finding the larger fish. Those fishing 65-80m depths seemed to be finding the bigger specimens. Squid have been well worth chasing along the inshore weed banks with some great catches and they were mostly active at sunrise and sunset. The bay has been a great spot to test your skills on light tackle with some thumping skippy taking trolled or cast lures and there are still plenty of herring around. Tuna have been absent this week, although there are a lot of baitfish up against the bays outer reefs and yellowtail kingfish are feeding in the breakers. Some Spanish mackerel turned up for those trolling south of town near drop offs. Sunday morning looks best for the boaties at this stage.

Shore-based

Tailor have slowed this week and eagle rays have become more active in the shallows. The good news this week has been increasing numbers of the elusive mulloway that have been rather difficult to land at times. Fishers putting in the time and effort have started to find the odd fish, with some specimens crossing the 80cm mark. Tarwhine and herring are also making their presence known along the beaches, picking baits off the hook in minutes, so make sure to bring plenty of bait for a session. Baits like whole herring will deter the pickers for some time and also run the chance of landing a mulloway or snapper.

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

Boats

Nannygai have been prolific at Boxer Island, while big Samsonfish have been landed at Mondrain and Hope islands. Queen snapper to 7kg have been caught at Sunk Rocks, while harlequin fish and lots of breaksea cod have been taken at Black Island. Inshore, King George whiting have been prolific at Lovers Cove and in the corner of Wylie Bay, while monster squid have been pulled up from Cook Rocks. Esperance Bay has held plenty of snook and herring. Saturday through to Tuesday morning is looking nice on the forecast for the boaties.

Shore-based

Gummy sharks and skippy to 2kg have come from Thomas River and Poison Creek, while schools of big salmon have been active in Alexander Bay. Dunns Beach has held small bronze whalers and salmon, while the first section of Wylie Bay has yielded sand whiting, flathead and King George whiting. Roses Beach and Warrenup have been salmon hotspots, while Blue Haven and Observatory Beach have produced sand whiting and herring. King George whiting have been caught in Bandy Creek Boat Harbour and along the town foreshore, while at night the Town Jetty has produced herring, garfish and squid. Woody Lake has held bream to 40cm.

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

Teamwork made the dream work for Jaxx (9) and Oliver (7) on Malimup Beach this week! After sending in this great snap these guys are in the running for some great prizes as part of our salmon photo comp running until the end of May, check out the comp details here!

Boats

Much of King George Sound has cleared of dirty water and some reasonable King George whiting have been landed along with squid, which have been holding deeper than normal. The Middleton Beach area has been one of the better spots. Dolphinfish and pelagic action seems to have dried up around the islands and further out, while only a few boats have made it out to the coral ground with minimal results. The swell is hovering around 3m on Saturday with a low southerly wind, but conditions will only improve from then until Tuesday morning for the boaties.

Shore-based

Mulies have been hard to come by in Albany this week as holidaymakers have been buying up for the salmon run. The beach at Salmon Holes has taken the mantle as the most consistent location for them, but Cheynes has had its moments as well. Nanarup, Cable Beach, Reef Beach and Bremer Bay have also produced, while out Denmark way McGeary Rock and most of Ocean Beach and also Peaceful Bay have fired at times. Lures have worked well at all these locations too. At Cheynes and Salmon Holes a few yellowtail kingfish and the odd Samsonfish have been plucked from the salmon schools, while around the Torbay area pink snapper have been landed. Salmon have been active at Walpole with Ballinger Beach and Conspicuous Cliffs producing (make sure you wear a lifejacket if fishing off the rocks). Cleaner water is likely to have improved fishing at Emu Point where herring, whiting, bream, juvenile salmon and squid are a chance, while the town marina could offer squid, herring and skippy along with numerous pickers. Bream chasers have returned to the King and Kalgan rivers but have found the fishing slow, and it’s been the same on the mulloway front there as well. Reports of herring, squid and small King George whiting have come from Frenchman Bay. Scoopers have been working very hard for a feed of blue swimmer crabs at night in Princess Royal Harbour.

Jafar Al had a cracker of a YTK session off the rocks earlier this week, landing a couple of solid fish with the biggest coming in at 145 cm and 20.7 kg! It's great to see these guys fishing safely with lifejackets and if you are thinking of trying this kind of fishing, make sure you fish smaller swells like these two did, analyse the conditions on arrival, avoid the wet rocks and wear the correct footwear.

Cheers to the Trailblazers Albany crew for their fishing 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

@oskar._.sw and @robs_fishingdownunder had a ripper of a land-based evening pinkie session recently, with casting performing even better than the drone. The duo managed several fish over the 75cm mark with the biggest going 88cm.

Boats

Dhufish have dominated the demersal catches with the 30m-plus depths straight out from Bunbury fishing as well as anywhere. Most of the bycatch has been breaksea cod and the odd big King George whiting. There was surprisingly only a few pink snapper although some good ones have been pulled up from 14m in the shipping channel. Cuttlefish have been thick in the deeper depths, while plenty of squid have been landed in 5-15m. A cuttlefish bait accounted for a big blue groper out from Bunbury this week. Demersal catches have been steady in Geographe Bay, while squid, King George and sand whiting have been the main catches closer in. In the Leschanault Estuary the great summer crab run has showed no signs of slowing down with some crews getting their limit in three runs, even in the middle of the day. Herring and chopper tailor have also been prolific for those trolling in the estuary. The weather is looking glorious on the forecast for the boaties this week so make the most of it.

Shore-based

Beaches from Preston headed south to Bunbury and all the way down to Peppermint Grove have been hit and miss for tailor, but plenty of pink snapper have been landed by both drone fishers and casters. Herring and school mulloway have been among the bycatch, while at Myalup a monster 20kg-plus mulloway was landed. At Dalyellup a few resident salmon have hit the sand and it has held good-sized tailor. Dalyellup has been a good spot for land-based squidding as well. The excitement of salmon catches at Bunker Bay and Eagle Bay has cooled, especially since the big swells arrived midweek, but Hamelin Bay and Deepdene have held them at times. Salmon catches have been more consistent down at Windy Harbour, Warren and Malinup, with tailor, herring and juvenile salmon caught also. Yeagerup and Callcup have produced salmon, but these spots have not been as consistent. At Busselton Jetty bonito, Samsonfish and small yellowtail kingfish have been caught at the deep end, along with herring and squid halfway along. Nice bream have been landed at Wonnerup Inlet. Herring, skippy and chopper tailor have been at the Bunbury Cut, while the Collie River has offered giant herring and soapy mulloway.

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.

Water temperatures have started to cool and a few decent rainbow trout have shown up in the deeper waterways around Pemberton. Finding flowing water over rocks and targeting the deeper pockets immediately behind this has proven to be a good tactic. Redfin perch fishing has been steady with Harvey and Wellington Dams and the Collie River producing a few, while Glen Mervyn Dam has also fished well for some bigger models with soft plastics and small hard-bodied lures getting the job done.

Mandurah and surrounds

Boats: Dawesville and the Bouvards have been consistent for most demersal species, especially dhufish and breaksea cod, while big King George whiting have been among the bycatch. Pink snapper action on the Five-Fathom Bank has been steady, but is expected to pick up with the dirty water caused by the bigger swells. Solid skippy have made up for the lower numbers of pinkies on the Five. Pelagic activity has been much slower, but out very wide the odd shark mackerel has been landed. Crabbing was still good in the Peel-Harvey Estuary, which has also been producing chopper tailor and loads of herring. The forecast doesn’t get much better for boating from Saturday onwards so get out there while you can.

Land-based: Beaches either side of town have offered herring, chopper tailor and sand whiting, while south of town White Hills has produced pink snapper. Good mulloway have been landed from northern beaches such as San Remo and Golden Bay, which have been consistent for chopper tailor. In the Peel-Harvey Estuary scoop netters have found blue swimmer crabs harder to find, while yellowfin whiting chasers have been working harder too with numbers well down but still some very big tings about, especially around the Novara Store and Dawesville sections of the estuary. The Dawesville Cut and the Mandurah bridges have offered mainly herring, tailor 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: Dhufish and pink snapper catches have been consistent towards the Five-Fathom Bank, behind Garden Island and way out to 80m. Pink snapper have also been in good numbers inshore with Cockburn Sound producing good numbers of smaller pinkies along with some solid skippy. A few small dolphinfish have been about the FADs and a couple of big Spanish mackerel were landed out wide this week. A few small yellowtail kingfish have also been out towards Five-Fathom Bank. Tailor and herring have been active inshore, while the good run of blue swimmer crabs in Cockburn Sound has showed no signs of slowing. Also in close, herring, squid, King George whiting and sand whiting have been caught off Woodman Point, in Mangles Bay, behind Penguin Island and inside of Garden Island. The weather looks peachy for the boaties this coming week with nice flat water expected.

Land-based: Long Point, Port Kennedy and Secret Harbour have been fishing well for tailor, herring and sand whiting, while Long Point has been producing pink snapper for drone fishers. Warnbro Beach has produced flathead to 60cm for those flicking soft plastics and the grain terminal and the Penguin Island spit should be worth a try as well. Woodman Point, the Ammo Jetty and Rockingham and Palm Beach jetties have held herring, garfish, skippy and chopper tailor and squid catches have been improving at these spots as well. Point Peron fished very well for squid with a regular fisher landing 14 in 45 minutes on a 3.0 Ocean’s Legacy Ghost Prawn. Swimming out from the Rockingham foreshore to pick up blue swimmer crabs has continued to be worthwhile.

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

Recfishwest is stoked to be backing the Get Reel community fishing comp and family fun day at Two Rocks on 10 May – especially after organisers agreed to broaden prize categories taking the sole focus away from dhufish. The $4,000 top prize is now up for grabs for a ‘mystery length’ catch of any of four key demersals and not just dhuies – a great move for encouraging better stewardship of these recovering species.

To help mix things up further, Recfishwest is chipping in $2,000 in extra prizes for nearshore species like skippy, herring and whiting – also making it a great day out for fishers in smaller boats or tinnies. There’s something for everyone with land-based and junior sections, live music, food trucks, and plenty of fun for the whole family. Click here for more details!

Boats

Demersals have fished well off Hillarys, Two Rocks, Mindarie, Ocean Reef and Rottnest Island with 50m depths being the sweet spot around Rottnest. Dhufish have been much closer in at the former locations north of Perth, with crews fishing into the night picking up some good ones along with pink snapper and tailor only 500m or so from shore. Baldchin groper have been in good numbers in 40m for crews drifting south of Rottnest and off the West End, while the 70m marks have fished well for pink snapper over a wide area. Two Rocks has produced some big King George whiting as has Rottnest. At the Three-Mile Reef, big KGs have been swimming with skippy. Tuna have been caught off Hillarys, while the Three-Mile, North of Two Rocks and Rottnest’s West End have produced Spanish mackerel. The West End has also held tailor and yellowtail kingfish, while tailor have been active in the white-water at Mewstones and Stragglers with anglers using bigger lures to deter the hordes of herring. Marlin have continued to be raised and sighted in the Rottnest Trench, while dolphinfish have been active at the FADs. Also straight out from Mindarie this week a stray longline float in 110m proved an excellent fish attractor and harboured some very sizeable dollies. Squid fishing inshore has been steady off Fremantle, but they have been holding deep at about 9m, so heavier jigs have often been required. Trolling for tailor in the Swan River has been hard work, but a few schools have been active off Applecross. The deeper pockets of the river such as Blackwall Reach and Mosman Bay has produced good numbers of blue swimmer crabs. The weather is looking great for boating this long weekend and into next week so get out there!

Jayson Spencer @onlyfish_js and his mate Xavier enjoyed a nice session off Mindarie this week with this dhuie crossing the 10kg mark to provide a delicious feed.

Shore-based

North Mole fished well for squid before the rain, but the unsettled weather produced some good pink snapper. Herring and skippy have been at both Freo Moles and a bit of burley can usually be enough to get a feed. Tailor at North Mole have been mostly small, but some bigger models have turned up after dark. South Mole has held garfish at times, while the rock walls in South Fremantle have offered small squid, tarwhine and herring. Micro jigs flicked from the Fremantle Sailing Club rock wall have accounted for bream, tarwhine, herring and tailor, while in Fremantle Harbour juvenile Samsonfish around 40cm have been caught on bream gear. Herring and yellowtail scad have been about here too, along with some bigger tarwhine. Tailor fishing has been slow around Cottesloe and Port Beach, but Floreat and Swanbourne have offered a few in the mornings. On calmer mornings nice mixed bags of herring, skippy, sand whiting and flathead have been taken also. Herring have been thick at Quinns Beach, while beaches north of there have produced big tailor to 80cm and a few pink snapper. In the Swan River bream have been active around structure from the Causeway all the way up to Middle Swan. They have taken in the Canning River as well, between the Shelley and Riverton bridges. Tailor, flathead and bream have been caught from the flats around Applecross, but it has been hit and miss. Giant herring to 50cm have been landed in the Swan’s middle sections, often by those chasing tailor. A metre-plus mulloway was pulled up from a jetty in Freshwater Bay on a live bait this week and another big model was plucked from among the soapies in the Redcliffe area. In the lower reaches of the Swan dab netters have been scooping school prawns at night. The forecast this coming week looks great for a land-based flick around Perth so enjoy yourselves!

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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