Fishing Lure

By Seamus on 7/10/2025 5:03:43 AM • Rank (1) • Views 2
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Recfishwest Newsletter
Recfishwest
Fishing Report
04/07/25
Another great snap of the metro mullet migration from skilled photographer @mat.kleczkowski.photography. 
Our contributors
Sam Bock
Sam Russell
Jarrad Lawford
Sedin Hasanovic 
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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!  

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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 are now rivalling Aragorn for sword mastery at this rate. This great fish was plucked from the depths off Exmouth and it looks like a cookiecutter shark latched on to this sword before the lads did. 

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UPGRADE YOUR SKILLS WITH A BLADE

Want to upgrade your skills with a blade and get the most out of your fish? Check this video out! 

A common complaint in popular coastal towns is seeing good meat wasted at cleaning stations — fish poorly filleted, with wings, cheeks and backbones often left behind. Not only does this show a lack of skill, it’s a missed opportunity for a great feed.

In this video, Konway Challis from Fillet Fish Australia shows how simple techniques can help you maximise your catch and minimise waste.

Before you hit the road, be sure to download the Recfishwest App so you’ve got up-to-date fishing rules, bag limits, marine park zones, and eating quality info — even when you're off the grid.

And for everything you need to know about respecting the fish, the places you visit, and your fellow fishers before your next trip, check out our new Responsible Fishing Guidelines here. 

Broome catches
A quick arvo sesh for @marcy_bei turned into this solid northern mulloway straight out from town!  

Boats

Strong winds this week churned up whitecaps in Roebuck Bay and ruled out a lot of offshore fishing, which had been going really well for Spanish mackerel and sailfish. In the Bay itself, most fishers stayed in very close targeting bluebone off Entrance Point, while the Fingers along with Barred and Crab Creeks produced a few small barramundi, blue-nosed salmon and mud crabs. Thankfully it won't be howling easterlies again this week although this weekend will see them return across both days. Both Saturday and Sunday evening look okay for a fish, but Monday through to Wednesday should hold better conditions for the boaties. 


A 117cm beauty of a barra landed by @marcuslonghurst on the 6.5" Shimma! 

Shore-based

Cooler weather has slammed the brakes on barramundi activity in the Fitzroy River with just a few small fish reported from Telegraph Pool. Barred and Willie Creeks have offered a few mangrove jack and queenfish, while the Town Beach Jetty has been packed out with anglers who have done well on blue-nosed salmon, queenfish and whiting. Cable Beach has been too exposed to the elements for whiting chasers this week, who had been doing well last week, while at Gantheaume Point good queenfish have been landed and Spanish mackerel have been seen jumping.

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
There was no shortage of big Rankin cod around the Ningaloo Reef this week, with @un_professional_travellers finding plenty of big slabs off Winderabandi Point. 

Boats

The strong easterly winds have eased, but most of the action on the west side has been in the south. Most of the best action was around Pilgramunna and the Lefroy passages, where Spanish mackerel have been plentiful. Small black marlin and sailfish have also been firing inshore, but goldband snapper numbers have been down around the 100m depth mark. Thankfully a few pearl perch have been in the mix in these areas. The 60-100m zone has been best for Rankin cod and the odd red emperor has turned up as well. Spangled emperor, cod and small trevally have been active in the lagoons, while a few small Spanish mackerel have been taken from the back of the reef. Crews have had some good sessions over at the Muirons, where spangled emperor have been plentiful and coral trout have been firing in 14-30m. Spanish mackerel have been quiet, but sailfish have been in good numbers with Blue Horizon charter clients picking them up on bottom rigs along with some nice red emperor. Blue-lined emperor turned up on the shoals in Exmouth Gulf and they have been landed with red-throat emperor and Rankin cod. Tuna schools have been feeding not far out from the town marina, while squid fishing has improved. Fly-fishers on the offshore flats struggled with the wind, but they did well on mainstream species including spangled emperor, golden trevally and queenfish. This weekend doesn't look too bad on the forecast for the boaties albeit with some lighter north-easterly winds expected. The west side should be more pleasant than the Gulf across the weekend before the moderate southerly winds and swell take a spike from Tuesday onwards. 


With the wind coming in from the east throughout most of this week a lot of fishers opted to target the west side and @wa_fishing managed to hook this nice mangrove jack right at his feet. 

Shore-based

Good queenfish have been caught at Bundegi and a few have been landed from the marina’s ocean-side rock wall, where a Spanish mackerel was also caught this week. Squid have been on the outside wall as well and they have also been taken from the industrial area. Inside the marina saw bream, cod, mangrove jack and even a couple of Rankin cod caught this week. Whiting numbers in the Gulf have dwindled, although a big school was parked at Bundegi this week. They are still worth a crack though and some solid garfish have been swimming with them. Learmonth has held whiting too, along with bream and the jetty has fished okay for squid. Queenfish have been going hard down that way too. Cod, bream and small trevally have been in Wapet Creek, while around the wrecks and the lighthouse bluebone have been firing and spangled emperor have been active. Tantabiddi has yielded cod, trevally and 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! 
 

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Wildtrak has also kindly donated 10 lithium battery jump starters valued at $600 each that we will randomly award to one lucky Recfishwest premium member each month, perfect for bringing your car, ute or boat back to life! Click here to become a Recfishwest premium member. 

By shopping with Wildtrak, you’re backing Recfishwest’s mission to protect and enhance WA’s fishing lifestyle, so make the most of these epic sales!
 
Kalbarri catches
Shimano ambassador @nickihuntfishing with a nice longtail tuna courtesy of a Sardine Ball Flashboost. 

Boats

Spanish mackerel have been active straight out from town and along the cliffs. Surprisingly, pink snapper and dhufish have been hard to find and a lot of the pinkies have been just-size. At the Three-Mile Reef, Rankin cod and estuary cod have been landed, while crews fishing north from Bald Face have picked up big baldchin groper. Saturday is looking like the only inviting day on the forecast this week with a low swell and light east to north-easterly winds. Expect that swell and wind to take a sharp rise from midday on Sunday. 

Shore-based


Ballooning was the way to go this week and @habib.mohseni.984 landed some cracking Spaniards during nicer weather windows. 

Baits and lures thrown out at Siphons have produced tailor to 70cm, while good tailor action was enjoyed at the river mouth also. Balloon fishers who battled swells at Wagoe this week were rewarded with a few Spanish mackerel, while at Lucky Bay good tailor were caught along with mulloway to 10kg. Red Bluff has produced a few tailor, but those chasing garfish there have caught mainly herring. Kalbarri Offshore and Angling Club members did well in the Murchison River last weekend landing a couple of decent mulloway and a 3kg tailor, which was caught well up river. A few mud crabs have been pulled up from the marina jetty, while bream and cod have been active in the same areas. Whiting fishing from the Sand Spit has been slow.

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
Gero local @mat.svenson proving you don't need to venture too far offshore to wrangle in some chunky pink snapper. 

Boats

Crews heading towards African Reef have picked up decent dhufish and big baldchin groper, while professional crayfishers at the Abrolhos Islands report the waters have been thick with various tuna species and Spanish mackerel. Saturday is looking favourable if you wish to duck out in the boat. Outside of that is looking rough as guts this week with the high swells and wind running wild. 

Shore-based

Mulloway have been fishing very well at West Bank, with the odd tailor mixed in including one in the mid-60cm range taken just north of there on a lure. Mulloway have also fished well from the points at the Greenough River mouth with good fish around a metre being taken by baitcasters targeting chopper tailor in the evenings on days when the weed has dispersed. The points have also held lots of pike. Also at Greenough, the little beach favoured by surfers behind the caravan park has been a mulloway hotspot this week, especially the southern end. In Geraldton itself the town rock walls and Fishing Boat Harbour have produced chopper tailor, a few pike and small whiting. The north side of the Batavia Coast marina has produced mulloway to 1.2m, while inside saw mulloway in the 60-80cm range caught along with pike, herring and the odd squid. Weed has been a challenge in the bay at Drummond Cove and north of there, but on good days pike, herring and mulloway have been caught in a range of sizes. Down Dongara way reports persisted of tailor in the 70-80cm range being landed north of Seven-Mile Beach.

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

This week saw a good bump in the number of baldchin groper catches, with the coral patches across a range of depths producing good numbers. Fishers chasing dhufish did best in the 30m+ depths further offshore. Pink snapper popped up at times in close, but the best numbers and sizes were encountered further out at the shelf, where they were in thick numbers. After the storms this weekend the pinkies are expected to come lurking in close and in much better numbers. Inside the bay, the water has been quite clean which has provided a lot of fun for those ducking out in the tinny. There were lots of skippy, herring, King George whiting, snook and squid turning up, but given the wild conditions coming in this might shut catches down temporarily with dirty water expected. Very early on Saturday morning should hold a brief window to duck out, but other than that the conditions are looking pretty treacherous for most of this week. 

Shore-based

The beach fishing has been rather productive over the past week, with some beautiful mulloway and sharks caught on the high tide around mid-morning. Tailor were in low numbers, but the sizes of those being caught was impressive, with plenty of fishers reporting one or two 50cm+ fish caught (a reminder that you can only keep two tailor over 50cm in size). There was also a fair few smaller 40cm+ tailor caught in the bay off the beaches. Evening sessions off the jetty was producing herring under the lights. Sand whiting have been in excellent sizes off most 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
We're past the halfway mark of the @southernsports_tackle Chase the Kraken comp and there are brilliant catches popping up all over town from the boats and off the jetties. There is still plenty of time to sign up and head out for a flick and 1st prize is currently sitting at $1,204 cash and $450 of squid jigs! 2nd prize is currently $516 cash and $300 of squid jigs and the more people that enter, the more that prize pot goes up! 

Boats

Good numbers of nannygai have been caught at Leg of Lamb, while big queen snapper have been landed at Sunk Rocks. Breaksea cod and Samsonfish have been taken at Douglas Patch, while live baits have accounted for big Samsonfish at Woody Island. Big sand whiting have been caught off Chapman Point, while Lovers Cove yielded sizeable King George whiting. Squid with tubes around 40cm have been caught in Esperance Bay. Saturday should be manageable for the boaties and there might be another chance on Sunday, but apart from that the swell and wind looks ugly across this entire week. 

Shore-based

Good mulloway and gummy sharks have been caught out west at Whale Beach and Warrenup, while mulloway have been reported at Munglinup. Salmon and skippy have been prolific at Roses and 14-Mile Beach, while salmon have been thick at Fourth and Salmon Beach also. Wylie Bay has offered sand whiting and flathead, while good numbers of King George whiting have been caught in Bandy Creek Boat Harbour. Afternoons and nights spent at the Town Jetty have rewarded fishers with lots of big squid.

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 OG Muss in black/blue is a safe bet for wrangling in a few solid bream up river, with @danp92 reeling in some nice 40cm+ specimens. 

Boats

Dirty water in much of King George Sound was a downer for many crews, particularly those off Middleton, but good squid and decent King George whiting were taken in clearer waters in Frenchman Bay and off Limestone Heads. Pink snapper have been caught in quite shallow water off Peaceful Bay, Cheynes and Parrys, while the coral ground offered pinkies along with queen snapper, nannygai and a few dhufish. Deep droppers that got out to the shelf last weekend tangled with eight-bar cod and hapuka. Saturday is the one day that looks friendly on the forecast if you wish to wet a line, but outside of that she's looking pretty diabolical on the forecast. 


A stonker 46cm hood for Matt Wilson in Princess Royal Harbour! Would have been some enormous squid rings from this beauty! 

Shore-based

Herring and skippy have been the main catches at Bluff Creek, while good squid have been caught at Frenchman Bay, Whalers Cove and Quaranup. Salmon Holes, Muttonbird and Sand Patch have held herring and just the odd resident salmon, while herring, skippy and bream have been in the town marina where it’s been worth bringing along a couple of squid jigs as well. With all the brown water in the King and Kalgan rivers and at Emu Point bream chasers have been cooling their heels, but it should clear in a day or two. In Wilson Inlet bream and herring have been caught.

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
@livinginsalt_ was stoked to break in the new 15lb combo on a lovely dhuie plucked from the shallows off our South-West this week. 


Boats

Pink snapper have been active both sides of Bunbury and in Geographe Bay in 5-15m depths with the anchor-and-burley method working well. Plenty of big skippy have been in the burley trail, along with a few Samsonfish, including one that went 1.2m. Weather has restricted many crews from heading further out, but those who had the opportunity picked up a few dhufish. In the 5m depths off Bunbury and in Geographe Bay squid have been active. On the west coast dhufish and pink snapper have been caught close in. Both tonight and very early tomorrow morning should provide some brief windows to duck out in the boat but beyond that looks rather heinous, with strong winds and a high swell arriving from midday on Saturday and sticking around until about Wednesday. 


A proud parenting moment for @tommy_miller91, who helped young Stevie land his first ever fish with this nice King George whiting coming over the side off Bunbury before his other son Joey upraded his PB dhuie with a 9.6kg model. 

Shore-based

Shore fishers haven’t been missing out on the pink snapper action with Preston and Buffalo beaches producing plenty and quite a few coming from the Bunbury Cut. Dalyellup has held heaps of herring and also produced its share of pinkies, while at Busselton Jetty pink snapper have been mixed in with a few mulloway, with the same combo rewarding fishers at Bunbury’s Back Beach. The Dunsborough area has been firing too, offering tailor, herring, skippy, snapper and also the odd dhufish. Squid have been in good numbers at Busselton Jetty also. The Collie River has produced some good bream near its mouth, including a 43cm model caught this week.

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. 

One of the biggest wild rainbows we've seen so far this season from @harleyjaroszz, with the recent rains helping spice up the freshwater action over the past fortnight. 
Recent rain has continued to fire up redfin perch with have been active in Harvey and Wellington Dams, along with the Collie and Brunswick River. Soft plastics have been working well on them. Bigger redfin perch have been caught down Pemberton way, while feeder streams into Lefroy Brook have been holding lots of small rainbow trout. A few rainbows have been caught in the Collie River at Honeymoon Pool and near the wall at Wellington Dam.
Mandurah and surrounds

Boats: Night-time fishers targeting the 40-50m ground off Dawesville have been doing well on big dhufish. A few dhufish were caught at gentlemen’s hours in 15m and also off Tims Thicket. The Five-Fathom Bank has been playing the game for pink snapper chasers who also found big skippy and lots of slimy mackerel in their burley trails. Dhufish and breaksea cod have been reported off James Service Reef, while there have been whispers of tuna schools about offshore. Squid have been running well in the Peel-Harvey Estuary and they have also been taken on the weed banks off Melros and Falcon. Plenty of big herring and a few tailor have been caught along the drop-offs in the estuary. Tonight looks like the last fairly comfortable weather window for a fish along with very early tomorrow morning before the nasty winter weather returns. Wednesday onwards might see better conditions.
 
Land-based: The ocean end of the Dawesville Cut, the town rock walls, Tims Thicket and White Hills have all produced pink snapper and most beaches have held good numbers of herring. Those in the know have been picking up some good tailor around reef structure south of town, but only in ones and twos. The Murray River has held big bream in good numbers, while the town bridges have held a few herring and lots of small tarwhine. The Dawesville Cut has held mainly herring, but it could be worth a crack for squid when the water is clear.
 
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: Pink snapper were the main game and they have been plentiful at their usual haunts for crews anchoring and throwing in burley. Most of Cockburn Sound, the D9, the Sisters, inside of Garden Island, off the grain terminal, along the Garden Island causeway, off Woodman Point and behind Penguin Island have all been firing and the burley trails have attracted skippy to 50cm and Samsonfish as well. Some big mulloway have also been pulled out of Cockburn Sound. Squid have been down in size but were in reasonable numbers in 5m depths in Mangles Bay and on Parmelia Bank and these locations should also yield herring, sand whiting and King George whiting. Both tonight and at sparrows tomorrow morning is your best bet to duck out before it becomes wet, windy and choppy. Wednesday onwards should hopefully see calmer conditions. 
 
Land-based: Secret Harbour, Port Kennedy and Long Point have fired for pink snapper and also produced a few school mulloway, herring and sizeable winter tailor. The rock walls were quiet for snapper this week and Woodman Point and the Ammo Jetty produced mainly herring. Rockingham and Palm Beach jetties offered more variety with herring, skippy, whiting and chopper tailor in reasonable numbers. Land-based squidding has been slow due to the dirty water.

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
Despite the cold and stormy conditions, mackies are still doing the rounds off Perth and we wouldn't be surprised if @corrie.fish now speaks fluent Spanish. Just behind Three Mile off Freo and both west and south of Rotto have been the more productive spots recently. 

Boats

Despite some reasonable weather windows turning up at times it’s been pretty quiet on the boating front for the metro area. A few pink snapper and skippy have been caught at the Three Mile Reef. The odd pink snapper and dhufish has been taken off Ocean Reef and Two Rocks, while sand whiting have been caught off City Beach in 8-15m. Squid fishing inshore from Fremantle has been quiet, while Spanish and shark mackerel have turned up west of Rottnest and behind Three Mile off Freo on the troll for those who put in the time and looked for bait near the surface. Only the mad keen fishers will be out tonight and very early tomorrow morning in what looks like the only manageable windows across this week for a fish. Sunday right through to Wednesday looks dismal on the forecast, but on the bright side there should be plenty of pinkies coming in close with this storm front.

Shore-based


Under the Canning Bridge is a good bet for bigger winter tailor and the mornings and evenings are the best time to target this iconic spot, with @millfishing producing the goods this week. 


The calmer weather slowed the pink snapper activity with not as many fish being taken from the rocks. In Fremantle Harbour, South Fremantle and the Moles herring, slimy mackerel, scaly mackerel and yellowtail have been about and one or two skippy have been caught from the rock walls. The northern beaches have fished a little better for pink snapper and a big mulloway was caught near Alkimos this week. One or two big tailor have been smashing poppers in reef holes around Cottesloe and Trigg, but most tailor have been in the chopper range and have been taken on baits at Floreat and Scarborough. Cottesloe and City Beach have produced sand whiting and herring and most rock walls from Coogee to Two Rocks have also held reasonable numbers of herring. In the Swan River school prawns and blue swimmer crabs have been heading out to sea from the lower reaches and scoop and dab netters have been getting some action. In the river’s middle reaches bream have been mixed in with tarwhine around Canning Bridge and the Narrows with a couple of monster bream landed near the yacht clubs. Around sunrise and sunset under the Canning Bridge also saw some decent tailor landed in the 40-50cm range. Smaller bream have been reported from the Causeway up river, as was the odd mulloway. Both tonight and tomorrow at sparrows are the only possible windows for a land-based flick, but it will likely still be rather choppy. If you don’t mind the rain and wind a pinkie is a solid chance off the local groynes and Moles but make sure you wear a lifejacket if attempting this and put your safety first as those rocks will be very slippery.   

A big thanks to Compleat Angler Nedlands for their great tips! These guys are all avid fishers, know the best spots for every particular species and have provided great support to Recfishwest and metro fishers for many years. Make sure you ask their super friendly team for advice at their store just off Stirling Highway and stock up before wetting a line off the land or boat! 

 
 
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