Albany Boating & Fishing Club Competition!

Albany Boating & Fishing Club is hosting its annual Southern Squid Spectacular on the 20th of June. This is an all-inclusive, family focused event targeting the tastiest, fun to catch cephalopod!

Find out more information here.

@Habib.mohseni.984 had an awesome session on the pelagics. Some on balloon and some with the drone when the wind wouldn’t play nicely.

Peter Fullarton from @TailoredTreks with a little 150m drone drop to supply the goods.

Boats

Most of this week's fishing action was observed from the shore, with wild weather keeping boats firmly on their trailers. As conditions eased late in the week, crews finally managed to get back on the water and were greeted with some encouraging fishing. The bay has been producing well, with good numbers of herring, skippy and squid keeping anglers entertained. Looking ahead, the weekend forecast is shaping up reasonably well, with light winds expected. If you're planning a beach launch, take extra care around the swell, and anyone heading outside the bay should exercise caution when navigating the passages.

Shore-Based

Beach fishers have had to battle heavily eroded beaches and plenty of seaweed in the wash, but those putting in the effort are still managing to find the odd snapper. Tailor numbers remain on the quiet side, although a few quality greenback tailor and the occasional salmon have been landed. The town jetty continues to fish consistently, with plenty of herring on offer and some very respectable skippy turning up for those willing to spend a bit of time soaking a bait or working small lures.

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. Peter knows the best spots around Lancelin like the back of his hand.

@Gidos_fishing_adventures continues to maintain his status as the ledge lord with this breaksea cod.

Boats

Last Saturday proved very fishable with a red-hot bite on nannygai to 60cm at Termination Island, while breaksea cod to 2.5kg were landed at Twin Rocks. Several boats got out to the shelf and scored on hapuka, while closer in queen snapper and harlequin fish were abundant at Charley and Cull islands. Lots of sand whiting were at West Beach, while decent King George whiting were caught at Lovers Cove. There have been plenty of big squid in Esperance Bay.

Shore-Based

Last weekend’s beach-fishing competition produced some good catches with the west side of town faring best. Still there were plenty of salmon eastwards at Dunns Beach and Thomas River, while on the west side 14-Mile and Roses beaches yielded gummy sharks to 13kg, mulloway to 70cm and big skippy. Closer to town the hot afternoon salmon bite has been at Fourth Beach, while Salmon Beach has fired early in the morning. Lots of fat sand whiting have been holed up at Blue Haven Beach, while Bandy Creek Boat Harbour has offered King George whiting, flathead and bream. Sand whiting and KGs have been plentiful among the weed patches in Wylie Bay. The Town and Taylor Street jetties have produced herring, garfish and squid from evenings onwards. Speaking of squid, Southern Sports and Tackle’s popular Chase the Kraken competition is back and running for two months. See the store’s Facebook or Instagram pages for details.

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.

@Jake.pulss having a blast with the squid, tucking into the bay and hitting the weed beds.

Boats

The weekend’s cold front ended what had been a great run of boating weather. Now much of King George Sound is tannin-coloured, shutting down an excellent spate of squid fishing. Finding patches of clean water will be a challenge this weekend and the squid will likely be holding a bit deeper. There may be a few stray salmon around Bald Head, while tuna schools had been active there before the blow. Don’t forget that Albany Boating & Fishing Club is hosting their Southern Squid Spectacular on the 20th of June with loads of prizes up for grabs. Find out more information here.

Shore-Based

Dirty water has quietened things down at Emu Point and Oyster Harbour and the town marina. Bream look to be the best bet at these locations and also in the King and Kalgan rivers. Squid chasers could find the water clearer at Frenchman Bay, where herring and small King George whiting should be about. Salmon chasers have been doing best east of town at Cheynes, Reef Beach and out at Bremer Bay.

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, Trailblazers Albany have loan lifejackets available if you wish to fish off the rocks, but keeping the sand between your toes is always a safer option.

@Oskar._.sw joined a handful of keen anglers who braved cold, wet and windy conditions to get around some pink snapper.

Boats

After the cold front most crews will be hoping to find clearer water inshore from Bunbury or in Geographe Bay. It may take a few days to clear for squid chasers but herring, skippy and King George whiting should respond if a bit of burley is thrown in. Tuna schools could be harder to find but Geographe Bay might hold a few laggard salmon from the back run. The Four-Mile Reef had been fishing well for big skippy and yellowtail kingfish have been spread throughout the bay.

Shore-Based

Many of the beaches, especially those north of town, have had been washed away, often leaving nothing but rock but those that have been fishable, mainly Forrest Beach through to Dunsborough, have fired for pink snapper and the odd mulloway. Weed has made fishing for bread-and-butter species hard work but herring should be active at Back Beach and Dalyellup, with both locations and the Bunbury Cut also likely to hold a few snapper. Plenty of pink snapper were landed from the Busselton Jetty during the blow, along with a few salmon, and, pre-storm, Hungry Hollow had been fishing well for salmon too. In the Collie River bream chasers will be hoping the big influx of fresh water will not result in a fishkill but rather send bream towards the mouth of the Leschenault Estuary. Soapy mulloway are likely to stick around with the bream schools.

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.

It’s always nice when you can pair a camping trip and fishing trip together as @one_worm_tony proves with the stonker reddie.

With streams starting to flow, trout chasers in the Southern Forests should be out and about, while in the upper South West small rainbow trout and the odd better brown have been active in the Collie River and a couple of rainbows have been landed in Logue Brook Dam. They have been caught on flies and small hard-bodied lures. Quite a few trout have been sighted in Drakesbrook Weir and Wellington, Waroona and Harvey dams but hook-ups have been light-on. Redfin perch catches have been good at these locations, though sizes have been modest. Bigger redfin have been caught in the Collie, Brunswick and Capel rivers, with the odd one showing up at Lane Pool. Soft plastics, Mepps and Celta spinners have worked well on the reds.

Boats

Since the storm the inside of the Five-Fathom bank has produced decent skippy and a few small yellowtail kingfish, while tuna schools have been sighted in the 30s and 40s straight out from Dawesville. The back of James Service Reef has produced sand whiting, while those dropping cray pots between the cold fronts have been doing well. The Peel-Harvey Estuary has remained clear and has been thick with herring, while the blow seems to have fired up chopper tailor as well, and a few blue swimmer crabs have been kicking around.

Shore-Based

Pink snapper were the main game over the past week and some good ones were landed at the ocean end of the Dawesville Cut, the town rock walls and up at Halls Head. Further up the beaches have been badly cut up, as has White Hills. For, inexperienced four-wheel-drivers it would be better to go in at Preston Beach, which along with Myalup has produced good pink snapper as well and one or two stray salmon. More sheltered beaches such as Melrose and Halls Head should produce a few herring over the weekend if not too weedy and beaches holding a bit of reef should go well for big winter tailor when conditions improve. The Dawesville Cut has stayed clear and, on the morning high tides, chopper tailor and bream have been hitting bait schools. A few estuary-based squid should be heading into the cut as well. Marinas and canals in the Peel-Harvey Estuary have been holding 40cm-plus skippy, with young anglers having a ball targeting them on micro jigs and soft plastics, while the Serpentine and Murray rivers have continued to produce bream and soapy mulloway. It’s been worthwhile dab netting for school prawns in the estuary after dark.

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!

Cam from @cacwrockingham was one of many who got around the stormy snapper.

Boats

Since the blow inshore waters have gone okay for herring, sand whiting, small King George whiting and skippy. Bigger KGs have been landed behind Garden Island, while tailor have been hanging around exposed reefs and mulloway catches have been reported from the deeper channels. Squid fishing has become a bit harder but finding clear patches and using darker red or gold jigs should produce a few.

Shore-Based

Pink snapper were everywhere just after the blow with good fish landed at Point Peron, the Henderson cliffs, Ammo Jetty, Woodman Point, Palm Beach, Rockingham jetties, Secret Harbour, Warnbro and Kwinana beaches. Pretty much everywhere. They are still around but in fewer numbers. Secret Harbour, Warnbro and Port Kennedy beaches and Long Point should be worth a crack for tailor or school mulloway, herring should be about and the local jetties should hold herring and the odd small tailor. Land-based squidding is likely to be quiet for a while.

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!

@castawaybell with a horse of a mulloway from the beach!

Boats

Squid were in very good numbers before the blow but getting a feed is harder work now. Sand whiting catches had been steady off City Beach before the storm, and they returned in reasonable numbers late this week. Skippy have been on most of the inshore lumps and herring have been about. Tailor, herring and skippy have been caught at Mewstones and Stragglers, while skippy and herring have been in the bays at Rottnest Island and decent KGs have been landed a bit further out. The northern reefs have held tailor as well. Hopefully, tuna and yellowtail kingfish return to the fish towers and Rottnest’s West End.

Shore-Based

It’s no surprise that pink snapper were the main game early this week with the Fremantle Moles, Coogee rock wall, Port Beach and the Hillarys, Mindarie and Two Rocks rock walls firing and producing fish mostly in the 60-75cm range with then odd horse up to 90cm reported. The northern beaches produced pinks and later in the week they threw up some good tailor in the mornings, as did Trigg and Cottesloe. Herring were about as well. In the Swan River, bream have been active around structure at the Causeway, Windan Bridge, Garratt Road Bridge and the Tranby area of Maylands, with a few soapy mulloway keeping them company. A pleasant surprise has been the numbers of solid tailor in the Swan River. Good ones have been caught in the Canning River at Mt Henry and Canning Bridge, while a couple of fly-fishers targeting mulloway at the Narrows this week instead encountered tailor to 60cm. The old Swan brewery has also produced good tailor and the Nedlands, Claremont and Applecross areas could be worth a look as well.

A big thanks to Compleat Angler Nedlands for their great metro 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!