Metro Catches
Picture: If this great metro bream gets you excited, come down to Tackle HQ’s bream info day tomorrow and learn more about catching bream from the experts.
For more info click here
The most encouraging news for boat fishers, and possibly kayakers, who enjoy taking to the waters off Rockingham and Fremantle is the number of pink snapper that have appeared inside the Garden Island to Champion Rock reef line. Pink snapper enthusiasts have reported catching up to half a dozen fish in the 4 to 8kg range during single sessions this past week. While the majority of pinkies were caught at the back of Garden Island and off Carnac Island, there were also some nice schools found within Warnbro and Cockburn Sounds.
Shore-based fishers who took to the northern and southern rock walls during, and just following, the recent storms also scored some nice pinkies together with gummy sharks and mulloway. Squid are still prolific around the weed beds in Cockburn Sound, out from Fremantle and off Cottesloe. Tailor seem to be getting caught in better numbers from the beaches north of Hillarys. The rock walls and jetties are a good starting point for herring and garfish. The back of the reefs around Cottesloe and off Watermans would be worth trying for yellow-eye mullet (pilch), just after a storm. Black bream are widespread in the Swan and Canning Rivers, which is often the situation when there has been consistent rain.
Jetty, Set, Go! – Como Jetty
Today we’ll shine the spotlight on Como Jetty. It’s very accessible, has playgrounds, public toilets, open parks and great fishing! Read more about the Como Jetty and near by facilities here.
Last week we looked at Bicton Baths, in case you missed it click here.
Mandurah and Surrounds
Picture: Another great shot from Jake with his impressive mulloway. These fish take plenty of time and effort to catch so when the reward is like this one, it’s worth it! (Photo courtesy of @jakesfishstagram) For more on how to catch mulloway, click here.
MANDURAH
The Dawesville Cut is still producing plenty of good fishing. Included in fishers’ catch bags are plenty of herring, garfish, King George whiting and skippy. There are also reports of plenty of tailor being caught earlier in the week. Also there have been reports of a few small snapper taken from the ocean end of The Cut, just on dusk earlier in the week. There are still quite a few tailor being taken from the Preston, White Hills, Tim’s Thicket section of beach south of Mandurah. Some of these tailor are quite a good size, with many reported over a kilo in weight. If you’re after a feed of crabs there are still a few in the deeper water in the estuary and another spot worth trying is in the canals. Mary Street Lagoon is also a spot that is worth a look. The areas adjacent to the bridges has been producing a few tailor and tarwhine.
There are reports of a few tailor, herring and sand whiting coming in from the northern beaches and also reports of some larger skippy and tarwhine being taken from these beaches just after the sun is up. There are also plenty of under sized tailor around, which have to be returned to the water as quickly as possible. The best method for release is to use a wet towel to hold the fish so that minimal protective slime is removed. Quickly and carefully remove the hooks and place the fish back in the water – don’t throw it back, gently place it in the water so the fish is fully submerged.
There are still plenty of black bream and it is suggested that fishers looking for them try the lower reaches of the river at the moment, as they appear to have moved down towards the bridges. Also try the canals and the river junction as these spots are producing some good fish.
SECRET HARBOUR / PORT KENNEDY / ROCKINGHAM / SAFETY BAY / WARNBRO SOUND
Fishers in the know are fishing spots that regularly produce good fish and are being rewarded with good snapper and mulloway after dark. Warnbro Sound has also been producing some good catches with some very big sand whiting, skippy, tarwhine and a few snapper. Fishers fishing for tailor have been taking good fish in the 35 – 50 cm range from the beaches to the south of Port Kennedy.
South West Catches
Picture: The temperature has not stopped Craig from heading out and catching this dhuie! “It’s been cold as but the fishing has been awesome” (Photo courtesy of Craig Mather).
The boats that headed out to the Four Mile and Eight Mile reefs, when the weather allowed, scored some nice pink snapper mostly in the 4 to 6kg range. The drop offs out from Cape Naturaliste are usually worth a visit at this time of the season with yellowtail kingfish and samson fish often about.
Expect dhufish to start appearing in good numbers in 20 to 40m of water off Yallingup in the coming weeks. There are plenty of herring and a few nice skippy being caught near the headlands and reef areas situated along both sides of the cape. King George whiting fishing has been good in depths starting at 3m off Quindalup.
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Albany Catches
Picture: Phil is stoked with his 56cm ”nugget” of a King George (Photo courtesy of Phil Jeffrey).
King George whiting enthusiasts, who took to the local inshore waters, reported finding plenty of 29cm to 34cm fish and fair numbers of KGs in the 35cm to 45cm range. The trick to gathering a feed of King George is to frequently move from spot to spot to locate the schools. King George Sound, both harbours, the waters near Michaelmas and Breaksea Islands and out from Two Peoples Bay were among the areas where the popular species was targeted this past week.
Some nice catches of sand whiting were also picked up in these waters and there are a few skippy around nudging 1kg. Squid have unfortunately been on the quiet side with those who managed to score a couple of cephalopods did so in the cleaner waters. The boats that hit the waters out wide picked up mostly small reef fish along the coral in 65m to 85m of water. Red, queen and pink snapper seemed to be the most common species caught together with a few dhufish and the odd samson fish.
Shore-based fishers have been landing pink snapper in the 45cm to 55cm range at the marina following periods of rough weather. The local beaches have mostly been producing bread and butter species including sand whiting, skippy and herring. Salmon are occasionally being caught from the Bremer Bay beaches while a few schools have also turned up at Bluff Creek and Cheynes. Black bream require some searching in the local rivers and, unusually for this time of the season, there are very few mulloway around.
Esperance Catches
Picture: Nannygai is a prized demersal catch commonly sought after on the south coast, it is also one of the oldest with an 84 year old caught off the south coast in 2013, making the fish born in 1929! This particular fish was caught by @bl_ac_ky (Photo courtesy of @paulcunninghamphoto).
The Taylor Street Jetty continues to fish well for an assortment of bread and butter species including herring, squid and 30 to 35cm King George whiting. Bigger King George have been coming from Bandy Creek Boat Harbour together with plenty of herring and a few black bream. Salmon have been appearing in good numbers at Blue Haven, Fourth Beach, Salmon Beach and Fourteen Mile.
Surf fishers seeking big skippy may wish to visit Dunns following the capture of dozens of fish around the kilo mark along there last week. The boats that have been targeting reef fish in local waters have been doing well on nannygai, samson fish, queen snapper and breaksea cod. Several dhufish, big pink snapper and some nice nannygai were picked up out from Hopetoun last week. Bag limits of sand whiting are being achieved by the small boats working the inshore waters, which are also producing some nice squid catches.
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Geraldton Catches
Picture: Up close and personal with a beautiful coral trout caught off Geraldton (Photo courtesy of Geraldton and Districts Offshore Fishing Club).
The boats that ventured out when the weather permitted found dhufish averaging 8kg in the 9m to 18m depths extending from Point Moore and to African Reef. The ground outside Africans has been good for pink snapper while coral trout continue to be found in bigger numbers off Coronation. Spanish mackerel have been picked up on trolled bibbed minnows north of Easter Group and near the Wallabies.
Quite good numbers of mulloway in the 60cm to 80cm range have been caught behind The Lives and the beach stretch heading towards Southgates. Mulloway of similar size have also been coming from the Greenough River mouth to West Bank stretch. Skippy between 35cm and 40cm, herring and yellowtail can be sought from the rock wall in front of the Sail Inn. There are still a few black bream being caught in the Chapman and Greenough Rivers.
Kalbarri Catches
Picture: Robbie Leck at it again with an awesome 75cm tailor (Photo courtesy @robbieleck_fishing).
Big schools of chunky garfish continue to be caught at Red Bluff and their presence has brought about some big tailor and the odd yellowtail kingfish to the area. More tailor have been coming from the nearby beaches and the river mouth. Local young gun, Robbie Leck, caught several tailor to 75cm (pictured above) at Chinamans during a recent session. A customer of Kalbarri Sports and Dive landed two mulloway of 7kg and 4kg at Chinamans last Thursday.
Yellowfin whiting around the 30cm mark have returned to the sand flats of the Murchison. The lower and middle reaches of the system have been fishing reasonably well for black bream, estuary cod and small mulloway. Blue swimmer and mud crab stocks are slowly starting to increase. A 15kg and 13kg red emperor were among some nice dhufish and pink snapper caught in the 30 to 40m depths recently. Spanish mackerel and the tuna varieties remain rather scarce.
Exmouth Catches
Picture: Yellowfin tuna are some of the only fish that are warm blooded, making the mable to control body temperature. This results in large geographical ranges and extra power and speed (Photo courtesy of Dylan Picken).
Game fishing enthusiasts continue to encounter fair numbers of striped and small black marlin off the west coast in depths starting at 100m. Yellowfin tuna between 20 and 40kg have been found beyond the 100m contour while big schools of longtail and mack tuna have been located in a range of depths and areas.
Sailfish numbers are increasing along the west coast and it is anticipated that within a few weeks bigger numbers of the majestic sport fish will appear within the upper reaches of the gulf. Quite a few big queenfish and assortments of trevally are providing some entertaining sessions in the lower areas of gulf and the west coast beaches. Big poppers and stick baits have been arousing big giant trevally close to the reef line. Squid are being caught in reasonable numbers around the marina and throughout the gulf.
Broome Catches
Picture: Golden trevally are one of the better eating northern trevally species, particularly in curries and similar dishes as the meat doesn’t break apart.
Unlike previous years, the sailfish this season are rather dispersed and rarely being encountered in pods of more than two or three fish. Areas where sailfish, and the very odd small black marlin, were found this past week included the waters out from Barred Creek, west of Gantreaume Point and around The Peanut and The Oval.
The boats who targeted reef fish last week picked up a few red emperor in depths starting at 40m, some nice snapper within Roebuck Bay and plenty of bluebone in close. Sailfish between 8 and 12kg have been found in numbers while the bigger fish have mostly been caught without company. Shore-based fishers have been using baits and an assortment of lures to catch queenfish to a metre, bluenose salmon and trevally at Reddell, Demco and Town Beach. Threadfin salmon have been caught in the local creeks while the odd barramundi continued to be snared in the Fitzroy River. Try Crab Creek for mud crabs following reports of good hauls coming from the system lately.
