Metro Catches
Picture: There is some debate over the eating quality of the shark mackerel, but correct catch care such as bleeding immediately and storing in an ice slurry will greatly improve their eating quality. (Recfishwest tip: Try the smoker)
Pink snapper stocks appear to be increasing within Cockburn and Warnbro Sound as the species prepare for their annual spawning event. Good numbers of pink snapper to 10kg were reportedly caught at the D-9 wreck on Tuesday night while plenty of other fish of similar size were picked up near Stragglers and west of Garden and Carnac islands.
Dhufish to 14kg have been responding well to soft plastic and knife jigs in 20 to 40m of water north and northwest of Rottnest. Big King George whiting to 60cm have been found in depths leading up to 30m south of Rottnest. A customer of Anglers Fishing World in Fremantle encountered a big school of 4kg to 6kg yellowfin tuna and shark mackerel to 10kg off Hillarys last week.
The small boat and dinghy fishers continue to do well on squid and cuttlefish off Fremantle and within Cockburn Sound. The deeper waters near The Mewstone have been producing bigger squid at times. Shore-based squid enthusiasts have been picking up fair numbers of the popular cephalopod along the rock walls between North Mole and Woodman Point. Early mornings and evenings are seeing reasonable numbers of tailor to 55cm turn up along the metropolitan beaches while increasing quantities of 30 to 40cm fish have been appearing in the lower reaches of the Swan River.
Jetty, Set, Go! Mosman Bay Jetty
Today we’ll shine the spotlight on Mosman Bay Jetty. A very well equipped jetty with BBQ, public toilets and awesome fishing! Read more about Mosman and near by facilities here.
In case you missed last weeks jetty, Gazebo Jetty, Riverside Gardens, click here.
South West Catches
Picture: Did you know that the wings of squid also make good eating. Hint: use a thick blade to remove any tough bits. (Photo: Courtesy of Squid Hunters WA.)
Squid have appeared in huge numbers along the seagrass meadows expanding from Eagle Bay to Abbey Beach. Herring have also been about in excellent numbers through the inshore waters as well as along the beaches and off the headlands.
Salmon continue to appear at Hamelin Bay, Injidup and Bunker Bay. Tailor have been slow to turn up along the coast this season. Dhufish and breaksea cod have been the caught in fair numbers off the west coast. Good catches of pink snapper have been coming from along the Four Mile and Eight Mile reefs.
Albany Catches
Picture: A solid southern pinky specimen (Photo: Courtesy of KV Evans).
Sport fishing enthusiasts have been finding samson fish ranging from 20kg to a back-aching 30kg in relatively shallow depths of less than 20m. The sambos seem to be lurking in the shallower ground south of Albany as well as in waters east and west of town. Reef fishing has been productive along the coral in depths leading up to 85m of water when the weather has permitted.
The common mix of pink snapper, breaksea cod, queen snapper and dhufish were picked up from the coral this past week. Hapuka appear to be in good quantities beyond the shelf with the crews putting in the effort, finding the schooling fish and setting their drift right scoring the bigger hauls. Red snapper are expected to turn up at the edge of the shelf in big concentrations following a recent drop in offshore water temperatures.
Pink snapper are being caught in huge numbers in Wilson Inlet. A customer of Albany Rods and Tackle caught a superb 71cm snapper on a soft plastic at the inlet recently. King George whiting have been caught in fair numbers through the inshore waters of the sound and both harbours. Squid remain rather scarce in local waters, however better catches have been coming from the seagrass beds to the west and off Cheynes. Salmon are turning up in better numbers along the beaches east of Bluff Creek. Herring and sand whiting are the main species being caught from the local shores. The weather has not permitted a lot of rock fishing to be performed, but there have been some nice catches of big skippy landed at some of the local haunts. Black bream have been hard to tempt while the local populations engage in spawning.
Esperance Catches
Picture: “Went out last weekend armed with the new Fish Arrow 3″ flash j grub and its safe to say the bream love them just as much as i do!” – Massamone on his stonker Black Bream. (Photo: Courtesy of @Massamone).
Salmon to an astonishing 8kg have been appearing along Fourth Beach and Fourteen Mile. Stockyards has skippy to a kilo, salmon and juvenile salmon on offer while Alexander Bay is producing bigger skippy to 3kg. Squid and small herring are the main species being caught from the Taylor Street Jetty while herring, King George whiting, black bream and small skippy have been coming from Bandy Creek boat harbour.
The small boats targeting bread and butter species within a couple of miles of the coast continue to do well on whiting and squid. Samson fish to a solid 30kg have been caught in less than 10m of water. Mixed catches of nannygai, queen snapper and breaksea cod have been picked up out wide.
Download iPhone or Android
Geraldton Catches
Picture: Nice Dhuie that fell to a metal jig (Photo: Courtesy of AbrolhosTackle.com.au).
Dinghy and small boat fishers have not had to venture too far out to pick up herring, pike, skippy, chopper tailor, squid and school mackerel. Expect school mackerel catches to increase as the summer months draw nearer. Dhufish between 6kg and 9kg continue to be found near the shipping channel while pink snapper have been more predominant in about 20m off Drummonds and out from Greenough.
The Nine Mile to Lucys stretch has been producing a few tailor and school-size mulloway. Chopper tailor to 40cm and black bream are evident in the Greenough River. A nice mix of bread and butter species including herring, whiting and squid can be sought from the marina. Yellowfin and school whiting are starting to turn up in better numbers along the coast north of Drummonds.
Kalbarri Catches
Picture: Portunus pelagicus aka blue swimmers, tend to hang nearshore around dawn to feed and in estuarine waters like the Swan- Canning, you will find bigger specimens in depth, try for 15-20 meters.
Poppers and stick baits have been working well on tailor to a whopping 90cm at the river mouth and Oyster Reef. Mulloway around a metre have been coming from both locations and pink snapper have been caught at both spots at night. Garfish continue to be caught at Red Bluff, especially in the mornings when the wind has been light.
The northern end of Wittecarra has been producing a few tailor early morning and evening. Red emperor have been recently found in about 30m of water while the shallower waters have been where most of the pink snapper and baldchin groper have been picked up. Schools of salmon have been appearing along the coast south of Wagoe. Drop netters have been decking some nice hauls of blue swimmer crabs.
Exmouth Catches
Picture: Rankin have been known to rise to take a trolled lure (Photo courtesy of @Castaways_Fishing).
Billfish continue to be found offshore with the boats hitting the waters leading up to 200m encountering some black marlin and sailfish. Beyond the 600m contour, a few blue marlin are being raised and the odd fish hooked. Spanish mackerel are being caught along the back of the reef line in 15m to 25m of water with trolled bibbed minnows working well.
Try west of the Muiron Islands in 50m to 100m for red emperor, rankin cod and spangled emperor. The shore-based fishing has been improving along the west coast. Some nice spangled emperor have been coming from the west coast accesses recently, especially at night. Queenfish, trevally, dart and estuary cod can be sought at the marina.
Broome Catches
Picture: Another great but shot by Dan, be sure to check out his Instagram page for more unreal photos (Photo courtesy of @dan.coughlan).
Billfish enthusiasts continue to encounter sailfish and small black marlin off Barred Creek and near The Peanut. Spanish mackerel, which have turned up in big numbers in Roebuck Bay, are believed to be feeding on the hoards of wolf herring in the area.
Cobia are being found in a range of depths and areas. Threadfin salmon to a metre and the odd bigger fish remain the bay. Mulloway catches have increased along the drop offs and ledges. Good catches of reef fish including blue lined emperor, black snapper and coral trout have been coming from the ground approximately 20 miles out. Barramundi are starting to be caught in the Fitzroy River and local creeks more regularly.
Squid Hunters WA
Click the image above to join one of the friendliest, most informative and passionate group of local WA squidders. A big thanks this week to our partners at Squid Hunters WA and their members, who have been providing quality material to Recfishwest in recent months. We encourage all those keen on squidding in WA to check them out.
