Your Fishing Photos
If you want to see yourself or your kids feature in our weekly state-wide Fishing Reports, send your best fishing photos and a description to dan@recfishwest.org.au
DEMERSAL CLOSURE STARTS MIDNIGHT SUNDAY 17th OCTOBER IN WEST COAST BIO REGION
ROCK LOBSTER SEASON STARTS SATURDAY 16th OCTOBER – STATEWIDE
This year, the annual demersal closure for the West Coast Bio Region will begin midnight on the 17th and run until the usual time of midnight 15th of December (inclusive) meaning you can resume fishing for demersals on the 16th. The 48hr difference to previous years is to allow for National Gone Fishing Day this Sunday, which is also WA’s first ever licence free day.
Metro Catches
Picture: Murphy’s Law – “In between the bad conditions last week on my way back from Rottnest, I managed to wet a line and landed a couple of 50cm KGs. Looking forward to getting back there.” (Photo: Courtesy of Chris Murphy).
Anglers Fishing World’s Jake Crisp reports that one of his regulars has been catching mulloway to 12kg at Trigg Beach over the course of several sessions this past fortnight. Tailor in the 30cm to 55cm range have been appearing most mornings and evenings along the Cottesloe to City Beach stretch. Bigger tailor to 70cm have occasionally been caught near Yanchep and Two Rocks.
There were good catches of pink snapper at North Mole during the rough conditions last weekend and there have been plenty more pinks caught between Garden Island and Five Fathom Bank during the week. A few stray salmon turned up around the northern metro marinas this week. Some schools of small tuna have been popping up around the 3 mile.
Dhufish and breaksea cod were caught in depths starting at 30m off Rockingham and Fremantle. The 40m depths northwest of Rottnest are worth a try for samson fish during this part of the season while yellowtail kingfish are usually lurking this time of the year near obvious structures closer to the island. Squid continue to be caught in excellent numbers along the seagrass off Fremantle and within Cockburn Sound.
Some nice catches of squid have also been picked up at Woodman Point, Capo D’Orlando Drive and South Mole. The deeper areas of the Swan River including Mosman Bay and Freshwater Bay are worth trying for mulloway. There are still plenty of big tailor in the lower and middle reaches of the Swan River and in the Canning between Canning Bridge and Mount Henry Bridge.
Jetty, Set, Go! Rookwood Street Jetty, Mt Pleasant
Browse the many diverse and unique fishing experiences awaiting you at our Swan River Jetties here.
Fishing in the Swan or Canning this weekend? Not sure where to fish or what facilities are close by? We will give you a snapshot of popular fishing locations to make your family fishing days more enjoyable!
Today, we’ll be looking at Rookwood Jetty, Mt Pleasant. With Easy parking and access, read more about how to make your next family fishing adventure an unforgettable one – and for all the right reasons! – check out the near by facilities here.
In case you missed last weeks jetty, Wilber Street Jetty, Rossmoyne – click here
This Weekend is Gone Fishing Day WA – A Big Thanks to our awesome partners Getaway Outdoors for all their support in helping us fly the WA flag this Sunday!
Mandurah & Surrounds
Picture: Fremantle was offering the best hoods for Squid Hunters WA’s chief – Daniel Landridge this week: “Bagged out with 15 squid weighing about 5.5 kgms total. Using the trusty Yamashita Q Live BLCFO in size 2.5 On the Hearty Rise Night Attack Egging Rod” (Photo: Courtesy of Sarah Archer and Squid Hunters WA).
To the north of the town, Singleton, San Remo and Madora beaches have produced reasonable flathead and there are reports of a few small mulloway being taken from these beaches. To date there haven’t been any bigger fish taken but it is a bit early in the season for them. Anglers fishing just offshore are reporting good skippy and King George whiting along with some tarwhine and plenty of samson fish in close. There are also reports of mulloway being taken from near the James Service Reef complex. The beaches to the south of Mandurah have been producing a few tailor, herring and whiting. The Cut is probably the best option if you’re chasing a feed of fish. There have been herring, tailor, smaller King George whiting and tarwhine caught at this popular spot. Several anglers report also taking good bags of fish which included several large skippy, tailor, tarwhine and herring. The Murray and Serpentine Rivers are still producing good black bream, with the better fishing being in the Serpentine.
At Long Point there have been a few small tailor being caught as well as the odd herring and tarwhine. The beaches around Warnbro have been turning on a few herring, whiting and tailor. In Safety Bay there are a few whiting and squid.
Shoalwater has been producing a few flathead, whiting and herring. The surf beaches in this area have produced an occasional small mulloway during the week along with some very good tailor fishing at both dawn and dusk. Most of the tailor are around 30 – 35 cm but there are also some good tailor being caught from most beaches along with a few herring and garfish.
Reports from Palm Beach jetty indicate that it has been producing good catches of garfish. Point Peron has been producing some reasonable tailor. Boat anglers fishing in the Sound have been catching King George whiting and some big sand whiting. Herring and garfish are responding well to berley in most locations. There are also a few squid turning up in the berley trail so be prepared to use squid jigs to catch a few.
Woodman Point has had a good run of squid and some skippy. Several whaler sharks have been taken from this platform over the last few weeks with some up to 2.5 m. Anglers fishing at the Ammunition Jetty, report that squid are coming in at night for those using jigs and there are herring, garfish and a few small skippy being taken.
South West Catches
Picture: “Don’t mind if I dhu” – Spearo Adam Jolly makes the most of the glassy conditions with a tasty seafood lunch of dhuie and harlequin fish. (Photo: Courtesy of Adam Jolly).
Boat fishers who that took advantage of the pleasant conditions during the middle of the week scored some nice catches of dhufish and breaksea cod off the tip of Cape Naturaliste and out from Canal Rocks.
Pink snapper and samson fish were the most common species caught along the Four Mile and Eight Mile. Squid remain in good numbers along the seagrass beds between Eagle Bay and Abbey Beach.
Whiting catches have been improving off Quindalup as the water temperatures increase along the sand flats. Herring and tailor have been turning early morning and on dusk at Elmore Road, Castle Rock and Mitchells. Good hauls of blue swimmer crabs have been reported in Geographe Bay.
Albany Catches
Picture: Martin Noordewier gives a great description of his land based fight to snap this awesome shot from last friday:
“Took a mulie as the sun was setting and bolted for the horizon. Took at least 100m of 30lb braid on that run with the drag down hard and my arms abnormally stretched. Slogged it out back to the beach with two runs up & down before my son, Zac, grabbed it in the surf for photos and release (not weighed or measured). A great team effort & I’m very thankful Zac was there. The shore break would have made a successful solo landing very difficult.” (Photo: Courtesy of Martin Noordewier)
Fishing enthusiasts were delighted to finally experience some truer spring weather during the week. Those who managed to head out to the 60m to 80m depths were rewarded with mixed catches of queen, pink snapper and red snapper, breaksea cod and small dhufish. Harlequin fish were found in shallower areas together with more pink snapper while samson fish and yellowtail kingfish were encountered in a range of depth and places. King George whiting are being caught in reasonably good numbers through the inshore areas despite the water in these parts being rather murky following the recent rough conditions.
Gull Rock, Michaelmas and Breaksea islands were among the spots to produce King George to 45cm. Geordies mostly between 30cm and 40cm were picked up in the sound and both harbours along with better catches of squid, herring and small skippy. Shore-based fishers at Emu Point have been busted off by what are suspected to be big samson fish.
Catches of three and four squid have been picked up from the shore at Emu Point and the marina. Sand Patch has consistently been producing herring, skippy and sand whiting as well as the odd salmon. More salmon have been coming from Bremer Bay and Bluff Creek with the latter location also having some big skippy turn up. Herring, whiting and black bream were caught at the mouth of the Kalgan River last week. Black bream in the middle and upper reaches of both of the local systems have been hard to tempt as a result of the murky water. Black bream enthusiasts have reported it to be a similar situation in the rivers close to Walpole and Denmark.
Esperance Catches
Picture: The iridescent Queen snapper makes for a great night time snap (Photo: Courtesy of Travis Grundmann).
King George whiting to 40cm, herring and a few squid can be caught at the Taylor Street Jetty while the Bandy Creek boat harbour has herring, skippy and the odd King George. Salmon have been appearing in mixed sizes and numbers at Fourth Beach and Salmon Beach.
Bigger salmon schools are turning up at Roses together with a few tailor and bronze whaler sharks. Thomas River is worth the trek with mulloway, skippy and salmon on offer. Gummy sharks were picked up at Israelite Bay last week along with small mulloway and salmon.
The boats are catching plenty of sand whiting and squid within a mile or so of the coast. Beyond the islands, queen snapper to 9kg, breaksea cod and average size nannygai have been common.
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Geraldton Catches
Picture: Hardcore fishers around the West Coast have certainly made the most of the last week before the demersal closure kicks in – a fat pink here (Photo: Courtesy of Abrolhos Tackle).
Mulloway between 8kg and 12kg have been turning up along the coast stretching from Nine Mile Beach to the Greenough River Mouth together with tailor mostly in the 40cm to 55cm range. Bigger tailor to an impressive 90cm have been caught on lures, including stick baits and poppers, at the reefs near the Lighthouse and Separation Point. Chopper tailor, school whiting and herring are being picked up most afternoons and evenings at the back of the breakwater.
The boats that ventured to the Abrolhos Islands during the past week caught good numbers of dhufish, pink snapper, baldchin groper and coral trout. Schools of yellowfin tuna and plenty of Spanish mackerel were also encountered close to Southern Group. Closer to town, reef fishing enthusiasts have been finding dhuies to 10kg in numbers near the fairway marker. The dinghy fishers who have been working the Pages to Separation Point area have been catching plenty of squid and a few school mackerel.
Kalbarri Catches
Picture: Pete’s comment on this nice Kalbarri tailor sums up that early morning feeling of vindication: “While the family sleeps, I’ll play” (Photo: Courtesy of Pete Berlinski).
Local gun Rob Tang has been catching mulloway, tailor and the odd pink snapper from the beaches north of the river mouth. More pink snapper and a few baldchin groper have been coming from Red Bluff, the coastal gorges and Wagoe.
Tailor have been turning up most mornings and evenings at the popular coastal spots including Red Bluff, Wittecarra and Siphons. Bigger tailor to 80cm are responding to stick baits and poppers at Chinamans.
Black bream can be targeted at the jetty and near the pens together with small mulloway, estuary cod and the odd sweetlip. Yellowfin whiting were about in good numbers along the sand flats during the recent children’s fishing competition. Mud crabs can be sought in the lower and middle reaches of the Murchison, however blue swimmer crabs are hard to come by.
Exmouth Catches
Picture: Any of the larger trevallys landed from the beaches of Exmouth are a pleasing catch – but smaller trevally catches are just as fun, including golden’s, brassy’s and bludger trevally- all now found in version 2 of the Recfishwest Smartphone App).
Sport fishing enthusiasts have been catching giant trevally mostly between 10kg and 15kg on poppers and stick baits retrieved from the white water at the back of the reef as well as within VLF Bay. You know the start of spring is here when GTs are targeted from the shore at spots including Oysters and Bundegi. Crews trolling along the back of the reef north and south of Tantabiddi continue to catch Spanish and shark mackerel.
More mackerel have also being caught at Exmouth Reef and Cooper Shoals, which also have trevally and queenfish turning up. The 40m to 80m depths are worth trying for red emperor, rankin cod and spangled emperor while goldband snapper can be targeted beyond the 100m contour. Sailfish and black marlin are about in depths starting at 50m and 100m respectively. Expect the bigger blue marlin to show in numbers when the water temperatures increase. Schools of longtail and yellowfin tuna are being spotted rounding up schools of baitfish offshore and there have been a few dolphin fish among these feeding frenzies.
Broome Catches
Picture: A healthy saltwater barra displayed well here by Matty Cox (Photo: Courtesy of @Matty_Cox).
Billfish enthusiasts continue to encounter good numbers of sailfish and a few small black marlin offshore, especially in waters wide of Barred Creek. Spanish mackerel have been turning up in a range of areas including Entrance Point, Gantheaume Point and the ground about 10 miles out from Roebuck Bay. Longtail and mack tuna have been found feasting on schools of baitfish. Threadfin salmon averaging 80cm and the very odd fish to 1.2m have been picked up at the mouths of Crab and Dampier creeks.
Bluenose salmon between 50cm and 80cm have been common in Roebuck Bay and Willie Creek. A customer of Tackle World Broome caught half a dozen barramundi on low tide at Dampier last week. Masses of king prawns are occupying the Fitzroy and their presence has brought about some exciting barra sessions at places that include Langis Crossing, Telegraph Pool and Pelican Pool.
