23 December 2016 – West Coast Fishing Report

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yourfishingphotos23122016

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Metro Catches

Perth metro dhufish

Picture: Check out our articles like demersal jigging and other great fishing tips (Photo courtesy of @dan.coughlan).

Some nice catches of dhufish and breaksea cod were picked up off Fremantle and Hillarys following the opening of the demersal season. Marco Orifici, of Anglers Fishing World in Fremantle, reports there to be plenty of King George whiting to a thumping 60cm off the southern side of Rottnest Island in 20m to 27m of water. Big schools of sand whiting are also being found in the sand areas between the mainland and Rottnest. Shark and spotted mackerel are reported to be hanging around Stragglers and Champion Rock.

Expect Spanish mackerel to start appearing in numbers near West End and along the back of Three Mile Reef during the coming weeks. Squid have been caught along the seagrass beds off Fremantle and within Cockburn and Warnbro Sounds. Tailor have started to appear in better numbers along the metropolitan beaches. Catches of up to half a dozen tailor were achieved at South Beach, Leighton, Grant Street and Trigg this past week. The lower reaches of the Swan River are fishing reasonably well for tailor and flathead. There are whispers of mulloway being caught at Mosman Bay, Freshwater Bay and The Narrows. Blue swimmer crabs are being picked up in better numbers in the deeper sections of the Swan and Canning Rivers.

Mandurah & Surrounds

Mandurah King George whiting

Picture: King George whiting make for a popular inshore target in between bottom bouncing for demersals.

MANDURAH

The Cut is still consistently producing good catches of tailor, herring, whiting and tarwhine. Consider putting in some time after dark along the Cut as there are reports of mulloway coming in on the rising tide. People fishing from the old traffic bridge have been catching skippy to 30 cm. The Murray and Serpentine Rivers are still producing good bream. With the recent warm weather, check out the deeper holes and areas that are in the shade under overhanging branches during the heat of the day for some good fish.

Blue swimmer crabs in the estuary are plentiful but be aware of minimum sizes. Along the southern beaches, Tim’s Thicket and Preston have both been producing good tailor with some fish up to 50cm. Reports indicate some mulloway were taken last week from the beaches north of Mandurah. Golden Bay, San Remo, Singleton and Madora are all worth a closer check. The Golden Bay area has been producing some good catches of tailor, herring and whiting and this would suggest that the mulloway aren’t too far away.

SECRET HARBOUR / PORT KENNEDY / WARNBRO / ROCKINGHAM / SAFETY BAY

Many of the local jetties are producing good catches of herring and tailor. Shoalwater is still producing the occasional King George whiting. There have also been some good catches of tarwhine and skippy taken as well in the incoming tide. Long Point, Kwinana and Warnbro beaches have all been producing good tailor during the last week. There has been some good reports of herring, tailor and plenty of crabs out in the deep water. The jetties are turning on herring early in the morning, along with squid and blue mackerel.

South West Catches

Southwest shark mackerel

Picture: Rarely seen throughout the colder months, shark mackerel will often travel down to the south west coast in the summer time providing some sporting action.

Dhufish to 20kg, breaksea cod to 2.5kg, as well as pink and queen snapper were among the reef fish caught by the boats that fished the 20m to 40m depths off the west coast and Geographe Bay. Several King George whiting in the 55cm to 65cm range were also picked up off both sides of Cape Naturalise. Schools of small southern bluefin tuna are starting to appear offshore and it should not be long now until spanish and shark mackerel grace the local waters.

Shore-based fishers have been satisfied with the amount of bread and butter fish including herring, tarwhine, skippy and juvenile salmon about. Yellowfin and sand whiting have been more inclined to strike small poppers and stick baits along the shallows during days when the temperature has been hotter. Squid numbers seem to have tapered off along the seagrass beds off Quindalup.

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Geraldton Catches

Geraldton mulloway

Picture: Often the most relaxing styles of fishing can be as simple as enjoying some time down at the beach on a summers night. Mulloway are a common reward along the beaches of the mid west. (Photo courtesy of @johnrossreynolds).

Strong winds and moderate swells, which were present for most part of the week, limited the amount of fishing by boat and shore-based fishers. There were a few tailor caught at the first and second points at Greenough early morning and evening together with a few pike and some herring. The reefs at Southgates also produced a few tailor in the mornings while the later afternoons and evenings provided better tailor catches north of Drummonds.

The Flat Rocks to West Bank stretch has been fishing reasonably well for mulloway and gummy sharks. Yellowfin and big school whiting are worth targeting at the beaches that are covered in smaller amounts of seaweed. Expect spanish mackerel to start turning up in numbers along the back of Pensioners Bank. Coral trout ordinarily turn up along the shallower reef areas in numbers during this time of the year. Jigged soft plastics and metals and trolled deep-diving minnows are effective methods for catching coral trout.

Kalbarri Catches

Kalbarri rock lobster

Picture: Rock lobster numbers are fruitful around Kalbarri at the moment (Photo courtesy of Andrew Robertson).

Spanish mackerel have been spotted free jumping off Jakes Point, however the boats are yet to come across the popular blue water species in any great numbers. Yellowfin and longtail tuna are also yet to show in quantities that would make targeting them worthwhile. Some nice catches of pink snapper, baldchin groper and coral trout were picked up following the opening of the demersal season.

Rock lobster catches are starting to increase. Surf fishers have been catching mulloway to 15kg at Frustrations and the beaches north. Tailor are still a little hit and miss, but there have been some 35cm to 55cm fish coming from Wittecarra and Chinamans in the mornings and evenings. Kalbarri Sports and Dive’s Wayne Dewar caught several giant herring to 75cm and small mulloway up river during a recent session. Yellowfin whiting can be found along the sand flats and there are still heaps of blue swimmer and mud crabs being caught in the middle and lower reaches of the system.

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2017-01-13T14:02:46+08:00