Keep your eyes peeled for Recfishwest’s Tip of the week, see below!
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 isaac@recfishwest.org.au
Esperance Catches
Picture: Topwater fishing for yellowtail kingfish can be some of the most exciting fishing in the southern half of WA, hitting surface stickbaits with aggression when they are turned on.
Boats
Mitchell Johnson and a mate used stick baits to catch a dozen yellowtail kingfish between 12kg and 20kg close to the islands last Thursday. Nannygai were harder to come by this past week, however there were plenty of breaksea cod and queen snapper about. Samson fish to 20kg have been encountered in dense schools. Dinghy and small boat fishers have been picking up good catches of sand whiting and squid within a mile of the coast.
Shore-based
The Taylor Street Jetty has been fishing well for small skippy, squid and a few King George whiting while herring and King George can be picked up at the Bandy Creek boat harbour. Salmon seem to have been broken up in smaller schools, which this past week regularly appeared at Salmon Beach, Fourth Beach, Fourteen Mile, Roses, Alexander and Poison Creek. Skippy to 2.5kg were landed at Alexander, Thomas River and Dunns last week. Mulloway to 8kg were caught at Fourteen Mile, Roses and Thomas.
Recfishwest Forecast
Some good tidal movement and a rising tide in the morning might be the go around the islands for chasing kingfish. The protected inshore waters are a better option for those with small boats that will struggle in the 2m swell and sometimes windy forecast. Saturday morning looks like the best break in the weather for boaters and beach fishers alike. A bit of a storm and showers clate Saturday to Monday will keep most fishers indoors.
Albany Catches
Picture: WA dhufish represent one of the most sought after bottom fish in the southern half of WA. Here is a great capture sent in by David Bleakley of his grand daughter holding a nice fish.
Boats
A group of customers of Albany Rods and Tackle caught eight King George whiting, half a dozen sand whiting and a boat limit of herring in King during a recent session in the sound. Squid are yet to be caught at their usual pace through the inshore waters. A good mix of reef fishing including dhufish of mixed sizes, pink, queen and red snapper, breaksea cod and sweep have been coming from the coral leading up to 90m of water.
Shore-based
Big schools of salmon are passing along the coast, however the 3kg to 8kg fish are refusing to turn up at the popular spots where surf fishers traditionally target them. During the past week, limited numbers of salmon appeared at Cables, Shelleys, Lowlands, Denmark and Parrys. Bluff Creek and Cheynes fished well for salmon a couple of weeks ago while schools have graced the coast at Nanarup occasionally. Bronze whaler and tiger sharks have been spotted cruising with the salmon and there were a couple of 3m sharks landed last week. Skippy have been caught from the gutters and channels that are evident at the local beaches and the remote spots east and west of town, however they have not been the kilo-plus specimens that tend to show up from April each year. Big samson fish have been hooked at the marina and there are still sambos lurking around Emu Point. Bream to a kilo and the odd bigger fish are being caught from the King and Kalgan rivers together with a few mulloway.
Recfishwest Forecast
A bit of inclement weather expected Saturday ad otherwise patchy showers leaves most of the week questionable. The 4m of swell expacted will also put a hault on fishing plans. Land based fishers should steer clear of rocks over this easter long weekend as the swell will be dangerous. Boat fishers should also take great care and stay inside the sound where possible. The King and Kalgan rivers would be a better option for those wanting fish with bream and mulloway a pretty good chance. The rising tide on dawn would be the most favourable time to fish.
Recfishwest’s Tip of the Week
Braided Line
Technical Rating: Novice
Whether casting lures to salmon from the beach, into tuna feeding frenzies from the boat, or simply launching a bait from shore this Easter weekend, if you haven’t already caught up with the times, braided fishing line is all the go at the moment.
Multiple strands of braided polyethylene (PE) fibres make up the material of the line commonly referred to as “braid”. The fibres are ultra strong and offer a much greater breaking strain for their diameter than traditional nylon monofilament line. With no stretch, braided lines gives greater bite detection and sensitivity especially when paired with a stiff graphite rod. They are also extremely flexible and supple retaining no “memory” which makes them excellent for casting. The fine delicate diameters mean a lot more line can fit onto a spool for a given breaking strain and little surface area for current to catch in deep water but the drawback is that they offer very little in the form of abrasion resistance. For this reason a length of monofilament leader line is always recommended as a shock leader on the terminal end of the line.
A number of knots are useful in attaching braided main line to a mono leader but a favourite would have to be the FG knot. A moderately difficult knot to tie, it offers a slimline knot that wont interfere with a cast and has excellent strength retention without the need to double the main line. Initially expensive when they first hit the market, braided lines are now available in a massive range from very affordable to top end. If youre after that extra, seamless casting distance or any of the other benefits, braided lines are worth a look.
Check out our I Love Fishing article on all your different line types and scenarios for more info. Read it here.
