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 tim@recfishwest.org.au
Tip of the week banner images courtesy of Shutterstock Ruggiero Scardigno, Smiltena & Garry L.
Escape to Dirk Hartog Island This Winter
Dirk Hartog Island is an iconic destination for many land-based fishing addicts in WA. Its western ledges are similar to those of Steep Point or Quobba and offer awesome bluewater fishing from shore, but limited access means much less fishing pressure and no other fishers to compete with at the best spots. Read more…
Kalbarri Catches
Picture: Shore-based trevally (Photo courtesy of @jakesfishstagram).
Boats:
The boats trolling bibbed minnows north and south of the river mouth have been picking up Spanish mackerel and varieties of tuna, which have mostly included longtail and mack tuna. Some nice catches of pink snapper and coral trout have been coming from near the cliffs while deeper waters, in excess of 30m, have been producing most of the recently caught dhufish and red emperor.
Shore-based:
Wayne Dewar of Kalbarri Sports and Dive caught more than 40 black bream over 25cm, six mulloway between 45cm and 50cm and got busted off by a suspected milkfish during five days of fishing at the upper reaches of the Murchison River. Tailor to an impressive 80cm and school-size mulloway have been landed at Chinamans while bigger mulloway and the odd pink snapper have been caught at Frustrations and the beaches north of there. Early mornings are proving to be the best time to target herring at Red Bluff and Jakes. Pink snapper and tailor are occasionally being caught from the cliffs located south of the river mouth.
Geraldton Catches
Picture: Double-header coral trout caught on 1 Jig at the Abrolhos Islands (Photo courtesy of @robbieleck_fishing).
Boats:
Kayak and small boat fishers have been picking up good catches of squid along the seagrass beds located off Point Moore and the marina. A customer of Geraldton Sports caught a loligo squid that can be distinguished from the common southern calamari by its triangular shaped wings at the top of its hood. The boats that worked the African Reef area managed reasonable catches of dhufish, pink snapper and baldchin groper. Better catches of snapper and groper have been coming from the lumps northwest of Coronation.
Shore-based:
Surf fishers have been catching tailor and the odd mulloway along the Flat Rocks to Greenough River mouth stretch. The first and second points at Greenough have herring, skippy, tailor and pike. Yellowfin whiting to an impressive 30cm have been coming from Southgates. Squid and an assortment of bread and butter species can be targeted at the back of The Lives and the marina rock wall. Pink snapper are a chance from the beaches north of Drummonds during the start of winter each year.
South West Catches
Picture: Good size squid, caught in Dunsborough (Photo courtesy of @pjgringo)
Boats:
Pink snapper have continued to be found in relatively shallow water in Geographe Bay. The boats that have been working the waters off Canal Rocks, Cowaramup Bay and Hamelin Bay have also been picking up good catches of pink snapper as well as dhufish and breaksea cod. Samson fish and yellowtail kingfish have been encountered off the tip of Cape Naturaliste. Squid catches have improved along the seagrass beds extending from Eagle Bay to Siesta Park.
Shore-based:
Shore-based fishers are continuing to land the odd pink snapper from the shore within Geographe Bay at spots that included Monaghan’s Corner and the Busselton Jetty. The deeper gutters formed near Contos Beach, Honeycombs and Yallingup would be worth trying for pink snapper. Big skippy, mulloway and jumbo tailor are also a chance at the mentioned west coast locations. Catching a feed of herring from the bays and headlands has been a relatively easy task when a stream of burley is introduced. Tailor are occasionally turning up early morning and around dusk at Elmore Road, Castle Rock and Mitchells. Squid can be caught from the Quindalup and Busselton jetties.
Mandurah & Surrounds
Picture: Great squid catch here by young Finn Street. He caught it in a Kayak in Safety Bay and hood measured 26cm. Well done Finn. Photo Courtesy of Squid Hunters Western Australia
MANDURAH:
The beaches south of Mandurah, along the stretch between Tim’s Thicket and Preston have been producing a number of smaller mulloway, a few tailor and a lot of large herring during the day. The reef area south of White Hills has been producing good fishing for tailor in the morning. As a result of recent swell activity there have been several interesting beach formations created, with plenty of gutters forming up along the beach. These will provide shelter for the smaller species and allow the predators to hunt for a feed.
A few salmon have been taken from these beaches and as they appear to have started their migration back to the eastern states it is time to get out and get one before they are gone or you have to drive to the south coast to find them. Pilch or yellow-eyed mullet are also on the move and are being taken from these beaches as well.
The Dawesville Cut is still producing good fishing and is at its winter best providing plenty of whiting, herring and garfish. There have also been several good sized King George whiting taken from the north side of the cut from the western end adjacent to the jetty. In the estuary the bridges and rock walls are producing herring and garfish along with a few King George whiting, and odd tarwhine and skippy. There are good numbers of yellowfin whiting being taken around the marina entrance.
SECRET HARBOUR / PORT KENNEDY / WARNBRO / ROCKINGHAM / SAFETY BAY:
There are herring around the jetties along with yellowfin whiting. Anglers casting lures and baits out around the Penguin Island sandbar are reporting taking some good flathead. There are still plenty of squid around particularly in the shallower waters over the weed beds. Anglers looking for good tailor are finding some good fish along the southern beaches. One report indicated that the tailor turned up after 9:00am one morning. The local jetties are good for herring and squid after dark along with some good tarwhine. Small baits fished under a blob will attract herring, garfish and pilch and provide a good feed for the whole family.
Metro Catches
Picture: Still plenty of pink snapper in metro waters. It’s our vision to make Perth’s pink snapper fishery the best in Australia. (Photo courtesy of @fisho_brad).
Boats:
Squid numbers appear to be healthy in Cockburn and Warnbro Sound, along the weed beds out from Fremantle and around the bays at Rottnest Island following reports of boat limits of the tasty cephalopods being achieved in these areas in less than an hour by some crews. There have been some nice pink snapper caught in 30m of water south of Rottnest, behind Stragglers, between Carnac and Garden Islands, along the back of Five Fathom Bank and on the Three Mile Reef. Plenty of skippy, samson fish and the odd dhufish have also been coming from these areas. Boats drifting along the broken ground east of Rottnest are picking up reasonable catches of King George whiting and a few skippy.
Shore-based:
Herring have been caught along the beaches but mostly at northern and southern rock groynes, whereby the rock walls and beaches meet inshore reefs. Reports of tailor between 50cm and 70cm caught along the northern beaches of Two Rocks and Yanchep and smaller fish, of about 45cm, taken at Brighton Beach and Swanbourne this past week may prompt a few to brave the cooler conditions to target them. Some nice pilch are appearing along the reefs south of Cottesloe and north of Trigg Point and garfish are around in better numbers, especially at Woodman Point, North Mole and Hillarys Marina rock wall. Herring and small tailor have been caught in the lower reaches of the Swan. Black bream are spread between the middle and upper reaches, but expect them to become more concentrated once further rain falls.
Picture: Shore based squid is easy, cheap and safe. Highly recommend getting the kids down to the local jetty and catching some squid!
Shore Based Squid
Technical Rating: Novice
Squidding Tips
Jetties with lighting will often attract squid and can be great places for targeting squid at night.
Inspect jetties and rock platforms for ink which indicates it is a worthwhile place to target squid.
When using a rod and reel for catching squid, adjust the drag so that it is quite loose, this will prevent losing squid from ripping off tentacles.
Whenever you catch a squid look carefully behind the squid you have caught as many times they will come in with friends.
Always endeavour to look after your catch by keeping it on ice.
For more on shore based squid, check out our Shore Based Squid article.
