23 June 2017 - West Coast Fishing Report

Welcome to Recfishwest’s weekly fishing report, brought to you by Recfishwest’s fishing expert Joachim Azzopardi, John Curtis for his Mandurah and Surrounds report and Matt Cox for the latest in Kununurra.

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.

Rod Action – What You Need to Know!

When you walk into a tackle shop to look at or buy a new rod, you are often confronted by rows and rows of rods; long, skinny, thick, short, heavy and feather light, all designed for a specific application.

Learn more about how different rods can affect your fishing, but also help you catch more fish! Click here…

Kalbarri Catches

Picture: John Brennan caught (and released) this big Mulloway near Denham, Shark Bay last week. Although not in Kalbarri, some of WA’s biggest Mulloway come from the beaches around Kalbarri with plenty of fish caught in the Murchison River.

Boats:

The boats trolling rigged garfish and bibbed minnows have been encountering Spanish mackerel within a few hundred metres of the coast at Sand Patch and near the cliffs south of the river mouth. Some nice pink snapper have been picked up on baits and soft plastics near the cliffs. The boats that worked the waters northwest of town scored dhufish, coral trout and red emperor.

Shore-based:

An estimated 20kg Spanish mackerel was caught at Red Bluff on a balloon last week and there were smaller Spaniards landed at the cliffs and from Wagoe during the past fortnight. Perhaps some of the mackerel were attracted by the hoards of garfish and herring that have turned up at Red Bluff in recent weeks. Both species have been caught on baits and small metal slices. Pink snapper to 6kg have been caught at Wagoe together with tailor, mulloway and skippy. The Murchison River has yellowfin whiting in its lower reaches, mangrove jack active near the jetty after dark and black bream in numbers up river from Dance Floor.

Geraldton Catches

Picture: Beautiful Squid caught by Branko Bucar, off the Lancelin Jetty on the Yamashita 490 glow R06 COTTON CANDY (Photo Courtesy of SQUID HUNTERS WESTERN AUSTRALIA)

Boats:

The boats that have been taking advantage of the calm conditions in the evenings have been picking up good catches of pink snapper to 7kg and dhufish near African Reef and near the drop offs out from Drummonds Cove. Some nice cobia have been caught within a few miles of the coast recently. Dinghy and small boat fishers have continued to do well on squid along the seagrass beds.

Shore-based:

Geraldton Sports Centre’s Graham Maunder landed a superb 18kg mulloway at Southgates on Saturday night. That same evening a beautiful dhufish was caught at Clinches together with a few tailor and some pike. Smaller mulloway have been coming from Greenough, West Bank and Duncans. A few squid have been caught at the marina, especially in the evenings.

South West Catches

Picture: Big school of samson fish filmed lurking around the Dunsborough artificial reef. Get the coordinates for all the artificial reefs here.

Boats:

Boat fishers who have been anchoring and burleying along the Four Mile, and sometimes in closer, have been catching good numbers of pink snapper. Dhufish catches have been better of Cowaramup Bay and Canal Rocks. Squid remain in excellent numbers along the seagrass meadows extending from Eagle Bay to the Busselton Jetty.

Shore-based:

A consistent stream of burley will assist in bagging a feed of herring at most of the rock walls and bays located off both sides of Cape Naturaliste. Tailor have been appearing in the mornings and evenings at Elmore Road, Castle Rock, Mitchells and Honeycombs. Try the deep gutters near Contos for mulloway, pink snapper and jumbo tailor.

Into your Freshwater Fishing?

We’ll be bringing you some freshwater fishing reports very soon, with the guys at WATFAA (WA Trout and Freshwater Angling Association) providing us with what’s biting in the south-west! Stay tuned…

Mandurah & Surrounds

Picture: Matt Armenti from Genesis Craft, caught this huge squid in Cockburn Sound last week. Caught 9 all up in about an hour and this monster had a 37cm hood!! Great catch Matt.

MANDURAH:

The Dawesville Cut is producing some good catches at the moment. There are plenty of King George whiting and some big herring. The traffic bridges are also producing some good fish along with an occasional tailor of reasonable size. The estuary opening and areas adjacent have also been producing good yellow-fin whiting. The southern beaches have been producing tailor, herring, pilch and robust garfish as well as an occasional gummy shark. Beaches to the north of Mandurah are still producing good herring and an odd mulloway. It is worth putting in some time and effort on these beaches at this time of the year and the rewards can be great.

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

The jetties and beaches are producing good fishing at the moment. Palm Beach and Rockingham jetties have been consistently producing plenty of herring and pilch. The beaches around Becher Point, Port Kennedy and Secret Harbour are all producing good catches. Squid are still around in good numbers and are of a reasonable size. Anglers fishing these southern beaches are catching some excellent tailor, with fish up to 2 kg reported. Anglers fishing the sandbar and areas adjacent to Penguin Island have caught mixed bags of whiting, robust garfish and herring. The southern flats have been producing some good King George whiting and tarwhine. There are still some reasonable sized salmon around these beaches as well.

Metro Catches

Picture: How’s this for a catch! David Price caught this land based Pink snapper just north of Two Rocks last week. It was caught on an Alvey reel and rod, 20 kg line and with a mulie. David also caught three tailor and a mulloway. He said “my mates not happy as I let it go back in to swim another day. Great day and one to remember.”

Boats:

Reef fishing enthusiasts have reported there to be plenty of dhufish in relatively shallow waters at the moment with good catches of 6kg to 14kg fish coming from Five Fathom Bank, Stragglers and Three Mile Reef. Pink snapper have also been caught in fair numbers whereby fishers who have been anchoring and employing a consistent stream of burley have been picking up better catches of the 5kg to 10kg fish. Squid catches have been steady along the seagrass beds off Fremantle and within Cockburn and Warnbro Sound. There are some plump sand whiting coming from the sand patches out from Cottesloe and City Beach. The broken ground east of Rottnest continues to produce mixed catches of King George whiting, skippy and herring.

Shore-based:

Surf fishers are still catching more than the usual number of pink snapper from the beaches just north and south of the metropolitan area. Some of the pinks have not been small fish either with a few caught this past week giving the 8kg mark a nudge. There are a few mulloway being caught south of Rockingham and along the Alkimos to Two Rocks stretch in the evenings. Early morning lure fishers at Grant Street, Swanbourne and Brighton Beach have been picking up a few tailor between 35cm and 55cm. Bait fishers at similar spots have been experiencing a tailor run every odd evening. Herring and some nice robust garfish being caught from the northern and southern rock walls. Expect black bream to be making their way into the middle and lower reaches of the Swan and Canning rivers following the recent rain. Rocky Bay is worth a try for king prawns in the evenings during the outgoing tide.