7 July 2017 – Full 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.

Broome Catches

Broome red emperor

Picture, Red Emperor are judged by some (maybe most) as the best eating fish in the sea. Great fun to catch and great on the table making them a favourite fish among all Australian fishers.

Boats:

Billfish enthusiasts encountered most of their sailfish this past week near The Peanut and wide of James Price Point. Spanish mackerel and varieties of tuna were also caught among the sailfish together with golden trevally and the odd cobia. Mulloway catches have been improving along the drop offs and ledges located within Roebuck Bay. Charter boat operators have been doing well on red emperor, saddletail seaperch and blue lined emperor in 25m to 35m of water.

Shore-based:

A customer of Broome Tackle World landed a beautiful mulloway at Flat Rock near Willie Creek a fortnight ago. Barramundi have been a little difficult to tempt at Willie Creek as well as some of the other local creeks, however barra activity did increase somewhat in the lower and middle reaches of the Fitzroy River. The rocks near the beach at Gantheaume Point have been producing good catches of whiting and garfish. More whiting and garfish have been coming from Cable Beach and Roebuck Bay together with trevally and queenfish.

Exmouth Catches

Exmouth spangled emperor

Picture: Cracking Spangled Emperor in Exmouth on board On-Strike Charters. (Photo Courtesy of On Strike Charters, Exmouth).

Boats:

On-Strike Charter skipper Josh Bruynzeel recently put his clients onto more than 50 fish that included longtail tuna, mack tuna, shark mackerel, Spanish mackerel, trevally, queenfish and spangled emperor. Aaron Lewis caught black marlin to 150kg, sailfish and yellowfin tuna on trolled stick baits as well as eight-bar cod and mulloway on baits dropped in deeper waters. Squid catches have been improving with some fishers catching up to a dozen of the tasty cephalopods during a single session at the lower gulf areas and south of Tantabiddi.

Shore-based:

Oysters, VLF Bay and Old Bundegi would be worth trying for big giant trevally at this time of the year. Queenfish and barracuda are also a chance from these areas. Whiting are still in good numbers along Town Beach. The marina has small queenfish, assortments of trevally and estuary cod. Try the west side reefs for bluebone and spangled emperor.

Esperance Catches

Esperance skippy

Picture: Young Harry with this nice skippy. Also great to see him in one of our Crewsaver 165 life jackets!

Boats:

Dinghy and small boat fishers, who worked the inshore waters, caught flathead to 2.5kg, big sand whiting and squid. Offshore, nannygai to 2kg, queen snapper, breaksea cod and harlequin fish were common. Samson fish ranging from 5kg rats to 30kg back-aching brutes were encountered in a range of areas.

Shore-based:

The Taylor Street Jetty has been fishing well for King George whiting to an impressive 40cm, garfish, small skippy, herring and big squid. King George of similar sizes have also been caught along the foreshore together with other bread and butter species. Bandy Creek boat harbour has lots of herring, skippy, black bream and Geordies to 35cm. Surf fishers have reported salmon to be turning up at dawn and dusk and during the hour leading to high tide. Spots where salmon were caught this past week included Salmon Beach and the reef at Nine Mile and Ten Mile. Dunns has loads of small skippy and the odd juvenile and mature salmon. Rossiters produced plenty of mulloway around the 50cm mark. Bigger mulloway have been coming from Thomas River together with skippy to 2kg, and gummy sharks.

Albany Catches

Albany yellowtail kingfish

Picture: Yellowtail kingfish are one of the powerhouses of the fishing world with superior pulling power. When they school up they’ll hit anything from stick baits to soft plastics to jigs and fresh bait such as squid. Some people catch and release YTK’s but as sashimi, there’s possibly no better fish to eat!?

Boats:

King George whiting have been somewhat harder to locate through the inshore waters. A drop in the number of squid has been attributed to a decrease in water clarity. Metal slices and small bibbed minnows trolled along the seagrass beds are producing pike and juvenile salmon. The bigger boats that worked the 50m to 80m depths encountered schools of pesky leatherjackets. One crew apparently ‘complained’ of the number of yellowtail kingfish in parts. Those who either escaped the leatheries and kingies or managed to find ground that held quality reef fish scored pink, queen and red snapper as well as breaksea cod and dhufish.

Shore-based:

Salmon seemed to have reappeared along the coast with plenty of surf fishers reporting catches of 4kg to 7kg fish during the past week. Spots where the popular sport fish were caught included the beach at Salmon Holes, Bornholm, Shelley Beach, Mutton Bird and Bluff Creek. Skippy catches have been increasing along the beaches whereby some of the remote areas have been producing fish between 1kg and 2kg. Big tarwhine have also been common at some spots while a feed of herring and sand whiting can be achieved with limited effort. The local rivers are starting to become more tannin coloured following the recent rain, but in saying that there were still some nice sessions had on black bream, mulloway, herring and juvenile salmon.

Kalbarri Catches

Kalbarri tailor

Picture: Kim Burton with this awesome Tailor caught near the Kalbarri river mouth. Fish of this size are fairly common around Kalbarri and are accessible to most fishers!

Boats:

There are still a few Spanish mackerel being caught on bibbed minnows and rigged garfish along the waters north and south of the river mouth, however strikes are a lot less frequent than they were a month or so ago. The same can be said for yellowfin and longtail tuna with just the odd fish in the 5kg to 10kg range being picked up here and there and with no real pattern to explain these occurrences. Pink snapper and baldchin groper have been caught on baits and jigs near the cliffs together with the odd coral trout.

Shore-based:

Rock fishers scored some nice pink snapper at the southern cliff spots last week. Garfish and herring can be found at Red Bluff and Jakes most mornings, especially when the swell and wind is down. A few tailor have been turning up in the mornings and evenings at Red Bluff, Wittecarra, Siphons and Chinamans. The beaches north of Frustrations have been producing some good mulloway with some recent efforts coming in close to the 20kg mark. Oyster Reef is worth a try for mulloway, pink snapper and jumbo tailor after dark. There are plenty of black bream being caught near the jetties and pens, but numbers have been down up river compared to previous weeks.

Geraldton Catches

Geraldton squid

Picture: Vu Phan caught this Tiger Squid in Shark Bay on the Ink Stained Harimitsu Albino in size 3.0. (Photo courtesy of Squid Hunters WA).

Boats:

Dinghy and small boat fishers have been doing well on herring, skippy, pike, squid and small yellowtail kingfish off Point Moore. Several boats found pink snapper in relatively shallow water near African Reef and the shipping channel. Small dhufish have also been caught around Africans.

Shore-based:

Surf fishers have been catching a few tailor along the Flat Rocks to Greenough River mouth stretch together with the odd mulloway, a few herring and pike. The reefs at Southgates and Separation Point have been producing the odd bigger tailor. Whiting are worth a try along the beaches north of Drummonds. The reef holes near the mouth of the Buller River may be worth trying for pink snapper, dhufish and mulloway following the big swells.

South West Catches

South west pink snapper

Picture: Ben Leeson speared this nice pink snapper whilst free diving and with winter well and truly here, catches of snapper will only improve!

Boats:
Pink snapper have been caught in a range of depths and areas within Geographe Bay including Eight Mile Reef, Four Mile Reef and the Artificial Reef. The anchor and burley method has proven to be effective in picking up snapper. Squid catches have remained steady along the seagrass beds extending from Eagle Bay to Abbey Beach. Some nice King George whiting have been caught from the sand areas located near the seagrass. Some of the dhufish caught off the west coast this past week were in excess of 15kg.

Shore-based
Monaghan’s Corner and the rocks at Bunker Bay continue to produce the odd shore-based pink snapper. The deep gutters formed along the west coast during the rough conditions would be worth trying for snapper, mulloway and jumbo tailor. Herring are in good numbers along both sides of Cape Naturaliste. Busselton Jetty and the Quindalup Finger Jetty are producing a few squid, especially after dark.

South West Freshwater

South west freshwater trout flys

Picture: Flys come in a variety of colours, designs, sizes and purposes. The flys above are what the guys at WATFAA (WA Trout and Freshwater Angling Association) recommend for chasing Trout this time of year.

With many water ways now closed to fishing your best bet to catch a trout is still around the Pemberton area. The Warren River and its tributaries are open as well as Big Brook Dam. All of these hold a good head of trout and also have redfin perch in them.

The most satisfactory method to try and catch a trout is by using a fly. At the moment trout can be tempted by small nymphs, black, olive or green all work, or any fly that represents a fish egg for example the orange or red blob fly. These may be fished under an indicator or simply cast out and retrieved either slowly or quickly depending on water conditions.

Mandurah & Surrounds

Mandurah squid

Picture: Branko Bucar’s (of Squid Hunters WA) with this great squid pic. Squid fishers in front of the Jolly Frog cafe and all along the cut’s rock walls have been catching reasonable numbers of squid over the past few weeks.

MANDURAH:

There are still plenty of herring in The Cut at the moment along with some good King George whiting and yellowfin whiting. Tim’s Thicket and White Hills have been fishing quite well with herring being taken midweek, along with some pilch and a few tailor. The beaches around Mandurah and to the north have been producing some good skippy, big King George whiting and plenty of sand whiting and herring. There are plenty of pilch being caught along the beaches around Madora and Golden Bay. The estuary bridges are starting to turn on a few prawns.

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

Boat anglers fishing in the shelter of Warnbro Sound during the week have reported that the area has fished well for snapper, some good-sized King George whiting and squid. Point Peron is the spot to try for herring, tarwhine and some tailor. Penguin Island has produced good numbers of sand whiting and a few flathead, along with some reasonable tailor and salmon. There are still occasional reports of an odd salmon being caught in the metro area, with most reports coming from the southern metropolitan beaches.

Perth Catches

Perth pink snapper

Picture: Cracking big Pink Snapper caught on Perth’s Jazz Charters. Winter Pinkies are the hot tip at the moment – for both boat and shore based fishers! (Photo courtesy of Jazz Charters and Perth and WA Fishing Reports Facebook Page)

Boats:

Good numbers of pink snapper have continued to come from the 20m to 30m depths southwest of Rottnest Island as well as along the inside and outside edges of Five Fathom Bank. The local charter operators have been bagging out on pink snapper most outings. Tony Amoroso, of Anglers Fishing World, caught some nice dhufish and some nice size skippy during a sunset session southwest of Rottnest on Tuesday. Samson fish and yellowtail kingfish have been responding to burley near Stragglers and Garden Island. Squid continue to be caught in excellent numbers along the seagrass meadows out from the Fremantle Sailing Club and within Cockburn and Warnbro Sound.

Shore-based:

Rock fishers who hit the southern and northern rock walls during, and just following, the recent storms landed some nice pink snapper ranging from 4kg to 9kg. Levi De Beoni landed three pink snapper from the rock wall at the Woodman Point boat ramp on Tuesday afternoon. Plenty of herring and robust garfish have also been coming from the rock walls and groynes, especially when burley is introduced. Squid enthusiasts have been catching mostly small southern calamari from Capo d’Orlando Drive, South Mole and North Mole. Strong winds, big swells and tonnes of weed have limited the amount of beach fishing conducted this past week. Black bream enthusiasts have been enjoying some good sessions on fish to 41cm at Claremont Bay and Freshwater Bay.

Missed Last Week’s Report? Click Below to Check it Out!

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Attention to Detail

Technical Rating: Novice

There are some freaks among the fishing community who, no matter where they go, just seem to be able to catch fish and often these fish are big.

When you think about it, if you spend enough time on the water practicing your techniques on a certain species and catching small to mid size fish, then it is inevitable that you will eventually strike a big one.

When you do hook a big one, this is the time that everything has to come together and work so that you can stay hooked up and hopefully land the fish.

So the fishers that catch the big ones, are they just luckier than everyone else?

Continue Reading…

Eye of hook

Recfishwest’s Position on Diving for Rock Lobster

Diving for rock lobster

In response to discussion on social media relating to the taking of rock lobster by divers, Recfishwest would like to put forward our position on the matter.

Read our position here…

Have Your Say – Calling All Abalone Fishers!

Fishing for abalone

Are you an Abalone fisher?

We’re calling on all 18,000 Abalone Licence holders to have their say about how their fishery is best managed to enhance fishing experiences but doing so in the safest possible manner. We believe every fisher should return home safe after a days fishing!

Take the Survey here…

2017-07-14T19:54:05+08:00