Metro Catches
Pictured: Dhufish
Mulloway between 15 and 18kg have been regularly caught behind the E-Shed in evenings. More mulloway, in the 10 to 14kg range, have also been picked up by boat fishers soaking baits in the deeper parts of Mosman Bay and Blackwall Reach. Tailor have been turning up some mornings and evenings along the metropolitan coast with South Mole, Grant Street, Swanbourne Drain, Floreat and Trigg among the spots to be producing better catches of the 35 to 55cm fish.
Rob Cinquini and Tony Thwin have been picking up some nice hauls of squid near the shipping channel in Cockburn Sound. Marco Orifici, of Anglers Fishing World in Fremantle, and Sean Mulcock caught several pink snapper to 63cm along Five Fathom Bank last Friday evening. Small dolphin fish and schools of 2 to 4kg striped tuna are hanging around the Rottnest Trench Fish Aggregating Devices. Western rock lobster are still being caught in good numbers by the divers and those working pots while blue manna crabs are starting to be caught in better sizes and quantities in the Swan and Canning rivers. Young local fishing enthusiast Gary Peach got onto 3 good sized giant herring in the Canning River on the weekend – all taking metal slices and all showing plenty of well renowned giant herring acrobatics.
Mandurah and Surrounds
Pictured: Blue Swimmer Crab
The warmer weather the past week or so has led to quality shallow water fish being caught. Plenty of yellow fin whiting have been caught across numerous flats in the Peel Estuary with best results coming from early to mid morning.
Kids on school holidays have had some success in the Dawesville Cut on herring, tailor and the occasional King George whiting.
Crabs in the Peel have been improving, with the sizes of specimens increasing with each week, but still a little hit or miss.
Reports of the occasional small mulloway from Rockingham beaches are still coming in along with small schools of Tailor harassing herring and hardy heads within casting distance. Tim’s Thicket beach is producing herring, tailor and mulloway at night especially after the new moon last week.
South West Catches
Pictured: Pink snapper
The divers have already started to spot Spanish mackerel off Cape Naturaliste. There were two separate billfish sightings during the past week – a sailfish that was within 1km of Bunker Bay and a black marlin spotted free jumping offshore. The boats that ventured out from Canal Rocks and Cowaramup Bay caught dhufish of mixed sizes, big pink snapper, baldchin groper, breaksea cod and harlequin fish. Mostly small dhuies and pinkies have been coming from within Geographe Bay.
King George whiting to 70cm have been inadvertently caught by anglers targeting reef species in 30 to 40m of water. Whiting have been a little hit and miss along the Quindalup sand flats. Herring have been rather hard to find while most of the tailor have been small. There are still some squid being caught along the seagrass beds. Blue manna crabs have been in good numbers within the bay while western rock lobster are still being gathered in good numbers by the divers and those working pots.
Recfishwest SunSmart Community Southern Tour
After a successful 2015 Southern Tour, children and families living or holidaying down south will get some free face to face education about how best to not only enjoy a spot of fishing but hopefully catch some fish too!
For more information click here.
Albany Catches
Pictured: Samson fish
Good catches of King George whiting have been coming from within King George Sound, however the 30 to 40cm fish have taken some effort to locate at times. Two groups of customers of Albany Rods and Tackle managed to pick up their bag limit of King George in the sound last week. Sand whiting and small flathead can also be sought through the inshore parts, however squid catches have remained low. The usual spread of reef species including pink snapper, breaksea cod and queen snapper have been caught along the coral lumps in 60 to 85m of water.
Schools of small dhufish have been encountered in some areas. Samson fish between 10 and 30kg have also been showing up, as have yellowtail kingfish, especially around the ledges and steeper drop offs. The boats that ventured to the edge of the shelf and beyond reported the red snapper to be hard to come by. The odd small school of salmon has continued to appear along some of the local beaches. Herring have continued to be hit and miss. Sand Patch has been worth the visit with mixed bags of tarwhine, skippy and tailor on offer. Plenty of small black bream are being picked up by bait and lure fishers working the river systems between Walpole and Bremer Bay. Yellowfin whiting have been caught in Oyster Harbour. The upper reaches of the Kalgan continue to produce mulloway.
Esperance Catches
Pictured: Herring
A good mix of bread and butter species including squid, herring, skippy and whiting can be sought at the Taylor Street and Jane Street jetties. Bandy Creek boat harbour is worth a try with plenty of herring, small skippy, the odd black bream and whiting on offer there last week. Bigger black bream around the 40cm mark have been coming from the bream lakes. Stockyards produced salmon, tailor and herring for surf fishers. More salmon have been turning up at Fourth Beach and Salmon Beach together with gummy shark and skippy.
A group of customers of Southern Sports and Tackle caught 14 salmon in less than an hour at Thomas River recently. Skippy and small mulloway have been common along the beaches east of town. Big schools of pink snapper have been turning up within 50m of the shore at times. Southern bluefin tuna between 4 and 6kg are appearing in a range of depths and areas. The boats that worked the ground out wide picked up nannygai between 3 and 4kg and pink snapper between 6 and 8kg.
Geraldton Catches
Pictured: Baldchin groper
Geraldton Angling Club members caught yellowfin whiting between 25 and 33cm, herring to 30cm and small threadfin salmon during a recent meet along the Dongara to Seven Mile Beach stretch. More yellowfin whiting have been coming from Southgates, Separation Point, Explosives, in the bay at Drummonds and Coronation. Graham Maunder, of Geraldton Sports, reports the tailor fishing at Drummonds to be exceptional at the moment with plenty of 30 to 50cm fish running in the evenings together with school sharks and the odd mulloway.
Tailor have also been appearing in the mornings at West Bank. Mornings have also been seeing tailor turn up Tarcoola, however the fish have generally been smaller. Every odd day is seeing a few tailor show at Greenough. There has been unconfirmed report of a 1.5kg mulloway landed north of Drummonds. A phenomenal 24kg dhufish was caught out from town last week. Smaller dhuies have been found near African Reef, South West Bank and along the lumps north of Coronation together with pink snapper and baldchin groper. The boats trolling for pelagics have been encountering yellowfin tuna, Spanish mackerel, cobia and sharks. A small black marlin was landed wide of the Abrolhos Islands recently.
Kalbarri Catches
Pictured: Whiting
Laurie Malton landed an estimated 40kg yellowfin tuna and a 20kg Spanish mackerel while trolling offshore last week. Others have also been encountering Spaniards, wahoo and yellowfin as well as other varieties of tuna including longtails and macks north and south of the river mouth. Dean Robins, of Kalbarri Sports and Dive, picked up mackerel, wahoo, a 15kg golden trevally and an 80cm samson fish while trolling rigged garfish last Friday.
Rob Tang got onto some nice wahoo off Bald Face on Saturday. The boats targeting reef fish have been catching baldchin groper and dhufish in 20 to 40m of water. Tailor and dart have been the most common species caught by surf fishers at Wittecarra and Red Bluff. Rock fishers have been catching pink snapper, baldchin groper and estuary cod at the coastal gorges. Quite a few yellowfin whiting have been caught at Chinamans recently. The middle and upper reaches of the Murchison have been fishing well for black bream to 40cm, giant herring to 50cm and small mulloway.
Exmouth Catches
Pictured: Spanish mackerel
The billfish action off the west coast has continued with quite a few boats getting among blue, black and striped marlin and sailfish during the past fortnight. Boats trolling Laser Pros along the back of the reef line north and south of Tantabiddi and west of the Muiron Islands are picking up good numbers of Spanish mackerel.
The west coast beaches have been rewarding those who have been putting in the effort. Giant herring, small threadfin salmon and small trevally are responding well to lures and flies. Mangrove jack can be seen and caught around the Bundegi boat ramp. Small schools of baitfish are evident at the marina with predatory species such as queenfish, trevally and cod usually close by. Squid have been showing up off Tantabiddi and in the gulf.
Broome Catches
Pictured: Mud crab
Reef fishing within Roebuck Bay and off Gantheaume Point has been good with fair catches of bluebone, coral trout, chinaman fish and snapper picked up along the lumps and drop offs. Barramundi enthusiasts have been catching fish between 60cm and 1m in the lower and middle reaches of the Fitzroy River.
Smaller barra and big threadfin salmon can be caught at Dampier Creek together with mud crabs. Some nice bluebone have recently been landed at the jetty, which also has the usual queenfish and assortments of trevally turning up during the change of tide.
