22 January 2016 – Full Report

Metro Catches

Perhaps the most impressive news was the huge marlin that was landed by a Fremantle crew off Two Rocks recently. The big billfish was caught in 600m of water and the crew reported encountering several schools of yellowfin tuna of varying sizes during their voyage from Freo.

The Rottnest Trench Fish Aggregating Devices are holding plenty of small to medium size dolphin fish as well as attracting the odd wahoo. Striped and small southern bluefin tuna are also schooling near the devices. Some nice catches of baldchin groper have been coming from the 20 to 40m depths north of Rottnest. Dhufish catches have been better south of Rockingham and north of Hillarys.

A group of customers of Anglers Fishing World in Fremantle have been using poppers to catch tailor to 50cm at Leighton. More tailor have also been coming from Cottesloe, Swanbourne Drain and Trigg Point. My nephews Charlie and Harry Azzopardi spent an enjoyable morning at East Fremantle on Saturday catching flathead, herring and butterfish. Yellowfin whiting are also being caught along the lower reaches of the Swan.

Mulloway between 10 and 14kg are occasionally being caught at Mosman Bay and Freshwater Bay. Good hauls of blue manna crabs are being picked up in both metropolitan river systems.

South West Catches

Some nice pink snapper have been picked up along Eight Mile Reef while dhufish have been caught off the west coast. The 5 to 20m depths between Eagle Bay and Abbey Beach are fishing well for King George whiting.

Sand whiting continue to be caught along the Quindalup sand flats. A consistent stream of burley at any of the rock and reef areas along both sides of the coast should bring herring around. Tailor are turning up late in the afternoon at Elmore Road and Bunker Bay. Blue manna crabs have appeared in Geographe Bay in good numbers, however most are still just under the legal size.

Albany Catches

Recreational fishers have welcomed an increase in squid numbers through the inshore waters. During the past week, small boat fishers working the waters of King George Sound, Oyster Harbour, near Michaelmas and Breaksea islands, off Goode Beach, out from Limestone and within a mile of Middleton Beach reported catching good hauls of squid. Reasonable numbers of King George whiting were also picked up through these areas together with a few sand whiting and some flathead. Pink snapper between 40 and 50cm were being caught in Wilson Inlet along with King George to 45cm and a few flathead.

Herring have finally started to appear along the coast in good numbers with bag limits being picked up most mornings at Emu Point and in the evenings at the marina. A good mix of herring, skippy and the odd salmon have been caught at Anvils, Sand Patch, Mutton Bird, Nanarup and Bluff Creek. A decent size school of salmon had turned up at Cheynes last week, but was frustratingly out of reach. Big schools of salmon continue to pass through Bremer Bay and the beaches east of there. Local rock fishers who hit up the platforms at West Cape Howe and the Blow Holes managed to land samson fish, blue groper and small pink snapper.

The boats have been picking up heaps of pink snapper along the coral located in depths leading up to 85m. Breaksea cod, dhufish, sea sweep and gummy shark have also been coming from these depths. The crews working the waters in close to the islands have been doing well on harlequin fish and blue groper. Hapuka and blue eye trevalla are the main species coming from then shelf. Most of the river systems between Walpole and Bremer are fishing well for black bream for bait and lure fishers. The Kalgan continues to produce mulloway mostly between 45 and 75cm.

Esperance Catches

A good mix of bread and butter species including herring, skippy, squid and the odd King George whiting can be sought at the Taylor Street and Jane Street jetties. Bandy Creek boat harbour is fishing well for herring and black bream. Baits have been accounting for most of the black bream to 40cm caught in the local lakes recently. A group of customers of Southern Sports and Tackle caught four flathead around 60cm, salmon to 6kg, juvenile salmon and a dozen herring at Stockyards last week. More salmon have been turning up every now and then at Fourth Beach, Salmon Beach, Eleven Mile and Fourteen Mile.

Dunns has been producing skippy to half a kilo, gummy shark and salmon. Salmon, tailor, shark and mulloway have been coming from Poison Creek and the cliffs at Israelite. Schools of southern bluefin tuna to 9kg have been reported by the boats to be everywhere at the moment. Pink snapper ranging from undersize to 7kg are being found in waters starting at 100m out from shore.

Squid have reappeared along the inshore areas. Big yellowtail kingfish have been encountered by those venturing out wide. Queenfish to 9kg are apparently thick in some areas while nannygai to 4kg and skippy to 8kg have also been found in good numbers. Some nice breaksea cod and harlequin fish have been picked up along the shallower ground.

Geraldton Catches

Big schools of slimy mackerel, yellowtail and scaly mackerel are being located in the northern and southern waters offshore. Michael Triantopoulos, of Geraldton Sports, used live baits caught from the bait schools to catch Spanish mackerel to 15kg, longtail and striped tuna to 5kg and estuary cod. The crews targeting reef fish have been doing well on dhufish, baldchin groper and coral trout in 25 to 33m of water.

Peter Hollaway has been catching coral trout to 70cm on trolled bibbed minnows and soft plastic jigs. The blue water action at the back of the Abrolhos Islands has really started to fire up with dozens of marlin raised during the past fortnight. At least one boat managed to raise four marlin during a single session. The beach fishing has been reasonable north and south of town with fair catches of tailor, whiting and herring coming from Explosives, West Bank, Drummonds and Coronation.

Kalbarri Catches

The crews who have been dedicating some time in search of blue water pelagics have been encountering a few Spanish mackerel north and south of the river mouth together with wahoo and tuna of the yellowfin, mack and longtail varieties. Apparently sharks have been more of a problem snatching hooked fish caught in the northern waters. Seasport Charters has been putting its clients onto good numbers of baldchin groper, pink snapper and coral trout.

Poppers and stick baits have been accounting for bigger tailor in excess of 55cm at Pot Alley, Chinamans and Frustrations, however the typical 35 to 45cm summer fish that are usually common along the beaches at this time of the year have been hard to come by. Mulloway have been caught in the evenings at Wittecarra. Some nice black bream have been picked up near the jetties and pens while estuary cod and giant herring are being located in the middle reaches.

Exmouth Catches

Billfish enthusiasts have been encountering good numbers of blue and striped marlin in the 400 to 600m depths and black marlin between 100 and 300m of water. Yellowfin tuna to 80kg have been hooked and the occasional fish landed by the crews trolling skirted lures for billfish off the west coast. Spanish mackerel have been caught on trolled bibbed minnows along the back of the reef line.

A few sailfish are still turning up in the upper areas of the gulf. The lower parts of the gulf are fishing well for queenfish, golden trevally and giant herring. An assortment of species including small giant trevally, big eye trevally, queenfish and mangrove jack can be sought at the jetty.

Broome Catches

Good catches of barramundi have been coming from the middle and lower reaches of the Fitzroy River. Areas that have been consistently producing 65 to 85cm barra have included The Cuttings, Telegraph Pool and Pelican Pool. A few threadfin salmon to a metre and the odd bigger fish are being found in the lower reaches of the river.

Cherabin can be sought from the system following a decent rain. Bluenose salmon, the odd threadfin and a few barra have been caught on live baits and lures at Dampier and Crab Creek. The inshore areas of Roebuck Bay are fishing well for bluebone. More bluebone have been coming from the jetty together with the usual varieties of trevally and queenfish.