22 January 2016 – West Coast Fishing 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.

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.