Snapper Release This Saturday!
The release of the juvenile snapper grown out under the Snapper Guardians program from eggs recovered from Cockburn Sound late last year will take place this Saturday.
It will take place on the beach at Jervoise Bay, Woodman Point (adjacent to Cockburn Power Boat Club and to the west of it) on Saturday 6 February 10 am – 12 pm.
All anglers and Snapper Guardians are invited to come and help Recfishwest release thousands of juvenile snapper. More details can be found in our Snapper Guardians Project article. See you there!
Albany Catches
Pictured: Queen snapper
Herring have started to turn up along the coast in healthy numbers with good catches reported by shore-based fishers at Bluff Creek, Cheyne Beach, Nanarup, Mutton Bird and Sand Patch during the past week. Tarwhine are another species which have appeared along the coast and, judging by a couple of recent captures, some have been good fish getting close to the 40cm mark. Sand Patch, Nanarup and Bluff Creek were among the spots to produce tarwhine during the past few days.
Salmon are occasionally showing up along the coast and there are quite a few small skippy and sand whiting being caught by those using bottom rigs to target bread and butter species. Tailor catches have been down on previous weeks. Most of the inshore waterways are rather murky following the recent rain. The better catches of King George whiting have been coming from the wider inshore areas close to Michaelmas and Breaksea Islands and off Limestone.
Squid seem to have turned up along the inshore parts in good numbers again, which is surprising considering the colour of the water in these parts and their tendency to inhabit areas that feature clean water. Even shore-based fishers are experiencing good sessions on squid. A customer of Albany Rods and Tackle caught 15 of the tasty cephalopods from the marina rock wall last week. Boat fishers are picking up plenty of red snapper during their ventures to the 80m contour and beyond. Queen snapper are also about in numbers and there seems to be a heap of samson fish around. Black bream enthusiasts recommend bait fishing in the local river systems until the water clarity improves.
Esperance Catches
Picture: Squid
The Taylor Street jetty is fishing well for herring, squid and big garfish while the James Street structure has squid, herring and whiting. Similar species are being caught at the Bandy Creek boat harbour together with black bream. Big black bream – fish to 40cm – are being caught at the local lakes in good numbers. Apparently some black bream fishers have been catching up to a dozen fish in a session.
Salmon are turning up every now and then at Salmon Beach, Fourth Beach and Roses. Dunns and Rossiters are fishing well for school size mulloway. A group of surf fishers caught 10 mulloway to 70cm near one of these beaches recently. Pink snapper have been found in a range of depths and areas by the boats. Yellowtail kingfish to 25kg were landed and bigger fish lost during the weekend. Squid and sand whiting can be sought along the waters in close. Small southern bluefin tuna, rarely bigger than 10kg, are still about offshore.
