Albany Catches
Pictured: Samson fish
Bonito may have started to appear in local waters following reports of at least two fish caught during the past week. Those fish were picked up in King George Sound – an area not commonly frequented by bonito schools that ordinarily prefer the waters close to rock platforms and near headlands. King George whiting, sand whiting and herring have also been caught in the sound together with fair numbers of squid. Two Peoples Bay has been producing bigger King George and some squid while Cosy Corner has been providing bag limits of the latter species for some fishers.
A good mix of demersal fish including red, queen and pink snapper, breaksea cod and samson fish have been picked up along the coral in depths leading up to 85m. The dhufish found this past week have mostly been small. Several gummy sharks were also taken in a range of depths and areas. Herring numbers have continued to increase as the summer month’s progress. Sand Patch, Nanarup, Bluff Creek and Cheyne Beach were among the better performing shore-based spots for the popular bread and butter species.
A few gummy sharks have also been landed from the beaches, especially in the evenings. A customer of Albany Rods and Tackle scored six King George from the shore at Frenchmans recently. West Cape Howe and rocks near Cheyne Beach are worth a try for samson fish and yellowtail kingfish. Most of the rivers along the south coast, including the two local systems, are rather murky following the recent rain. As expected, baits such as prawns and yabbies have been outperforming lures on black bream while the visibility in the rivers remains low.
Esperance Catches
Pictured: Queen snapper
Salmon appear to have commenced their annual run following reports of big schools of 4 to 7kg fish appearing at Roses, Fourth, Eleven Mile, Salmon Beach and Poison Creek during the week. Stockyards has plenty of herring, small skippy, flathead, juvenile and mature salmon. Mulloway between 60 to 80cm are being caught in excellent numbers at Rossiters together with the odd fish in the 1 to 1.2m range. A good mix of herring, King George whiting, skippy, sweep, leatherjacket and squid can be sought at the Taylor Street Jetty.
The James Street structure mostly has herring and squid. The beach next to the port is good for sand whiting and herring while Bandy Creek has mostly herring. Squid to a kilo have turned up in very good numbers in the bay. Southern bluefin tuna are also about the inshore parts as well as the waters farther out. Trolled small skirted lures have been working well on the bluefin. Snook have been responding to bibbed minnows, especially in a gold colour. The crews who headed offshore reported catching nannygai to 65cm, samson fish, queen snapper, harlequin fish and pink snapper.
Follow Recfishwest on Social Media
Don’t forget we are on social media, be sure to follow our accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all the latest information on recreational fishing. You’ll be kept up to date on what is happening in the rec sector with information on up coming projects, events and some awesome photos and footage.
Also, let us brag about your great catches!
We are always seeking new material to use so please share or tag us in your photos, remember @recfishwest or #recfishwest and you could see yourself in the fishing forecast and other Recfishwest materials.
