Metro Catches
Pictured: Blue swimmer crab (photo courtesy of Blue Manner Crabbing WA)
An estimated 15kg Spanish mackerel was caught from a shore-based location in Cockburn Sound last week. More mackerel have been coming from along Five Fathom Bank, near West End and along Three Mile Reef. Plenty of pink snapper, mostly between 3 and 6kg, continue to be caught by shore fishers, kayakers and boat fishers in the Sound. Dolphin fish ranging from 3 to 7kg have been found at the FADs, however have been hard to tempt at times. Heaps of small dhufish are being picked up north of Rottnest.
Big schools of bonito are showing up in the sound and out from Fremantle. Shore-based fishers at North Mole have been picking up a few bonito on bibbed minnows when the fish have been within casting range. Tailor are appearing some mornings and evenings at the northern end of Capo D’Orlando Drive, South Mole, North Mole, Cottesloe Groyne and Swanbourne Drain. Herring should start to turn up in better numbers as autumn approaches. The lower reaches of the Swan River are continuing to fish well for black bream. Bigger blue manna crabs are being caught in the deeper areas of both rivers.
COCKBURN SOUND
Early morning fishers fishing near the Garden Island causeway have been taking herring and the occasional tailor this week. There are consistent reports of good sized King George whiting being taken from the lower end of Cockburn Sound. The rock wall leading out from adjacent to the Cockburn Power Boat Club has been producing tailor. There are plenty of herring and garfish out over the weed for small boat anglers and some reasonable sized snapper a little further out over the broken bottom.
KWINANA / WOODMAN POINT
During the day fishers are catching herring, skippy and whiting, while of an evening there are a few tailor and the occasional mulloway. There are some nice squid being caught at Woodman Point and reports of large sand whiting on Coogee Beach.
The Ammo Jetty at Woodman Point is worth a try for anglers looking for shore based mackerel action. Spanish mackerel have been seen leaping out of the water chasing schools of bait fish around this area and several have been captured from this area by fishers ballooning baits out.
Mandurah and Surrounds
Pictured: Skippy
MANDURAH
Water temperatures have been rather warm and many fishers report that the area between Tim’s Thicket to Preston has produced significantly fewer fish as a result. A couple of metropolitan angling clubs fished the area recently with mixed results. A few tailor are still being caught with the best time being in the late afternoon when there is a good sea breeze blowing.
Tailor are turning up on most beaches in reasonable numbers, but the Cut is producing the best fishing for them. Tailor to 40 cm have come from the Dawesville Bridge after dark. The jetty in front of the Jolly Frog has had some nice yellowfin whiting early in the morning. Other species being caught in The Cut include herring and skippy, along with some very big garfish. Fishers fishing on and around the bridges report good catches of herring, tailor, bream, salmon trout and whiting.
Black bream up to 1.5kg have been taken from locations in and around the canals. Crabs are still about but you seem to have to work a little harder for your feed this last week. Many netters report that they are quite large in size but many don’t have a lot of meat in them. This would tend to indicate that they have just completed their moult and are yet to fill out. Beaches north of Mandurah continue to fish well for yellowfin whiting in the mornings, tailor late afternoons on the sea breeze, and an occasional mulloway after dark.
SECRET HARBOUR / PORT KENNEDY / ROCKINGHAM / SAFETY BAY
There have been plenty of herring and yellowfin whiting taken from these beaches early in the morning. The beaches near the grain silos through to Long Point have produced good catches of herring, tailor and some nice yellowfin whiting. The local jetties are under siege from blowies during the day, but after dark there are a few tailor and herring. A few tailor are still being taken from the beaches at Port Kennedy and Secret Harbour during the past week and catch rates improve on the sea breeze.
South West Catches
Pictured: Spanish mackerel
A customer of Dunsborough Outdoor Sportz caught a 15kg Spanish mackerel while trolling between Eagle Bay and Bunker Bay last week. Spearfishers also caught mackerel along the west coast during the past fortnight. Some nice catches of dhufish have been picked up in 25 to 42m of water off Windmills, Injidup and Cowaramup Bay.
Pink snapper are mostly being caught early in the morning or on dusk along the Four Mile and Eight Mile reefs. The artificial reef is being frequented by schools of samson fish and yellowtail kingfish. The Quindalup sand flats are holding plenty of yellowfin and sand whiting. Tailor have been turning up early morning and evening at Mitchells and Torpedo Rocks. Herring are about both sides of the cape, but burley is required at times.
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Albany Catches
Pictured: King George whiting
Possibly the most encouraging news this past week has come from the deeper waters where big schools of red snapper were being encountered. The reds, which have mostly been between 2 to 4kg, have been picked up along the coral in depths leading up to 85m as well as on the edge of the shelf out from Albany. Big concentrations of reds have also been found off Cheyne Beach and at the canyon out from Two Peoples Bay.
Some nice pink snapper have also been coming from the coral together with breaksea cod, dhufish and queen snapper. Hapuka were found by a couple of crews that dropped in excess of 200m while harlequin fish are about in good numbers in the shallows. One boat reportedly caught and released five samson fish on Sunday. King George whiting numbers appear to be down compared to recent weeks, however the fish that have been caught have been of good size. Areas that have been producing King George have included Middleton Beach, Michaelmas, Breaksea, Gull Rock, Goode Beach, Frenchmans, Limestone and Two Peoples Bay. Bonito have continued to turn up in King George Sound.
The beaches are mostly producing bread and butter species such as herring, skippy and tarwhine. Schools of salmon have occasionally been appearing at Sand Patch, however these occurrences are not thought to be associated with the annual migration, which some observers believe to be some two to three weeks away. Black bream catches are improving in the local river systems as the water clarity improves. A couple of small mulloway were caught in the Kalgan last week.
Esperance Catches
Pictured: Yellowfin tuna
The Taylor Street jetty is fishing well for herring, garfish, sweep and leatherjackets. King George are also occasionally being caught from the structure. King George were also caught at the James Street Jetty during the week together with herring and squid. Bandy Creek Boat Harbour has plenty of big herring turning and, at times, Geordies to 45cm.
Salmon have been appearing most mornings and evenings at Salmon Beach, Fourth Beach and Roses. Stockyards has juvenile salmon, skippy to half a kilo and good size flathead. An estimated 10kg yellowfin tuna was caught within a few miles of the coast recently. Schools of southern bluefin tuna are still about together with bonito. Squid and snook can be picked up along the inshore parts. The ground out wider has been producing nannygai to 3.5kg, skippy to 9kg and samson fish.
Geraldton Catches
Pictured: Dhufish
Schools of Watson’s leaping bonito and longtail tuna are turning up outside of the fishing boat harbour with the former also coming within casting range for shore-based fishers at times. Spanish mackerel have been caught on trolled lures and floated baits along the edge of Pensioner Bank and near the shipping channel.
A good mix of reef species including dhufish, baldchin groper, sweetlip and pink snapper have been coming from the African Reef area and at the lumps off Coronation. Soft plastic jigs have been working well on coral trout to a respectable 75cm on top of Pensioners when the swell has been down. The Head Butts to West Bank stretch has continued to produce fair numbers of chopper tailor, school mulloway, yellowfin whiting and herring.
Kalbarri Catches
Pictured: Pink snapper
The Murchison River seems to be holding some good size mangrove jack following reports of a 3kg fish that was caught and released near the pens last week. The upper reaches of the Murchison are fishing well for giant herring while small mulloway, black bream and a few javelin fish are occupying the lower parts. Some nice hauls of mud crabs were picked up near Dance Floor at the weekend and it should not be long now for blue manna crabs to turn up in numbers. Mostly small tailor have been appearing along the Red Bluff to Wittecarra stretch in the mornings and evenings. Herring have been of better size as of late and there are still plenty of yellowfin whiting around the beaches.
The slow start to the pelagic season has continued with only a handful of Spanish mackerel caught this past week. Those fish were caught on trolled lures near Sand Patch. Balloon fishers picked up a couple of mackerel at Wagoe during the recent run of easterlies. Pink snapper have also been coming from behind the reef there together with a few baldchin groper. Wayne Dewar, of Kalbarri Sports and Dive, found the chopper tailor to be thick at sunrise and sunset during a recent session at Port Gregory.
Exmouth Catches
Pictured: Black marlin
Black marlin and the occasional blue are still being encountered out wide. Anywhere from the back of the reef line seems to be a good starting point for blacks while the blues are being found in depths starting at 400m. Dolphin fish, some around the 10kg mark, are thick in patches.
Good catches of rankin cod, red emperor and goldband snapper are being picked up by the boats working the 60 to 140m depths.The marina is providing queenfish, trevally, mangrove jack and estuary cod. Fly fishers working the lower reaches of the gulf are catching permit, queenfish, giant trevally and giant herring. Good size bonefish and spangled emperor to 3kg have been caught in the west coast lagoons.
Broome Catches
Pictured: Barramundi
Sport fishing enthusiasts targeting threadfin salmon and barramundi in Roebuck Bay have been doing well on both species near Crab Creek and Thangoo. The neap tide periods have been good for barra at Dampier Creek while spring tides have been producing better results at the estuaries and small inlets on the other side of the bay. More barra, including the odd metre-plus fish, have been caught in saltwater areas of the Fitzroy. Queenfish and assortments of trevally can be sought at the jetty.
