Swanfish 2016
More information can be found at the Swanfish website, www.swanfish.com.au or at the event’s Facebook page.
The cost to enter is $20 for adults, and $10 for anglers under the age of 16 and pension card holders, with registrations (from 9am on the 21st) and the weigh-in at McCallum Park.
Early birds are encouraged to register online at www.swanfish.com.au as this makes the process quicker come registration day, meaning more time fishing!
Even if you’re an unlucky fisher on the weekend, there will be plenty of spot prizes, raffles and giveaways at the Sunday weigh-in.
Metro Catches
Pictured: Bonito
Bonito have been appearing most mornings at North Mole and at some of the shore-based spots located within Cockburn Sound. Medium-size bibbed minnows have been working well on the bonito. The presence of the bonito and other baitfish seems to have brought an abundance of Spanish mackerel into Cockburn Sound and surrounding areas.
A customer of Anglers Fishing World in Fremantle has been catching up to three mackerel around the 15kg mark a session in The Sound during the past few weeks. More mackerel have been coming from along Five Fathom Bank, the southern and western sides of Rottnest Island and on the edge of Three Mile Reef. Big schools of yellowtail kingfish between 8 and 12kg have been showing up near Stragglers and South Passage. Boats anchoring and burleying off West End have also been doing well on the kingfish.
Dolphin fish are reportedly in better numbers at the FAD’s (Fish Aggregating Devices) and crews are coming across plenty of big striped tuna as they move between FADs. Reasonable catches of King George whiting have been coming from The Windmills and at the back of The Mewstone. Squid continue to be caught in fair numbers along the seagrass meadows off South Beach. A shore-based fisher caught 14 squid in two days at North Mole recently. Garfish have been appearing some mornings at both moles, South Beach Groyne, Woodman Point and the Ammo Jetty. Blue manna crabs catches have been impressive between South Perth and the Old Swan Brewery.
KWINANA / COOGEE / WOODMAN POINT:
Fishers fishing from the various platforms around the Woodman Point area report that they are catching plenty of herring and large garfish. Fishers setting out baits under balloons have had some success this week with a few mackerel being taken. For fishers chasing squid there are still some good squid around making chasing them worthwhile. Fishers fishing from Coogee Beach report excellent catches of sand whiting. Reports indicate that there are still plenty of good squid around here as well.
Mandurah and Surrounds
Pictured: Black bream
MANDURAH:
Tailor are being taken from the beaches to the north and south of Mandurah with Tim’s Thicket and Preston also producing some small mulloway and herring. The Cut has been very productive over recent weeks with tailor, King George whiting, garfish and herring biting well. The jetty in front of the Jolly Frog has been producing good yellowfin whiting throughout the day.
In the estuary there are tailor, skippy, herring, flathead and crabs. Further up stream there are a few black bream being taken on both hard bodied and soft plastic lures. Many fishers are finding that lure fishing for yellowfin whiting can be exciting and a real challenge. These fish are not the timid, shy, retiring species that most people take them for. They are quite aggressive and will readily chase and attack a small popper lure or small hard body or plastic lure.
The estuary is a perfect location to wade the sand flats chasing these fish. A light spin outfit with 2 – 3 kg line will suffice and quietly wading and casting in the estuary will keep fishers occupied for hours. The results will ensure that you return again as they provide hours of great action on light tackle. Anglers are reminded that they are a resource that is to be shared and don’t take more than your immediate needs.
There are still some good crabs about in the estuary, but you have to work for them. Prawns are still being scooped, with good catches being caught in most regular spots. The bridges are also producing good fish with herring, tailor, tarwhine and whiting being caught in numbers. The northern beaches have been producing yellowfin whiting in the mornings, tailor late afternoons and mulloway after dark. A few larger mulloway have been caught from the beaches at Madora and Singleton.
SECRET HARBOUR / PORT KENNEDY / ROCKINGHAM / SAFETY BAY:
Reports indicate that fishers are taking plenty of tailor along the beaches around Rockingham along with herring, whiting and an occasional mulloway. There are still good catches of herring, tailor and some nice yellowfin whiting being taken from the beaches near the grain silos right through to Long Point.
South West Catches
Pictured: Dhufish
Scoop netters have been picking up good hauls of blue manna crabs along the Geographe Bay shallows. Tailor have been turning up in better numbers in the afternoons at Elmore Road, Castle Rock and Bunker Bay. Good catches of herring are being experienced along the west coast and bay beaches, especially when a consistent stream of burley is introduced.
Dinghy and small boat fishers have reported squid stocks to have increased along the seagrass beds between Eagle Bay and Siesta Park. Schools of small southern bluefin tuna have been showing up off Eagle Bay and Bunker Bay. An 18.5kg dhufish caught off Busselton during the recent competition was among several smaller fish picked up off both sides of the cape during the past week.
Fish and Survive this Salmon Season
Now that we are seeing the first sign of the salmon run for 2016, Recfishwest reminds fishers and their families to Fish and Survive!
For information to keep you safe this season click here.
OR purchase your own life jacket for ONLY $89.95, delivered to your door click here.
The life jackets come in red, blue and navy blue.
Albany Catches
Pictured: Breaksea cod
The boats trolling minnow-style lures in front of the islands and out from the headlands such as Limestone and Bald Head have been picking up plenty of bonito and small southern bluefin tuna. When the crews have been able to head offshore, they have generally been doing well on a fair mix of breaksea cod, red snapper, queen snapper and small dhufish in 60 to 85m. Pink snapper are schooling in the deeper waters out from the rocks as well as at the edge of the shelf.
King George whiting catches have been improving with Breaksea and Michaelmas islands, Seal Rock, Middleton and Two Peoples Bay among the areas to provide catches of 30 to 45cm fish. Herring, snook, sand whiting and squid are also about these parts in better numbers than they have been in previous weeks. Shore-based fishers have been picking up fair catches of Geordies at Frenchman’s Bay.
Salmon are perhaps still some weeks away before the popular sport fish begin their annual run. There were a few salmon caught at Lowlands during the past week. Herring catches are increasing as the autumn months draw near. Shelleys, Sand Patch, Lowlands and Cheynes were among the spots to produce good catches of herring during the past week. Some nice catches of squid have been coming from the marina, especially in the evenings. Black bream are starting to be caught on hard-bodied lures in the local rivers more frequently.
Esperance Catches
Pictured: Southern bluefin tuna
A customer of Southern Sports and Tackle caught a five-foot southern bluefin tuna while trolling in his small boat near the islands last week. Unfortunately, the size of the big bluefin got the better of the angler and managed to break its tether when the customer struggled to get it aboard his small craft. Smaller southern bluefin and big schools of bonito have been appearing in waters starting at one mile from the coast.
Good catches of nannygai to 3kg, breaksea cod and big queen snapper have been coming from near the islands and beyond. Big schools of salmon, believed to be migrating fish, have been consistently appearing at Roses Beach and Poison Creek while only the odd fish has been caught at Salmon Beach and Fourth Beach. The Taylor Street Jetty is worth a visit for King George whiting, big herring, garfish and squid while Geordies and squid can be sought at the James Street structure. Bigger King George – fish to 38cm – have been picked up at the Bandy Creek Boat Harbour together with good size herring.
Geraldton Catches
Pictured: Coral trout
Tailor have been appearing on early mornings and evenings south of Greenough and north of Drummonds, however the 30 to 45cm fish have been rather absent along most of the stretches of coast this past week. Whiting and herring can be sought at Tarcoola and Southgates while the former species have also been picked up in good numbers near Coronation when conditions have been favourable.
The boats working soft plastics and metal jigs on top of Pensioners Bank have been catching coral trout to an impressive 75cm. The western edge of Pensioners has been producing catches of longtail and striped tuna, bonito and spanish mackerel for the boats trolling minnows and small skirted lures. African Reef is worth a try for dhufish, pink snapper and sweetlip. The crews who ventured to the Abrolhos Islands when the weather permitted at the weekend reported there to be good numbers of spanish mackerel to 25kg, yellowfin tuna to 20kg and wahoo about in the waters west of the islands.
Kalbarri Catches
Pictured: Pink snapper
Steven Elley landed a superb one-metre giant herring in the upper reaches of the Murchison last week. Good size black bream have been picked up quite regularly at the jetties and pens while estuary cod and soapie mulloway are widespread in the lower and middle reaches.
Tailor have still been rather absent along the coast with just a handful of fish turning up along the Red Bluff to Wittecarra stretch some mornings and evenings together with a few herring. Spanish mackerel are still yet to turn up in numbers offshore. Two mackerel around the 1.5m mark were caught on mullet suspended under a balloon in the bay at Luck Bay last week. Balloon fishers have also been getting onto the odd mackerel at Wagoe when the wind has allowed. Mulloway and pink snapper have been coming from the back of the reef there.
Don’t forget that the 30th annual Kalbarri Sports Fishing Classic is being held on the 4th, 5th & 6th March 2016. For more information click here.
Exmouth Catches
Pictured: Mangrove jack
Queenfish and trevally have been turning up in good numbers at Old Bundegi during the incoming tide. More queenfish and some nice mangrove jack have been recently caught at the marina. There is still the odd sailfish being caught in the gulf while blue, striped and black marlin continue to be encountered off the west coast together with dolphin fish. Longtail tuna are in reasonable numbers throughout the gulf and there is still some cobia about.
Broome Catches
Pictured: Threadfin salmon
The boats moving about Roebuck Bay have been picking up some nice bluebone, fingermark bream, estuary cod and tripletail. Threadfin salmon are appearing in better numbers during the bigger tides at the entrance of Crab Creek. Barramundi enthusiasts have been finding fish to 85cm at Dampier Creek and the odd metre fish in the lower reaches of the Fitzroy. More barra have been coming from the peninsula together with threadfin and bluenose salmon. Try the jetty an hour either side of the changing tide for queenfish and trevally.
