11 March 2016 - West Coast Fishing Report

Metro Catches

Pictured: Shark mackerel

Big schools of bonito are appearing most mornings and afternoons at North Mole. Bibbed minnows and metal lures have been effective on the bonito. Some of the other metropolitan rock platforms and jetties are also being graced by the presence of the schooling bonito. Spanish mackerel are also being occasionally caught at some of the shore-based spots including Woodman Point, the Ammo Jetty, North Mole and Hillarys Marina.

Boats trolling for spanish mackerel have been picking up fish between six and 15kg along the back of Five Fathom Bank, near Stragglers and The Mewstone, at the back of West End and in 10 to 25m behind Three Mile Reef. A few shark mackerel are also being caught by those targeting Spaniards. Small southern bluefin and striped tuna can be found just about anywhere in waters ranging from 20m right through to the FADs (Fish Aggregating Devices) and out into the trench. Dolphin fish have been hard to tempt at times at the FADs – live herring and live squid usually do the trick when the dollies are finicky.

Crews have been finding pink snapper to 8kg at Five Fathom Bank and along the back of the Three Mile. Tailor have been hard to pin down along the metropolitan beaches, but there were reportedly a few caught at Cottesloe, Swanbourne, Floreat and Trigg during the week. Apparently tailor catches have been more consistent along the beaches north of Mindarie and south of Long Point. Mulloway are being occasionally caught behind the E-Shed and throughout Mosman Bay. There are still some nice crabs being caught in the Swan and Canning Rivers.

Clean Up Peel Waterways Tomorrow!

Are you a passionate recreational fisher? Do you like to fish in a clean environment? Recfishwest is hosting a clean-up day between 8-10am at the Dawesville Channel (The Cut) Tomorrow, March 12, as part of Clean Up Peel Waterways 2016.

Each helper will go into the draw to win a Recfishwest Prize Pack, including a reel (pack worth over $200). The meeting point will be on corner of Rees Place and Port Bouvard Marina car park.

Join your fellow fishers and help make a difference.

See you there!

Mandurah and Surrounds

Pictured: Spanish mackerel

MANDURAH

There are some good tailor and mulloway still coming in from the beaches north of the town. Locations such as San Remo, Singleton and Madora are producing herring, skippy, garfish and whiting early to mid morning and late afternoon. Larger tailor are being caught around dusk and after dark. Reports indicate that there have been some big tailor taken from either end of The Cut during the last week.

There has also been plenty of herring and some very big garfish taken there. Whiting and skippy have also been caught over the last couple of weeks. Fishers fishing after dusk seem to be doing a little better than those fishing during daylight hours. In the estuary, fishers have been catching some good tailor around 45 – 50 cm. There are a few crabs around and are being taken by scoopers and drop netters. Further upstream in the estuary there are some good black bream being taken.

SECRET HARBOUR / PORT KENNEDY / ROCKINGHAM / SAFETY BAY

Beaches around Port Kennedy and Secret Harbour are still producing tailor, skippy and tarwhine. There are rumours of big tailor being taken from a few locations around, and fishers are being very tight lipped over specific locations.

Small mulloway are also being taken on a regular basis and there are reports of several larger fish to 15 kg being taken from the beaches in this area. Fishers ballooning from the beaches in Warnbro have taken a few spanish mackerel in the last couple of weeks. It requires a little effort and some good easterly winds to get the balloons moving but once out a couple of hundred metres, it could be anything that takes the bait.

South West Catches

Pictured: Squid

Squid catches have improved along the seagrass meadows between Eagle Bay and the Busselton Jetty. Some nice hauls of King George whiting have been coming from the broken ground and sand holes between 5 and 20m in Geographe Bay. Big schools of baitfish have started to appear in the Geographe Bay waters and the protected bays and headlands spread along the west coast.

The presence of the baitfish is expected to bring salmon close to shore once the schools start their annual migration, which is anticipated to commence by the end of the month. A consistent stream of burley should get herring and a few skippy around. Dhufish and pink snapper catches have been better off the west coast than in the bay.

Geraldton Catches

Pictured: Dhufish

Graham Maunder, of Geraldton Sports, caught several tailor between 30 and 55cm, whiting, wrasse and cod while surf fishing near the reef at Southgates on Monday morning. Tailor of similar size have been turning up some mornings and evenings along the Flat Rocks to Head Butts stretch. The bay at Drummonds has been good for tailor and herring in the mornings while afternoons have been the better time to target yellowfin whiting.

Bigger tailor and the occasional mulloway have been coming from the Buller River area, Morning Reef and Coronation. Balloon fishers who took advantage of the recent spell of easterlies managed to catch spanish mackerel at Lucky Bay. More mackerel were caught by the boats that ventured to the Abrolhos Islands, especially near Southern Group. Good mixed catches of baldchin groper, coral trout, dhufish and pink snapper have also been coming from the islands.

Kalbarri Catches

Pictured: Mulloway (photo courtesy of @robbieleck_fishing)

The pelagic activity appeared to step up just in time for recent Kalbarri Classic fishing tournament with several spanish mackerel, yellowfin tuna and cobia flaunted at the weigh in. Local young gun, Robbie Leck (pictured), did well in the river section landing a 12kg mulloway and a 3.5kg cod. Mangrove jack to 53cm were also picked up during the competition.

Demersal catches included dhufish to 14kg and some nice size baldchin groper and pink snapper. Perth fisher Justin Froggatt enjoyed a couple of entertaining sessions up river catching giant herring and big black bream. Tailor and mulloway have started to appear in better numbers along the coast. A customer of Kalbarri Sports and Dive caught eight tailor and a mulloway at The Siphon on Saturday morning. Several other mulloway were caught at Frustrations during the week.