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Metro Catches
Pictured: Striped tuna (Skipjack tuna), the one most commonly found in canned tuna.
Big schools of salmon were encountered near The Mewstone, Coventry Reef and the southern side of Rottnest earlier this week while smaller schools have been appearing within Cockburn Sound. Shore-based fishers also managed to get among a few salmon at Woodman Point and North Mole and south of Mandurah. An estimated two-tonne school of salmon was spotted off Swanbourne Drain on Monday about 3pm. Apparently the salmon were frustratingly beyond casting distance. It’s hard to determine whether the recently encountered salmon are part of the annual migration or resident fish. In any event, if the big schools are to turn up on the metro shores this season, the 3 to 7kg should appear within the next month or so.
Herring stocks appear to be increasing along the coast with good catches coming from the northern and southern rock walls. Black bream enthusiasts have been finding some nice fish up river of The Causeway at areas that include Ascot, Maylands and Garratt Road Bridge. A couple of 40cm-plus fish were caught near structure at Mount Henry last week. Blue manna crabs are still being caught in the Swan, but some effort is required. Spanish mackerel have continued to be caught in Cockburn Sound but numbers have been thinning at the back of Rottnest and along the back of the Three Mile. Dolphin fish remain in good numbers at the FAD’s (Fish Aggregating Devices), which are also being frequented by schools of striped and small southern bluefin tuna.
Mandurah and Surrounds
Pictured: Yellowfin whiting
MANDURAH
Most of the beaches either side of Mandurah are producing good fishing for tailor, herring, skippy, whiting, garfish, mulloway and tarwhine. Crabs are still being taken in the estuary, although numbers seem to be dropping. The Cut is still fishing well with plenty of herring, a few tailor and some tarwhine being taken. There have also been a few smaller salmon being caught from either end of The Cut. In the estuary the old traffic bridge has been producing mixed bags with herring, garfish, small salmon and mulloway. There are large schools of white bait gathering under the bridge lights at night.
Black bream fishers have been doing well in the lower reaches of both the Murray and Serpentine Rivers and several good fish have been taken from the waters of the canal. Fishers fishing further upstream are also taking some good fish. The beaches to the south of Mandurah at Tim’s Thicket, White Hills and Preston have all been producing good tailor, herring, whiting and salmon of varying size. Fishing from the beaches between Halls Head and The Cut have taken some good sized sand whiting and also the odd salmon. Fishers fishing from the beaches to the north of Mandurah report that they are taking an occasional small mulloway, chopper tailor, herring, skippy, whiting and tarwhine. There have also been a few salmon taken as well. There are reports that a larger mulloway was taken from the beach at Golden Bay early last week.
SECRET HARBOUR / PORT KENNEDY / ROCKINGHAM / SAFETY BAY
Early morning, fishers are reporting good catches of herring and garfish along with some good whiting. There have also been reports of salmon being taken, along with an occasional mulloway. The local jetties have been producing plenty of squid and some big herring early in the morning. There have been some reports of an occasional mulloway to around 8kg being taken as well.
South West Catches
Pictured: Samson fish
Salmon were perhaps not around in the numbers they were last Easter, which was two weeks later in the year, but there were enough around to keep shore-based and boat fishers entertained during the long weekend. Big schools have been greeting surf fishers at Hamelin Bay and Boranup, which is also fishing well for big herring and good size skippy. Small schools of less than two dozen fish have been regularly turning up in front of the Injidup car park and nearby Mitchells. Smiths Beach did produce some salmon, but was a little hit and miss and there were a couple caught at Yallingup near Mousetraps. Along the other side of the cape, schools were briefly appearing within casting distance at Bunker Bay while the fish came so close to the shore at Eagle Bay and Meelup Bay at times that they could have been plucked out of the water with a quick pair of hands.
Herring are about in good numbers along both sides of the cape where bag limits have been achieved in less than an hour, especially when burley is introduced. The seagrass beds between Eagle Bay and Busselton Jetty are producing fair catches of squid. Good catches of dhufish, pink snapper and breaksea cod were had off Hamelin Bay and Cowaramup Bay at the weekend.
Albany Catches
Pictured: Mulloway
Salmon numbers have continued to increase along the coast following reports of 3 to 7kg fish caught at many of the popular spots including Bluff Creek, Cheynes Beach, Normans, Shelleys, Sand Patch, West Cape Howe and Lowlands. Apparently the schools that have been encountered along the shores, have not been overly big with the larger schools believed to be staying out wide. Good size herring have started to turn up along the beaches together with some big skippy, a few tailor and the odd tarwhine.
The small boats working the inshore waters of King George Sound, Two Peoples Bay and Cosy Corner have been doing reasonably well on King George whiting, sand whiting, flathead, squid and cuttlefish. Those who have been burleying in the inshore areas have been picking up plenty of herring and a few skippy thrown in for good measure. Bonito and small southern bluefin tuna have remained off Bald Head and Limestone. Yellowtail kingfish seem to be residing near Mauds Reef at the moment. The 60 to 85m depths have been producing a fair mix of breaksea cod, queen snapper and samson fish while big red snapper, blue eye trevalla and pink snapper have been coming from the edge of the shelf and beyond. Most of the river systems are fishing well for black bream and the odd small mulloway.
Esperance Catches
Pictured: Western Australian salmon
Salmon seem to have turned up along the coast in bigger numbers following reports of good size schools regularly appearing at Salmon Beach, between Fourth Beach and Fourteen Mile Beach, Poison Creek and Kennedys during the week. Stockyards has been good for smaller species including herring, flathead and juvenile salmon. An assortment of bread and butter species including herring, King George whiting, garfish and squid can be sought at Taylor Street Jetty. The boats that have been working the waters within a mile of the coast have been picking up fair catches of whiting, herring, squid and small southern bluefin tuna. Out wider, nannygai to 3kg, queen snapper to 6kg and samson fish between 10 and 30kg have been common.
Geraldton Catches
Pictured: Dhufish (photo courtesy of @glenthewrecker)
Tailor between 35 and 45cm and the odd bigger fish around the 60cm mark have been turning up some mornings and evenings along the Head Butts to Greenough River mouth stretch. Whispers of dhufish landed from the shore along there during the past fortnight appear to have prompted a few to dedicate some time in the hope of achieving the prized catch. The first and second points at Greenough are also producing herring, pike and the occasional school mackerel. More tailor have been caught at Southgates and Separation Point in the evenings together with mulloway of mixed sizes.
The back of the breakwater is producing an assortment of species including chopper tailor, herring, whiting and small skippy. Squid are also coming from there as well as at the marina, especially in the evenings. Surf fishers who visited the Drummonds to Lucky Bay stretch during the Easter weekend reported catching tailor to 65cm, mulloway, yellowfin whiting and big herring. The better catches for the boats have been coming from the African Reef area and the lumps off Coronation where dhufish to 12kg, coral trout to 80cm, baldchin groper and pink snapper have been recently caught. More trout have been coming from Pensioners Bank while the boats trolling along the back there have been picking up spanish and school mackerel.
Kalbarri Catches
Pictured: Spangled emperor
The boats trolling minnow-style lures and baits north and south of the river mouth have been encountering reasonable numbers of spanish mackerel as well as other pelagics including yellowfin tuna, shark mackerel and cobia. Bottom fishing efforts for reef species seems to have been met with mixed results with some doing well along the 20 to 30m lumps for pink snapper, baldchin groper, dhufish and coral trout and others struggling to deck a single fish.
A customer of Kalbarri Sports landed two spangled emperor at the coastal gorges last week. Tailor to 60cm, but averaging 40cm, have been appearing some mornings and evenings along the Red Bluff to Wittecarra stretch together with mulloway and school sharks. Several big samson fish were caught from the beach at Lucky Bay recently. Yellowfin whiting are being found in good numbers at Chinamans and in front of the supermarket. Mangrove jack to 50cm continue to be caught near the jetties and pens. Blue manna and mud crab hauls have been improving in the lower and middle reaches.
Exmouth Catches
Pictured: Red emperor
Some nice catches of red emperor, rankin cod and spangled emperor have been caught in the 40 to 60m depths while goldband snapper have been recently found in 90 to 110m of water. The boats working the bombies inside the lagoon have been picking up some nice spangled emperor. Golden trevally and quite a few cobia have been caught in the gulf waters. Fly fishers putting in the effort have been catching bonefish and giant trevally on the west side and permit and giant herring in the gulf. Queenfish and small trevally are common at the marina, which is also producing a few mangrove jack and estuary cod.
Broome Catches
Pictured: Barramundi (photo courtesy of @matty_cox)
Barramundi enthusiasts report that the local creeks are fishing reasonably well for 60 to 70cm fish, which are responding better to live baits but are also being caught on minnow-style lures. Bigger barra to a metre and the odd larger fish are being encountered in the Fitzroy River at areas that have included Langis Crossing and Telegraph Pool. Mangrove jack are occasionally being caught in Dampier Creek and near Gantheaume Point. Good catches of threadfin salmon to 1.2m have continued in Roebuck Bay, which is also worth a try for mulloway and bluebone. Ed Nichols, of Broome Tackle World, managed to pick up some nice spanish mackerel while trolling off Entrance Point last week. Ed also reported there to plenty of baitfish and tuna about within a mile of the coast.
