Metro Catches
Picture: Pink snapper have been going off in metro waters (photo courtesy of @ramagraamm)
A customer of Anglers Fishing World in Fremantle landed a superb longtail tuna estimated to be 25kg in Cockburn Sound last week. Good catches of salmon have been coming from the Kwinana beaches where shore-based fishers have been catching up to half a dozen of the 3 to 6kg fish a session. Woodman Point has also been producing a few salmon while South and North Mole are seeing fish caught every odd day. Salmon fishing along the metropolitan beaches has been a little hit and miss with early mornings at Grant Street and Swanbourne Drain producing a few and the odd small school appearing between Brighton Beach and Trigg Point at odd hours of the day.
Herring catches have tapered off somewhat at the southern jetties and rock walls as well those north of the river. A consistent stream of burley should assist with catching a feed of herring and may also bring garfish, tarwhine and skippy. Some nice skippy to 1.5kg have been caught along Five Fathom Bank together with pink snapper, which are also being caught near Parker Point and on the inside and outside of Garden Island and Carnac Island. The seagrass beds within Warnbro and Cockburn Sounds and out from Fremantle and Leighton Beach have been fishing well for squid and a few cuttlefish. Shore-based squid enthusiasts have also been picking up some nice cephalopods along the Fremantle rock walls. Several good size flathead and some big black bream around the 40cm mark have been caught at Como Jetty. Prawns are still being caught by dab netters in the lower reaches of the Swan near East Fremantle. There are still a few blue swimmer crabs being caught from the deeper areas of both metropolitan systems.
Mandurah and Surrounds
Picture: Nick with a nice mulloway (photo courtesy of Nicholas Drummond)
MANDURAH
The Murray River is still producing some bream as well as some good-sized tailor, while the beaches around Mandurah and to the north have been producing some good skippy, big King George whiting and plenty of sand whiting and herring. There are plenty of yellow-eye mullet (pilch) being caught along the beaches around Madora and Golden Bay. The estuary bridges are starting to turn on a few prawns if you’re prepared to spend a chilly night out and watch the tides.
Tim’s Thicket and White Hills have been fishing quite well with herring and garfish being taken mid week along with a few tailor. Salmon seem to have moved offshore from the area however there are still a few being taken. The southern beaches are still a bit cut up but that has made reading the beach a requirement before fishing if you are to catch fish. There are still a few herring in The Cut at the moment along with some good King George whiting and yellowfin whiting.
SECRET HARBOUR / PORT KENNEDY / ROCKINGHAM / SAFETY BAY / WARNBRO SOUND
Penguin Island area has produced good numbers of sand whiting and a few flathead and flounder along with some reasonable tailor and the odd salmon. There are still reports of good salmon being caught in the metro area, with most reports coming from the southern metropolitan beaches. Boat fishers fishing in the shelter of Warnbro Sound during the week have reported that the area has fished well for small snapper, mulloway, some good-sized King George whiting and squid. Point Peron is the spot to try for tarwhine and some tailor.
South West Catches
Pictured: Ripper dhufish caught on a soft plastic (photo courtesy of jim_and_fishing)
Boat fishers have been doing well on dhufish and pink snapper on both sides of the cape. King George whiting can be sought off Quindalup in waters leading up to 20m. Plenty of squid are being caught along the weed beds in Geographe Bay and quite a few are also being caught from the Quindalup Jetty and the Busselton Jetty, especially in the evenings. Darker jigs often work better for the squid in these waters during overcast days. The inshore waters are littered with herring, and blue swimmer crabs have also moved in close. There are still salmon appearing along the west coast and the Geographe Bay beaches. There are continuing reports of large pink snapper being caught on both artificial reefs with multiple fishers bagging out each trip. Several large mulloway have also been caught on the Bunbury artificial reef. For more on the artificial reefs click here.
Albany Catches
Picture: King George whiting, these fish move offshore as they mature.
Offshore enthusiasts who have been hitting the 60 to 85m depths west of town have been coming across big schools of pink snapper. Sizes for the pinks have varied from just over legal to 9kg thumpers. A good mix of breaksea cod, dhufish, pink, queen and red snapper have been picked up from the ground south of the marina together with the odd samson fish and yellowtail kingfish. When the weather has permitted, hapuka and bigger red snapper were caught at the edge of the shelf and beyond. King George whiting still require some effort through the inshore parts. Unusually large numbers of small flathead are about both harbours and the sound. Squid have been a little patchy with late afternoons and evenings producing better catches for boat and shore-based fishers.
Salmon are still about in pretty good numbers right along the coast with Bluff Creek, Cheynes Beach, Nanarup, Lowlands, Perkins, Bornholm and Shelley Beach among the better performing spots. Tailor have been coming from some of the beaches, mostly east of town, in their ones and twos. Herring can be sought from just about any patch of coast, especially areas that feature rock or reef. Skippy are being caught from the deep gutters and channels more regularly and there are some big tarwhine turning up. Mostly small black bream have been caught in the local rivers. The good news is, however, that the bream are still striking hard-bodied lures as well as soft plastics and baits. Mulloway have been hard to come by in the rivers recently.
Esperance Catches
Picture: Maxi with a nice samson fish (photo courtesy of @jim_and_fishing)
Surf fishers have been catching plenty of 1 to 2kg skippy at Fourteen Mile Beach and it would also be expected that similar size fish would start to turn up at Roses Beach soon, as they tend to do during this part of the season. Salmon have mostly been encountered in small schools, of no more than half a dozen fish, along the local beaches including Salmon Beach and Fourth Beach. A few mulloway and gummy sharks have been coming from the beaches east of town such as Thomas River, Alexander Bay and Poison Creek.
Small herring, a few snook and plenty of garfish can be sought at the Taylor Street Jetty. Bandy Creek Boat Harbour is worth a visit with quite a few King George whiting caught there recently. The boats that have been sticking to the bay and the ground just out from the local beaches have been picking up plenty of squid and sand whiting. Nannygai to 2kg, breaksea cod and samson fish were main species caught out wide.
Geraldton Catches
Picture: Look at the size of the mouth on this coral trout, these fish are known to be big predators on the reefs (photo courtesy @carl_aston and @abrolhostackle.com.au)
Michael Triantopolous, of Geraldton Sports, and a friend landed a 68cm dhufish from the shore near Flat Rocks on Saturday evening and there have been several more caught along the Flat Rocks to Greenough River mouth stretch during the past week. Mulloway to 10kg and samson fish have been coming from the surf at West Bank while the first point at Greenough has been good for tailor in the mornings and evenings. Surface and hard-bodied lures have been working well on black bream in the Greenough River, which is also producing a few blue swimmer crabs.
The Lighthouse beaches, which have been featuring clean water recently, are producing plenty of mixed size whiting. Salmon are occasionally being caught at Lucky Bay together with a few tailor, herring and whiting. The boats working the inshore waters within the outer reefs have picking up some nice bags of skippy, squid and whiting. The African Reef area has been fishing well for dhufish, pink snapper and coral trout. Similar species have been caught off the Abrolhos Island’s Southern and Easter Groups together with spanish mackerel and yellowfin tuna.
Kalbarri Catches
Picture: Thumping mulloway caught on jig (photo courtesy of @robbieleck_fishing)
A whopping 25kg mulloway was caught at Wittecarra Creek on Friday evening. More mulloway were caught from Frustrations and Chinamans during the week. Ash McLintock landed four school-size mulloway at Wagoe and left the ravenous fish on the bite during a session last week. Two salmon are being caught, on average, each morning at Wagoe. Tailor have been a little hit and miss along the coast, however some mornings and evenings are seeing a few fish to 55cm caught at Jakes, Red Bluff, Wittecarra, Siphons and the river mouth.
Spanish mackerel have been encountered in fairly good numbers in line with the river mouth. Some nice catches of baldchin groper and pink snapper have been picked up near the cliffs while the ground farther afield in 30 to 40m has been producing a few dhufish and the odd red emperor. Plenty of big yellowfin whiting have been caught at the sand bar near the river mouth. Black bream are coming from the structure in the lower and middle reaches. Blue swimmer crabs have turned up again in the Murchison in numbers.
Exmouth Catches
Picture: Dusk is a major bite time for big spangled emperor like this one (photo courtesy of @shaearmstrongfishing)
Spangled emperor appear to have turned up in good numbers within the west coast lagoon following reports of bag limits achieved this past week. Fishing the rising tide with a slow-release burley trail is a proven method to entice spangled emperor, even in areas of less than 2m of water. Luke Hamon landed an estimated 180kg black marlin on 24kg gear off Ningaloo Station last week.
Small black marlin and sailfish continue to be encountered off the west side together with wahoo, spanish mackerel and yellowfin tuna. A good mix of species including flathead, yellowfin bream, estuary cod and mangrove jack can be sought at the marina. Prawn, mulie and squid baits have been working well on this mix of species.
Broome Catches
Picture: Land based caught barramundi (photo courtesy of @matty_cox)
Fishers have been catching some nice spanish mackerel from the shore at Cable Beach and Gantheaume Point. Whole mulies suspended from a float and cast into the bait schools has been an affective method on the 8 to 15kg mackerel. Sailfish continue to be encountered in waters off Barred Creek and near the shoals out from there.
Sailfish catches have been fewer than in past seasons due to the billfish feeding on baitfish that are of less than a couple of inches in length. Bluebone and snapper are the main species being picked up in Roebuck Bay, which has also been fishing well for threadfin salmon. The water temperature is largely affecting barramundi activity in the Fitzroy River and the local creeks.
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