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.
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.
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