Your Fishing Photos
If you want to see yourself or your kids feature in our weekly state-wide Fishing Reports, send your best fishing photos and a description to bronte@recfishwest.org.au
Metro Catches
Picture: Rock Lobster catches are going strong for pot fishers and divers alike, with the delayed ‘whites run’ this year finally picking up momentum.
Schools of yellowfin tuna in the 5kg to 10kg category have been encountered at the back of Three Mile Reef off Hillarys and the waters north of there. Trolled bibbed minnows and quickly retrieved metal slices work well on tuna in this size range. Other varieties of tuna, including southern bluefin, striped and a few longtail have been turning up between Fremantle and Rottnest Island during recent weeks.
There have been unconfirmed reports of spanish mackerel being hooked off the coast north of Mindarie. Expect more mackerel and tuna to turn up off the metropolitan coast during the coming weeks. Samson fish to 40kg continue to be found in 90m to 100m of water off Rottnest while yellowtail kingfish to 10kg have recently been caught near West End. Tailor are occasionally appearing along the metropolitan beaches in the mornings and evenings.
Herring and yellowtail can be sought at the Fremantle rock walls and the Ammo Jetty. There were rumours of mulloway caught at Freshwater and Mosman Bay during the past fortnight. Flathead catches are increasing along the shallow areas downstream of The Narrows. Blue swimmer crab numbers are increasing in the rivers while bag and boat limits of rock lobster are being achieved offshore.
Demersal Season Open
Picture: Dhufish are back on the chew along the West Coast Region as the demersal closure is lifted in time for christmas. Please note that pink snapper fishing is still closed in Cockburn & Warnbro Sounds.
It’s that time of year again when the weather fines up, the whites are running and demersal species can be caught again in the West Coast Bioregion. Recfishwest want you all out on the water and returning home safe after a day of great bottom fishing. Please remember you need a release weight on your boat if fishing for demersals to ensure any undersized fish can be released to fight another day.
*Note: Fishing for pink snapper in Cockburn & Warnbro Sounds is still closed until Feb 2017.
Check out our video and learn how to tie a bottom rig for targeting species such as pink snapper, dhufish and baldchin groper:
Mandurah & Surrounds
Picture: Flounder catches have been a nice surprise for fishers working the flats and sand spits around Rockingham.
MANDURAH
People fishing the Dawesville Cut report good fishing for tailor, herring, skippy and whiting. There are also a few crabs around and drop netters and scoopers are doing reasonably well, getting a feed in an hour or so. Beaches south of Mandurah are producing a few tailor and mulloway with an occasional mulloway up around 12kg. Fish in the 5 – 6kg class are the norm and are being taken early morning around sunrise and well after dark.
The slightly warmer weather has slowed bream activity down and people fishing the deeper holes are finding a few fish. Generally they are spread throughout the system and there have been reports of some good fish taken in the lower estuary and from the areas adjacent to the Mandurah Quays and up around Murray Bend. Fishers wading the sand flats early morning are finding plenty of action with good sized whiting and herring being taken. Surface working poppers have been successful but the better lure to use is a small dark coloured blade as these can be worked to suit the depth required.
Along the beaches between Silver Sands and Golden Bay there are reports of some good tailor and a few mulloway. Better spots are the northern end of this strip with Golden Bay being the pick. There are plenty of herring, garfish, a few skippy and sand whiting being taken during the day. Small boats just outside of the estuary are taking similar catches with an occasional King George whiting thrown in for good measure. Out around the James Service reef there are still a few samson fish and some skippy, and blue spot flathead being caught. Further offshore there are plenty of King George whiting and skippy on the Five Fathom Bank.
SECRET HARBOUR / PORT KENNEDY / WARNBRO / ROCKINGHAM / SAFETY BAY
People fishing the jetties report catches of herring and a few tailor. An occasional King George whiting and plenty of yellowfin whiting have been taken from Shoalwater Bay this week and there have been a few tarwhine and skippy taken during the mornings. People fishing the drop-off along the sandbar to Penguin Island are taking some good flathead and also report an occasional flounder.
Long Point, Kwinana and Warnbro Beaches are still producing good fishing for tailor early in the morning and yellowfin whiting and herring until the sea breeze makes fishing and casting lighter tackle a bit of a problem. People fishing from the beaches around Warnbro have taken some good tailor and small mulloway and one of the better spots has been along the southern side of Long Point.
South West Catches
Picture: The plentiful seagrass meadows of Geographe Bay are producing good numbers of calamari. (Photo courtesy of Squid Hunters Western Australia).
Yellowfin and sand whiting are starting to grace the sand flats off Quindalup in better numbers. Small poppers and stick baits have been working well on the whiting. Herring are also about the inshore waters on both sides of the cape and there are a few tailor being caught at spots that include Honeycombs, Mitchells and Bunker Bay.
Squid are still being caught along the seagrass meadows between Eagle Bay and Abbey Beach. The sandy areas near the seagrass are worth trying for King George whiting. Schools of small southern bluefin tuna have been appearing off Canal Rocks and the tip of Cape Naturaliste. Bonito and spanish mackerel are a chance on trolled skirts and bibbed minnows. Blue swimmer crabs are appearing in better numbers in Geographe Bay.
Albany Catches
Picture: The highly revered table fish, breaksea cod are coming up from the offshore waters of the south coast.
Surf fishing has been rather challenging during the past few weeks due to the ever-changing conditions. There have however been a few beach fishers who have been putting in the effort and picking up some reasonable catches. Among those was a group who fished Nanarup recently and scored skippy to 3.25kg, salmon, tailor and big tarwhine.
Sand Patch has been fishing well for herring while Lowlands and Mutton Bird have plenty of plump sand whiting. Schools of salmon were occasionally turning up at Bluff Creek and there were a few schools at Cheynes Beach a fortnight ago. Samson fish continue to be hooked and the very odd one landed from the shore at Emu Point. Squid have been caught very early morning from marina. Better numbers of squid have been picked up through the inshore areas, which are also producing King George and sand whiting, herring, skippy and juvenile salmon.
The coral patches scattered in 65m to 85m of water have breaksea cod, queen snapper and dhufish. Hapuka and red snapper can be sought at the shelf and beyond. Mulloway are present in the Kalgan River. Black bream between 30cm and 35cm were active in many of the systems in the Great Southern and willing to strike at an assortment of lures and baits at the weekend.
Esperance Catches
Picture: Western blue groper have been caught around the coastal rocks of the south coast (Photo courtesy of Alesandro Daniele).
Schools of small southern bluefin tuna in the 4kg to 8kg range are being encountered by the small boats targeting herring, sand whiting and squid in close as well those chasing bigger reef species out wide. Nannygai to 3.5kg, samson fish, queen snapper and breaksea cod were among the species caught near the islands and beyond. The Taylor Street Jetty has been fishing well for herring, squid, flathead and small skippy.
Bandy Creek Boat Harbour has the odd King George whiting mixed in with small herring and black bream. The lakes are still fishing well for black bream to 40cm. Salmon Beach and Fourth Beach have mature and juvenile salmon appearing some days. More salmon have been caught at Ten Mile Beach together with herring and flathead. Warrinup produced salmon and herring as well as, at the rocks, blue groper and skippy. Some big King George have been picked up at Alexander Bay together with skippy and herring.
Geraldton Catches
Picture: Herring in good sizes have been reported coming from around Little Bay in Geraldton
Geraldton and Districts Offshore Fishing Club members caught spotted and common dart to 50cm, tailor to 60cm and plenty of shovelnose ray during a recent outing near Horrocks. More dart, some nice tailor, school-size mulloway and big herring have been coming from Little Bay. The coast adjacent to the Greenough River mouth has plenty of small tailor, which are not much bigger than 25cm, being caught during the mornings and early evenings.
Bigger tailor to 65cm, with most around the 35cm to 45cm mark, have also been turning up there, but well after dark. Pike are being caught at the first and second points of Greenough along with big herring. Blue swimmer crabs are worthwhile targeting within the Greenough River as well as near the Batavia Marina. Dinghy and small boat fishers have also been picking up their limits of blue swimmers by working drop nets within 100m of the coast. The seagrass beds out from Explosives have been fishing quite well for herring and squid.
Kalbarri Catches
Picture: Yellowfin whiting are enjoying the summer heat, becoming active in the shallow Murchison reaches.
Mulloway seem to be visiting the beaches north and south of the river mouth in good numbers with plenty of fish ranging from 6kg to 14kg caught during the past fortnight. While Wittecarra and Oyster Reef produced several of the mulloway, better catches have been coming from Frustrations and the beaches north of there. Unfortunately, tailor are yet to turn up along the coast in numbers with just the odd fish caught at Wittecarra, Shark Fin, Chinamans and Frustrations.
Chopper tailor can be picked up in the lower reaches of the Murchison River, which also has black bream and yellowfin whiting. Small mulloway and giant herring were recently caught in the middle and upper reaches of the river. Blue swimmer crabs can be sought near the jetties and pens and through the lower reaches while mud crabs are around the upper parts.
Exmouth Catches
Picture: Good sized spangled emperor have been around on the Exmouth west side inside and outside of the reef (Photo courtesy of Adam Jolly).
Big schools of baitfish have turned up in the gulf and their presence has brought about sailfish and spanish mackerel in the upper regions as well as bludger trevally, cobia and queenfish, which have been turning up in a range of depths and areas. The marina has been fishing well for a variety of species including mangrove jack, estuary cod, sand bass, tarpon, bream and tusk fish.
Spangled emperor to 70cm have been coming from the ground between Mildura Wreck and Norwest Reef as well as inside the lagoon. The boats targeting reef fish out wide have been picking up reasonable catches of red emperor, goldband snapper and rankin cod. Black and striped marlin continue to be found between the 100m and 200m contours while bigger blue marlin were located in depths starting at 400m.
Broome Catches
Picture: Mangrove jack are a welcomed catch and can test your gear and skill around the snaggy mangrove lined banks of the Broome coast creeks (Photo courtesy of @benleeson21).
An assortment of predators, including queenfish and trevally, are feasting on the masses of small bait occupying Cable Beach, Barred Creek and Dampier Creek. Barramundi and mangrove jack have also been caught in the local creeks during the neap tide periods, while bigger barra are mostly being found in the lower reaches of the Fitzroy River.
The moorings and any flotsam located in Roebuck Bay are worth stopping by to see if any tripletail are nearby. Spanish mackerel have been encountered off Gantheaume Point and Entrance Point. The local charter operators have been putting their clients onto plenty of blue lined emperor and saddletail seapearch.
Kununurra Catches
Picture: Barramundi are the talk of the town right now with some fish coming from the river mouths, while others are being caught in Lake Kununurra and the locals are loving it (Photo courtesy of Northbound Charters, Courtney Cox pictured).
The barramundi fishing in the Cambridge Gulf has been a bit patchy of late. The best reports are coming from the guys who are finding the deep holes around rock bars and snags inside of the river mouths. The barra seem to be holding a bit deeper due to the high water temps which is normal for this time of year.
Lake Kununurra has been firing. With locals really catching onto the fact that you can now spend a day on the lake with the family and not miss out on a days fishing. One report from a couple of guys who spent two days fishing the lake boated and released 22 fish between 55 and 81cm. They found flicking and trolling the snags and rock bars to be the most productive method. But more commonly most boats that are heading up river are landing around 3-4 good sized barra for their effort.
Be safe on the water over Christmas.
Last Days on FREE Postage for Life Jackets
