Keep your eyes peeled for Recfishwest’s Tip of the week, see below!
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 tim@recfishwest.org.au
Tip of the week banner images courtesy of Shutterstock Ruggiero Scardigno, Smiltena & Garry L.
Escape to Dirk Hartog Island This Winter
Dirk Hartog Island is an iconic destination for many land-based fishing addicts in WA. Its western ledges are similar to those of Steep Point or Quobba and offer awesome bluewater fishing from shore, but limited access means much less fishing pressure and no other fishers to compete with at the best spots. Read more…
Broome Catches
Picture: Grassy emperor, black snapper or blue lined emperor (all the same fish) are one of many emperor species in the Lethrinidae family.
Boats:
Reef fishing enthusiasts have been doing well on bluebone, blue lined emperor and coral trout off Gantheaume Point. The boats trolling bibbed minnows and rigged garfish off Gantheaume and Entrance Point have been picking up some nice Spanish mackerel as well as longtail and mack tuna. Sailfish and small black marlin continue to be encountered wide of Barred Creek.
Shore-based:
A customer of Broome Tackle World caught two metre-plus barramundi and two around the 80cm mark during a recent session in the Fitzroy River. The local creeks have mostly been producing barra in the 40cm to 50cm range and the odd fish around 70cm. Bluenose salmon were caught in good numbers at Cable Beach and near Crab Creek while threadfin have been coming from Eighty Mile. Fly fishers have been scoring plenty of dart and the odd permit at the rocks north of Cable Beach.
Exmouth Catches
Picture: Recfishwest’s new Limited Edition Halco Lure, perfect for trolling for macks and tuna. Want one? Get it here…
Boats:
The deeper dwelling demersal species seemed to have been turned on by the fuller moon period with good catches of rosy jobfish and ruby snapper reported in 300m and deeper. Spanish mackerel were caught on a variety of bibbed minnows trolled between the 10m and 30m contours off the back of the reef line. Small black marlin and sailfish are also being encountered in depths starting at 50m together with dolphin fish, wahoo and varieties of tuna.
Shore-based:
The gulf beaches here are producing reasonable catches of yellowfin whiting and yellowfin bream. Squid can be targeted along the west side as well as in the gulf. Queenfish to a metre, giant herring and small trevally have been turning up at Old Bundegi during the turn of the low tide. Good numbers of blue manna and mud crabs are starting to be caught at the Bay of Rest and nearby areas.
Esperance Catches
Picture: For better tasting squid and to humanely kill your squid, you should iki jime your squid. Watch this quick video and learn how.
Boats:
Crews who ventured to the islands and beyond picked up reasonable catches of nannygai, breaksea cod, queen snapper, skippy and samson fish. Areas west of town seem to be fishing better for pink snapper. Dinghy and small boat fishers have continued to do well on whiting and squid within a mile of the coast.
Shore-based:
The Taylor and Jane Street jetties are fishing well for garfish, squid and small herring. Herring can also be caught at the Bandy Creek boat harbour. Salmon Beach, Fourth Beach, Blue Haven and Roses were among the spots where mature and juvenile salmon were caught this past week. Roses has also been producing some nice skippy and tailor. Dunns fished well for salmon, herring and skippy last week. Gummy sharks to 15kg, mulloway, skippy and salmon were among the species caught at Thomas River.
Albany Catches
Picture: Albany Offshore Fishing Club’s Morris Wilkinson with a nice juvenile Salmon. Photo courtesy of Instagram @westernangler
Boats:
Boat fishers have generally had to work hard to find their fish along the coral as well as beyond the shelf. Schools of red snapper were found at the edge of the continental line while hapuka and blue eye trevalla were located out farther, however all three species required some searching. Along the coral in 60m to 85m of water, it took many crews several hours before they were satisfied with their bag of reef fish, which included pink, red and queen snapper, dhufish and breaksea cod. Samson fish were encountered in parts and skippy big enough to strike at 100g metal jigs were reportedly thick off Bald Head and near the islands. Squid catches have continued to improve along the inshore waters, which are also fishing reasonably well for King George whiting, smaller skippy, sand whiting and herring.
Shore-based:
Salmon are regularly turning up at the beach at Salmon Holes as well as at Sand Patch, Cables, Lowlands and Shelley Beach. Little Beach has been good for bread and butter species including herring, skippy and tarwhine. Tailor are occasionally being caught at Nanarup early morning and evening. A group of eight beach fishers who visited Bluff Creek a fortnight ago scored juvenile and mature salmon, skippy and loads of herring. Mulloway seem to be more willing to strike at live and whole baits in the King and Kalgan rivers during the low tide period. Both of the local systems are fishing fairly well for black bream.
Kalbarri Catches
Picture: Shore-based trevally (Photo courtesy of @jakesfishstagram).
Boats:
The boats trolling bibbed minnows north and south of the river mouth have been picking up Spanish mackerel and varieties of tuna, which have mostly included longtail and mack tuna. Some nice catches of pink snapper and coral trout have been coming from near the cliffs while deeper waters, in excess of 30m, have been producing most of the recently caught dhufish and red emperor.
Shore-based:
Wayne Dewar of Kalbarri Sports and Dive caught more than 40 black bream over 25cm, six mulloway between 45cm and 50cm and got busted off by a suspected milkfish during five days of fishing at the upper reaches of the Murchison River. Tailor to an impressive 80cm and school-size mulloway have been landed at Chinamans while bigger mulloway and the odd pink snapper have been caught at Frustrations and the beaches north of there. Early mornings are proving to be the best time to target herring at Red Bluff and Jakes. Pink snapper and tailor are occasionally being caught from the cliffs located south of the river mouth.
Geraldton Catches
Picture: Double-header coral trout caught on 1 Jig at the Abrolhos Islands (Photo courtesy of @robbieleck_fishing).
Boats:
Kayak and small boat fishers have been picking up good catches of squid along the seagrass beds located off Point Moore and the marina. A customer of Geraldton Sports caught a loligo squid that can be distinguished from the common southern calamari by its triangular shaped wings at the top of its hood. The boats that worked the African Reef area managed reasonable catches of dhufish, pink snapper and baldchin groper. Better catches of snapper and groper have been coming from the lumps northwest of Coronation.
Shore-based:
Surf fishers have been catching tailor and the odd mulloway along the Flat Rocks to Greenough River mouth stretch. The first and second points at Greenough have herring, skippy, tailor and pike. Yellowfin whiting to an impressive 30cm have been coming from Southgates. Squid and an assortment of bread and butter species can be targeted at the back of The Lives and the marina rock wall. Pink snapper are a chance from the beaches north of Drummonds during the start of winter each year.
South West Catches
Picture: Good size squid, caught in Dunsborough (Photo courtesy of @pjgringo)
Boats:
Pink snapper have continued to be found in relatively shallow water in Geographe Bay. The boats that have been working the waters off Canal Rocks, Cowaramup Bay and Hamelin Bay have also been picking up good catches of pink snapper as well as dhufish and breaksea cod. Samson fish and yellowtail kingfish have been encountered off the tip of Cape Naturaliste. Squid catches have improved along the seagrass beds extending from Eagle Bay to Siesta Park.
Shore-based:
Shore-based fishers are continuing to land the odd pink snapper from the shore within Geographe Bay at spots that included Monaghan’s Corner and the Busselton Jetty. The deeper gutters formed near Contos Beach, Honeycombs and Yallingup would be worth trying for pink snapper. Big skippy, mulloway and jumbo tailor are also a chance at the mentioned west coast locations. Catching a feed of herring from the bays and headlands has been a relatively easy task when a stream of burley is introduced. Tailor are occasionally turning up early morning and around dusk at Elmore Road, Castle Rock and Mitchells. Squid can be caught from the Quindalup and Busselton jetties.
Mandurah & Surrounds
Picture: Great squid catch here by young Finn Street. He caught it in a Kayak in Safety Bay and hood measured 26cm. Well done Finn. Photo Courtesy of Squid Hunters Western Australia
MANDURAH:
The beaches south of Mandurah, along the stretch between Tim’s Thicket and Preston have been producing a number of smaller mulloway, a few tailor and a lot of large herring during the day. The reef area south of White Hills has been producing good fishing for tailor in the morning. As a result of recent swell activity there have been several interesting beach formations created, with plenty of gutters forming up along the beach. These will provide shelter for the smaller species and allow the predators to hunt for a feed.
A few salmon have been taken from these beaches and as they appear to have started their migration back to the eastern states it is time to get out and get one before they are gone or you have to drive to the south coast to find them. Pilch or yellow-eyed mullet are also on the move and are being taken from these beaches as well.
The Dawesville Cut is still producing good fishing and is at its winter best providing plenty of whiting, herring and garfish. There have also been several good sized King George whiting taken from the north side of the cut from the western end adjacent to the jetty. In the estuary the bridges and rock walls are producing herring and garfish along with a few King George whiting, and odd tarwhine and skippy. There are good numbers of yellowfin whiting being taken around the marina entrance.
SECRET HARBOUR / PORT KENNEDY / WARNBRO / ROCKINGHAM / SAFETY BAY:
There are herring around the jetties along with yellowfin whiting. Anglers casting lures and baits out around the Penguin Island sandbar are reporting taking some good flathead. There are still plenty of squid around particularly in the shallower waters over the weed beds. Anglers looking for good tailor are finding some good fish along the southern beaches. One report indicated that the tailor turned up after 9:00am one morning. The local jetties are good for herring and squid after dark along with some good tarwhine. Small baits fished under a blob will attract herring, garfish and pilch and provide a good feed for the whole family.
Metro Catches
Picture: Still plenty of pink snapper in metro waters. It’s our vision to make Perth’s pink snapper fishery the best in Australia. (Photo courtesy of @fisho_brad).
Boats:
Squid numbers appear to be healthy in Cockburn and Warnbro Sound, along the weed beds out from Fremantle and around the bays at Rottnest Island following reports of boat limits of the tasty cephalopods being achieved in these areas in less than an hour by some crews. There have been some nice pink snapper caught in 30m of water south of Rottnest, behind Stragglers, between Carnac and Garden Islands, along the back of Five Fathom Bank and on the Three Mile Reef. Plenty of skippy, samson fish and the odd dhufish have also been coming from these areas. Boats drifting along the broken ground east of Rottnest are picking up reasonable catches of King George whiting and a few skippy.
Shore-based:
Herring have been caught along the beaches but mostly at northern and southern rock groynes, whereby the rock walls and beaches meet inshore reefs. Reports of tailor between 50cm and 70cm caught along the northern beaches of Two Rocks and Yanchep and smaller fish, of about 45cm, taken at Brighton Beach and Swanbourne this past week may prompt a few to brave the cooler conditions to target them. Some nice pilch are appearing along the reefs south of Cottesloe and north of Trigg Point and garfish are around in better numbers, especially at Woodman Point, North Mole and Hillarys Marina rock wall. Herring and small tailor have been caught in the lower reaches of the Swan. Black bream are spread between the middle and upper reaches, but expect them to become more concentrated once further rain falls.
Picture: Shore based squid is easy, cheap and safe. Highly recommend getting the kids down to the local jetty and catching some squid!
Shore Based Squid
Technical Rating: Novice
Squidding Tips
Jetties with lighting will often attract squid and can be great places for targeting squid at night.
Inspect jetties and rock platforms for ink which indicates it is a worthwhile place to target squid.
When using a rod and reel for catching squid, adjust the drag so that it is quite loose, this will prevent losing squid from ripping off tentacles.
Whenever you catch a squid look carefully behind the squid you have caught as many times they will come in with friends.
Always endeavour to look after your catch by keeping it on ice.
For more on shore based squid, check out our Shore Based Squid article.
