Welcome to Recfishwest’s weekly fishing report, brought to you by Recfishwest’s fishing expert Joachim Azzopardi and thanks to John Curtis for his Mandurah & Surrounds report.

Keep your eyes peeled for Recfishwest’s Tip of the week, see below!

Your Fishing Photos

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Broome Catches

Picture: Chinaman seem to be lurking in close at the moment in Roebuck Bay (Photo courtesy of @benlesson21).

Boats

A customer of Broome Tackle Word was targeting spanish mackerel on bibbed minnows in waters west of town last week when his redhead-patterned lure enticed a small black marlin. The small black was brought to the side of the boat before a successful release. More black marlin have been coming from The Peanut Reef area and waters wide of James Price Point. Both areas have also been producing good catches of sailfish, which are ranging from 10kg to 30kg. Cobia have been appearing in a range of depths and areas and there are plenty of spanish mackerel in waters starting about 10 miles out. Bluenose salmon and mulloway are being picked up in reasonable numbers through Roebuck Bay while chinaman seem to be lurking in close at the moment.

Shore based

Barramundi are still hit and miss in the local creeks and the Fitzroy River, but this past week seemed to see a few more barra up and about striking baits as well as lures. Barra catches are expected to increase as the wet season graduates. Some nice bluenose salmon and javelin fish have been coming from Crab Creek. Mud crabs are being picked up in fairly good numbers in Roebuck Bay. Cable Beach has been fishing well for whiting, small trevally and queenfish.

Exmouth Catches

Picture: Bottom fishing for ruby snapper has been productive in Exmouth (Photo courtesy of @fishing_oz).

Boats

Billfish are being encountered in good numbers off the west coast in depths starting at 70m while spanish mackerel are being caught along the back of the reef and west of the Muiron Islands. Schools of longtail tuna and a few yellowfin also are also about offshore. Bottom fishing for red emperor, rankin cod and spangled emperor has been good in depths leading up to 80m while waters beyond 120m have been producing a few ruby snapper. Soft plastics, stick baits and, at times, small poppers have accounted for spangled emperor inside the reef line within the national park. Cobia have shown up in the gulf, as they tend to do at this time of year.

Shore based

Bluebone are reportedly being caught in reasonable numbers along the west side. Apparently the bluebone have a particular liking for local king and tiger prawns. Garfish are thick in the gulf while the marina has been fishing well for queenfish, small trevally and yellowfin bream. Squid can be targeted at Learmonth Jetty, the marina and Tantabiddi boat launching facility.

Esperance Catches

Picture: Dinghy fishers who went out from Duke of Orleans Bay caught queen snapper, breaksea cod and squid.(Photo courtesy of Chris Dowling / Flickr. Fishes of Australia).

Boats

Dinghy and small boat fishers working the waters out from town have mostly been catching sand whiting and small squid in depths leading up to 15m. Dinghy fishers who went out from Duke of Orleans Bay caught queen snapper, breaksea cod and squid. One of the bigger boats that ventured to the shelf, when conditions permitted last week, picked up some big hapuka. Nannygai between 45cm and 50cm, samson fish, queen snapper and breaksea cod have been common near the islands.

Shore based

The Taylor Street Jetty has been fishing well for herring in the late afternoons and evenings, squid have been caught from the structure in quite good numbers. The Bandy Creek Boat Harbour has herring, small King George whiting and the odd black bream on offer. The Bream Lakes are producing black bream to 40cm, however the fish are still a tad finicky. Salmon continue to be caught right along the coast with Salmon Beach, Fourth Beach, Nine Mile, Fourteen Mile, Roses and Munglinup among the spots to produce the 3kg to 7kg torpedos this past week. Dunns has been producing mulloway and skippy as well as salmon while Alexander Bay had bigger skippy striking at the mulies that were intended for the salmon that were around.

Albany Catches

Picture: Reef fishing enthusiasts who took advantage of the calm conditions that presented and ventured to the 65m to 80m depths did well on samson fish.

Boats

Reef fishing enthusiasts who took advantage of the calm conditions that presented and ventured to the 65m to 80m depths did well on red, pink and queen snapper as well as breaksea cod, dhufish and samson fish. A couple of boats that made it as far as the shelf, and beyond, managed to deck hapuka and seven banded cod. King George whiting appear to be in reasonable numbers inshore with some boats striking their limits within a matter of minutes and others spending a good half a day to find the 35cm to 45cm fish. Nornalup Inlet has reportedly been starting to produce some nice catches of King George. Late August and early September are not ordinarily associated with good squid fishing inshore, however there still seems to be quite a few about, especially in the clearer areas.

Shore based

Wilsons Inlet opened last week and, while there were a few pink snapper caught. There have been schools regularly turning up at Shelleys and Nanarup with both locations also producing plenty of herring. Bornholm produced a few tailor as well as herring while bigger skippy are worth targeting at Bluff Creek and Cheynes Beach. Baits including river and coral prawns, and following the influx of freshwater, worms have been enticing black bream strikes in the King and Kalgan rivers. Hard-bodied and vibe-style lures are also producing a few bream.

Kalbarri Catches

Picture: Recfishwest Research Officer James, repping his crewsaver life jacket, make sure you check out wwww.fishandsurvive.com.au to see our full range.

Boats

Evolution Charters has been putting its clients onto plenty of spanish mackerel in waters north and south of the river mouth. Charter and private boats also did well on pink snapper, baldchin groper and dhufish following the recent big seas and swells. Some of the smaller boat and dinghy fishers also scored snapper and baldchin close to the cliffs. There are a few cobia turning up in random areas and it should not be long before yellowfin and longtail tuna schools start showing up in bigger numbers.

Shore based

Mulloway catches have continued at Chinamans and there were a few also landed at Frustrations and Wittecarra Creek during the week. Tailor have been appearing some mornings and evenings at Red Bluff, Wittecarra and Siphons. Poppers and stick baits have been attracting bigger tailor at Chinamans during no set hours. Plenty of small tailor of about 10cm were encountered in big numbers in the upper reaches of the Murchison River past week.

Geraldton Catches

Picture: Cobia have been picked up together with the common reef species north of Coronation (Photo courtesy of Anthony Hood of Geraldton & Districts Offshore Fishing Club).

Boats

When the weather has allowed, the reef fishing enthusiasts working the waters near African Reef and South West Bank have been doing reasonably well on dhufish, pink snapper and sweetlip. More of the same species have been coming from the ground heading towards the Abrolhos Islands while cobia have been picked up together with the common reef species north of Coronation. Dinghy fishers have been coming home with fair catches of squid, herring and pike inside the reefs.

Shore based

Surf fishers have been presented with challenging conditions due to the seaweed and swell, however those who have been able to find a clear patch of water have caught a variety of species. Along the Flat Rocks to Greenough River stretch, tailor have been caught some mornings and evenings together with a few mulloway, which have mostly been school-size. The first and second points at Greenough have also had herring and pike. Whiting have been good at Southgates, Separation Point and the beaches north of Drummonds. There is still the odd bigger mulloway being caught behind The Lives and at the Batavia Marina. Both spots are also producing squid, especially after dark.

South West Catches

Picture: There are still a few salmon being caught at spots that include Bunker Bay, Smiths Beach, Mitchells, Eagle Bay (pictured) and Hamelin Bay. (Photo courtesy of Salmon School Tracker 2017).

Boats

Pink snapper continue to be found in good sizes and numbers within Geographe Bay. Some of the pinks caught this past week have been around the 10kg mark. These bigger fish have mostly been caught between the Four Mile and Eight Mile reefs on anchor and with the assistance of a consistent burley trail. Some boats have also been getting among the snapper within a few hundred metres of the coast at times. King George whiting can be found in 5m to 10m off Quindalup and Eagle Bay while the weed beds along there are fishing better for squid since the water has cleared somewhat.

Shore based

There are still a few salmon being caught at spots that include Bunker Bay, Smiths Beach, Mitchells, Eagle Bay and Hamelin Bay. Herring are in excellent numbers along both sides of Cape Naturaliste. Some nice skippy have been plucked from the deep gutters at Boranup and Contos Beach. These deeper sections of coast would also be worth trying for pink snapper, mulloway and jumbo tailor. Squid can be targeted from the jetties and headlands located within Geographe Bay.

Mandurah & Surrounds

Picture: Fishers have been doing well and taking a few taking a few tailor at the ocean end of the Dawesville Cut.

Mandurah

There are herring, garfish, skippy and whiting around on the beaches to the north and south and anglers fishing the beaches at Tim’s Thicket and Preston have been taking some big tailor in the evening. These beaches are also the spots to try for mulloway with one captured this week at White Hills. In the Dawesville Cut, anglers have been taking a few tailor at the ocean end and herring, skippy and whiting along with a few King George whiting near the jetty adjacent to the Jolly Frog. Anglers chasing black bream are finding a few fish in the lower reaches of the rivers. Most success seems to be coming from anglers using lures rather than baits.

Secret Harbour/ Port Kennedy/ Warnbro/ Rockingham/ Safety Bay

Point Peron is fishing well for tailor. There have been whiting coming from the local bays around the sandy patches. Palm Beach has been producing an odd King George whiting and is a good spot to try for most species and also definitely worth a try for squid. Rockingham Jetty is producing herring, garfish and a few chopper tailor. Kwinana Beach is producing a few herring, garfish and whiting.

Metro Catches

Picture: Squid Hunters Western Australia member Wazza Upton caught a feed of some nice squid just out from the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour.

Boats

Early mornings seem to be the best time to target the 60cm to 90cm pink snapper that are being found within Cockburn Sound. More snapper are coming from the back of Carnac and Garden islands as well as around the Stragglers area. There have been some nice dhufish taken in 40m of water northwest of Rottnest Islands and out from Rockingham. King George and sand whiting are being picked up near Carnac and Stragglers. Amberjack are being pulled from the wrecks off West End while samson fish are mostly being caught in waters leading up to 40m behind Five Fathom Bank and northwest of Rottnest. There are still plenty of squid, and a few cuttlefish, being caught from the seagrass beds off Fremantle and within Cockburn Sound. Both species of cephalopods have also been picked up off Cottesloe and Hillarys Marina.

Shore based

Tailor activity is picking up along the metropolitan beaches with Cottesloe, Swanbourne Drain and Floreat fishing fairly well for 35 to 50cm fish. There were still a few pink snapper caught from the northern and southern rock walls notwithstanding the milder conditions. There have been some big mulloway landed along the metropolitan, and outer metropolitan beaches, however the precise locations of the prized fish were not disclosed. The lower reaches of the Swan River also has tailor and there are flathead starting to turn up at East Fremantle and Point Walter. September traditionally marks the start of the mulloway run through the Swan downstream from the Narrows Bridge. Spots for those eager to land one of these stunning river fish to try include near the Narrows, Claremont Jetty, Mosman Bay Jetty and Bicton Baths.