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

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

Kalbarri Catches

Picture: Reef fishers have been picking up fair catches of red emperor in 30m to 40m of water northwest of town.

Boats

Reef fishers have been picking up fair catches of red emperor, dhufish, pink snapper and big spangled emperor in 30m to 40m of water northwest of town. More spangles have also been coming from the deeper coral areas south of the river mouth. Spanish mackerel numbers seem to have thinned a little, but yellowfin and longtail tuna are starting to show in better numbers out wide. There are still a few cobia being encountered in random depths and areas.

Shore based

Kalbarri Sports and Dive’s Wayne Dewar caught a rare, but stunning, 63cm bonefish at Wagoe last week. Bonefish catches are uncommon south of Exmouth, however increasing numbers of bones have been picked up in the greater Kalbarri area in recent years. More big tailor have been caught on poppers and stick baits at the river mouth, which is also producing a few mulloway in the evenings. Garfish are a little hit and miss at Red Bluff and Jakes. Black bream are common in the lower and middle reaches of the Murchison River.

Geraldton Catches

Picture: The African Reef area is worth a visit for coral trout (Photo courtesy of Dylan Picken).

Boats

Dinghy and small boat fishers have been picking up some nice catches of squid along the seagrass beds out from Pages, Explosives and Point Moore. The ground approximately 10 nautical miles west of the marina has been fishing well for pink snapper. More pinks have also been coming from the 15m to 20m depths out from Drummonds Cove and Coronation. The African Reef area is worth a visit for dhufish and coral trout in less than 10m of water along Pensioners Bank.

Shore based

Surf fishers along the Flat Rocks to Greenough River stretch have been catching up to half a dozen tailor to a respectable 70cm a session. Similar size tailor have also been picked up from the northern side of the new marina together with herring, skippy, yellowtail, and squid. There were a couple of good mulloway between 1m and 1.2m caught at Flat Rocks during the past couple of weeks. Pink snapper have occasionally been caught from Coronation Beach.

South West Catches

Picture: The Busselton Jetty is always a good spot to try and catch some squid (Photo courtesy of @jakesfishstagram).

Boats

Squid enthusiasts are starting to find the tasty cephalopods in shallower waters through Geographe Bay. The Four Mile and Eight Mile are still fishing well for pink snapper. Good catches of quality reef fishing, including dhufish, pink snapper, breaksea cod and queen snapper, have been coming from depths leading up to 50m off Cowaramup Bay and Canal Rocks. Small southern bluefin tuna should begin showing off the west coast soon.

Shore based

Tailor have been turning up some mornings and evenings at Honeycombs, Mitchells, Bunker Bay and Elmore Road. A few salmon have also been caught along the west coast beaches while mostly juvenile salmon have been hitting baits and lures in Geographe Bay. Herring are responding to burley at the headlands and bays along both sides of the cape. Scoop netters are doing well on blue swimmer crabs off Quindalup at night.

Mandurah & Surrounds

Picture: Bream fishing has slowed down a little with not a lot of activity in the upper estuary, however downstream it has been a different story with some fish being taken.

Mandurah

Most of the beaches around Mandurah are producing tailor. The beaches at White Hills and Tim’s Thicket to the south are turning on some good tailor and herring fishing. In the lower estuary, reports indicate that the fishing has been reasonable with catches of herring and tarwhine. Anglers fishing the beaches to the north of Mandurah report occasional catches of big tailor along with whiting, and tarwhine. A few mulloway have been taken from the beaches, either side of Mandurah. Bream fishing has slowed down a little with not a lot of activity in the upper estuary. Downstream it has been a different story with some fish being taken.

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

Sand whiting and tailor are being taken from Warnbro Beach and Long Point. The Rockingham Jetty is producing herring, robust garfish and a few chopper tailor. Palm Beach is a good spot to try for most species and is also worth a try for squid. Tailor are being taken of an evening from the surf beaches along this section.

Metro Catches

Picture: Check out Brodie’s sambo caught off Hillarys. ‘Was a hell of a fight on the light gear’. Thanks for sharing! (Photo courtesy of @bskibz).

Boats

Pink snapper are responding well to burley between Garden and Carnac islands. Dhufish and samson fish have also been appearing in the burley trails at times. Snapper are also starting to be found in schools in between Garden Island and the mainland. There are plenty of squid still being caught along the seagrass beds off Fremantle and within Cockburn Sound. The Barges located between 90m and 110m west and southwest of Rottnest Island are holding plenty of samson fish, a few amberjack and the odd big skippy.

Shore based

Tailor are starting to turn up in better numbers along the metropolitan beaches with some nice catches coming from South Beach, Cottesloe, Swanbourne Drain, Floreat and Trigg during the past week. Herring have been caught in similar areas, however better numbers of the important bread and butter species seem to be in Cockburn Sound. Squid continue to be caught from South Mole and Capo D’Orlando Drive. The deeper waters downstream of The Narrows would be worth trying for mulloway during the next few months.