Download the Free Recfishwest Fishing App Today
Recfishwest recently launched the first Smartphone Fishing App in WA, conveniently delivering the fishing rules to you at the touch of a button.
The Recfishwest App is free to download and will give all WA fishers the latest fishing rules in their pocket, even when they find themselves well outside of phone and internet reception.
To download for Android on Google Play click here or to download on Apple iTunes store click here, or simply search ‘Recfishwest’ to find the App. If you’re downloading the App on your iPad, make sure to change your settings to iPhone.
Read more about the new App here.
WEATHER WARNING
(Please exercise extreme caution this weekend as large seas and swell along with strong winds will make marine & coastal conditions extremely dangerous)
Metro Catches
(Picture: Chris Barnacle with his Dolphin Fish (Mahi Mahi)
Several boats that ventured to the Rottnest Trench Fish Aggregating Devices, when conditions permitted, caught late-season dolphin fish to a superb 10kg and the odd wahoo.
Schools of striped tuna and small southern bluefin tuna are still evident offshore, however Spanish mackerel have been hard to come by for several weeks. Quite a number of boats that set off to target salmon between Garden Island and Stragglers during the past week caught some nice pink snapper ranging from 4 to 7kg.
More snapper have been coming from along Five Fathom Bank and behind Three Mile Reef, especially when burley has been introduced. Salmon remain evident in Cockburn Sound with boat fishers and shore fishers getting among the action. Jake Crisp, of Anglers Fishing World in Fremantle, caught three salmon inside Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour before work one morning last week.
Salmon were also caught at South and North Mole during the past fortnight. The Cottesloe to Scarborough stretch has been producing a few salmon for bait and lure fishers, however the 4 to 7kg fish have required some effort along the beaches. Pink snapper and a few mulloway were landed at the northern and southern rock walls during, and just following, the recent storms.
There were unconfirmed reports of salmon between The Causeway and The Narrows on Wednesday. Flathead are still being caught in the lower reaches – downstream of Point Walter.
PLEASE NOTE: BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH MOLE CLOSED THIS WEEKEND DUE TO THE EXTREME WEATHER. FOR MORE VISIT: FREMANTLE PORTS WEBSITE HERE.
Mandurah and Surrounds
(Picture: Recfishwest Member Mark Wear sent in this great Salmon pic yesterday with his Limited Edition Recfishwest Lure. Mark: “100m out from rockingham cafés trolling. One every 2 mins.”)
MANDURAH:
There are some good tailor and mulloway coming in from the beaches north of the town. Locations such as San Remo, Singleton and Madora are producing good all round fishing at both dawn and dusk. The southern beaches are producing herring and whiting during the day with tailor early morning and evening. Some larger tailor are being caught around dusk and after dark. There are also salmon in the area, and several fish around 4.5 – 6 kg have been taken.
The Dawesville Cut is still producing plenty of herring and there have been some good sized garfish taken here. An occasional larger tailor is still being taken from the seaward end of the cut along with salmon. There are plenty of good sized yellowfin whiting around, along with some very big skippy. Tarwhine are being taken by anglers fishing in the middle sections of the Cut. There are also plenty of juvenile salmon being taken in the area and anglers need to be aware of the differences between herring and salmon.
Anglers fishing around the Halls Head area have been taking home good catches of herring, sand whiting and garfish. In the estuary, anglers are still taking some good tailor. Scoopers and drop netters are still taking crabs. With some heavy rain predicted for the start of this week, prawns should start to move downstream. Bream fishing is still quietly consistent and bream specialists are getting some good fish a little further upstream. Several fish up to around 1.5 kg have been taken in the last week.
SECRET HARBOUR / PORT KENNEDY / ROCKINGHAM / SAFETY BAY:
Anglers fishing the Port Kennedy and Secret Harbour beaches are still catching some very good tailor and a lot of medium sized fish. They are also taking a few skippy and tarwhine, along with an occasional small mulloway. There have been a few flathead and larger sand whiting coming in from the areas around the Penguin Island sandbar.
During the frontal system that moved through Perth recently it is rumoured that one lucky angler took a good sized snapper from one of the jetties in the area. As winter progresses there should be more of these fish taken from these platforms. All it requires is a big bait and an ability to cast it about 80 metres to the drop off in front of them. The channel along Becher Point should also produce snapper from the beach if you can cast a good distance. There have been several good salmon taken from the beaches in the area along with some good herring.
COCKBURN SOUND:
There has been some good pink snapper fishing in Cockburn Sound over the various gravel patches adjacent to reef and weed banks, particularly out from Kwinana and down towards the Causeway.
Dinghy anglers also are reporting catching a few good sized King George Whiting in the lower end of Cockburn Sound and out on the broken ground behind the Five Fathom Bank. The big news is the consistency of good catches of squid being taken from the area. Most dinghy anglers are catching their bag limits in fairly short time and not many are missing out on catching some good bags. Anglers fishing from the local jetties are also taking good catches from the various platforms around the area.
KWINANA / WOODMAN POINT:
Anglers fishing this area are reporting that a few large tailor are still providing some good fishing. Herring are also starting to make their presence felt around the Ammunition Jetty, while other anglers fishing from the groynes have been taking some good catches of herring and large garfish. Blue mackerel have also been taken in numbers from this area. Several salmon has been taken along with a few skippy and tarwhine. If you want to specifically fish for skippy, it is recommended that you add a little instant mashed potato to the berley mix. It will enhance the chances of getting some big skippy. Anglers fishing this area are also taking some good squid from the various fishing platforms.
South West Catches
(Picture: Another great Salmon catch and another photo with a Life Jacket in use! photo courtesy of Fab Fishing & Tours) #fishandsurvive
The bigger schools of salmon have not been turning up as regularly as they have been in previous weeks, however there has been no shortage of smaller schools of two to three dozen fish appearing along both sides of the cape to keep shore-based fishers entertained. A few tailor have been caught among the salmon and there are plenty of herring around, especially when burley is introduced.
Squid numbers appear to be improving along the seagrass beds while the sand patches a little further out are starting to feature more King George whiting. A customer of Dunsborough Outdoor Sportz caught a 48cm pink snapper from the shore on a Smiling Jack bibbed minnow last week. The undersize pinkie was released. Bigger snapper have been coming from inside of the Four Mile.
Several large snapper between 6-9kg have been caught off the Artificial Reefs over the past few weeks along with good size schools of small Southern bluefin tuna.
Albany Catches
(Picture: Fab with his Southern Bluefin Tuna in Denmark – Great to see the Life Jacket on! photo courtesy of Fab’s Fishing & Tours) #fishandsurvive
Local commentators are proclaiming this year’s Australian salmon run to be the strongest in decades following reports of big schools turning up again this week at all of the popular haunts. Among these spots were Sand Patch, Cables, Lowlands, Cheynes Beach, Bluff Creek, Nanarup and Little Beach. Herring have been plentiful along the coast and there are increasing numbers of skippy, tarwhine and tailor showing up.
Rock fishers have been landing quite a few samson fish and yellowtail kingfish together with a few sharks and the odd pink and queen snapper but have all done so with life jackets on and being aware of the conditions which is vital in ensuring they come home safe.
A good mix of bread and butter species including herring, skippy, tarwhine and squid can be sought at the marina. The boats working the inshore waters have picked up similar species in fair numbers. Some King George whiting enthusiasts have been finding good numbers of 30 to 45cm fish in the sound and both harbours while others have been having a little difficulty locating the fish. When the boats have managed to head out wide, they have generally been doing well on a range of species including red, queen and pink snapper, breaksea cod, samson fish and dhufish.
Most of the river systems along the Denmark to Bremer Bay stretch are fishing reasonably well for black bream. Soft plastic lures seemed to be working well on the 30 to 40cm fish this past week. There were a couple of bream landed that were above the 40cm mark, but it was unknown whether these bigger fish were caught on lures or baits. Juvenile salmon and herring were encountered in the upper reaches of the Kalgan.
Esperance Catches
(Picture: Cowan with a lovely Nannygai taken on a jig)
A nice mix of herring, squid and garfish can be sought at the Taylor Street Jetty while Bandy Creek has been good for King George whiting to 40cm, herring and the odd flounder.
Salmon have been appearing along the coast in smaller schools with Blue Haven, Salmon Beach, Fourth Beach and Eleven Mile among the spots to produce better catches of the 3 to 7kg fish. More salmon have also been coming from Poison Creek and Alexander Bay, which areas have also been producing tailor to 65cm and skippy between 1 and 2kg.
The boats that have been staying within a mile or two of the coast have continued to do well on squid. A few cuttlefish have also started to appear. Nannygai to 3kg, queen snapper and samson fish have been the main species coming from out wide.
International Wear Your Life Jacket to Work Day
We will continue raising the profile of wearing life jackets in our community and making sure all WA fishers return home safe after a day of fishing.
Check out the new slim line fishing safety vests we stock, ideal for your Boat, Rock Fishing, Abalone Fishing and Kayak Fishing – Australian Standard Jacket from a world leading safety organisation Survitec Group whos safety technology puts your safety first! Check out our Fishing Safety Shop http://www.fishandsurvive.com.au/ and get one of the jackets you see in the photo above delivered to your door for only $89.95.
Geraldton Catches
(Pictured: A good size Breaksea Cod taken on a Halco Madeye Paddleprawn, caught by Jim_and_fishing. Check out his photos on Instagram)
Shore-based fishers have been doing reasonably well on tailor, mulloway, herring and whiting at Greys Bay and Southgates. School-size mulloway and tailor have been turning up early morning and evening along most of the Greenough River mouth to Flat Rocks stretch. Dhufish to 9kg have occasionally been caught from the shore near Flat Rocks when conditions have been suitable.
The back of The Lives has been producing school sharks to 1.5m and whiting between 20 and 25cm. Squid have been picked up from the northern side of the new marina, especially in the evenings.
A young customer of Geraldton Sports caught half a dozen squid there last week. Dinghy fishers have been catching more squid along the seagrass beds inside of the reef line. Better squid catches have occurred when the water has been clearer.
Some nice catches of dhufish, baldchin groper and pink snapper have been coming from the African Reef area. Bigger snapper to 9kg and dhuies and baldies to 8kg have been caught near South West Bank and near the Abrolhos Islands. Red emperor have occasionally been found near the islands and there have been quite a few Spanish mackerel caught there recently.
Kalbarri Catches
(Picture: A medium size Red Emperor, one of WA’s premier table fish! Check out the edibility rating we gave it in our new App)
A customer of Kalbarri Sports and Dive landed an estimated 7kg tailor at Chinamans last Tuesday. Smaller tailor, 40 to 50cm fish, have been turning up at Wittecarra, Red Bluff and The Siphon. Storm garfish have been appearing at Red Bluff in the mornings and mulloway to 10kg and the odd pink snapper have also been coming from there. At least two pink snapper around the 80cm mark were landed at the cliffs this past week.
There have been also been a few mulloway taken at some of the cliff spots. Spanish mackerel are about but require a some searching. A couple of nice red emperor were picked up last week. Rankin cod, pink snapper and cobia have also been a feature offshore. Black bream to 40cm have been responding well to soft plastics in the Murchison. An estimated 20kg mulloway was landed near the pens last Monday evening. There are mud crabs up river and schools of what are believed to milkfish hanging around Goat Island.
Spanish mackerel to 15kg, coral trout, trevally and mulloway were among the species recently caught at Wagoe.
Exmouth Catches
(Picture: An Exmouth Brassy Trevally, a nice sportfish, though not super for the table but great fun to catch)
Billfish enthusiasts have been encountering up to 10 black marlin (ranging from 20 to 100kg in 50 to 200m of water) a session. Better catches of blacks have been coming from the blue water, however several crews have still been catching fish in the greener waters. Night fishing efforts have resulted in broadbill swordfish and several interesting creatures that have been brought up from the depths including crocodile sharks and thresher sharks.
It is also not uncommon to pick up yellowfin tuna to 100kg while targeting broadbill after dark. Spanish mackerel are being caught in 10 to 25m of water at the back of the reef north and south of Tantabiddi and near the Muiron Islands, however sharks of the whaler varieties have been problematic.
Queenfish and trevally are worth targeting during an incoming tide at Old Bundegi. Giant trevally are expected to start turning up in numbers soon, so it could pay to begin blooping poppers and swimming stick baits near the tip of the cape and in the channel between the Muirons. The town beaches have heaps of whiting and yellowfin bream while the weed beds in the gulf are holding some nice squid at the moment.
Tackle World Exmouth have provided us with some additional info this week, especially for those chasing the bigger pelagic fish:
The coastal waters can definitely bring up some weird creatures, and with people targeting fish in deeper waters these days, we are seeing some interesting catches. The crocodile shark is one that is showing up regularly in depths over 500m. Several have been caught by people targeting swordfish at night, with baits at depths of around 100m. It is believed that these fish come up from the deep at night to feed. (Crocodile Shark pictured below; courtesy of Fishes of Australia)
We all know Exmouth is well known for its marlin fishery, but wow what a bumper run of black marlin we have experienced over the past month. Crews have been reporting up to 10 hook ups a day for those in the right area at the right time, with the odd sailfish thrown in just to mix things up. It seems the fish are wide spread with crews doing well both south and north of Tantabiddi anywhere between 50 – 200 metres of water. Although black marlin don’t mind a bit of green water, finding the warmer blue water should increase your chances of tangling with one of these acrobatic species. These fish have been ranging anywhere between 20kgs right through to 100kgs also with the odd larger fish being hooked. Smaller 8-10 inch skirts have been working well and those who also put the time into rigging skipping baits such as garfish will almost always have a better hook up rate.
Broome Catches
(Picture: courtesy Broome Sportfishing. One of hundreds of Sailfish that call Broome home this time of year)
Billfish proved to be rather elusive during last weekend’s fishing tournament, however things are expected to improve on this front in the coming weeks should the water temperatures drop quickly. Spanish mackerel and longtail tuna have been encountered off Entrance Point and Gantheaume Point. Disaster Rock is worth a try for cobia, giant trevally and mackerel varieties.
The boats targeting reef fish around Roebuck Bay and the ground wide of there have been doing fairly well on bluebone, fingermark bream and bluelined emperor. Threadfin salmon are still about in excellent numbers in the bay and at the mouths of the local creeks. Plenty of bluenose salmon have been picked up along Cable Beach.
Download the Free Recfishwest Fishing App Today
Recfishwest recently launched the first Smartphone Fishing App in WA, conveniently delivering the fishing rules to you at the touch of a button.
The Recfishwest App is free to download and will give all WA fishers the latest fishing rules in their pocket, even when they find themselves well outside of phone and internet reception.
To download for Android on Google Play click here or to download on Apple iTunes store click here, or simply search ‘Recfishwest’ to find the App. If you’re downloading the App on your iPad, make sure to change your settings to iPhone.
Read more about the new App here.
