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.
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.
Be safe on the water over Christmas.
Last Days on FREE Postage for Life Jackets
