Welcome to Recfishwest’s weekly fishing report, brought to you by Recfishwest’s fishing expert Joachim Azzopardi, John Curtis for his Mandurah and Surrounds report and Matt Cox for the latest in Kununurra.
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.
Esperance Catches
Picture: King George whiting. Most people successfully target KG’s by using fresh squid in broken up sand and weed holes but quite often bottom fishers will pick them up as bycatch when targetting Pink Snapper, Harlequin and Dhufish!
Boats:
Squid to a kilo and bigger have been caught in the bay together with herring and lots of sand whiting. Out wide, nannaygai around the 2kg mark, samson fish and yellowtail kingfish have been common catches in approximately 70m of water. Try the waters west of town for schooling pink snapper.
Shore-based:
The Taylor Street has plenty of squid, garfish and small herring on offer while some nice King George whiting have been caught from the foreshore rock walls. Bandy Creek boat harbour is also producing a few King George as well as herring and squid. Salmon can be found at Salmon Beach, Fourth Beach, Nine Mile, Fourteen Mile and Roses. Thomas River had mulloway around the 50cm mark, skippy between 1kg and 2kg and salmon last week. Bigger mulloway to 80cm were caught at Rossiters together with salmon.
Albany Catches
Picture: Small mulloway and black bream are great fish to have a crack at, especially when the weather, wind and swell picks up on the coast in Albany. Photo courtesy of Scott Coghlan.
Boats:
Reef fishing enthusiasts picked up fair catches of pink, red and queen snapper as well as dhufish and breaksea cod along the coral in depths starting at 50m during the week. Catches of similar species also came from the ground near the islands and other reef areas. There were not too many who ventured beyond the shelf, however the few who did, when conditions were suitable, scored samson fish and hapuka. King George whiting fishing has improved in King George Sound and other inshore areas including the waters near Gull Rock, Caseys, Middleton Beach, Goode Beach and Limestone. One group of fishers landed 20 King George between 32cm and 40cm together with a few flathead and squid during a single session last week.
Shore-based:
Salmon have become scarce along the local beaches with just the odd fish being taken every now and then and at no particular spot. A few salmon schools are reportedly still frequenting Bremer Bay. The local beaches are mostly producing herring, skippy and sand whiting. Bigger skippy have been coming from Bluff Creek and Bremer Bay while Bornholm is worth a try in the mornings and evenings. The King and Kalgan rivers are producing black bream, but not in the same numbers and sizes as the systems east of town. Mulloway are once again mostly being caught in the late evenings.
Feature Article: Where to Fish When the Weather Turns Bad in Albany!
When the big seas pound WA’s south coast, the options for recreational fishers in that area seem somewhat limited. The following article on the fishing options in and around Albany will keep you safe when the weather moves in. Read more…
Trailer Checks
Technical Rating: Novice
For many, the next few months will see the boat trailer being hooked up for the first time since the last fishing mission at the end of summer. If this is indeed the case for you, or even if you have fished a few times over winter, make a few checks and fix anything that needs attention, especially if it’s something you have been putting off for quite some time. Click here to read on…
Missed Last Week’s Report? Click Below to Check it Out!
