Bluewater Tackle World
Fishing Report Friday 26th May 2017
 
As May’s cool but calm weather continues here in Perth this weekend, things are going to get fishy! Are you going to be amongst the lucky ones to get amongst the action? If you are unsure of what ,where and how, here are some options.

If you are going to be on a boat, inshore reefs are alive with activity at the moment. Pink snapper have been relatively easy to find and are responding well to both baits and artificials. Be prepared for a very early morning bite though as it has been too ‘calm’ lately. Clear water can mean they are shy, but they are there! Dropping leader size, light jigheads and well-presented baits are key in a good berley trail. However be prepared for some seriola madness! Big samson fish and yellowtail kings are also around in force and have been gate crashing berley trails. Staff member Muzz found this out in the past week in a fantastic session in-shore. Salmon are also still showing up at their usual haunts, just not in the numbers of previous years.
 

 Staff member Muzz getting amongst the fish this past week including this sambo and pinkie pictured respectively.

Further out there has been a good dhufish bite, with baldchin groper and breaksea cod also being regularly encountered. Be ready and rigged if you are on the water as there is a good deal of tuna around. Southern blues are being encountered from right inshore to the FADs. Often with big numbers of stripies and the odd shark mac swimming with them. There is also a good number of yellowfin around with customers reporting fish up to 15kg and staff member Brad had them come up in a berley trail in the 40s last week. Small skirts such as Richter Jelly Babes, deep divers such as Rapala X-rap 15s and casting lures like CID Iron Candies and Arma metals are worth having in easy reach.

Squid are firing for both boaties and land based fisho’s. Look for the broken weed beds that give squid cover to hide and ambush prey. Good numbers and sizes are around in the Cockburn Sound and off Fremantle. Hillarys’ inshore reefs are also holding large amounts of squid making it very easy to catch not only a feed, but fresh demersal baits too. The Hayabusa jigs have been popular in the 2.5-3.0 sizes which are currently on sale in the May Madness Sale. There is a huge range to suit different conditions and locations, and our staff will be more then capable in helping you make size and colour choices.

Bream are fishing well in the mid and upper reaches of the Swan. Smaller fish are in good numbers and are taking baits with strips of mullet being very productive. The bigger models are responding better to soft plastics and small hard bodies. Being mobile is the key to finding the bigger fish and working several different snags and other structure along the way.

Bony herring seem to be plentiful in the Swan and the start of Canning which may be a good sign for those wanting to tick a mulloway off their bucket list, as plenty of bait usually means the fish aren’t far behind. Some good fish have already come from the Eshed.

Off the beaches yellowfin whiting are fishing well off Scarborough, Cottesloe and the surrounds. Herring are abundant at most local beaches and easily caught provided anglers are berleying up. Locations include Floreat, Scarborough and Cottesloe. Juvenile tailor seem to be caught up in the mix, but the larger fish seem to be coming from beaches further north, particularly around Yanchep Lagoon. The Lagoon has been fishing well for tailor with a good run of fish in the 60-70cm range. Fishing low light periods are key with dawn and dusk being ideal, with fish responding well to poppers and stickbaits but don’t rule out a surprisingly effective technique of slow rolling paddle-tailed soft plastics, which has been the undoing of some of the bigger fish taken recently.

Snapper have been firing from shore in recent weeks. Now is the time if you want to get out and catch your first land based snapper. With fish in the 70-80cm range not uncommon, they have been taken on beaches and rock walls from Preston Beach to Two Rocks.


A good land-based pinkie caught by a Mindarie customer

Bluewater Joondalup hosted an Introduction to Saltwater Fly Fishing this week. Keen anglers had the chance to hear what resident fly expert David Bell had to say and all who attended seemed enthusiastic to go out and give it a go. Some even walked away with a few prizes. If you have ever wanted to give it a go our Joondalup and Myaree stores both stock a good range of fly gear and have staff that can help you out.