I'm sure someone else can weigh into it properly, but just keep in mind, for dhuies to get to 10kg takes more than the time the ban has been in place, so I dont think it could have such an effect so quickly.

Those that can almost guarantee a dhuie are not operating on luck for the most part ;)

 I'm more than aware about the size/time ratio, it was more to do with the numbers generally. Also the people that I have known for many years, who used to target them and do all right - have done much better, more regularly in recent times.    

From what i see on fishwrecked id say more north of perth waters hold more dhuies then south of perth say near rotto and point perron. just my opinion. yes there are great fish to be cught out of rotto and point perron n mandurah but the miles are certainaly travelled to get them majority of the time.

The fish school up this time off year from my experiance.the follow the bait schools around. Not always the same places but for the next 6-8 weeks good catches and good size fish can be caught.

I'm no expert, but i find with all the squid and cuttle fish around this time of year, alot of fish follow them. As Paul G said too, bait fish seem to school up as well.

One thing i did notice was , soon after the comercial bans were put in place , i started to catch a lot more undersize Dhu fish.

just seems to me, when comparing to the same seasons in years gone by, there stacking  up a lot better, I'm obvioulsy reading to much into the numbers at the moment.

How long the ban has been on cray fishermen drop lining for dimersals - when did that come in - must be ten years ago or thereabouts and I have fished continually over that period and there is no question in my mind that the ban on that opportunistic supplimentary income stream for these operators has had a profound effect and we are now seeing the benefits.

The three month recreational fishing ban simply hasn't been in anywhere near long enough for it to have any effect (and I actually doubt it will impact that much) 

Personally I can only draw one conclusion:-   There is absolutely no doubt dimersal fishing in the metro area has massively improved - seven out of the last eight trips out in true metro waters since January have all resulted in dhu with the best a 17kg fish and several trips with up to six old style keepers boated and released.  I strongly support the new two fish per boat limit and am a strong advocate for the use of release weights.

Before that fundamental change to the rules I had only caught three dhu's in the same waters over many years of fishing and diving and used to regularly travel to Jurien just to target them as they were so few and far between in metro waters.  Diving wise the number of small and even tiny dhu I see now is just amazing and snapper schools are commonplace though many are undersized (?? a result of the ban on breeding fish in the Sound??)

Oh and yes Dhu's do school this time of the year (and later in the year in really shallow water) but the fish need to be there to actually form up a school.

Sunshine 

Personally I reckon its the local pro ban, leaves all the fishg for the rec fishers.

Now for the crays, haha.

Trawlers are raiding the Baitballs every night infront of my home as I can clearly see the lights every night!

By sunrise they bugger off full steam to Freo!

I am not the only one who can see this plundering and the blame put on us rec fisherpeople by the greenies!

No doubt the bans are helping, especially no pros in the metro. But i'm of the opinion that the reason we are catching more fish is simply that we as a whole are getting much more efficient at targeting them.

well guys...all this talk of everyone catching dhues!! im yet to this date boat a size  dhuie on my boat or in my life(I've caught YFT to 100kg, Marlin,Wahoo, Dollies etc etc). I think i have caught one that may off pushed 500mm, but no measureing stick so back in the drink she went. I still struggle hard bottom fishing for demerals in W.A. To be honest i dont really know what im doing wrong or if im doing anything right. Never had some one to teach or let me know of general areas/techniques/knowledge understanding sounders  work. Persistance and time i hope will change my fortune!

So ive put it down to that i can catch fish, and know how to catch fish, but bottom fishing is just something im seriously struggling on. if you feel like you want to helpt PM me and advice it would be awsome. Heading off hillaries this saturday hopefully my luck will change! if you see us out there say hello!!!

brett

double post sorry all

it sure is working for me, my biggest dhuie is a truck like 23!!!

thats centimeters not kilos by the way 

gotta remember that you do hear about a hell of a lot more fish caught nowadays with websites etc than what you did a decade ago. Back then you had to go to the tackle store for a report or wait for the newspapers fishing page. Now it's all there that night or even live feeds from the fishing grounds. 

Whether it's improved stocks, smarter fishermen or just greater biomass I'm not going to complain one bit.

a couple of these comments on pros are just screwed the ocean is for everyone and some of you werent even born when these guys were trying to make a livelyhood outa fishing! kalbarri has functioned normally and has a great commradery with the local recos and local pro fishos there. i have never seen so much anamosity towards commercial guys as i have down here in perth! you dont own the ocean guys so dont think that you can have it all to yourself. Now i agree w the no fishing on crayboats which came in about 5-6 years ago. especially in places like lancelin where they would stick the vaccum cleaner out on the dhuis but dont have a swipe at these guys as they work harder for their wages than most of you would in a week! the ban fm lano to mandurah was justified and i agree with that but be careful when you have a go at commercial fishermen because these guys are generation fishermen and how would you like it if someone came up to all you and said your work is finished and we are sending the work overseas! i bet youd be pissed! just my opinion! i am going back commercial fishing and i cant bloody wait cos i get out this redneck city and back to a town where respect and friendship are shared and fishing spots as well between both partys!

fish for the future not the freezer!!!!

I for one won`t be shedding any tears for the Pro`s, they have burnt the candle from both ends for decades and they now they have to be accountable and they bleat

I know alot of the Pro`s in the Kalbarri area get on really well with the local rec population and have their respect. Not all of them are honourable, recs included. Upgrading of dhu`s by recs and passing them onto a commercial vessel is not on, but it happens.

I made mention of the change in the laws which prohibited pros from drop lining whilst cray fishing ...........that was in NO way meant as knocking pro's, the laws as they stood permitted them to do so and they did and thats fair enough.  I will put my hand up, as no doubt many will here, to catching upwards of six dhufish during that same era (late 90's early 00's) and keeping them all and that was pre-vacuum packing days so all our friends regularly received parcels of great fillets. 

Metro wise this drop lining by pro's, who at the time had technology far far superior to fisho's meant that they did indeed hammer the local dimersals and I have no doubt did deplete stocks ...............the banning of that activity has had a profound effect as has the imposition of bag limits on rec fishers.  I now treat dhu fillets like gold, vacuum pack them carefully and sure as hell do not give them away. 

I have absolutely no doubt there are many more around in metro waters - those missing out need to get out and explore more and not just target known structure

Sunshine