GENERAL FISHING:

May Weather:

Following a protracted period of no rain, and the possibility of minimal or a lack of any significant rain in the next few days, what can we expect for the month of May? Historically Perth has had an average maximum of 22.3°C and an average minimum of 10.5°C for May. It has never exceeded 35°C nor has it dropped below 2°C at any time. We can expect to receive an average of 6.9 hours of sunshine during the month. In the rain gauge, Perth can expect to get around 88mm of rain over 11 days during May. On the wind front the strongest gust received in Perth has been 122 Km/h.

What this means for anglers is that it may get a bit windy as a front moves through but generally the fishing we have experienced over the last few weeks will continue. There is excellent demersal fishing in offshore waters, beach fishing will produce mixed bags of the bread and butter fish and in the river, flathead will still be active although slowing down and tailor, mulloway and bream will be taken in good numbers. Mulloway anglers will have to rug up a little as they will spend a lot of time between runs, but this allows for some quiet reflection.

There have been several snapper taken from beaches to the north of Perth in the last week, along with salmon and tailor. Anglers report taking good sized fish of these species from beaches as far north as Jurien Bay. Last weekend the Australian Anglers Association held its State Rock and Beach competition with headquarters at Lancelin Angling and Aquatic Club with the northern boundary being Jurien Bay. Being a species competition anglers were fishing for variety rather than huge bags and the winning angler landed a bag of 8 species comprising of 16 fish. Amongst the fish weighed in, there were samsonfish, snapper, mulloway, tailor, herring, skippy, whiting, tarwhine and several other species. The next few weeks should see similar catches being made.

Locally, anglers should expect herring in numbers, salmon, tailor, snapper and mulloway along with some small sharks.

If you have some fishing information, have caught a good fish and want to brag, or have an item that may be of interest to other anglers and wish to share it, you can send the details to abc720saturdaybreakfast@yahoo.com.au

Pink Snapper Fishery In The Eastern Gulf Of Shark Bay Is Now Closed

Fishing for pink snapper in the Eastern Gulf of Shark Bay is closed between May 1 and July 31. This closure is to protect spawning aggregations in the area. Please note you would have received a notification on the Recfishwest App of this closure. If you didn't, you are either running the old version of the app which will need to be updated (free) or you have your notifications turned off. If you do not have the app and want to stay up to date, download it now for free. It will provide all current and up to date fishing rules, regulations and bag and size limits for all Western Australian species.

What Motivates Fishers To Get Involved In Creating Habitat For Fish?

The Australian recreational fishing community is in many ways diverse, but a common factor is the enjoyment of being outdoors and relaxing in a natural environment, while hoping for a bite on the end of a line. Fishers come from all walks of life and socio-economic circumstances but they share this enjoyment, even if only on the few times a year they manage to go fishing. Most of them do not participate in activities to improve fish habitat due to lack of time and resources, but those that do gain a great deal of satisfaction from putting something back into their sport.

So what is it that inspires people to start planting trees, putting logs in streams and caring for riverbanks? Well, it’s all about the fish, and sharing your passion for fishing with others. A new paper by Craig Copeland and colleagues delves into the motivations of recreational fishers in Australia, USA, UK and Ireland, click here to read the research paper.

Department Of Fisheries Head Office Move

The Department of Fisheries’ Head Office is relocating to Gordon Stephenson House, 140 William St, Perth, on 8 May 2017. The Department will not have a front counter presence in the new accommodation, however, the counters at Hillarys, Fremantle and Mandurah are still available for fishers to renew or purchase a licence. You can also still apply for or renew your licence online at www.fish.wa.gov.au Telephone numbers will change from 8 May. As of this date, you can contact the department on (08) 8551 4444. More information about contact numbers will be provided on the department's website, closer to the move date.

WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING AT POPULAR FISHING LOCATIONS

If you are going to fish in open ocean waters or from the rocks, please - wear a life jacket.

MANDURAH:

Herring and an odd salmon along with a few tailor have been caught along the beaches south of Mandurah. Reports from local anglers indicate that Avalon Beach and Roberts Point are the best spots to try for salmon from the beach with some good sized fish being caught. Also there are plenty of herring here as well. Small mulloway, along with an occasional larger fish are also being taken. The Cut has been producing some nice salmon from the ocean end for anglers using unweighted mulies. Tailor catches in the area are down but odd ones are still being caught from time to time. Tarwhine, tailor and herring, and a few whiting and skippy for variety, have been caught from the beaches around the Cut at Dawesville. Anglers need to be aware of the differences between juvenile salmon and herring as many anglers are taking undersized salmon thinking that they are herring. The traffic bridges have been providing anglers with a feed of herring and yellowtail. A few small tailor have also been caught but they are close to minimum legal size so make sure your keepers are legal. Crabs are still in the estuary and the better places to set your nets are in the in the deeper channels.

SECRET HARBOUR / PORT KENNEDY / WARNBRO / ROCKINGHAM / SAFETY BAY

The jetties in this area are still producing plenty of herring, garfish and squid and anglers fishing out from Safety Bay are reported to be catching some good King George whiting and snook. Trollers are still catching an odd tailor or two on the north side of the causeway. Coventry reef fired up last week but not with big numbers of fish. Mulloway are still being taken from the jetties around the area. Reports indicate lots of herring along the beaches in the last week with good bags being reported right through from Shoalwater around to Long Point. As an alternative to bait, try working a lure, particularly during the late afternoon. The weed beds out from the local boat ramps have also been producing good numbers of herring and whiting. Berley is still the key to bringing the fish in. Larger tailor have been taken from the reefs in the area. Salmon are still being taken in numbers from all beaches and fishing platforms in the area with several fish around 4.5 - 5 kg.

COCKBURN SOUND:

All reports indicate that the squid are still in the Sound in large numbers. Snapper are also making their presence felt with some good fish being taken during the last week. The Southern Flats have been the pick of the spots during the last week for King George whiting and also squid. Mangles Bay has also been producing herring, whiting and squid. There are still large schools of salmon around and several good fish have been reported. Many anglers are choosing to catch and release their fish, only taking sufficient for their immediate needs. The Causeway Arch area is still producing numbers of herring and the occasional skippy but it has generally been pretty quiet during the week. There have been a few reports of smaller snapper being captured close to the jetties and along the industrial strip. Herring and mackerel have been good from the jetties and whiting and squid have been hanging around during the evenings and later at night.

KWINANA / NAVAL BASE / WOODMAN POINT / COOGEE:

Anglers using maggots and berley have been getting some good bags of herring and garfish. However, limit the use of berley as this will attract the blowies. There are a few squid around and night-time has been the better time, producing good numbers. The Ammunition Jetty continues to produce good fishing with occasional salmon, tailor, and small sharks.

FREMANTLE / INNER HARBOUR / LOWER REACHES OF SWAN RIVER

The wharves in the Inner Harbour have been producing a good selection of fish. Reports indicate plenty of slimy mackerel, herring, skippy, yellowtail, and garfish. The North Mole has recently started to fire up and you need to book a spot early to get the better vantage points. The North Mole has been producing tailor, herring, salmon, whiting and some squid. Several mulloway have also been taken. A few snapper have also been taken. The South Mole has had a terrific run of herring and garfish during the week. Skippy and tarwhine have also been turning up at different times. Squid have also been taken regularly. There were two very large schools of salmon in the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour and anglers were chasing them from the shore and in boats. It apparently became a little chaotic, with fish up to 5 kg being taken. The Old Traffic Bridge has been producing some nice black bream, flathead and flounder. In the harbour, anglers are reporting good numbers of skippy, herring and squid on a regular basis along with plenty of garfish. Watch the tides for suitable times to dab for prawns as there are a few starting to appear. The outgoing tide will also attract mulloway and fishing the outgoing tide lines at the moles can be very productive.

COTTESLOE / SWANBOURNE / CITY BEACH / FLOREAT / SCARBOROUGH / TRIGG ISLAND

Leighton Beach has fished well for garfish, herring and yellow-finned whiting. Small salmon have been taken along the beaches and there are more herring than tailor around. Tailor are still a bit hit and miss along the southern end of this section and anglers are having trouble with the herring stripping mulie baits before the tailor can get to them. The Groyne has been holding some good tarwhine at the moment and whiting have also been coming from the same area.

Good sized whiting have been taken from these beaches and herring and garfish have been caught in numbers. A few salmon have been taken with an occasional larger tailor but you really have to put in some time for the bigger fish. Floreat has fished well for some big skippy, flathead and herring. Mullet are migrating north and are often confused with schools of salmon. Other predators, such as mulloway and sharks will be hanging around these schools, so a bait cast to them could provide some interesting action.

NORTH BEACH JETTY / HILLARYS / OCEAN REEF / MINDARIE:

There have been plenty of herring and garfish taken from the marina at Ocean Reef earlier in the week. Some tailor have also been reported. An occasional salmon or two are being taken from Pinnaroo Point but it seems that the herring have taken up residence there. There are a few tailor around in the evening. Tailor and herring are still along the marina walls at Hillarys and there are a few snook and garfish if you are using small baits. Several salmon have been taken from the south-west corner of the marina.

QUINNS ROCKS /YANCHEP / TWO ROCKS / MOORE RIVER

There are reports of bigger tailor being caught in the Yanchep area during the past week. Anglers using mulies or slabs of fish for bait and fishing through the early evening are picking up good tailor and an occasional mulloway around the back of the reef or from adjacent beaches. Several mulloway between 4 and 10 kg have been caught along this section of coast. Yanchep Lagoon and Quinn’s Beach are still producing good tailor, herring and an occasional salmon. The recent swells broke up the baitfish schools but there are still fish around.

SWAN AND CANNING RIVERS:

Bream are being taken in numbers upstream of Ascot right through to Guildford. Maylands has also been holding a few fish and reports indicate some good fish just up from Canning Bridge. Shelley Bridge is also worth a try. Freshwater Bay has been producing some nice flathead during the day. The Narrows has had some small chopper tailor around. Reports indicate that there have been a lot of small mulloway being taken from the Causeway through to Blackwall Reach and also some nice size bream. Good bream are also reported from the Mount Henry area again this week along with reports of some good flathead being taken. Canning Bridge has been producing good bream during the week with the most successful anglers using soft plastic artificial baits and fresh prawns.

BOAT FISHING:

The Fairway buoy area is still producing plenty of herring and King George whiting and good skippy. It can be very productive at this time of the year. Little Island is still the best spot for big sand whiting, herring and garfish for dinghy anglers. Reports indicate some good King George whiting have been caught in 15 – 18 m of water NW of Mindarie along with some good snapper.. Small boat anglers are finding increased skippy action with some terrific fish between the One Mile and Three Mile – but most reef country in this area is holding good numbers of these fish. Anglers report good fishing between five and eight kilometres off Fremantle where there have been a lot of small samsonfish and some very big skippy. The offshore scene has seen breaksea cod and Westralian jewfish caught outside the Three Mile Reef. This area is also producing a number of samsonfish recently. Anglers fishing in 32 – 40 metres of water, are reporting good King George whiting, snook and breaksea cod, out from Mindarie and Ocean Reef while other anglers report some big snapper a lot closer to shore in 20 m of water. There also seems to be plenty of herring and garfish around as well and if you drift a jig or bait whilst fishing over the weed beds there is every chance of a good feed of squid. Reports indicate a couple of good sized Westralian Jewfish out from Two Rocks in about 40 metres of water. Baldchin groper have also been taken from deeper water out towards Direction Bank. Interestingly there are still numbers of spanish mackerel in metropolitan waters with good fish being taken out behind Rottnest and from the reef systems around Garden Island. The snapper sizes are improving, however there are still plenty of small snapper stealing baits. There are better ones down a little deeper so keep on trying.