GENERAL FISHING:

The forecast for last weekend was not good and with strong winds and higher tides. Several anglers in the metropolitan area fished through the blow and several landed some good snapper from various locations. I am aware of at least a dozen snapper taken from the rock walls of the groynes and marinas. One angler reported that he and a mate fished in the northern suburbs from the rock wall of a marina and sheltered in the lee of the breeze and landed several good fish including a couple of good snapper. It will be the same again this weekend with the worst of the weather expected to come in on Sunday afternoon as the frontal systems move through.

Winter is only a week or so away from the official start, however many ‘fair weather anglers’ have already put their gear away and are curled up in front of a fire or glued to the television watching some form of sport. Thinking anglers will have been watching weather patterns for the last little while and watching water levels. Those seeking to dab for larger prawns in the lower reaches of the Swan River or wanting to catch a larger mulloway will be looking for more rain to start a flush out of the river. With an increase in rain comes run-off and this seems to switch on a feeding trigger in mulloway who hunt along the tide line where the water flushed from the river meets the clean ocean water adjacent to the moles at Fremantle. Anglers fishing from the North Mole along this tide line will find mulloway as well as pink snapper.

The forecast for this weekend doesn’t look all that good for fishing with showers forecast as fronts move through, bringing the rain. With these fronts moving through, it means we get some much needed rain and on the up side, larger winter species such as snapper and mulloway start to be caught a little more frequently.

One of the by-products of this stormy weather is the increase in the amount of weed that is deposited along the beaches. In some locations it is nigh on impossible to get a good long cast out as the weed has choked several popular beaches. However on some beaches, due to their structure and adjacent manmade structures such as groynes and marinas, this has meant that the weed builds up and is more permanently deposited. It will take another strong blow to dislodge it and move it along and so the process begins all over again.

The up side to this is that the rotting weed also becomes a nursery for a lot of marine insect life, and we benefit from it as various fish species thrive on these. Several species spring to mind including herring and whiting and cobbler. Cobbler start to move into the weed choked water and are looking for a feed in the detritus. Herring and whiting are looking for the larvae to be washed out of the weed by wave action and can be taken in numbers from adjacent to the weed banks.

Anglers seeking to catch snapper from the rocks during these winter frontal systems, need to keep a close eye on the barometer. As the front approaches the barometer drops, and the instant that it starts to rise, indicating that the front has passed, they’re off to their favourite rock platform to chase snapper. During the last week there have been several good fish taken from the various rock platforms around. ASI Groyne at Henderson, the North and South Mole and the walls of the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour have all produced some good fish.

Those seeking prawns will take to the river on nights when the run-out tide peaks just after dark through to around 10:00 pm. They will sit in their dinghies often on freezing cold nights with lights set out over the bow to spot the prawns and dab for them from the stern of the dinghy. There is an art in working with a partner, swinging a long handled dab net in unison so that you can catch prawns and not end up in the water. On a good night the result may be the bag limit of 9 litres of large prawns, on a poor night the bucket can be empty. Tides this week aren’t good for prawning, however this won’t deter those who want to enjoy a feed of fresh prawns particularly later in the week and looking at the tidal predictions next weekend will see a lot of prawners out braving the conditions.

If you have some fishing information, have caught a good fish and have a picture of it 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 and I will try to incorporate it.

WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING AT POPULAR FISHING LOCATIONS:

MANDURAH:

Herring and a few salmon have been taken from the southern beaches along with a few small to medium sized mulloway. Several good sized snapper have been taken from the Preston area during the week. Closer to Mandurah there are a few tarwhine and skippy around the ocean end of The Cut. There are also a few tailor being caught in the same area. Inside the Cut there are still herring, whiting and an occasional small salmon being taken. An odd tailor also has been caught. In both the Murray and Serpentine rivers, bream are a little more active. There have been a few bream taken from some of the more popular locations throughout the lower end of the river system. Prawn movement is also on the increase. Anglers chasing prawns are starting to read the tide tables and are putting in some late hours on the outgoing tide at places such as the Old Traffic Bridge and from dinghies moored upstream from it. There have been some good catches taken and also a few trips that have turned into duds. When chasing prawns on the upstream side of the bridge it pays to also have a line drifting out on the downstream side. Mulloway don’t mind a feed of prawns and will readily take a fresh prawn rigged on a line. During the day there have been a few herring, yellowtail and tailor being taken from the estuary. Beaches to the north of the town continue to produce herring, garfish and whiting, generally of a morning. There have been a few mulloway taken by anglers fishing well into the night. Tailor have been spasmodic and are being caught during the late afternoon and evening

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

Anglers fishing through this area report good catches of herring and some big garfish. Squid are also being taken from locations throughout the region. Small boat anglers fishing out in front of the jetties at Rockingham have been catching some King George whiting, squid and snook along the edges of the weed banks. Beach anglers fishing Becher Point and the Point Peron beaches have been getting a few small salmon and tailor.

COCKBURN SOUND:

Salmon are still being taken throughout the Sound although the size of the schools is shrinking. There are reports of occasional snapper being taken from the upper end of the Sound. Size is not all that big and numbers are improving. There are good King George whiting being caught along with some skippy. Interesting to note that the skippy have gone quiet along most of the beaches but are being caught in reasonable sizes and numbers in the Sound. There are still a lot of squid around in the Sound, and both beach and boat anglers are catching them. In the bottom of the Sound there have been a few tailor and skippy being taken from areas adjacent to the bridge. Further up the Sound, squid have been quite active and several good catches have been made. Small snapper have been taken out behind the Five Fathom Bank along with some good skippy.

KWINANA / NAVAL BASE / WOODMAN POINT / COOGEE:

Several of the groynes and jetties in the area have been producing some very big garfish and if you’re planning a trip north in the near future, now is the time to stock up on your baits for the trip. I have taken to pre-rigging my baits and I wrap them in a piece of paper towel and place them inside an aluminium foil pouch. This prevents transit damage as they stack neatly and also saves a lot of time rigging up when on the rocks. There have been a few medium sized snapper taken from this area during the recent rough weather. Unfortunately there are also many small snapper that are well undersize. The upside of this is that it would appear that with the numbers of small snapper around at this time, we should have a great season next year as they mature. Herring, garfish and whiting are making up the bulk of the catch during the morning along with a few snook. After dark the situation changes with an odd tailor and small mulloway coming in along with the snapper. There are still a few King George whiting around and these make a welcome addition to the catch. Several good fish were caught from the Ammunition Jetty last week. There are a lot of big yellow-finned whiting around at the moment and if these are rigged as a bait and put out, there is every chance of a bigger fish being hooked. Salmon are still being taken in numbers as well and anglers need to be aware of size and bag limits as some anglers don’t seem to know or understand why they are there, or just choose to ignore them.

ROTTNEST ISLAND:

Swells have kept anglers off the rocks at the west end of the island, however there has been a lot of angling activity in the lee of the wind. Salmon are starting to show up more regularly. Two large schools have been seen off the west end. Ricey's Beach has been a good spot to get amongst them from the shore. There are also plenty of samsonfish around. There are a few very big King George whiting along the eastern side of the island.

FREMANTLE / INNER HARBOUR / LOWER REACHES OF SWAN RIVER

On the South Mole, anglers are catching a few good skippy on the southern side, and on the inner side of the end, on a run out tide, an occasional mulloway. There are plenty of squid being caught at the South Mole. Prawn dabbers working the lower reaches report getting their limit of prawns. The lower reaches of the river have also been producing some good fish with plenty of tarwhine, big yellow-fin whiting and an occasional mulloway. Some anglers are fishing for smaller species and are being busted off in a big way by some big fish, which are presumed to be mulloway. Can I suggest that anglers think a little laterally and use live prawns for bait after dark as this is what the fish are probably feeding on. The North Mole is becoming very busy as winter sets in and the snapper come looking for a feed. The target is snapper but a good mulloway is also acceptable. This weekend will see many spots at a premium as anglers chase snapper in the rough weather.

LEIGHTON / COTTESLOE / SWANBOURNE

The Cottesloe groyne is not a comfortable place to fish in any sort of swell and so anglers have been avoiding it for this last week or two. Those brave enough to fish in the few spots that remain relatively dry, report a few tailor after dark. During the day, if it is fishable, there have been the usual whiting, herring and some big garfish. Swanbourne Beach has been producing some good fishing for both salmon and tailor with a few salmon being taken, with most being taken after dark. Large tarwhine, herring and yellow-finned whiting are also being caught in numbers. Leighton beach is a good shallow water spot that is well protected from the south west by the North Mole. Anglers fishing this beach have been taking whiting, herring and garfish. On occasions, a couple of smaller salmon turn up and this sets the pulses on anglers fishing for herring racing, as they test out the anglers’ skill and prowess using light tackle.

CITY BEACH / FLOREAT / SCARBOROUGH / TRIGG ISLAND

Brighton Road beach at Scarborough fished well for an odd big skippy, a few flathead and plenty of herring and garfish earlier in the week. Tailor have been taken both early morning and after dark along these beaches. Floreat Beach and Brighton Road have both produced small tailor. There have also been a few mulloway taken. There have been some big tarwhine taken from Trigg Island with several fish in excess of a kilo. The central beaches have also been a bit quiet during the week. Beach anglers report that there are whiting, herring and garfish around with a few small snook coming in after dark. An odd salmon still turns up but they seem to have quietened off a bit

HILLARYS / OCEAN REEF / MINDARIE

Anglers fishing from the rock walls of the marina have been taking herring, skippy, garfish and a few tailor. An odd salmon has also been caught here. Smaller specimens of salmon look a lot like herring and care needs to be taken as they are not legal length. Pinnaroo Point is producing some excellent catches of herring and garfish. After the sun is down there are a few tailor around but not enough to make an evening’s fishing worthwhile in the cooler weather. With the weather predicted to turn dirty this weekend there will be many anglers fishing from the rock walls at the groynes and harbours chasing snapper.

YANCHEP / TWO ROCKS / MOORE RIVER

As has been the case for most of this year, the area around Yanchep / Two Rocks has produced the better catches of tailor. There are still a few good fish coming in from the Yanchep Lagoon and Quinn’s Beach area. A few mulloway have also been taken from various beach locations and size has been variable. Some have been small ‘soapies’ while other anglers report a few fish up around the 10 kg mark. Several of the beaches and rock walls in the area have produced a number of snapper over the last few weeks. Size has varied from just over legal to 85 – 90 cm fish around 10Kg.

SWAN AND CANNING RIVERS

Anglers fishing the Canning Bridge area report good fish with anglers using soft plastic lures seeming to be doing better than anglers using bait. They’re not difficult to catch when they are hungry and competing for food. Keep an eye on the barometer when planning a fishing trip as it does have a definite effect on the fish feeding. A falling barometer in not a good time to go fishing.

In the lower reaches there have been a few bream taken in Claremont Bay and Mosman and there are still a few flathead and flounder on the sand banks. These fish will soon move out of the river as fresh water starts to flow and will take up residence in areas adjacent to the estuary and harbour mouth.

Anglers fishing for bream in the Swan and Canning Rivers has found some good fishing, with several good fish reported from the Causeway and upstream to Maylands. Areas around the back of Gloucester Park race course and opposite the Casino have also been quite productive with several good fish being taken.

BOAT FISHING:

Small boat anglers report good fishing between five and eight kilometres off Fremantle and are taking herring, skippy and garfish along with an odd King George whiting. Skippy and whiting are the main catch of the small boat anglers fishing just offshore in the metropolitan area at the moment. Small snapper continue to steal baits but this is made up for by the occasional keeper being taken. King George whiting are also being taken from slightly deeper waters out behind the reef. Due to recent swell activity, not a lot of anglers have ventured offshore to fish. Those who have, have generally ventured further out and fished deeper waters than normal for some good catches of snapper and Westralian Jewfish. Several anglers fishing in 100+ metres have found hapuka, grey banded cod and bass groper. Anglers fishing out of the northern marinas have found some good sized snapper in 45+ metres of water, along with a few King George whiting and breaksea cod. Salmon are still wide spread and are being taken along the metropolitan coastline along the inshore waters.