Fishing with John Curtis February 18, 2017

 SNAPPER RELEASE EVENT TODAY:

Thousands of Fish to be Released by the Community This Weekend!

Thousands of juvenile Pink Snapper will be released into Cockburn Sound as the remarkable Snapper Guardians project continues its legacy and we want you to be a part of it!

As promised, Recfishwest has again invited the WA Community to come down this Saturday to help release thousands of juvenile Pink Snapper, through the Snapper Guardian Project. Over 400 turned out last year for this world first event and we expect the same if not more this year!

For more on last year’s Community release event, visit: http://recfishwest.org.au/snapper-guardians-see-fish-released-back-into-cockburn-sound/

What:                                     Cockburn Sound Pink Snapper Release Event

How Many Fish:                    3,000 fish are being released by families, kids and supporters

When:                                    Saturday 18 February, event starts 9am:  Families and kids will start releasing fish at 9:30am

Where:                                   Adjacent to Cockburn Power Boat Club, Jervoise Bay at Woodman Point.

What You Need to Bring:    Family, Camera, Hat, Sunscreen, Snorkel for those who want to get in the water.

More Info on the Event, http://recfishwest.org.au/50000-snapper-for-cockburn-a-sound-investment/

18 February 2017 Marmion Angling and Aquatic Club’s Blue Water Classic.

This year this event is offering over forty two thousand dollars in prizes including one lucky competitor who will collect a 4.27m dinghy on a trailer with a 30HP motor and 4 life jackets and anchoring kit. The dinghy is also registered for 12 months. All Early Bird registrations have been entered into the draw for the opportunity to win a Daiwa rod and reel valued at over five hundred dollars.

This event is a species oriented event and this year the Heaviest of Species prize list includes; whiting, herring, breaksea cod, garfish, baldchin groper, tailor, flathead, Westralian dhufish, harlequin, skippy, pink snapper, King George whiting, blue morwong, samsonfish/amberjack, mackerel all/wahoo.

The public is invited to view the Weigh-In at the MAAC Club on West Coast Highway at Marmion from 3:45, however as parking at the club is restricted, people are asked to park at the Hillarys Marina and walk (or take the free bus) up to the club to view the weigh-in. This will show what a variety of species of fish are available from our metropolitan coastline.

GENERAL FISHING:

November to February is considered to be the cyclone season in the north of Australia. With the number of low pressure systems and the one tropical cyclone that have brought a lot of rain to the north of the state, barramundi anglers will be rejoicing with the best ‘wet season’ rains for at least four years. As this is written there is another low pressure system located to the west of Broome and moving away from the coast, but bringing considerable rain to the region.

There is also a Category 1 cyclone located in the southern section of the Gulf of Carpentaria which is bringing more heavy rain to the region.

All of this rain will make anglers, planning trips to fish the ‘run off’, very happy. All of the Territories’ main river systems are swollen as a result of above average downpours and it is a similar story in the north of W A.

The river catchments and floodplains that feed into region’s big tidal rivers are overflowing, with low lying areas of Broome on flood watch. Last week a tropical low moved across the Top End into Arnhem Land and brought with it another patch of intense rainfall. All of this augurs well for a great season this year for fishing for barramundi in northern Australia. Start planning your trip now!

We are heading towards the end of summer but the sun still has a real bite to it. Again, this summer has not been as hot as anticipated, however March is fairly hot and it appears that we could experience some hotter weather for the end of February and extending into March.

So use some common sense and stay under cover between 10 and 3 and wear a broad brimmed hat, long sleeved shirt and plenty of sunscreen and wear a good pair of sunglasses. Fishing seems to improve with the warmer weather. Higher temperatures mean warmer water and there should be a lot more pelagic activity offshore. Out behind Rottnest the various FAD’s will really start to produce mahi mahi, a variety of mackerel species, and tuna. Billfish activity is starting to pick up out a bit wider along the Rottnest Trench and this will see a lot of sportfishing craft heading out wide.

Beach anglers will find plenty of tailor throughout the metropolitan area along with herring, skippy, garfish and small sharks. River anglers will also start to pick up some larger flatfish from the sand patches and banks in the lower reaches of the river and bream will be active upstream.

Think a little bit about the fish you want to catch and target them. Like us they don’t like hot water and so move to deeper, cooler waters. This may only be a few metres further off shore but it may require a little more effort to cast to reach them. Bream will seek the shade in close, under overhanging trees or will retire to the deeper holes in the river. So don’t go looking in the shallower water for fish - they’re not there.

Received the following wrap from a reader, Warren, who has indicated that even though the Swan River is overflowing there is still some good fishing to be had.

“Understandably the river waters have been murky, however it hasn't slowed the bream action during the week with reports of large bream being taken from shallow water in the Swan. Monday night provided a great opportunity for an after work fish, just outside of the Warnbro Sound on the seven, skippy were abundant which made drifting baits for snapper difficult, a few undersized pinkies were caught and released.

Inside the Sound a few tailor were around at the 30-40cm mark. Plenty of rays as well, however the squid were scarce. Warnbro Sound has also been producing plenty of Blue Swimmers with anglers bagging out twice during the week.

Some anglers who braved the windy weather were lucky enough to catch snapper at the North mole with one lucky angler landing a very nice Snapper only to return to his vehicle finding a smashed window and boot marks on the fender. Some gummy sharks have been caught out of Two Rocks.”

The March long weekend is not too far away and many people take the opportunity to get away for the weekend. A lot of people will travel to popular destinations and wet a line at some stage. The south coast is definitely a lot cooler and there is some good fishing to be had from the beaches, rocks and headlands south and south-east of Perth.

Hopefully water levels in the southern rivers will have eased to allow access to some areas. A check on the Main Roads Department web site (https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au ) will list what roads are not open and what areas are not accessible. (See A LITTLE BIT EXTRA for more details)

In the north, temperatures are a little hotter than Perth and this will see anglers seeking to catch a variety of pelagic fish from the shore. Anglers who put baits out under balloons using the stronger easterlies should be rewarded with some great fish.

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

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:

Tailor are turning up on most beaches in reasonable numbers but The Cut is producing the best fishing for them. Tailor to 40 cm have come from the Dawesville Bridge after dark. The jetty in front of the Jolly Frog has had some nice yellow fin whiting early in the morning. Other species being caught in The Cut include herring and skippy, along with some very big garfish. Anglers fishing on and around the bridges report good catches of herring, tailor, bream and whiting and oddly enough a few small salmon.

Tim’s Thicket to Preston continues to see plenty of tailor being caught with the best time being in the late afternoon. There have been quantities of large herring taken along with good sized skippy and whiting. There are reports of several sharks being caught with some up to three metres being taken from the beach during the week.

Black bream up to 1.5 kg have been taken from locations in and around the various structures in and around the canals. There are crabs still about but you seem to have to work a little harder for your feed this last week. Be aware of minimum legal sizes as fisheries officers will check and book you if you have any undersize. Many netters working in deep water report that they caught some crabs that are quite large in size and have a lot of meat in them. Beaches north of Mandurah continue to fish well for yellow-fin whiting in the mornings, tailor late afternoons and mulloway after dark.

Offshore anglers have found plenty of small Westralian jewfish on the Five Fathom Bank along with breaksea cod and a few snapper. The Bouvard reef system has been producing some good snapper fishing as well as large blue morwong. Dinghy anglers fishing just offshore report plenty of large whiting being caught along with some good tailor and herring. Squid are prolific over the weed beds between Silver Sands and San Remo.

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

The local jetties are under siege from blowies during the day, but after dark there are a few tailor and herring. To avoid the blowies, try using a small metal lure as they tend to leave them alone. They will quickly destroy soft plastic lures as well and that can become expensive for a nil return.

Reports from the beaches near the grain silos through to Long Point indicate good catches of herring, tailor and some nice yellow-fin whiting. The beaches around Kwinana, Port Kennedy and Secret Harbour have all been producing good catches of tailor during the past week. There have also been plenty of herring and yellow-fin whiting.

COCKBURN SOUND:

There have been a few pink snapper turning up between Garden Island and Carnac. There are plenty of herring and garfish out over the weed for small boat anglers and some reasonable sized snapper a little further out over the broken bottom. Early morning anglers fishing near the Garden Island causeway have been taking herring and occasional tailor this week. There are consistent reports of good sized King George Whiting being taken from the lower end of Cockburn Sound. Earlier in the week there were reports of spanish mackerel and longtail tuna being taken from the various rock platforms in the Sound and from Woodman Point.

KWINANA / NAVAL BASE / WOODMAN POINT / COOGEE:

Woodman Point is still producing several sharks on a regular basis. During the day anglers are catching herring, skippy and whiting. There are some nice squid being taken and reports of large sand whiting on the beaches adjacent. There are some nice squid being taken and reports of large sand whiting on Coogee Beach. The rock wall adjacent to the Cockburn Power Boat Club has been producing tailor fairly consistently.

FREMANTLE / INNER HARBOUR / LOWER REACHES OF SWAN RIVER

The beaches south are producing some good catches of tailor and herring and whiting. A few larger skippy are also being taken on white bait. The outsides of the Moles are producing a few tailor. There have been a few mulloway taken from the inside of the harbour from the rock walls and E Shed wharf has also produced a few. Anglers ballooning from the outer end of the North Mole have landed a couple of mackerel this week.

Tailor have been caught throughout the bottom end of the river this week on a regular basis but Rocky Bay, Point Walter and the Bicton Baths seem to be the more productive spots this week, with many fish caught pushing up to 35 centimetres. Big yellowfin whiting have again been turning on the sand flats around the Stirling Bridge and a bit further upstream.

ROTTNEST

There seems to be plenty of fish including skippy, big King George whiting, tarwhine, herring and small sharks being taken at most land based spots on the island. Large tailor have been taken on a regular basis from locations adjacent to reefs on the southern side of the island. Shore based anglers are also finding plenty of good sized herring over the platform reefs on the north east of the island.

Billfish enthusiasts have been encountering blue marlin around the 200kg mark at the Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) and beyond. Within a few hundred metres of the FADs in 150m to 220m of water, mahi mahi have been caught. These fish have been taken on trolled skirted and other lures. Wahoo are also a chance near the FADs, attracting small striped and the odd bigger yellowfin tuna. Southern bluefin tuna to 8kg have been found schooling in depths starting at 20m. Spanish Mackerel are being taken from the western and southern sections of Rottnest Island.

PORT BEACH / LEIGHTON / COTTESLOE / SWANBOURNE:

Grant Street reef and the beach between the Cottesloe and Swanbourne surf clubs has been the most consistent producer of tailor this week. One angler caught his bag limit of 8 tailor from the beach within half an hour one night during the week. All the fish were over 45 cm. Tarwhine have also been caught along this section of beach regularly.

CITY BEACH / FLOREAT / SCARBOROUGH / TRIGG ISLAND

This stretch of beach continues to consistently produce good fishing. One of the better places for bigger tailor this week has been to the north of the Cottesloe Groyne. Regulars who know the area have been picking up half a dozen without too much effort. Most evenings, anglers are taking tailor to 1.5 kg.

Anglers fishing Floreat Beach adjacent to the surf club have also been taking plenty of tailor and on some of the hot nights it has been almost shoulder to shoulder as the word of a hot bite has spread. In these situations anglers need to be able to cast accurately and also be a little tolerant of angers who can’t cast as well.

NORTH BEACH JETTY / HILLARYS / OCEAN REEF / MINDARIE:

The beaches to the north of the marina have been producing some good tailor of an evening. Although not on the bite every night there are sufficient fish being taken to make the effort worthwhile. Several anglers report catching plenty of fish one night and then none the next, with most fish up around 45 - 50 cm. Popular spots include Pinnaroo Point, the Sorrento groynes and the parking areas just to the north of the marina. The South Wall at Hillarys has been regularly producing tailor this week with many anglers getting a reasonable bag in a short time, just on dusk. Pinnaroo Point has fished well for some good whiting. Anglers using the south-easterly winds to launch balloon baits out from the disabled platform at Hillarys marina have accounted for several sharks during the week, after dark.

There has been plenty of herring, garfish and skippy caught from the rock platforms in this region during the week. There are reports of one angler landing a large mulloway from the rocks at Mindarie using a fresh herring strip bait during the week. There have also been some very big tailor taken inside the marina at Mindarie.

QUINNS ROCKS /YANCHEP / TWO ROCKS / MOORE RIVER

Anglers fishing for herring have been catching some very big fish at the Yanchep Lagoon. The run of large tailor continues on the northern beaches with tailor to 1.5 kg coming in from the Yanchep / Two Rocks area during the week. Most of the beaches in this region have had a consistent run of good tailor being caught.

SWAN AND CANNING RIVERS:

The Swan and Canning system has been producing some excellent fishing right through the whole system this last week. Tailor are still widespread in the lower reaches with several good fish coming from the Rocky Bay area near the overhead power pylons. Reports indicate that there were two good mulloway taken from the area around The Narrows this week. Indications are that they were around 9 and 5 kilo’s. Both fish took freshly caught strip baits. Bream have been around the Coode Street Boat Ramp during the early morning along with a few flathead.

In the lower reaches there are whiting around the areas adjacent to the Stirling Traffic Bridge and a bit further upstream. There have been flathead on most of the sand flats with some locations producing regular catches of big fish. Crabs are still running strongly in the river with Blackwall Reach being one of the better spots. Divers have been getting some very big crabs in deeper water.

In the Canning River there are a few bream around but the bigger ones have been harder to find. Some have been taken on bony herring cubes and black crabs either late at night or early in the mornings. The better areas to fish are in the area from Mount Henry Bridge to the Sailing Club. Aquinas Bay has been turning up a few smaller bream and some good sized flathead for the lure and fly anglers. A few tailor are making an appearance under the Canning Bridge at various times of the day depending on the tidal flow, so there is always a chance that a school mulloway may be lurking about in the area too.

BOAT FISHING:

The area along City Beach through to Trigg has been very productive this week with plenty of sand whiting, an occasional King George whiting and skippy being caught. A little further north of Waterman’s Bay and Marmion, behind the Three Mile Reef system, anglers have found schools of southern bluefin tuna and bonito. This area has also been producing some excellent fishing for King George whiting.

The area around The Stragglers has been producing good fish for small boat anglers. King George whiting to 50 cm, tailor to 1 kg and even a few small yellowtail kings have been taken, along with a lot of skippy, garfish and herring. There have also been a few spanish mackerel and longtail tuna taken by boats trolling within Cockburn Sound and out along the back of the Five Fathom Bank and out towards Rottnest. There are also schools of small southern bluefin and striped tuna being taken in depths around 20 m.

A little further north there have been several good sized Westralian Jewfish taken in 30 m of water along with breaksea cod, snapper, samsonfish and baldchin groper. Anglers casting lures and baits into the white water adjacent to the reefs have also been taking some good tailor with fish to 2 kg not uncommon. Small sharks have also made it interesting for fishing this area. Setting out a good berley slick has produced some good bags of garfish and herring along with some larger skippy.

Anglers fishing out of the Hillarys and Mindarie marinas have been catching Westralian Jewfish to 15 kg in around 50 m of water, along with breaksea cod and snapper. Other anglers are reporting samsonfish, baldchin groper and small yellow fin tuna. Large schools of baitfish have also been sighted along the Three Mile reef system. These schools will attract and retain predatory fish such as mackerel and bonito so it is recommended that anglers troll a lure when moving in and out and between spots, to hook up on these fish.

The west end of Rottnest has also been producing some mackerel action this last week with several fish being taken. Size has ranged from 5 – 12 kg. The FAD’s out behind Rottnest have been producing some very good fishing for mahi-mahi with fish to 5 kg reported.

The waters out from Two Rocks fished well this week for the offshore anglers. There were reports of Westralian Jewfish, pink snapper and break sea cod being taken in 40 metres.

Lancelin area has also been producing some good fish this last week with good catches of Westralian jewfish and pink snapper being taken in depths of around 60 – 80 m along with a few yellow-fin tuna around the 20 kg plus mark.

FISHING DATES FOR 2017

25/26 February Swanfish:

A public fishing competition based in the Swan and Canning rivers. Swanfish will be held on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th February. Headquarters and weigh-in location is, as always, McCallum Park, Taylor Street, Victoria Park. Brochures and other details are available in tackle shops. Also look on the web site and Swanfish Facebook page for entry details. See A LITTLE BIT EXTRA for more details.

The 31st Kalbarri Sports Fishing Classic is on again on the 3rd, 4th & 5th March 2017, during the best weather of the year. The “Classic” offers categories in game fishing and bottom fishing with teams of 2 to 5 anglers, and an individual kayak and river category. Anyone is invited to compete in this prestigious tournament where some of the best fishing is available within the state for $10,000 worth of great prizes. See A LITTLE BIT EXTRA for more details.

The Exmouth Game Fishing Club is to host the Australian Invitational Billfish Tournament. AIBT will be a three day tag and release event from March 12th-15th. The last time EGFC had both the AIBT and GAMEX was in 2014 and there were 2399 billfish raised and 904 tagged! Entry forms and further details are available at the EGFC web site at http://egfc.com.au/.

GAMEX 2017 - Exmouth Game Fishing Club.

GAMEX, which would celebrate its 39th anniversary in 2017, attracted more than 200 intrastate, interstate and international competitors ranging from novices to professionals. Exmouth is regarded as one of the world's best fishing destinations with more than 40 different game fish species on offer, including all six Australian billfish species. Fishing is a popular tourism activity, with almost one million overnight visitors in WA participating in a fishing activity during their trip. Hosting events such as GAMEX helps to further promote the State as a fishing hotspot. The State Government has signed a three-year deal to sponsor Western Australia's premier game fishing tournament. GAMEX will run from March 17-25, 2017

A LITTLE BIT EXTRA:

WHY REC FISHING DATA IS IMPORTANT

From Fishing World e-News 13 February 2017

In this month's Environment News John Newbery discusses rec fishing catch data and why we should be recording all of it.

The Summer 2016-17 edition of the State Library of NSW Magazine contains a feature story “Record Catch”, where fellowship holder and Deakin University academic, Dr Ruth Thurstan, examines historical records of recreational snapper catches from South Queensland and NSW from 1871 onwards.

There are reports of huge catches in the early days of snapper charters, sometimes over 1,000 fish per trip of 30 anglers, but then the slightly unexpected finding that while catches per boat reduced from the 1870s to the 1950s (due to smaller boats being used as time went on), the catch of snapper per fisher per hour did not change significantly.

From the 1960s to now, the picture is less clear. Dr Thurstan notes that it’s partially because there are less mainstream newspaper reports on fish catches since then, as snapper fishing became less newsworthy and specialist fishing magazines replaced newspapers as the prime vehicle for reporting what catches did occur.

She also observes that growing environmental concerns meant that reports of large catches have become less acceptable. To try and find more evidence on what’s happened to snapper catch rates since the 1960s, she’s interviewing long-term fishers and exploring social media and other online sources.

For me the feature highlights the importance of keeping catch records and aggregating catch rate data, for a couple of reasons beyond the obvious fact that it’s really interesting.

Firstly, for the development of sensible strategies for the management of popular species based on hard data, not just guestimates and projection models. Commercial fishers have been required to keep detailed catch records for years and report them, but we (recreational fishers)aren’t required to.

Secondly, to evaluate claims that the rec sector does in fact harvest more fish of some popular species than the commercials do. Maybe it’s true, maybe not, but it would be nice to know for sure.

How do you do it? Well, to go back to our colleague Martin Salter’s “Keep Australia Fishing” report of a few years back, we need a method to identify accurately how many anglers Australia really does have, what they catch and what they spend. That means creation of a national data base. And that means creation of a national angling licence. It doesn’t have to be high-cost per individual and can be free for some categories (young, retired etc.), but it needs to be complete. And the licensing system needs to supply simple catch recording forms to each licensee.

Then you can obtain catch rate data for nominated key species at licence renewal time to assist the fisheries managers  to make sensible decisions. And, as a massive spin-off benefit, you really can say to Canberra politicians “there are three million anglers in Australia and these are the electorates they live in.” Then they’d have to take notice of rec fishing concerns and issues, one would think. True angler power!

And that’s probably why it won’t happen. But then again, how many Australian politicians tipped Donald Trump to be the next US President?

ARTIFICIAL REEF TOWERS

From Recfishwest Fishing Report 17 February 2017

Fishing for Perth metro pelagics has a new breath of new life with the instalment of two steel reef towers, which will boost fishing opportunities for fishers. The towers are an addition to the numerous other artificial reef and habitat enhancement projects complete or underway in WA, funded through recreational fishing licence fees.

The reef towers differ from the concrete reef modules currently installed off Dunsborough, Bunbury and Mandurah and those planned for deployment in Esperance, Exmouth and Dampier. The towers are the first steel artificial reef structures in WA, with a different layout and construction to the demersal reefs, and on a much larger vertical scale. Designed by Western Australian artificial reef specialists, Subcon, the purpose built reefs are an impressive 12.5m high or the same size as a four storey building!

To add to its height, each reef weighs a massive 70 ton and is 10m long and 7.8m wide. The costly process of reef deployment at sea was also reduced through a new innovative technique that has never been used with this style of artificial reef anywhere in the world. Instead of being loaded onto a barge and lowered using a crane, the large structure was towed out into position and its buoyancy tanks were flooded to safely and cost effectively sink the towers.

The reef towers were specifically designed to not only house demersal fish species but namely to attract an array of pelagic top-water fish in a similar way to FADs. The lattice-like steel upper part of the reef will provide structure and concentrate small baitfish, attracting predatory pelagics. The purpose built design will also allow demersal species to shelter amongst the large base structure with its various shapes, crevasses and vertical profile.

The steel lattice structure provides a complex habitat with variations in temperature, shade and hydrological effects such as current. The curved steel plates on the tower promote upwelling and the surfaces of the structure can be colonised by macro-algae, sponges and corals to favour a variety of different species and higher abundances of fish.

The wide range of habitats influenced by the reef towers will hold a good variety of fish species, with pelagics such as Samson Fish, Yellowtail Kingfish, Salmon, Spanish Mackerel and Tuna all expected to turn up at the reef as well as demersal species such as Pink Snapper, Dhufish and Baldchin Groper. There’s also a good chance of King George Whiting, Skippy, Flathead, Flounder and even Mulloway that are caught in the surrounding areas. All of these species have been encountered on the established South West artificial reefs but other species such as Yellowfin Tuna and Bonito are also expected to make an appearance.

The reef towers were funded using recreational fishing licence fees and are for all recreational fishers to enjoy. Anchoring right on top of reefs should be avoided as it will limit the benefit they can have to all fishers and the chances of your anchor returning. Similar to the South West artificial reefs, some of the best fish are caught around the structure, not right on top of it. Fish can be targeted by casting or trolling around the area and over the top of the reef as well as drifting near the reef location and jigging or drifting weighed baits in a burley trail.

The reef towers are located in “the paddock” between Garden Island and Rottnest Island.

The final coordinates have been given as 32ᵒ 07’.527 S, 115ᵒ 27’.013 E for Tower 1 and 32ᵒ 07’.461 S, 115ᵒ 26’.978 E for Tower 2 in 44-45m water depth.

With huge projects like this, WA is showing the world what can be achieved by passionate fishers who believe in enjoyable, safe, sustainable and accessible fishing experiences for the WA community in the future. This project was made possible by the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund and supported by Recfishwest and the WA Department of Fisheries.

FISHING, FAMILIES AND FUN – MUST BE TIME FOR SWANFISH 2017!

Another summer has nearly passed and what better way to enjoy some of the last rays of summer sunshine and the great fishing that it brings than to be a part of the annual Swanfish competition.

Swanfish is Melville Amateur Angling Club’s iconic, family-friendly fishing event held on the banks of the Swan River, this year on the 25th and 26th of February. Every year Swanfish brings families and the fishing community together to appreciate the majestic and iconic Swan River waterway and the quality fishing it hosts.

The river’s health is improving every year and with healthy waterways comes great fishing. Recreational fishing licence funded stocking of key species in recent years, such as Mulloway and Western School Prawns, is now providing increased opportunity and quality fishing experiences for the community.

Hundreds of participants take part in the two-day fishing event, armed with their best-kept fishing secrets in hope of a winning catch on the day. Anyone and any fish can win and there are a tonne of prizes and categories in which all types of fishers can enter their various catches. “Catch, Click and Release categories mean you can win by catching a fish, snapping a photo and releasing it straight away without the need to carry it along to the weigh in.”

Proving that the three-decade-old event is capable of shifting with the times and accommodating the community’s aspirations, ‘Swanfish’ has made changes in a move towards sustainable fishing and protecting the Swan River’s most targeted recreational fish species by making Black Bream a catch and release only species this year. ”The Catch, Click and Release categories mean you can win by catching a fish, snapping a photo and releasing it straight away without the need to carry it along to the weigh in.” said Melville Amateur Angling Club President Tony Ayrey.

The Swan River hosts fishing for all types of fishers from all walks of life and opportunities abound. The flats in the lower reaches hold good numbers of Yellowfin Whiting and Flathead with the surprise of Giant Herring a real chance. Tailor will be found around the drop-offs marauding the hordes of baitfish taking refuge in the shallows. Mulloway will delight the experienced or just lucky fisher anywhere in the deeper pockets and channels of the low to upper reaches and Black Bream are abundant throughout. Herring as well as other bread and butter species like Tarwhine, Sand Whiting and Garfish can be found in the lower reaches of the Swan.

Recfishwest continues to support this great tradition in celebrating the importance of fishing to the Western Australian community, and the value our precious waterways play in our lifestyle.  Show your support this year and enter you and your kids into Swanfish 2017. You’ll not only help celebrate the value the Swan River holds to Western Australian recreational fishers by fishing the event, but you’ll spend hours enjoying some quality family time on the banks of one of WA’s safest and accessible fishing locations.

Head over to www.swanfish.com.au for further details and to complete your registration for the event. Check out the video shared by the Swan River Trust showing the abundance of fish life in the depths of the Swan River that come out to play at night, here.

Need some help navigating where to fish in the Swan? Head over to www.ilovefishing.com.au for all your fishing needs. It may just help you win the big prize!

BE PART OF POSITIVE CHANGE!

From Fisheries Research Development Corporation (FRDC) 17 February 2017

Honey and Fox Pty Ltd is assisting the Women’s Industry Network Seafood Community (WINSC) with a national survey to discover an effective platform to promote and support the participation of women in Australia’s seafood industry.

This survey will help us shape a modern and renewed WINSC that provides valuable experiences, knowledge and networks! We are looking for responses from both women and men and we encourage you to forward this survey on to any of your contacts you think could be interested in taking part.

This survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. There are also three mystery prizes up for grabs so get on board! 

Take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WINSCSurvey

RECFISHING VISIONS SURVEY - UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

RecFishing Visions is a university research project interested in recreational fishers' views about how we manage our local waters here in Western Australia. Participants who fully complete the survey by midnight WST on Sunday 26th of February 2017 will have the chance to enter into a prize draw to win a $500 prepaid credit card.

Complete the survey here.

HAVE YOUR SAY! - LICENCE SANCTIONS FOR SERIOUS FISHERIES OFFENCES

From Recfishwest’s “Broadcast” 3 February.

The Department of Fisheries would like your views on the use of licence sanctions for serious fisheries offences. The results from the survey will help the department to draft guidelines for broad formal consultation with the community and peak bodies Recfishwest and WA Fishing Industry Council (WAFIC).

Want to complete the survey? Click here.

LIFE JACKET PHOTO COMPETITION

There is still a couple of weeks left in “summer” so if you are going to participate in the summer land based life jacket photo competition you will need to get your entries in by the closing of the 28th of February. Some quality pictures have already been entered but there is still plenty of room for more.

For your chance to win a share of $3500 in prizes including a Shimano Stella 5000 spinning reel as part of an Ultimate Land Based Fishing Pack, plus many more great prizes, simply dust off the camera and shoot a pic of your safe rock fishing adventures wearing a life jacket. The competition closes on February 28th 2017. For further details go to www.recfishwest.org.au/photocomp

KALBARRI SPORTS FISHING CLASSIC

The 31st Kalbarri Sports Fishing Classic is on again on the 3rd, 4th & 5th March 2017. The “Classic” offers categories in game fishing and bottom fishing with teams of 2 to 5 anglers and an individual kayak and river category are invited to compete in this prestigious tournament where there are $10,000 worth of great prizes. We also have runner-up prizes for the individual champion trophies again this year bringing the total number of categories up to 45.

Offshore competitors can expect to catch any of 3 species of mackerel, 6 species of tuna, samsonfish, yellow-tail kingfish, trevally, cobia, dhufish, snapper, baldchin groper, coral trout, cod, red emperor, tailor, mulloway and more, while river fishermen (an individual event) can expect prime black bream, mangrove jacks, whiting, flathead, cobbler, mulloway, tailor, mullet and cod.

The Kalbarri Offshore & Angling Club has promoted a general attitude of conservation by restricting anglers to a maximum bag of 7 fish per angler, and within Fisheries bag and boat limits. We also encourage river anglers to bring in their catch alive to the weigh-in. They will be held in aerated display tanks at the weigh-in for tag and release by the weigh master at the end of each day. Special prizes will be awarded for supporters of the river “catch & release”. If you wish to eat fish, rather than let the bream go after weigh-in, ask one of the committee members and they will easily find someone who will be willing to give you a fish from the ocean. Our river is important to us.

The boats are split into 4 sections, kayaks, under 6 metres, 6m to 7m and over 7m, making for a fairer competition among the boats. The Catch & Release Game Fish category will continue again this year. Points scored in this category will not be added to individual game or boat game scores; however those lucky enough to catch and release a billfish will have those points added to their boat and individual scores.

Entry forms can be downloaded from the following websites:

www.westernangler.com.au

www.murchisonboathire.com.au

https://getawayoutdoors.com.au/Downloads

http://www.kalbarri.org.au/whats-on/events/event/87474-kalbarri-sports-fishing-classic

Application forms for this competition are only available from the various web sites. No application forms will be posted out. Ph Glen (08) 9356 5177 for bookings.