Bluewater Tackle World News for November 7th

Last week we mentioned new restrictions this cray season for both amateurs and pros in Western Australia. The recreational daily bag limit drops from eight to six, and a possession limit of

24 is introduced.

We said at the time that there won't be too much complaining about that, but that some of the other proposals are questionable; and not yet finalised. Sure enough the one we were really talking about, a proposed banning of the use of electric winches to pull pots, has since been given the flick. So it's just the reductions in bag limits, which we're OK with during these times, and will of course expect to see raised again at the appropriate time in years to come.

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There are quite a few new Exmouth newsletters up with some nice pics back here. Not all have been linked to during the last few weeks, and there are a couple more to go up over the weekend.

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The abalone season is under way off Perth. It's typically brief - one hour a week for six weeks. The time to be amongst them is 7am to 8am, Sundays only, finishing December 7th.

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Here’s a preview of this weekend's Sunday Times fishing news, with a bit of extra stuff...

PERTH METROPOLITAN

Signs of a solid tailor run continue to emerge with choppers widespread, surf beaches yielding fair catches of smaller fish while larger tailor preferred reef areas, generally better size fish north of Yanchep. Challenger Beach and Woodman Point were okay for tailor with the odd salmon around the Ammunition Jetty. Mulloway made a welcome addition to metro surf species, but weed is proving a problem. Tailor were prominent for close offshore reef fishers, numbers of samson fish in the same water.

Small salmon make lure fishing more exciting along our coast, quite a number captured all the way along, the average size of the salmon about a kilo. Marinas are turning on herring, garfish, skippy and pike. 

Jewfish appear to have moved closer to shore, 20-30m producing reasonable numbers of just-size fish, one chap bagging a ripper from 17m of water. Good numbers of king george whiting appeared from the same areas as the jewies and again you can add herring, garfish, skippy and pike to the list. Boat anglers fishing for deep sea species brought back jewfish from 80-90m of water. A tuna was hooked and lost off Rottnest’s West End, some getting excited about tuna and mackerel numbers in Metro waters, these fish appear to be following warmer waters south, already at spots like Leeman and Jurien.  

The Lloyd family of Ballajura, regular contributors to this column, couldn’t resist a quick trip out last Saturday afternoon, Bruce and his two boys Sam and Josh heading to near Little Island where in recent times they have found the fishing slow, though usually managing to take home a meal. This trip Sam took the honours with a 45cm king george for catch of the day, adding a 35cm tarwhine while skippy also kept them busy. They mostly use coral prawn and mulies for bait.

Hal and Jack Harvey Jr fished the same spot for herring on Sunday through the middle of the day, taking home an easy feed of herring.
           
Pinnaroo Point was home for some decent size sand whiting, particularly biting well around the Stragglers, squid on the radar for Cockburn Sound hopefuls.

The Swan is clearing up with increased numbers of baitfish spotted, bream active at East Perth where hard bodied lures are working despite the blowfish population, soft plastics scoring further upstream around Guildford. Al Hunton of Quinns and Jason Hunton of Mindarie enjoyed a terrific session on the Swan’s bream, catching and releasing plenty, Hunton’s best fish 41cm. It’s worth throwing a lure at the Swan/Canning’s flathead.

MANDURAH

Smaller species such as herring and tailor are the major attraction for shore anglers around Mandurah, good quantities of yellowfin whiting also boosting bags while “soapie” mulloway were prominent for San Remo fishers. Smaller salmon are a feature from Avalon Beach, through Tims Thicket right down to Preston Beach, the biggest of them up to 2kg.

One fellow boated an 8kg pink snapper just 3km out from the Cut, and caught and released three samson fish on soft plastics in the same spot. Jewfish activity was excellent in water outside the Five Fathom, 38-42m of water producing good fish.  

Crabbing is again permissible and many have tried, fair catches for most reported, It’s time to dust off the cray pots, divers spotting adults moving about on the sand. The season opens on the 15th, ad Bluewater has everything you need in stock. Neil Grant landed an excellent brown trout from Harvey Dam, the fish near 60cm long, but it wasn’t his only hook up, he inadvertently snagged a 1.6m dugite which understandably took him quite a while to unhook.  

GERALDTON

Tailor action increased with the best catches coming from south of Geraldton, Flat Rocks to Greenough special, reef areas like Lucy’s great for baitcasting. Some large herring, many 30-35cm inhabited the same spots and there are heaps of whiting about, but you need to find clear water, as weed is widespread. Both school and yellowfin whiting are available, the yellowfin are of better size. Separation Point, Explosives Jetty and Drummonds Cove are whiting hot spots when the weed permits, behind the Live Cray Factory another.

Mulloway encounters have increased dramatically, one from Southgates weighing 17kg, bigger numbers north of town, “clean” beaches to Buller River yielding fish from 8kg to 12kg, plenty of pike around weed beds, so fishing the edge of reefs at low tide is worth a go. Evenings are better for the pike, most fish from 35cm to 50cm.

The Fishermans Harbour and local marinas are holding squid, dinghy anglers expected to do even better just offshore over the weed beds.   

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Bluewater Tackle World News comes from Bluewater, 21 Scarborough Beach Road, Scarborough, Western Australia - phone 08 9245 1313 - www.bluewater.net.au

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