A visit to the Fremantle Ports web site to check on the status of access to the North Mole shows that it is still closed to anglers.

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Roger Dixon
6 years ago
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1 GENERAL FISHING: It has been an interesting week weather wise. During this last week we have had some interesting boating forecasts. On several occasions the metropolitan waters forecast was for seas of 3 metres with a larger swell offshore. Many popular angling beaches were closed out earlier in the week with weed. Luckily there have been enough locations that are weed free that will permit some fishing and also reward anglers with some good fish. Generally, this time of the year is the best time for fishing as there is little or no wind and balmy days with low swells and big demersal species start to move inshore. Typically, most people hide indoors where it is warm and wrap themselves in blankets and hot water bottles and complain about the cold. Stop being lazy. Go and get out the thermals and the thermos flask and go fishing. It s been great and there s more of it to come. Fishing the ocean beaches and trying to get offshore in those sort of conditions is not really an option. As a result there is not a lot to report from metropolitan beach or boat anglers this week. However all is not lost as there have been some good catches made by anglers fishing the river system. Many anglers chasing bream have reported good catches around the Narrows Bridge and up around the Casino and also from the Canning Bridge area. Those who have fished the lower reaches of the river and the inner harbour have been rewarded with some good catches of mulloway and big skippy. As we move into August we are starting to see a lot more daylight. This week, when compared to last week, sees an average increase of 10 minutes per day extra daylight. This means more fishing time. As the sun moves further south each week, temperatures will start to rise. We will firstly notice the increase in air temperature and then in ocean water temperature. We definitely need more rain, not only to boost the dam levels but to also trigger fish migrations and breeding cycles. Tailor are one species that seem to have a better breeding season the year following good rains. I don t know any angler who doesn t appreciate catching big tailor, especially in the metropolitan area. Small boat anglers have found that a run of big snapper has started during the last few weeks and there have been many good fish taken from shallow water. When the swells have allowed anglers to get out offshore, the fishing along the back of the Three Mile Reef system and the Five Fathom Bank has been very good. There have also been several baldchin groper and Westralian Jewfish taken from these areas after the blows. Also the size and numbers of yellowfin whiting and King George whiting have also been terrific. Winter isn't all about offshore bottom fishing either. There have been plenty of big skippy, numbers of big herring and some fantastic storm gardies or four by two s being caught from many locations around the metropolitan area. Serious fisherman will always keep an eye on the weather and weather patterns and will note the impact it has on fishing. We never stop learning from Nature and the better we understand the impact of the seasons and conditions and their impact on fishing, the better anglers we can become. Good anglers take a note of what is happening around them, and keep a record of what has happened over the last few days to see what the next few may hold fish wise. So if you want a feed of great tasting fresh fish, get out of bed, brave the cold mornings and go and get a feed of these great fish. A visit to the Fremantle Ports web site to check on the status of access to the North Mole shows that it is still closed to anglers. North Mole remains closed for clean up and repairs North Mole remains closed after stormy weather on 17 June. Published: 23/07/2014 North Mole Drive and the bike path remain closed until further notice. Work done so far includes cleaning up the road, general maintenance and signposting. There are still some outstanding works to be done, so the mole remains closed. Updates will be provided on this website. It must be some exceptional works that are being undertaken to keep it out of commission for so long and not allow anglers access to one of the best metropolitan angling platforms available.

2 In another report, the ASI groyne at Henderson has been completely fenced off to prevent anglers accessing this area to fish. Unfortunately this is apparently due to a small group of malcontents interfering with property and also leaving a lot of unsightly litter and general rubbish around. Some time ago Recfishwest, in conjunction with some concerned anglers, conducted a cleanup of this popular fishing platform in an endeavour to keep it open to anglers. Unfortunately it would appear that the mindless minority have succeeded in having anglers banned from this groyne due to their thoughtless acts. Anglers need to be aware that as a part of the privilege to be able to fish we need also to remove anything we take in and remove any rubbish and place it in the approved receptacles. In a recent national survey it was found that Western Australians are the worst litterers in Australia. We apparently drop more pieces of rubbish per head of population than any other state. This is something that we should not be proud of or put up with. Maybe it is time to start putting a recycling fee such as that in South Australia where bottles and cans have a surcharge of 5 each on them at the point of sale. If items are returned to a recycling depot then the 5 is recouped. There are a lot of kids who collect discarded bottles to supplement their pocket money and as a consequence the roadsides and public areas in South Australia are clean. From my contact down in Denmark..... The weather in the south of the state was wild at the beginning of the week and as the week went on it improved, however the swells didn't abate. There have been some huge swells rolling in along most of the southern coast, some at m. Any exposed beach or rock location was hammered relentlessly over the last few days. As this report is written, the swells are still high but at least they are abating. The windows of opportunity that opened for those keen enough to go and have a fish, were limited however several anglers did get out and fish. Results of these trips were varied. Some anglers found large skippy out around Madfish Bay, and some nice sized fish off the rocks. The odd salmon is still about with several keen anglers taking some good fish. The water levels in the Wilson Inlet are still slowly rising but with the massive swell, the fish have slowly started to travel up towards the channel end of the inlet. There have been a couple of nice size snapper caught in the inlet this week. Keep an eye on that sandbar at the mouth of the estuary as possibly within a week we will see the snapper schooling prior to the inlet opening and allowing them to get out. This will provide some excellent beach angling either side of the break when it occurs. Hopefully the swells will reduce in size during this week and allow anglers to get out and go fishing. Remember when fishing, fish with a partner and stay safe out there. Tight lines! 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. I will try to incorporate it into the blog. WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING AT POPULAR FISHING LOCATIONS? MANDURAH. Tim s Thicket to White Hills has been a little quiet but there were still a few reports of big tailor being taken along with some school and gummy sharks. The Dawesville Cut is still producing plenty of King George whiting, chopper tailor, herring, garfish and pilch. Squid are also being caught in reasonable numbers. Crabbers are still able to get a feed from the deep water and also in the Mary Street Lagoon. Yellowfin whiting are starting to show up along the beaches from Madora to Secret Harbour. Black bream continue to be taken in good numbers and size in the lower reaches of both the Murray and Serpentine.

Justin McGurk was fishing in The Cut and here is his note on a great session. As I said we had a realhot session with tailor on lures bagging out with most fish being around 45 cm.

3 Justin McGurk was fishing in The Cut and here is his note on a great session. As I said we had a realhot session with tailor on lures bagging out with most fish being around 45 cm. During this time my daughter Lily who is 5 and can cast and retrieve quite well, managed to foul hook a 50 cm mullet which was around the kilo mark. After what was a great fight we managed to land it. To see her smile and eyes light up was fantastic. I bet that that girl is now hooked for life on fishing. SECRET HARBOUR / PORT KENNEDY / WARNBRO / ROCKINGHAM / SAFETY BAY Palm Beach jetty is producing a few herring and skippy and there are a lot of squid also in the area. Fishing at night seems to be working well for mulloway and small sharks, with a 10 kg mulloway being landed by a local last week. Anglers fishing from the beach have found whiting, pilch and herring. Other locations in the region that have been turning on good whiting are the Penguin Island sand bar and the beaches at Secret Harbour. Safety Bay Yacht Club and Rockingham Beach jetty have been producing herring and squid. There are a few herring along most of the beaches, but not in any great number. There are still some salmon who missed the call to move east, hanging around Point Peron. Squid are still being caught from the jetties as well as offshore. COCKBURN SOUND

4 Boat anglers fishing broken ground adjacent to weed and sand patches near Garden Island are catching some herring and big sand whiting and the occasional King George whiting. Also, anglers who are prepared to be patient and drift a cube down the berley trail are picking up some large snapper. There are plenty of squid and snapper in the Sound at the moment but many of the snapper are juveniles and are undersized. The bottom end of Cockburn Sound is still fishing well for pink snapper with anglers fishing after dark seeming to be doing a little better than those fishing during daylight hours. The northern end of the Sound is also producing some good fish as are locations out around Carnac and Garden Islands, producing herring, big skippy and snapper. KWINANA / NAVAL BASE / WOODMAN POINT / COOGEE: The Ammunition jetty is still worth a shot for a few squid and some good sand whiting, yellowtail and some small skippy. It has also been producing a few herring and pilch. Squid are fishing well during the evenings under the jetty and tailor are being taken in the evenings and early morning. Anglers fishing at night are catching a few gummy sharks and there are reports of plenty of scaly mackerel still being caught from the jetty throughout the day. FREMANTLE There are some big yellow-fin whiting being taken in the East Fremantle area particularly on fresh bloodworms. Several good sized mulloway have been landed at E-shed wharf earlier in the week and there are skippy, herring and tarwhine being taken here as well. The South Mole has been fishing well for herring and garfish and again there have been a few larger tailor taken earlier in the week. Skippy have been active during the mornings whilst at night there has been tailor and an odd gummy shark. Anglers fishing South Beach have been catching whiting, herring and a few garfish. Squid have been taken regularly from South Mole, and in the Fishing Boat Harbour. It is recommended that you work the patches of light in and around the harbour. LEIGHTON / COTTESLOE / SWANBOURNE Herring and garfish are being caught regularly from the groyne early in the morning when anglers have been able to get onto it. Tailor action has been quiet although a few good fish have been taken from the reefs to the south of the groyne. A few good tailor have been taken from the Swanbourne Drain early in the morning and if the tailor aren t around then you can catch a feed of herring if you use a little berley. Reports also indicate mulloway have been caught in the area as well. CITY BEACH / FLOREAT / SCARBOROUGH / TRIGG ISLAND

This stretch of beach has been hit hard by swells scouring out the beaches. This has seen the formations changing on a daily basis and anglers have to be able to read the beach to find good fishing.

5 This stretch of beach has been hit hard by swells scouring out the beaches. This has seen the formations changing on a daily basis and anglers have to be able to read the beach to find good fishing. When there are clear spots to fish at Brighton Road, anglers have been catching small mulloway both early in the morning and later in the evening. There are also herring, garfish and tarwhine along this section of beach. Reports indicate that there are a few good tailor to be caught in this area. Some of these fish have been weighing in from kg. Most of the fish have been taken on mulies and garfish, however some anglers have taken them on lures. Paul Hanscombe was fishing at Trigg beach about 7 am last Saturday morning and landed a 4.2 kg, 84 cm salmon and a small mulloway whilst baitcasting mulies with no weight into a gutter just off shore into the channel. HILLARYS / OCEAN REEF / MINDARIE Herring, garfish and tarwhine, along with a few whiting, have been the main catches for this week from the rock walls at Hillarys. Tailor have been more prolific in the afternoons from the South Wall. Mindarie has produced plenty of squid from both the beach and the rocks. YANCHEP / TWO ROCKS / MOORE RIVER Many of the northern beaches have produced some big tailor this week with a lot of fish being over the 2 kg mark. Reports from Yanchep indicate that there have been a few small snapper and tailor to 2.5 kg. The tailor have been responding well to metal slice lures and poppers.. A few herring and garfish have been taken from both the beaches and the rocks in the area. Yanchep Lagoon has been producing a few larger tailor. Beaches around Guilderton and the mouth of the Moore River have fished well for tailor and an occasional gummy shark. Bream in Moore River have been a little

6 spasmodic with most of the fish being taken in the lower reaches. There have been a few tailor taken from the beach recently. One of the better producing spots has been the Three Mile Reef to the north of the town. BOAT FISHING: Heavy seas and huge swells have seen a lot of trailer boats remain on their trailers this week. When anglers have been able to get out there have been some good fish taken. Offshore out from Mandurah there have been some good catches of pink snapper and Westralian Jewfish out in 30 m of water. There are plenty of reports of good mixed bags on the broken limestone and coral, 8 to 12 miles out from both the Cut and the Mouth. There are reports of good snapper, skippy, Westralian Jewfish and leather jackets being taken. The back of the Five Fathom Bank has also been producing some good pink snapper and skippy. Anglers fishing around Rottnest have been catching some good King George whiting. Small southern bluefin tuna have also been taken from the southern side of the island on drifted baits. This is one area that is worth a visit Whiting anglers fishing the grounds out from City Beach have been catching good sized yellow finned whiting along with some bigger skippy and King George whiting. The back of the reef areas around Marmion and Trigg are fishing well at the moment, producing varying sized pink snapper and big skippy. The stretch of water between Hillarys and Ocean Reef is producing King George whiting and some big samsonfish. Off Two Rocks there have been some reports of good Westralian Jewfish and other bottom species such as breaksea cod, baldchin groper and some very big skippy. SWAN AND CANNING RIVERS The Swan and Canning Rivers have been producing some good bream fishing during the week. Locations between Belmont and Matilda Bay have all produced a few good black bream, whilst the Narrows Bridge has produced fish to 30 cm, with an occasional mulloway to provide a bit of extra excitement. With the Avon Descent on this weekend it would probably not be a good idea to fish the area around the finish line in Maylands. However there are several other top producing spots away from the noise and hustle of the Descent. Other locations that have been producing good bream fishing during the week have been Heirison Island, Canning Bridge and Shelley Bridge. Downstream, anglers fishing in the lower reaches, report good tarwhine and skippy and the wharves in the harbour are also producing plenty of action with yellow-tail, herring and tarwhine being taken from the E Shed wharf as well. There are some big yellow-fin whiting being taken in the East Fremantle area particularly on fresh bloodworms. Claremont has been producing some small bream and crabs.

Mon 18/05 GOOD 10:15-12:15 22:43-00:43 NEW MOON. Fri 22/05 GOOD 14:52-16:52 02:16-04:16 FIRST CRESCENT

Mon 18/05 GOOD 10:15-12:15 22:43-00:43 NEW MOON. Fri 22/05 GOOD 14:52-16:52 02:16-04:16 FIRST CRESCENT FISHING REPORT FOR SATURDAY 16 th MAY 2015 SOLUNAR PREDICTIONS, SUN RISE / SUNSET TIMES AND TIDES FOR THE WEEK SOLUNAR PREDICTIONS DAY / DATE PREDICTION PREDICTED SOLUNAR PERIODS MOON PHASE Sat 16/05 FAIR