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 08:24-10:24 20:52-22:52 Sun 17/05 FAIR 09:19-11:19 21:47-23:47 Mon 18/05 GOOD 10:15-12:15 22:43-00:43 NEW MOON Tues 19/05 BEST 11:11-13:11 23:39-01:39 Wed 20/05 BEST 12:06-14:06 00:33-02:33 Thurs 21/05 BEST 13:00-15:00 01:26-03:26 Fri 22/05 GOOD 14:52-16:52 02:16-04:16 FIRST CRESCENT These are the predicted MAJOR and minor Solunar periods this week, adjusted to Perth time. For anglers in the Pilbara and in Esperance, they will need to deduct approximately 20 minutes. To calculate the minor period, add approximately 6 hours 45 minutes associated with these calculations. SUNRISE AND SUNSET TIMES FOR PERTH FOR THIS WEEK: DAY / SUNRISE SUNSET MOONRISE MOONSET DATE Sat 16/05 06:58 17:28 04:34 16:13 Sun 17/05 06:59 17:27 05:40 16:58 Mon 18/05 07:00 17:26 06:44 17:47 Tues 19/05 07:00 17:26 07:46 18:37 Wed 20/05 0:01 17:25 08:44 19:31 Thurs 21/05 0:02 17:25 09:38 20:26 Fri 22/05 0:02 17:24 10:26 21:21 Please Note: Where a rise time is noted with a 'p', it means that the time listed is for the previous day. Where a set time is noted with an 'f', it means that the time listed is for the following day. This complication is because the Moon rises, transits and sets almost an hour later every night, so every few days there is a 24-hour 'calendar day' in which the Moon either doesn't rise, or doesn't set. These times will be adequate for general purpose use in the Perth metropolitan area. However, corrections must be applied for other locations in Western Australia. PREDICTED TIDES FOR FREMANTLE THIS WEEK DAY / DATE TIME AND PREDICTED HEIGHT (in metres) Sat 16/05 01:37 0.85 08:33 1.17 16:59 0.72 22:37 0.88 Sun 17/05 00:54 0.85 08:56 1.21 18:05 0.67 23:31 0.85 Mon 18/05 01:02 0.84 09:23 1.24 18:53 0.64 Tues 19/05 09:46 1.25 19:36 0.64 Wed 20/05 10:02 1.24 20:15 0.65 Thurs 21/05 10:17 1.21 20:50 0.68 Fri 22/05 10:39 1.19 21:23 0.72 NOTE: These are the predicted tides for Fremantle and there may be some variation due to wind strength and direction. For other popular angling locations please use the following approximate corrections; Heirison Island Causeway + 1 hr; Canning Bridge +1 hr 20 mins; Rockingham + 6 mins; Peel Inlet + 3 hrs; Rottnest Island - 10 mins; Hillarys Marina - 15 mins; Two Rocks Marina - 10 mins;
GENERAL FISHING: As I sit writing this I looked at the forecast for the weekend. My suggestion is that you go and do some of those outstanding jobs that you have been promising to do but have never got around to. The fishing this weekend won t be very comfortable, unless you are a snapper nut, and will go and fish for these iconic fish in any weather. The forecast for Saturday reads like a fishing nightmare. Gale Warning for Saturday for Perth Local Waters. Winds: Northerly 20 to 30 knots, reaching up to 35 knots in the late morning and early afternoon. Winds turning north-westerly 20 to 25 knots in the evening. Seas: 2 to 3 metres, increasing to 2.5 to 4 metres during the morning. 1st Swell: West to south-westerly 1 to 1.5 metres, increasing to 1.5 to 2 metres during the morning, then tending westerly 2 to 2.5 metres by early evening. 2nd Swell: North-westerly around 1 metre, increasing to 1 to 1.5 metres during the morning. Weather: Cloudy. Near 100% chance of showers. Rain and showers heavy at times in the morning. The chance of a thunderstorm. Abnormally high tides. Take note of this last item as low lying areas will flood. Areas such as the foreshore along the Kwinana Freeway heading north between Canning Bridge and the Narrows will possibly have water wash when pushed by the wind. Also the foreshore along Riverside Drive will probably do the same as the wind pushes up the high tide to above normal levels. Sunday s forecast is not much better, although the Bureau of Meteorology has indicated that the rain will ease off but still be heavy in showers. Earlier in the week the Bureau of Meteorology announced that we are now officially in a El Nino situation. Hopefully this won t have as much of an impact on Western Australia, however indications are that for the next few months we will have normal rainfall. Further information on this can be obtained from the Bureau s web site at www.bom.gov.au. There is some other information available at http://theconversation.com/the-good-news-el-nino-storyfor-western-australias-oceans-41744 Due to the likelihood of inclement weather, a lot of my contacts have hung up their rods for winter. As a result I am not getting the same information from them and this week my information is a little thin. The forecast for this weekend doesn t look all that good for fishing. 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. During this last week there has been a fairly strong current flow along the central northern metropolitan beaches and this has cleared the weed fairly quickly. However on some beaches, due to their structure and adjacent man-made 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. The groynes in Cockburn Sound, the North and South Mole and the walls of the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour have all produced some good fish. On occasions, the North Mole is closed to anglers, but when it is open you will find some dedicated snapper anglers chasing big fish. Snapper are omnivores and also are opportunistic feeders. They will eat anything that is on offer and in front of them. During the rough seas associated with a storm, crustaceans will be washed from the rocks and weed and algae will be broken up and also washed from the rocks. Snapper don t mind a serving of meat and three veg. Mulloway are another species that don t mind the rough weather. They are built to withstand the rough water and debris in the water that is associated with stormy weather. Their gill structure indicates that they are able to hunt in fairly dirty water that would choke other fish. In the Eastern States, anglers wait until heavy rain has caused rivers to rise and flow rather rapidly. Mulloway then hunt along the edge of the
discoloured water and take advantage of smaller species that are disoriented by the fresh water or detritus that is washed down with it. Anglers need to be aware of the behaviour of both of these species if they are to be successful in catching them. Rigs are pretty straight forward - a single or a pair of circle hooks snooded together, around 4/0 size, a mulie wrapped in ghost thread to hold it on the hook, or a fresh fillet of herring, skin on. The size of sinker will depend upon prevailing conditions. It is suggested that you use a sinker just heavy enough to hold bottom. Line varies with anglers choice, between 8 and 15 kg with leaders of 30-40 kg. Rug up and keep warm and dry and enjoy that special moment when you get your first run of winter. Here is the weekly report from Fabio Varrone of Fab Fishing and Tours in Denmark. The last couple of weeks has seen some clearer but colder weather come through. For those that did get out they were finding that the Inlet has quietened down somewhat. There's not been much caught at the Prawn Rock Channel other than some nice blue manna crabs at the coastal end of the Inlet. Even the King George are being more elusive whether you are in a boat or not although a boat will certainly help you land some of the bigger snapper that can be found towards the deeper sections of the Eastern side. Out on the coast and herring are noticeably hugging much closer to the beaches and rock edges and therefore are being harder to find overall as large schools of Oriental Bonito and Salmon stalk the coast line. People are still taking salmon from the beaches and rocks all along the coast here with the occasional tuna mixed in along with some bonito. The Black Hole has seen several large samsonfish captures this week as well as some nice sized pink snapper. There has been no reports from anglers fishing offshore. That's all from Fab Fishing & Tours in Denmark, watch that swell and stay safe. Check out the web site and follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/fabfishingtours Website - www.fabfishingtours.com 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 into the blog. I am particularly interested in getting some pictures of fish, locations and dinghy and kayak captures for publication. With the recent arrival of Sammy s sister Emma (left) from overseas we decided to head north to the holiday house in Lancelin and make the most of the up and coming fine weather. After the big swells of that week subsided and the winds turned favourable we got out Monday and it wasn t long before we got onto the fish in 27 meters of water. Emma was first to hook up and to my surprise handled the overhead rod and reel with ease and made some good ground on the fish before Sammy s reel started peeling off the braid and it was a double hook up. After a short fight and some great pump and wind technique s Ems soon had her first WA Du-fish of 6 kg onboard and Sam followed up a couple of minutes later with a nice fish of around 9 kg. As you can see in the pictures there were smiles all round and plenty of stick was given to the skipper but what I like to remind the girls is Who put them onto the fish and secondly A day s fishing being out gunned by the girls is better than a good day at work. Just quietly Sam has out gunned me 3 of the last 4 fishing sessions and is fishing like a seasoned pro. Tight lines. Gavin and Sam Life is short, do something you love - go fishing!!! 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. 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 yellowfinned 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. Be prepared for the Port Authority to close the gates and prevent access to the North Mole if the weather really gets rough. Closures due to weather conditions The gates to North Mole are closed when certain dangerous conditions prevail that is, when there is a high swell and strong north-westerly winds. Fremantle Ports closes the gates if conditions do not look safe for the public. The decision is not based on whether the swell is a certain height or whether the wind is a certain speed. The open/closed status of the moles is available on the homepage. However, if weather conditions include a high swell and strong north-westerly winds causing dangerous conditions for fishers on the mole, the North Mole gates will probably be shut. Check on their web site for the latest details athttp://www.fremantleports.com.au/visiting/pages/fishing.aspx In the sheltered waters of the inner harbour the wharves are still producing some good fishing for the smaller species with plenty of herring, slimy mackerel, garfish and whiting being taken. A note from a reader earlier this week; May 9: Hi John, Myself & my 2 eldest sons were lucky enough to be in on the salmon action in Fremantle Harbour today. The first fish we hooked was just past Stirling bridge heading towards the old traffic bridge. Managed to catch & release 15 fat salmon which were gorging on the masses of bait in the harbour. At times the salmon were busting up the bait in big patches with dolphins going through as well. The action lasted a good 2 hours & we left with the fish still on the bite but they had moved out towards the end of the North Mole. See pictures at end of blog. 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. 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 being taken along the metropolitan coastline along the inshore waters. 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. "Bad times make the good times fishing even better"