Lancelin

Jetty jumps in July

LANCELIN Peter Fullarton

July is one of the better months of the year to fish from Lancelin Jetty. It is a great spot to keep the kids all-round rig to catch these species is to cast white bait or blue sardines on a small gang, either unweighted or with a small split shot to get it down a little; if the current is up, cast out and let the bait settle towards the bottom before starting a slow retrieve.

Dropping a few crab nets will likely find some huge blue swimmer crabs.

Squid can be caught anytime of the day or night, although they are most active as the sun sets or early morning. The trick is to get a good cast out away from the jetty working the jig over new ground each cast. When one is caught, throw a few more casts in the same direction, as often several squid will be swimming together. Squid move around, so once you have worked along the jetty, try going back over the same ground after a period. Alternatively, cast a whiting on a squid spike suspended a metre or so below a float. You can set the rod aside and wait for the squid to find it Alex Franklin with a solid pink snapper caught while beach casting.

Just one of many nice fish Graeme Doodson has pulled recently. July is a great time to target tarwhine.

busy over school holidays, only a bit over an hour from Perth, well within a day’s trip.

If you plan to fish over the light transition period into the evening, more options are available for a successful session. Afternoon, you can cast towards the shore for a few plump sand whiting. Less experienced visitors have been using way too big a hook and bait.

Whiting have small mouths using a #9-10 hook and a small piece of prawn, worm or beef heart to suit, allows the fish to swallow the bait and get hooked easier. Paternoster style rigs with 2-3 hooks work well or alternatively buy a Sabiki style bait chaser rig with no more than three hooks to keep it legal.

As the light fades a lot more fish species come on the bite with herring, skippy, tailor, tarwhine snook and pike to name a few. A good while you fish.

Samson fish always provide some entertainment at the jetty during the July school holidays, leaving many a surprised fisher each time one dashes in and smashes a herring off the line. Fishers do target them for release, usually with heavy handlines or game fishing gear. It is not wise to try to land one if not geared up for the job.

This time of year, the beach along the south end of the bay, Edwards Island to south of the sea rescue building, offers beautiful clear shallow flats that fish well for a range of species. It is an ideal spot to fish artificial lures, and small soft plastics work best here. Fishing the morning with offshore winds is usually the best time to get a good distance cast with small lures, light line helps too.

Species to target would be tarwhine, skippy, herring or flathead. Baits also work effectively and in addition will catch some King George, yellowfin or sand whiting. If the weather plays nice with light wind and swell, cobbler in excess of 50cm can be hand speared along the beach here at night.

If you have access to a small boat or kayak the fishing can be sensational in the bay. Most the species are schooling fish, so some berley will often bring whole schools to the back of the boat. Drifting the weed banks is very productive for squid. Broken ground and around the edge of the weed beds can hold some King George whiting, without doubt the best eating fish in the bay.

Larger boats leaving the bay need to wait for lulls in the winter swells to safely navigate the passages to the open ocean.

Baldchin groper have been prolific this year, best numbers can be found out from 35m. There are lots of cuttlefish taking the baits as well.

Dhufish and pink snapper do not always require long trips out to 35m+. Anglers in the know have been targeting them along the reefs inside the white bank. Boats heading out fishing into the evening have been having some cracker pink snapper sessions just out in front of the lead lights in 12-14m.

Chopper tailor have been hard to find in any numbers, most anglers only managing a couple of fish from a session, if any at all! The new moon has been the best slot to try your luck. Greenbacks have been a bit easier to find on the reef breaks or along the beach gutters. Try casting poppers, stick baits or unweighted garfish to any likely looking spots.

Big storms can move the fish offshore for a period so if there has been a big blow