West Coast
WA
Anglers enjoying metro fishing METRO
Jacob Crispe
The warm weather has continued around Perth, and in turn the fishing has continued to blossom. There have been plenty of anglers taking advantage of the weather. It is so good to see anglers of all ages and skill levels out there trying their hand at fishing.
section of the river. There have been plenty of fish about for everybody. As we push later into the flathead season, anglers will switch from soft plastics and baits to hardbody lures to target them. This isn’t because the first two options don’t work – it’s just that the toadies are around in such big numbers that a plastic or bait can get cleaned up before a flathead has a chance to see it. Tailor will also be plentiful, although the size
Other species that are associated with these bait schools are mulloway and giant herring. The mulloway no longer seem to be uncommon capture; I feel like I have been reporting their presence for a very long time now. March is a great time to target them because they spread out in the river. East Fremantle to the Narrows bridge offers some great mulloway fishing. Bull sharks have been a common bycatch for anglers targeting them. Fish up to 2m in length (and bigger) have created some mayhem for the odd mulloway angler. I mentioned giant herring. More and more reports are coming in about anglers hooking these fast, strong, acrobatic and hardmouthed fish in the Swan. Are they becoming the
squid also a popular target in the same locations. Most areas will hold fish, but areas with broken bottom nearby (weed, rock, it doesn’t matter) are the more likely areas. There will the everpresent group of anglers who fish at night and during the low light periods. In March their main target species are tailor and gummy shark. The best set-up for this is a float with a glowstick attached with a ganged pilchard below it. See the glowstick disappear and more than likely you’ll be hooked up to one of these species. Our beaches will also fish well this month, and mornings and evenings will be the best times to fish. Larger tailor, whiting and herring will the main species available. Mulloway are also about, with anglers keen to catch
Max Sampson with the look of blue steele with a solid mahimahi caught out at the FADs. INSHORE Our inshore grounds will continue to produce plenty of squid, skippy, King George
The author’s niece Kaila Williams with a lovely big pink snapper caught on a ZMan plastic in 20m of water. SWAN RIVER The areas that are producing fish in the Swan continue to expand as the saltwater pushes further and further up the system. Bream tend to be the main species that push toward the upper reaches of the system when this occurs. Any structure, whether it is manmade or natural, has the potential to hold bream. Fresh baits or soft plastics thrown in and around this structure can be highly effective when targeting them. Often there are a number of fish around each structure, so they are fighting with each other to get to your bait or lure first. As an angler, all you can hope is that the biggest fish gets there first. Or if you are like me, you just keep trying! Flathead will continue to be a main focus in the river. It’s not unusual to see number of anglers fishing a shallow
of them tends to be a little smaller. The average size will be around 30cm. They are always fun to catch, with small stickbaits and metal lures being your best options to target them with. Usual story – find the bait schools and the tailor will not be far away.
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Hools Orifici and the big Kahuna always know where to find a feed of these 5-star treats. Swan River blue mannas are at the top of the list! one. Taking a fillet from a tailor or taking a freshlycaught whiting, putting a hook into it and returning it back to where it was just caught is a good strategy. The mulloway hold in the same areas, and fresh baits will always give you the best chance of hooking one.
Dom Magoo from Dom’s Fishing Adventures has become a tailor master! whiting and tailor. Broken ground and weed patches in 3-5m of water are preferred for the squid and the KGW,
Dwayne Robinson is no stranger when it comes to finding top-shelf fish like this monster King George!
A nice yellowfin whiting caught by Han Yeoh. Han is like the ghost of the shadows when it comes to stalking whiting on the flats, a true master!
while reefy rocky ground will be better for the tailor and skippy. A little exploring may be in order to find productive
new mulloway? Blue swimmer crabs continue to be on the move. These tasty crustaceans will be well worth targeting in March, whether you are using nets or scooping. The section of the river between Como and the Causeway will be a good place to start. ROCK WALLS AND BEACHES There is great fishing from the rock walls at present. Herring, skippy and King George whiting have been plentiful from the walls from Fremantle to Cottesloe. March should be no different, with
Shane Brown with one of the hardest-fishing fish available from our shores: the white-spot guitar fish. It’s an excellent shore-based capture, and was released to fish another day.
water, but when you do, mayhem could ensue. There will be plenty of sand whiting anglers out drifting the edge of the shipping channel off Fremantle in the coming weeks. It’s a great time of the year to target them and they are a great feed. OFFSHORE Demersal anglers are licking their lips as the offshore fishing continues to be a standout for Perth metro anglers. Pink snapper are widespread, and other prized species like Breaksea cod, baldchin groper and harlequin fish seem to be abundant. In March these species will inhabit reefy ground in 25-50m of water. Don’t be afraid to move around a bit until you find fish. While you are moving, pop a trolling lure in the water because there’s every chance of picking up a southern bluefin tuna, a bonito or a Spanish mackerel between locations. To page 119
