West Coast
WA
Fishing choices are endless METRO
Jacob Crispe
From an angling perspective things feel like they are back to normal. As anglers, with no bans now in place, we can head out to do one of our favourite things and enjoy targeting our favourite species. The fishing in May should not disappoint. SWAN RIVER Cooler temperatures and some rain have changed the fishing patterns in the Swan a little. As more freshwater
and will only change if we get significant rainfall. The species that has really taken to the cooler temperatures has been the bream. Although there are still some good flats fishing for them, they will now transition to the abundant structure on the river’s edge and targeting this structure with lures and bait will be you best option to fish for them. As mentioned, there is plenty of structure around, with the area between South Perth and Dalkeith being a good starting point. Until the rains arrive,
Young Jordan Zahradka with a lovely pink he caught while targeting snapper from the beach with his Dad. metal lures and stickbaits worked pretty quickly will be your best option. You can use small hardbody lures as well. They can be very effective if the faster retrieve is resulting in missed strikes, as you can fish them more slowly. The mulloway fishing just seems to be getting better and better. Like the bream, they will become more structure orientated,
Cameron with an outstanding mahimahi caught on a sneaky mission out to the FADs.
Brodie McDonnell with a true silver ghost of the night caught on his last cast in Cockburn Sound. Point Walter, South Perth, Como and Madora Bay. Small hardbody lures and blades will be your best option as the toadies are still about and will destroy any soft plastics and baits you may use. The tailor fishing will continue to be great option. The area between East Fremantle and South Perth has been the hotspot. Small
No squid are safe when Dom Magoo is on the water. This one was caught out of Freo.
snapper activity along them. Firm hardy baits and an eye on safety (wear a life jacket) can be rewarded with some excellent landbased snapper fishing. Other targets will be squid (less of them but larger in size), tailor (low light periods in particular) herring and skippy (berley the key to success). South Mole and the Fremantle Sailing Club rock walls always produce (all angler levels), while North Mole is popular for
so areas like Causeway, the E Sheds and Mosman Bay that have boat moorings and other artificial structure can hold plenty of fish. With the weather change we have had, the prawning (dabbing) has
The Zahradka boys with a 5-star feed of prawns caught dabbing from a jetty in the Swan River.
Egi Master Chin Moy has taken catching squid to a new level by consistently hitting big squid from the sand! hits the system more of the action will be focused on the lower reaches of the river, however at the time of writing the fishing action is still widespread 98 MAY 2023
the flats fishing for flathead will continue to be good. This will drop away once there is more freshwater in the system. Areas worth trying are
Dwayne Robinson with an epic shot of a mahimahi he caught on jig.
really been on the up and up. The prawns have been a good size and well worth the effort to go and catch. I expect that the good prawning will continue in May. ROCK WALLS AND BEACHES There will be plenty of activity on our rock walls as the cooler weather and storms will increase the
more advanced anglers. A little tip that has stuck with me since I was child in regards to berley, is to soak a rag in fish oil and place it in the water. My dad did this every time we went fishing. The oil slick it creates can really fire the fish up. Give it a try. There will a lot of activity on our beaches. Herring, tailor, sand
