Metro

Weather and action heat up

With the demersal ban now in place, anglers will have to look to other bread-and-butter species until 15 December. As always, that shouldn’t be a problem in our Perth metro waterways. SWAN RIVER

Swan River anglers should be excited (particularly those who love targeting mulloway) as our wet winter almost certainly will ensure that as the weather warms, the fishing will get better with it. The mulloway season ahead is looking like a good one. There have been some solid fish captured recently in the lower reaches of the river. The better quality fish have been caught on fresh baits and larger soft plastics. October should see captures become more consistent and the quality of the fish should increase as well.

Peter Zahradka always gets his ninja on this time of year and sneaks south to stalk the fresh running streams in stealth mode. This is a common pic for Pete as he consistently produces!

A lovely mixed bag, or in this case bucket, of the top shelf bread and butter fish that are on offer this time of year.

Hools Orifici is no stranger when it comes to finding these 5 star treats!

Black bream will always be a staple of the Swan River. Fishing the area between The Narrows and Maylands with lures or fresh baits should provide some rod bending action. Fresh baits will be best. Mullet or bony herring will be your best options.

Downstream from The Narrows will also have some good tailor fishing. Trolling small metals or hardbody lures around is a great way to find them. Once you find them, the same lures can be cast to the schools, and you can enjoy some really exciting fishing.

Although the flathead and flounder fishing has been slow, the warmer water should make these species more active, seeing them push up onto the shallower water of the flats throughout the Swan. They provide plenty of fun for those anglers who enjoy targeting them. INSHORE

With the demersal ban in place anglers will need to focus on other species like King George whiting and skippy. Drifting areas of broken ground with depths ranging from 5-25m is a great way to find fish. Once you find them, anchor and set up a berley trail and this should keep the fish in your vicinity. Areas worth a look will be around Carnac Island and Straggler Reefs.

Squidding is very popular at this time of year and good catches are already being reported across the entire Metro area. Areas like Cockburn Sound, Fremantle and Hillarys will be popular areas to try. Look for ribbon weed in water 5-20m deep. Find this and the squid won’t be too far away. OFFSHORE

An influx of small southern bluefin tuna has the offshore fraternity excited. These fish are great fun on light tackle. Casting small metal lures, like a Halco Twisty, towards active fish is your best option to hook one. That is when the fun begins.

Good reports continue from anglers targeting samsonfish jigging our offshore reefs. It’s definitely a great way to get your arms stretched. The biggest issue has been sharks nabbing the fish once they are hooked, so be prepared to go hard with these fish and to maybe lose a bit of tackle.

Smaller-sized yellowtail kingfish have also been common around Rottnest Island. Fish in the 60-90cm size range are in

good numbers up along Duffield Ridge through to Cathedral Rocks and West End.

There are numerous ways to target these fish, from trolling to live baiting, dead baiting or using soft plastics. All can be effective on any given day. Fish of this size still have plenty of pulling power, so they will test your angling prowess.

Sorry for the slightly shorter report this month; sometimes other things must take priority. For those rock wall anglers who follow this report, like the other fishing options in the Perth Metro area, the fishing will be on the improve in October. Focus on species like King George whiting, squid and herring in the normal hot spots and you should find a few fish.

I hope everybody enjoys the fishing in October and I will catch you next month.

Joe Orifici, aka the ‘Big Kahuna’, with some absolute ripper King George caught in only 12m of water!