Metro

from Fishing Monthly Magazine | April 2022

Augusta

It is looking like it will be a great Easter for Perth metro anglers. The fishing has been excellent and I see no reason for this to change.

Chris Webster with a big bull mahimahi caught out at the FADs with his brother Troy, what a day! Sunny Close is all smiles with an absolute cracker of a dhufish he caught while out with his dad James Close.

SWAN RIVER

The fishing in the Swan continues to be excellent with many species continuing to push to the extremities of the system. Bream in particular will follow the baitfish up the system in numbers making them a popular target for anglers. Structure and bream go hand-in-hand, so whether you are bait fishing or using lures, find some structure to cast near and there is every chance you will find a bream or two.

It has been an exceptional flathead season and this is set to continue until we get some rain and

the fish move from the flats into deeper water. Not a lot of rain is expected at this point so find a shallow flat with some undulation or structure (weed, etc), fish either shallow running hardbody lures or plastics in these areas and there is every chance you will get a few flathead.

Tailor have been thick throughout the system. The fish are not huge (up to 40cm), but can be caught using most techniques, making them accessible to most anglers. My

preference is to use small metal lures or stickbaits. Tailor are great to catch and eat well if bled and eaten fresh.

Like the bream, the Swan River mulloway have spread throughout the system (E-Shed markets to Guilford). Most anglers are using live baits to target them however it is well worthwhile trying larger soft plastics or vibes. Keep them close to the bottom and retrieve them using small hops or a slow roll. You might be surprised

with your results.

Easter is always a popular time for anglers targeting blue swimmer crabs. They are generally abundant at this time of the year. The area between the Canning Bridge and Heirisson Island is always a good place to start. ROCK WALLS

AND BEACHES

There will be lots of people taking advantage of the good fishing to be had from our local rock walls in April. Areas like the Sailing Club, South Mole and Cottesloe are popular locations.

For many anglers it is about King George whiting. These great eating fish frequent the sand patches or broken ground that is within casting distance of the rock walls. Fresh baits are the key and as always, a little burley always helps.

The other usual suspects will also be about. Tailor, skippy and squid are usually plentiful, with the

tailor and squid improving in size as the year goes on.

Tailor will also be on the minds of most beach anglers. It is the time of the year that the bigger tailor are about. Most beaches will fish well, but good places to start would be Trigg, Floreat Drain and Mullaloo. Mullaloo is also a great mulloway fishery, so it is well worth your

while to send a fresh tailor fillet back into the surf, targeting one of these amazing fish. INSHORE

Squid and King George whiting will be popular holiday fishing targets on our inshore grounds. Anchoring on broken ground in 3-8m of water and fishing the sand patches are the best option when

targeting whiting. It is a must to have a squid jig on standby when fishing these areas as they inhabit similar areas to the whiting.

The reefy areas from Fremantle to Two Rocks continue to hold lots of skippy (silver trevally) and tailor. The drop offs around these reefs can be quite deep (up to 8m) and the skippy and tailor use the structure to ambush the baitfish that hide there. Casting stickbaits around these areas can be So much fun.

Snapper fishing is always good in April, many snapper anglers will focus on the low light periods, anchor in a likely looking areas and set up a burley trail. Fresh baits fished in the berley trail tend to then be eaten by the snapper as they work their way up the trail. Behind Rottnest Island is a great place to do this type of fishing.

Snapper are not the