West Coast
WA
Skippy are top scrappers LANCELIN
Peter Fullarton
August is the prime time to target skippy. These fish can be found schooling on the inshore grounds, including within the bay. If you are after an entertaining day on the water, then it is hard
before starting a lift and drop retrieve or use lightly weighed baits down near the bottom third of the water column. The beach is the best spot to try along the foreshore near Grace Darling Park or the point at Edwards Island, get a good cast out to the edge of the weed banks. Soft plastics work well here
reefs. Literally you only need to get outside the fringing reefs to find some of these big bruisers. Berley is your friend, skippy are suckers for a good berley trail. You can use some pellet style in a basket or just keep a steady trail of chopped pilchards going over the side. Set up the berley in a likely
It pays to run a lure out the back between spots. This southern bluefin tuna recently fell to a Halco Max at 12 knots. pink snapper are likely to turn up to the party. A larger bait, whole squid or pilchard, cast to the back of the trail and allowed to slowly sink down will likely find the pinky. Lures are best selected for the depth you are
easy to do out on the boat for a little snack during the day. They are very suitable for smoking or pickling that can preserve the meat well. King George whiting have been picking up in numbers around the bay again after a slow period.
are usually in bulk along with skippy, snook, tailor and tarwhine. Drop nets have been scoring some monster blue swimmer crabs. Eating quality of these ocean caught crabs is sensational compared to those found in rivers or
You don’t need to leave the bay to find some solid skippy. to go past a good session chasing some of these tough little scrapers. Pound-for-pound they pull harder than any other fish in the sea, on well matched gear they’ll be some reel screaming, line crossing, chaotic action. Land-based anglers would have the best chance of encountering skippy
and you are highly likely to score a few flathead or tarwhine in the process as well. Small metals cast and retrieved in 10g range can score a few fish too, a good alternative if blowfish are eating plastic lures. Skippy have been widespread throughout the bay, so if you have access to a kayak or dinghy it is
spot: inside the bay look for structure like a deeper hole or drop off combined with some reef or weed banks; outside they are more likely to be near some lumps. Floating pilchard cubes down the berley trail with size #1 circle hooks on a light leader is a deadly combination to tempt skippy.
Skippy are great little scrappers on light line.
Pinkies have been prolific in the shallows. from the jetty at night, they are down a bit deeper than the herring, cast small soft plastics allowing them to sink near the bottom 108
AUGUST 2021
going to be hard to miss out this time of year. Outside the bay, larger fish up to 60cm have formed breeding aggregations on the inshore
Inside the bay expect snook, herring or King George whiting to also come in to the berley, and outside the bay some
targeting the fish, deeper waters jigging can be an effective method. I like using slow pitch flutter jigs, soft plastics, and small versions of inchiku or kabura style jigs. In shallow water some lighter soft plastics, blades or vibes can be worked effectively without snagging the bottom. Skippy don’t freeze particularly well for long. Keeping a few for some fresh meals is best and choosing a recipe that suits the flesh will provide some delicious meals. Try some skippy sashimi, very simple to serve with a little soy, pickled ginger and wasabi
Trumpeter, butterfish, wrasse and blowfish can be an issue, so keep the berley in the boat when chasing these tasty fish. Squid numbers and size has been up there, we have been finding the deeper waters just outside the bay to the north have been regularly producing larger specimens over a kilogram in weight. Lancelin Jetty has been good for plenty of squid too – the trick has been long casts to cover the area around the jetty well. Fishing has been very good at the jetty. There have been plenty of sand whiting if you cast towards the shore. At night, herring
estuaries. Beach fishing for chopper tailor shut down early this year, only a few small sized choppers have been bitting at sunset and rise. When conditions permit larger green backs have been caught on stick baits, poppers or baits cast to well-formed gutters and reef breaks. As we move late winter to spring the greenback activity will increase significantly. Mulloway have been in good numbers this winter season, most fish coming around the new moon early evening and the average size has been well To page 109
