WA
West Coast
Promising fishing ahead MANDURAH
Jesse Choy
December holds a lot of promise when it comes to fishing around Mandurah, with options opening up for a variety of anglers and many species willing to chew on a good-looking presentation. If you are looking to make the most
keeps shadows to a minimum whilst also giving you a better chance at easily spooked fish in shallow water. Crabbing is finally back as an activity, with scoopers appearing on the flats to take advantage early in the season before the foot traffic increases. Drop netters as usual have a great chance at securing a feed, with their mobility allowing them to find
Colours on trout never cease to amaze, displaying the sheer beauty of nature.
Bloodworm grubs are a never-fail when it comes to river fishing, for big fish and small. of the finer weather, it really is an excellent time to get out with your crew, though the warmth can quite often dictate when and what we do. Yellowfin whiting remain abundant throughout the peel, with large numbers of anglers finding success on top water lures and sub-surface vibes, like the ever trusty ZX Blade by Ecogear. Although boat or kayak fishing for whiting can be achieved with lures, it is always wading that seems to achieve the best results and for good reason. Opting to wade, your presence is decreased significantly, which From page 110
when crayfish fever hits the West. A bit like gold fever, it seems every angler wants to get in on the act and catch
good patches of hard-shelled crabs that are well beyond the legal minimum size. With the temperatures increasing steadily, beach fishing becomes a great prospect for those looking for a relaxing fix of fishing. Our local beaches truly come alive during the warmer months, with an abundance of whiting, herring and tarwhine getting
Whiting on surface have to be the most fun way of catching yellowfin in the estuary!
around. A simple running or paternoster rig with a long shank hook is ideal when paired with prawn or small cubes of squid. If chasing something with a bit more fight, summer brings great numbers of tailor into the gutters and mulloway are usually quite close behind them. When targeting tailor, a standard three-way beach rig and ganged hook paired with a pilchard is ideal. With the mulloway starting to show up more, bigger baits, excellent presentation and patience play a huge part in whether or not you will succeed at catching. In the rivers, bream are pushing further up into the systems with the increase of water temperature, hoping to find less contested residency and food sources too. With the warmer temperatures it is certainly worth trying top water lures and seeing if you can tempt fish into visually showing you their aggressiveness. Plenty of grunter will ensure for fun for the family, with some smaller
themselves some crayfish to have as a Christmas treat. It can feel like it is easy to do this, but knowing the water depth the crays are in is the key and that can take
A great shot of a tailor coming on board taken by Dom Magoo.
Dom Magoo, aka ‘The Fish Tucker Man’, with a very healthy and 5-star eating sand whiting!
some finding. My advice has always been to source some knowledge from your local tackle store. They have their fingers on the pulse and can be a great source of information re the depths and movements of the crays. December is also a fabulous month for Spanish mackerel fishing. Warming water brings them closer to the coastline and to anglers. Finding bait balls is the key. Find them and the Spaniards won’t be too far away. Trolling is a great
Many would argue that the cod taste just as good as a dhu and they wouldn’t be wrong! mulloway getting around the deeper pockets too. Boat fisher will be rejoicing as the annual demersal ban is lifted as of the 15 December, with many anglers looking to make the most of it before the highly controversial rule change may come into effect. Though there is quite a lot of potential catches when heading out on the big blue, most anglers will aim to scratch their itch on a good dhu or pink snapper. If targeting dhufish, you will find plenty of fishing in depths to 60m, though many will prove that you do not need to go further than 25m to find a few. If chasing pink snapper, you are spoilt for choices when it comes to choosing locations that fish will pass through or be holding on. Starting from depths of 5m, lures, un-weighted pilchards
or scalies will work well and out to the 40m mark your standard paternoster rig will work efficiently. Increased bug activity directly related to warmer weather means freshwater fishing is well and truly a great option for those looking to wet a line. As with most fishing, a change of light is the ideal time to be wetting a line where you will find good redfin and trout roaming reedy edges looking for a feed. During the peak mid-day heat, it is worth trying deeper pockets of water where a lot of fish will seek refuge in attempt to get away from the warmth. If you are looking to challenge yourself, do not be afraid to try top water lures for an exhilarating change, though in most cases you are likely to catch redfin rather than trout
option to search for them and then once you find them, have some live baits on boards to fish for them. Land-based Spaniards are also an option from the Ammo Jetty. There are plenty of anglers that love chasing them from there, when they show up. Speaking of Christmas treats, our deep drop species are right up there as far as table fair is concerned. There are plenty of tasty fillets to be had from the
deep water (200-500m) like eight bar cod and blue-eye trevalla just to name a couple. So, with crayfish, blue-eye trevalla or blue swimmer crabs all on the cards, as that something special for the table at Christmas, all I can say is go out and enjoy the fishing on offer Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and I will catch you next month.
Gung-ho Max Sampson never misses when it comes to targeting Swan River mulloway this time of year. DECEMBER 2022
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