West Coast
WA
The FADs add great action METRO
Jacob Crispe
With the holidays well and truly in full swing, many people fishing in our local waterways will
a line in the Swan River. As mentioned in the last couple of reports, flathead will be one of the key target species, with the various flats of the Swan River holding plenty of this very popular target species. All manner of
Daniel Pardini’s smile says it all after producing this lovely beach mulloway. This capture really shows that perseverance pays off. Photo courtesy of Nolan Unwin. grunter, which can be caught in the river. They are not an overly large fish but are very aggressive and hunt in packs. They can be caught using small poppers and stickbaits and are a great option for both the big and little kids in the household to go and target. Schools of these fish resemble a dark cloud in shallow water areas of the river. They can change the fortune of your fishing session at times and I am happy to admit that I am one of those big kids that loves fishing for them. ROCK WALLS AND BEACHES During the holidays our rock walls can see a lot more angling activity, so be mindful
Max Samson and Lleyton Palmer with a pair of hapuka that couldn’t resist the Ocean’s Legacy jigs! of other anglers fishing in the same location. Like the river, you have a smorgasbord of fishing target species on
When it comes to picking the biggest fish from the pack, Max Samson never misses. Here he is with an absolute trophy mahimahi. be families enjoying some time in, on or around the water. It is a great time of the year and a great time to be fishing around the Perth metro area.
Madeline Close with a lovely pink snapper she caught while out fishing with her dad James.
methods and lures will work, the key is to fish each area thoroughly, as they are likely to be anywhere on any given shallow piece of water. Giant herring have become
Our beaches will also be popular locations, although fishing may not be the main appeal. Low light periods will offer the best fishing, as beach activities will be lower and anglers will be able to focus on the most productive gutters and likely locations where the fish will be feeding. Whiting, tailor and mulloway will be your main target species with the occasional dart being caught. Dart are not a regular capture in our waters (they tend to be caught south of Perth), but it is not unusual to get the odd one during January and February. INSHORE The snapper closure in Cockburn Sound remains in place so snapper fishing in the sound remains off limits, but there are still plenty of other options that come into play. King George whiting, squid,
Is there anything this young gun Max Samson can’t do? Here’s an excellent example of a Swan River mulloway caught using live baits.
James Close is no stranger when it comes to catching excellent dhufish. He caught this one from 30m of water using strip baits of fresh squid. SWAN RIVER The fishing throughout the Swan system has been excellent. There are fishing options available from the top to the bottom of the water column. Your key target species will be bream, flathead, mulloway, tailor, yellowfin whiting, giant herring, and blue manor crabs. Yes, it is a long list, but as I have said it is a great time of the year to wet 112
JANUARY 2023
the other species hitting the fishing headlines. Once a hush-hush subject (much like the mulloway when I started writing these reports), more regular captures have resulted in a bit more information getting out there. They are a crazy good sports fish and well worth the effort to find and figure out in the Swan. Something I don’t believe I have ever mentioned in this report is the yellowtail
Peter Zahradkas has been getting into plenty of flounder in the flats!
The ZMan strikes again! Peter Zahradka with an absolutely beast of a Swan River flathead caught casting hardbodies on the flats.
offer from tailor, King George whiting and skippy to the abundant herring and squid that are around in January. I always talk about the importance of berley when fishing our rock walls, well when the fishing pressure is higher it becomes even more important!
crabs and tailor just to name a few. Areas like Windmills and Five Fathom Bank are always worth a look and consistently produce good fishing. One of the most popular pastimes at this time of the year is trolling for tailor. This To page 117
