GENERAL FISHING:

It is now April and the first quarter of the year has gone. The days are now becoming quite short and definitely cooler although the forecast for the early part of this week belies this. As we settle in to Autumn we will experience lower seas and swells and milder winds.

With autumnal weather starting to have an effect with cooler air and water temperatures, there are also other changes occurring. A quick read of the tide chart above shows some interesting tidal variations during the week. In the summer months high tides occur during the afternoon and evening. During winter months the tide is high during the morning with low tides occurring at night.

Bureau of Meteorology records show that generally in Perth in April we can expect to have a maximum daily temperature of around 26 degrees, with only 1 day over 35 degrees. We will receive an average of 8 hours of sunshine per day and we could receive a maximum wind gust of up to 115 kph as a frontal system passes through. On the rainfall front we generally receive around 38 mm of rain over seven days during April.

However it’s not time to pack your fishing gear away just yet. Just because the football is on television, doesn’t mean it’s time to stop fishing. April is still an exciting time for fishing. Cooler waters and air temperatures haven’t stopped the pelagic fish activity along our shores. Spanish and shark mackerel, bonito and yellowfin tuna have all been caught in metropolitan waters recently.

Several anglers fishing on charter boats have been having a ball with these fish. One boat had an absolutely mind blowing fishing session catching and releasing several spanish mackerel around Rottnest Island. Anglers fishing out at the West End of Rottnest have also reported taking wahoo, spanish mackerel, mahi-mahi and striped tuna.

Along the metropolitan beaches the recent swells have brought in the weed and there is plenty of it. The beaches between Moore River and Seabird were almost unfishable due to weed earlier this week. This in turn is not a bad thing as all sorts of insect life use the heat generated by the decomposing weed to lay their eggs and the larvae become a prime food source for herring and garfish. These in turn provide a source of protein for larger tailor and there are reports of several very large tailor of 4 kg being taken from both north and south metropolitan beach locations. On the Moles at Fremantle, bonito have been turning up in good numbers and anglers have had a lot of fun catching these speedsters. Large salmon have been making an appearance along several southern beaches and from the rocks at the North Mole. There have also been reports of fish being caught at Trigg Island and North Beach and the Hillarys marina.

There are reports of a very large school of salmon being spotted out from Margaret River early last week and moving north. Several schools have been reported around Albany and we can only hope for a local salmon season like we had in the metropolitan area last year. Only time will tell.

Along with the recent swell activity and the resultant weed there has also been an increase in snapper captures from local beaches and groynes. Boat anglers fishing in Cockburn Sound have done well as have beach and rock anglers from Rockingham to Scarborough. Several fish have also been taken from the North and South Moles. As is normal in winter when seas and swells pick up on frontal movements, snapper come on the bite. Last week saw some large swells over a period of days and the snapper responded. Anglers who were prepared reaped the benefits.

School holidays are not far away as is Easter. Many people use this time to take a break and head south. Many also want to get amongst the salmon. Please plan your trips and take care when fishing in unfamiliar waters. If you are fishing from the rocks – wear a life jacket. There is a list at the end of this report where you can obtain a free loan life jacket – please use them.

Following the recent passage of Cyclone Debbie the Bureau of Meteorology has issued a safe fishing warning for the NSW coastline for this weekend.

“Weather on the coast this weekend is affected by ex-tropical cyclone Debbie gradually moving southeast with a trough of low pressure extending southeast across the Tasman Sea. This will cause strong to gale force southerly winds over the northern half of the coast, easing as the low moves further east. Cold fronts in the Southern Ocean followed by a high in the Bight will push a south-easterly airstream up the coast between the high and the low through to the early part of next week.

BOM has issued rock fishing/boating alerts for Hunter to QLD border on Saturday and for the Coffs and Byron coasts on Sunday. Seas of around 4 metres plus swell of 3 to 4 metres will affect the Coffs/Byron coasts, slightly less seas and swells further south. Flooded rivers will cause additional dangers for boaters at the moment with large debris being washed into the ocean and limited visibility in dirty waters. Maybe we aren’t too badly off in WA!

If you have some fishing information, have caught a good fish and want to brag, or have an item that may be of interest to other anglers and wish to share it, you can send the details to abc720saturdaybreakfast@yahoo.com.au

WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING AT POPULAR FISHING LOCATIONS

If you are going to fish in open ocean waters or from the rocks, please - wear a life jacket.

MANDURAH:

Beaches to the north of Mandurah are still producing some good mulloway and tailor as well as salmon, herring, skippy, whiting and tarwhine. Singleton Beach and other beaches in the area have had some nice mulloway landed in the evenings along with tailor and herring most nights.

There are still a few tailor being caught along the Tim’s Thicket to Preston Beach stretch but catches are slowing down. Good news is that there have been a few reports of an occasional salmon being taken from these beaches. White Hills has had moderate numbers of tailor, salmon and herring throughout the week. A few mulloway have come from this area but sizes have been smaller than usual. The beaches between Halls Head and The Cut are providing a feed of herring, tailor, salmon and some good whiting. The Cut is still fishing well with plenty of herring, a few tailor and some tarwhine being taken. The occasional yellow-fin whiting is also being caught. The traffic bridges are also worth a try for herring and bream. There are also reports of mulloway in the canals.

Bream fishing in the Murray and Serpentine rivers continues to be productive with good sized fish being caught regularly. One angler recently spent the weekend on a houseboat on the estuary and noted several kayak anglers chasing and catching bream on a variety of tackle and rigs. He caught tailor on a trolled lure on light tackle from the area as well. It would appear that the river and estuary hold good numbers of bream and that water quality is also quite good. There are  a few crabs still being taken in deeper water. Some crabbers are still getting their bag limit.

SECRET HARBOUR / PORT KENNEDY / WARNBRO / ROCKINGHAM / SAFETY BAY

Long Point and Warnbro beaches have been producing tailor, an occasional salmon and herring. Tarwhine have been taken in good numbers this week. Penguin Island sandbar has been producing some nice flathead and sand whiting. Early morning anglers fishing the jetties have been doing well. Palm Beach jetty seems to be the pick with good numbers of herring and whiting at the moment. There are also some good King George whiting amongst them. A few squid have also been taken at night. Anglers fishing in the early morning have been catching some big herring. There have been a few tailor and mulloway taken from the jetty.

COCKBURN SOUND:

Trolling a lure along the Causeway will produce some nice herring and the occasional tailor in the evening. Whiting are on the bite near the Bent Pin and also in the Mangles Bay area. King George whiting are in great numbers between Garden and Carnac Islands at the moment. Skippy have also been reported from the same area. Best baits have been squid and prawns and remember to throw some chook pellets around to berley up. Squid have been in good numbers along the weed beds in the upper reaches of the Sound and herring have also been in good numbers here. Tailor numbers have slowed down in the past week but with a few reports slowly coming through, it’s still worth a try.

KWINANA / NAVAL BASE / WOODMAN POINT / COOGEE:

A few tailor have been turning up from time to time usually surprising most anglers targeting herring. Squid numbers have also been on the rise in the last week with some nice results coming from the deeper water in front of Coogee Caravan Park. Herring have been in great numbers lately with everyone getting in on the action. Small metal lures have been producing most in the afternoons and prawn and squid have been the best baits at night. Reports this week tell of good catches of big garfish. Amongst the garfish there are also plenty of herring. Kwinana Beach Jetty has been holding good numbers of herring and garfish.

FREMANTLE / INNER HARBOUR / LOWER REACHES OF SWAN RIVER

Anglers fishing the South Mole have been catching some nice King George whiting using peeled prawns. Be aware of the problem associated with white spot disease in prawns for human consumption. They could cause a major problem if introduced into W.A. waters. There are reports of good numbers of tailor most evenings with unweighted mulies for bait working well. Herring and tarwhine have also been caught in numbers at times and again a good berley trail will bring them around. The North Mole is still producing some good fishing with an occasional bonito being taken this week. Tailor have been a little spasmodic this week with some days firing well and others as quiet as ever. Several larger salmon have been taken at varying times during the day. Just before sunset, yellowtail are coming on the bite. Burley seemed to send them into a frenzy. Almost every night this last week anglers have been catching mulloway to 10 kg along with small whaler and hammerhead sharks, often using them as bait. Once the sun had set the tailor moved in. Bait of choice was lightly weighted whitebait or bait cast mulies with a small piece of lead wrapped around the shank of the first hook in the gang.

Beaches south of Fremantle have produced some good tailor and herring on most evenings. Whiting are also being reported from the beach in the early mornings. Sizes are still small but there are the bigger ones hanging around too. Another location producing some good fishing is Catherine Pt and Coogee Beach. Anglers fishing here have been catching reasonable numbers of tailor most evenings with some being reported over 50 cm. There are plenty of reports of big tarwhine, whiting, skippy and slimy mackerel being caught upstream of the traffic bridges.

ROTTNEST ISLAND

Rottnest beaches have been producing some good tailor over the last few weeks and it seems that poppers or chrome/gold twisty lures are the go-to-lure. The south east corner of the island has been producing nice big King George whiting and plenty of herring as well for land based anglers. Boat anglers fishing the south west corner have been catching break-sea cod and Westralian jewfish in depths of 30 - 40 m of water with size improving over the last few weeks. Anglers have been quite successful using lead head jigs with soft plastics tails for jewfish and snapper with these have taken several good fish. There are plenty of tuna still about and out at the FAD’s there are some excellent mahi-mahi.

PORT BEACH / LEIGHTON / COTTESLOE / SWANBOURNE:

Cottesloe groyne is still providing late night tailor action for anglers prepared to put in some time and effort. Early morning anglers are taking plenty of herring and garfish with an occasional skippy and tarwhine for good measure. Salmon have also been taken from the groyne as well as the beach to the north of the groyne. The Grant St area has gone a little quiet for big tailor with only stragglers coming along in ones and twos. Leighton has been better but still nowhere near as good as a few weeks ago. Weed has also sprung up in the last few days. Leighton is well worth a try for small sharks. Whiting numbers and size have improved over the last week. Early morning has produced better fishing for them with prawns and ox heart being the best bait.

CITY BEACH / FLOREAT / SCARBOROUGH / TRIGG ISLAND

Swanbourne Beach right through to Brighton Road beach at Scarborough has held moderate numbers of herring and tailor. Sizes have been down from previous weeks but definitely still worth the effort to get a feed. Unweighted mulies are the go in the mornings with the easterly behind you. City Beach and Floreat Beach turned on some excellent tailor fishing at night during the week. Salmon have also been taken from these beaches during the last few weeks. Anglers fishing Trigg Island area have been taking a few larger salmon during the day.

NORTH BEACH JETTY / HILLARYS / OCEAN REEF / MINDARIE:

Popular fishing spots in this area have been fishing well over the last week for tailor, herring and some nice sand whiting with mornings being the best time. There are reports of some tailor being taken along the Marina Wall at Mindarie at sunset and after dark. Bait casting small garfish on a gang of five hooks will attract bigger tailor and there are reports of fish over 2 kg. Several salmon have been taken during the day. At Hillarys Marina near the disabled platform this week there were reports of a good mixed bag of tarwhine, skippy, whiting and herring. Tailor have been good from the beaches again this week with most people going home with a feed. Sizes have been down a little but some bigger ones are still hanging around. Usually the late evening has produced the big ones. Pinaroo Point has also been producing some good sized skippy and tailor along with plenty of herring.

QUINNS ROCKS /YANCHEP / TWO ROCKS / MOORE RIVER

The section of beach to the south of Two Rocks is producing some excellent fishing for tailor at the moment. Preferred baits are small garfish and fish captures up to 2 kg are not uncommon. The Lagoon at Yanchep has been producing some good fishing for herring and garfish when berley has been used to keep them interested. Overuse of berley generally turns them off and puts them off the bite. Moore River mouth is producing a few tailor from sunset through to the early evening. The river is also still producing some good bream for anglers in the know. Further north the beaches from Moore River through to Seabird have had a fair bit of weed making fishing almost impossible.

SWAN AND CANNING RIVERS:

Anglers fishing for bream in the Canning River have been catching some good fish with spots such as the Mt Henry Bridge and Deepwater Point being the better spots to fish. The Shelley area has also produced good numbers of bream in the morning. Anglers fishing around the Narrows report quite a few chopper tailor with most being released. Mulloway have also been reported from the Causeway and some nice size bream as well. Tailor have been quiet in the lower reaches of the Swan this week, and flathead have also slowed although a few reasonable fish have come from the East Fremantle area. The river flats in the lower reaches are the better spots. Mulloway are still active in the lower reaches and in the Inner Harbour and anglers using small live baits seem to be doing quite well. Generally it is an accepted fact that most mulloway anglers will only land one fish for every ten ‘runs’. It is the way that mulloway feed that causes this. Mulloway have a very hard palate and use this to crush their prey before swallowing it. They will often pick up a bait and then move off fairly slowly but steadily as they shift the bait around so that they can crush it in their mouth. If you ‘strike’ at this time more often than not the fish will just open its mouth and drop the bait. It takes a lot of patience to be a successful mulloway angler and you need to walk away from a rod when a run is happening and leave it alone. Another tip is to use hooks that have been sharpened to ensure a better hook up rate. This is vital if you are to hook up in that very bony mouth. I strongly recommend the use of ‘circle hooks’ as I believe they are a better option when fishing for mulloway. It takes a change of tactics when fishing with them and one rule is do not strike. Just hold the line and let the hook do its job. Hook up rates have increased when anglers are using ‘circle hooks’. Anglers fishing the area around Tranby House have been catching a few black bream to 1 kg. There are reports of good fish from around Ashfield and also Ron Courtney Island and a little further upstream the area from Barkers Bridge down to Guilford Rd Bridge has produced some great bream fishing at times. In the lower reaches of the Swan River, better bream catches have come from the around Claremont and Nedlands.

BOAT FISHING:

Some big skippy have been coming from around the Stragglers and Mewstones, and various lumps in around 30 m. Fish to 3 kg seem to be more consistent in the deeper water. Offshore in small boat territory there are consistent reports of some good sized yellow-finned whiting being taken between Ocean Reef and Burns Beach. Over the weed beds in the same area anglers are catching some excellent snook. Westralian dhufish are still being taken from the reefs offshore from Two Rocks. Indications are that they are in water around 40 m with snapper and skippy being caught in shallower water around the 30 m mark. Other reports indicate that there are still good King George to about 45 cm around Little Island along with a few skippy hanging around the rocky bottoms. Further offshore south of the Island there are breaksea cod and harlequin fish.

Reports of good fishing was found about 15 km offshore with Westralian dhufish, baldchin and breaksea cod. Some nice size pink snapper were taken from the Gemini Wreck. With a good berley trail and the right wind to drift with, you should be in for some fun. Samsonfish have been taken in great numbers at the wreck with anglers chasing the snapper usually hooking up on some nice sambos instead.

Offshore anglers fishing along the Murray Reefs have caught good numbers of skippy and herring. Whiting have been caught from behind the Sisters and Passage Rock. Westralian dhufish have been reported about 500 m west of Coventry Reefs in the drop off from the 10 m mark to about 30 m. A few salmon have been seen out behind Coventry reefs. Whiting, flathead and herring have been caught from the weed beds once again, straight out from Bent Street boat ramp in Rockingham. Tailor have been caught out behind Penguin Island on the breaking reefs and also a few big King George whiting have been landed in the southern holes.

A LITTLE BIT EXTRA:

DRONES TRIALLED IN WA FOR ROCK FISHING RESCUES

From NSW Recfisher Email Newsletter Of The Recreational Fishing Alliance Of NSW April 2017

The first test of drone technology to rescue people at sea in Western Australia has been hailed a success by volunteers in the Great Southern, who say it could help save lives. The experiment, led by the Albany Sea Rescue with no government involvement, was conducted at popular fishing spot Salmon Holes in Albany — one of the WA coastline's most notorious sites for drownings.

In the past three decades, 13 people have died at the beach, with many being swept from the rocks into the ocean. Volunteers braved the windy and overcast conditions to locate and recover a black wetsuit using a drone and rescue craft.

Albany Sea Rescue (ASR) co-ordinator Chris Johns said drones could prove to be a game-changer, especially for regional areas. "It's technology that can be deployed as quickly as our boats and that story alone is something that's quite unique," he said. Mr Johns said combining the drone technology with other rescue equipment would help ASR maximise its efficiency.

"Albany Sea Rescue has $1 million worth of boats, there's a lot of technology on these boats," he said. "We believe drone technology is another advancing piece of technology that we should be embracing." Mr Johns also dismissed concerns that drones could get in the way and become problematic during rescue operations. "We're remote, we don't get chopper support here that often ... so [the drone] will be deployed in a period where there's the chance of saving a life or finding what we're looking for," he said.

"If a rescue helicopter or fixed wing comes down, we put it [the drone] on the ground, it's that simple." Mr Johns said the weekend trial was a timely opportunity to iron out any problems with the technology in preparation for the Easter long weekend.

For the full article on ABC News website go to this link.