Another hot November has passed us by and provided us with some outstanding east Kimberley fishing. The gulf once again was outstanding for those that put in the time. Down the mouth of the Cambridge Gulf, the creeks tend to clear up on neap tides, this is prime big barra time for the lure enthusiasts. We did a few overnight trips in November and found some large schools just in front of some bigger rivers. The average-sized barra was around 900 mm, with a few just going over. The fish are brutal this time of year on lures and hooks, they are big, angry and ready to breed. Six hooks were folded or straightened out and high-quality Australian-made lures are sometimes no match for them, unfortunately.
The lake in Kununurra is a great option as the days push over 40 degrees with an early morning fish, then a swim and cold beer makes a great way to unwind and beat the heat. There have been reports filtering in of barra just under the 500mm size being caught, these would be fish that just got released in May, boasting their crazy growth rate in the lake! For those with a keen sense of smell, they may pick up the ripening figs in the fig trees that line the lake. This generally signals the start of great sooty grunter fishing firing up soon. They’re a great option in the lake and a very underrated sportfish. Target them on small lures or flys or just a simple bit of red meat on a hook. They can be found under the figs waiting for the fruit to drop or any dark shaded area with nice bit of current flow.
Also, don't forget, this Sunday there will be a small fishing comp held at Swim Beach between 7 - 11am in celebration of another year of Lake Kununurra Barramundi Stocking. This is a family-friendly event.

Spanish mackerel are being caught on trolled bibbed minnows and rigged baits wide of Entrance Point and Gantheaume Point. Longtail and mack tuna have also been encountered together with mackerel and the odd yellowfin tuna. Good catches of bluebone have been coming from the waters near James Price Point. Tripletail have been caught on lures and fly near the moorings and flotsam within Roebuck Bay.

Barramundi to a metre, but averaging 60cm, have been caught within the Fitzroy River, especially near Langis Crossing. Live baits seem to be more effective in catching the bigger barra while medium-sized lures have been attracting strikes from smaller fish.  More barra can be found in Dampier Creek while threadfin salmon are common in Crab Creek. Entrance Point is worth a visit at low tide for queenfish and trevally.

Billfish enthusiasts have been finding blue marlin in depths beyond the 400m contour while smaller striped and black marlin continue to be raised in closer. Packs of dolphinfish are still being found offshore together with tuna of the yellowfin, longtail and striped varieties. Sailfish are in the upper areas of the gulf, whose waters are still being frequented by manta rays that often have cobia in tow. Reef fishers are concentrating their efforts in the deeper waters of 70m to 120m in their search for quality table fish including red emperor, rankin cod and goldband jobfish.

Spangled emperor have been caught on stick baits and soft plastics near the Mildura Wreck and the lighthouse during daylight hours while baits, including whole prawns and fresh squid, have been working well on the reef species after dark. Queenfish and small trevally have dominated catches at the west coast accesses. Giant trevally are a chance at the tip of the cape while yellowfin whiting are a reliable target along the town and gulf beaches.

Spanish mackerel have started to be caught in bigger numbers on bibbed minnows and rigged baits trolled north and south of the river mouth. Schools of longtail and mack tuna have also been encountered in similar waters and it should not be too long before other predators including yellowfin tuna, cobia and billfish turn up. Yellowfin whiting can be targeted within Jakes Bay and Red Bluff when conditions permit. Some nice hauls of rock lobster are being picked up by divers and potters.

Tailor to an impressive 85cm were landed at Chinamans and Back Beach during the past week. Smaller tailor in the 40cm to 65cm range have been turning up at Wittecarra Creek and Red Bluff early morning and dusk. Mulloway have been landed in similar areas as well as along the beaches north of Frustrations. Chopper tailor are active in the lower reaches of the Murchison River about an hour before sunset. The middle reaches of the system seem to be where most of the black bream are being picked up.

Dinghy and small boat fishers have continued to catch whiting, herring and squid inshore. The odd school mackerel has been caught in these waters while bigger Spanish mackerel are occasionally being encountered farther out. Samson fish and amberjack were among the allowable species caught near the Abrolhos Islands last week.

Tailor have been turning up together with the odd herring and a few school-size mulloway to a metre along the Southgates to Tarcoola Beach stretch. More tailor and some nice yellowfin whiting have been caught at Oakajee, Drummonds Cove and Coronation. Port Denison has been fishing very well for chopper tailor, big yellowtail, black bream and flathead. A small giant trevally was caught from the jetty there last week also which is odd as they’re usually found significantly further north.

The whites cray run has been very good most mornings as the beach is busy with many boats launching to pull their cray pots. Most of the crays have been well over size, pots along the sand edges of the white bank have been holding 20-30 size crayfish through the week. The water temperatures are around 22℃ but the tuna are difficult to find with very few baitfish schools around. The schools of tuna fishers have found have been flighty and difficult to present a lure to. Early mornings or sunset have given the best opportunities to chase them. A number of boats have not found it difficult to score a feed of sand whiting from the 20m depths behind the reef when the sand tapers off. Dinghy fishers inside the bay have managed some good catches of squid in the late afternoons, and tailor at sunset.

Tailor have been sparse during morning fishing sessions. Calm clear water and bright sunny days has meant the fish move out after sunrise. There are some nice sized herring along the beaches through to mid-morning. Tailor have run better during the sunset session with the sea breeze stirring up the water. A few school sized mulloway were reported from the beach gutters near Wedge Island. Small whaler sharks have been quite prevalent after dark along with a few guitarfish. The jetty has produced a few tailor and squid late at night.

Dinghy and small boat fishers have been picking up whiting and squid within the bay. A 7kg southern bluefin tuna was caught relatively close to shore last week and it is expected that more bluefin will appear inshore and offshore in the coming months. Nannygai to very impressive 65cm were picked up out wide but were caught during a very short bite time. Queen snapper, Samson fish and smaller nannygai were among the fish caught near the islands.

The Taylor Street jetty has been fishing well for herring early morning and evening, squid during an incoming tide and garfish at night. The odd skippy has been caught during daylight and after dark while mornings have also been producing a few King George whiting. Bandy Creek boat harbour has small, but legal King George, small herring, flounder and black bream. The local lakes have been producing plenty of bream of about 35cm as well as the off fish between 40cm and 45cm. Salmon are in small numbers and scattered between Salmon Beach and Fourteen Mile. Juvenile salmon and herring can be found among the mature salmon. At least one mulloway of more than a metre was landed at Fourteen Mile last week. Dunns has smaller mulloway, gummy shark and salmon. Duke of Orleans Bay is worth a visit following reports of salmon and bronze whaler sharks in the area while flathead, salmon and the odd tailor have been caught between the seaweed at Israelite Bay.

King George whiting enthusiasts have been doing reasonably well on fish in the 30cm to 45cm range within the sound and the outer inshore waters including Michaelmas and Breaksea Islands. Squid and the odd cuttlefish have been caught in similar depths and areas where seagrass lines the bed. The few who managed to head offshore caught very little inside the 50m contour. Better catches came from the 60m to 90m, especially to the east and west of town, where queen, red and pink snapper, as well as dhufish and breaksea cod, were picked up.

Surf fishers have been picking up mixed catches of herring, skippy and sand whiting along the local beaches. Bigger skippy and the odd salmon have been caught from the beaches farther to east and west. Frenchman Bay and the old whaling station are worth a try for King George whiting while the town jetty has squid after dark. The upper areas of the Kalgan River are believed to be where some of the recent mulloway came from. Black bream are responding to baits and lures within both local systems.

Yellowtail kingfish have been caught on a variety of methods including the use of weighted soft plastic and metal jigs, slowly trolled whole fish and bibbed minnows around the lumps off the tip of Cape Naturaliste. Small southern bluefin tuna have been appearing in similar areas as well as in excess of 30m off the west coast. King George whiting results have been mixed within Geographe Bay.

Tailor have been caught some mornings and evenings along the west coast together with the odd salmon and school shark. Smaller tailor have been appearing at some of the Geographe Bay beaches including Bunker Bay, Point Piquet and Elmore Road. Any of the headlands and rocky outcrops are worth trying for herring and skippy. Expect yellowfin and school whiting catches to increase at the Quindalup sand flats following the recent hot weather.

The beaches to the north of Mandurah are starting to produce a few good tailor and a few mulloway during the early mornings, with Golden Bay being the pick of the spots. Golden Bay, San Remo, Singleton and Madora are all worth a closer check for fishers looking to wet a line. The Golden Bay area has been producing some good catches of tailor, herring and whiting for many fishers of late. Beaches south of Mandurah are starting to produce consistently with a few tailor and occasional mulloway being mixed in for the lucky fisher. Most of the mulloway are around 5 – 6 kg with an occasional larger fish being caught during the early mornings and evenings. Tim’s Thicket and Preston have seen a few tailor taken with some fish up to 50 cm reported.

The Dawesville Cut is still producing some good fishing for tailor, herring, skippy and whiting. The estuary has gone a little quiet for anglers chasing bream, however, there are a few good fish up in the Serpentine around the traffic bridge after dark. Other areas worth looking at are Mandurah Quays and up around Murray Bend. Kayakers are having some success casting lures at and around structures. For those who are prepared to do a little wading along the sandflats in the estuary there are some excellent whiting being taken on small surface lures. It requires a little skill but the results are worth the effort and is an excellent way to stay cool wading through the cool water on the hot days. Just remember to cover up or wear sunscreen as its an easy way to get sunburnt when your so focused on watching the whiting chase down your lures in the crystal waters.

Many of the local jetties have been producing good catches of herring and tailor. Shoalwater Bay has been the standout this week with some good catches of both yellowfin whiting and the occasional King George whiting. Sizes have been excellent. There have also been some good catches of tarwhine and skippy taken on the incoming tides.
Whiting and the occasional flathead have been reported on the sand flats between the mainland and Penguin Island. Herring are being landed from the local beaches in the morning and a few sized tailor are being caught of an evening with the southerly winds. Long Point, Kwinana and Warnbro beaches have all been producing good tailor during the last week. There has been some excellent fishing for yellowfin whiting, with reports of good herring and tailor.
 

Charter and private boats have been getting among the big aggregations of samson fish that are currently at the wrecks and barges west of Rottnest Island. Smaller numbers of Samson fish, as well as yellowtail kingfish, have been appearing near the inshore bombies and reefs. Schools of small southern bluefin tuna have been turning up behind Five Fathom Bank and Three Mile Reef. King George whiting can be found near the windmills as well as the 10m to 20m depths off Leighton to City Beach. Skippy to a kilo have been found inshore and there are still a few squid being caught along with the seagrass. Divers and potters were pleased with their rock lobster efforts this past week. There seems to be no defined depth with catches coming in from all depths.

Shore divers have been picking up some nice rock lobster by glove and on noose north of Trigg Point and around Fremantle. Tailor in the 35cm to 55cm range have been appearing some mornings and evenings along the metropolitan beaches while the beaches north of Mindarie have been producing fish to 70cm at times. Herring are still being caught from the rock walls and reef areas while the former areas have squid during an incoming tide. The shallows located within the inshore areas of the Swan River have yellowfin whiting and flathead. Chopper tailor are throughout the lower and middle reaches of the system. Giant herring are expected to be more active following the recent spell of warm weather.