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. Curt McCartney 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 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 were 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 fly's 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 a nice bit of current flow.

Reef fishers have been picking up red emperor, saddle tail seaperch and blue-lined emperor in depths of 20m to 40m when conditions have allowed. Spanish mackerel have been found in their biggest numbers in waters of about 10 to 15 miles out. Schools of longtail and mack tuna were also encountered offshore. A variety of species including fingermark bream, bluebone, mulloway and threadfin salmon have been caught within Roebuck Bay. Read more about the 2013 management changes which turned Roebuck Bay into a thriving threadfin salmon recreational fishery here.

Barramundi enthusiasts, who have been putting in the time and effort, have been doing well on fish to a metre within the Fitzroy River at spots including Langis Crossing and Telegraph Pool. More barra have been coming from Dampier Creek and Willie Creek together with mangrove jack and bluenose salmon. Sport fishers have been enjoying some entertaining sessions on queenfish to a metre and lots of brassy trevally, in the 40cm to 45cm range, while spinning vibe-style lures from the rocky headlands north of town.

Billfish aficionados have been hooking blue and striped marlin on strip baits in 400m to 600m of water while smaller black marlin and sailfish have been encountered in closer. Spanish mackerel are responding to rigged whole baits and bibbed minnows trolled along the back of the reef line and near the Muiron Islands. There are plenty of longtail, mack and striped tuna offshore as well as packs of dolphinfish and the odd yellowfin tuna. Reef fishers have been finding red emperor and rankin cod in about 60m of water while goldband snapper and pearl perch are in 90m and deeper.

The gulf beaches are fishing well for a variety of species including yellowfin whiting, queenfish, small brassy trevally and slightly bigger goldens. Blue bastards and permit are occasionally being caught on fly around the rock and reef areas. Squid can be targeted at Learmonth Jetty and the marina during an incoming tide. Spangled emperor and bluebone have been caught on baits and soft plastics along Mildura Wreck Road early morning and around dusk.

Spanish mackerel are being caught on rigged baits and minnow-style lures trolled north of the river, near Sand Patch, and in southern waters out from the cliffs. Try the 20m to 40m depths for pink snapper, baldchin groper and dhufish following the reopening of the demersal season. Rock lobster enthusiasts seem to be doing very well in 10 to 20m of water.

Surf fishers have been doing well on tailor in the 35cm to 55cm range at Wittecarra and Red Bluff and the beaches north of Frustrations. Bigger tailor have been picked up on occasions at The Siphon, Oysters and Chinamans. Some nice mulloway have recently been caught from the town jetty as well as along the beach at Wagoe. Yellowfin whiting were about in fairly good numbers along the shallows located within the lower reaches of the Murchison River. Black bream to 40cm have been coming from the upper parts of the river together with a few giant herring.

Spanish mackerel can be targeted along the back of Pensioners Bank, the African Reef area and the waters surrounding the Abrolhos Islands. Dinghy and small boat fishers are still picking up herring, squid and small skippy inshore. Try West Bank and the lumps off Coronation for dhufish, pink snapper, baldchin groper and sweetlip.

Tailor have been appearing some mornings and evenings along the Flat Rocks to Greenough River mouth stretch as well as at Southgates, Separation Point and the beaches north of Drummonds. The first and second points at Greenough also have herring and pike. Eastern and western school whiting can be targeted along any area of beach that is free from seaweed. Big squid are being picked up in their ones and twos from the northern side of the marina.

There has been great weather to start off the new demersal season, alot of boats have been making the most of it heading out towards Direction Bank to fish the deeper waters. There have been some good mixed bags of dhufish, pink snapper, breaksea cod, red snapper and baldchin. Its best to use at least 9/0 hooks and large baits which can help reduce the amount of undersize snapper hookups. In closer, mainly dhufish and baldchin are being encountered along the white bank. A few tuna schools have been just outside the bays reefs and behind the white bank, as well as a few random schools out around the 45m plus depths. There are still schools of small yellowtail kingfish near the inshore reef breaks. Lobster catches have slowed as they move out to deeper waters, though pots along the white bank are still producing around 4-6 size whites. In the bay there have been some nice blue swimmer crabs along the shoreline. King George whiting have been caught around the sand holes and there have been some good catches of herring.

The weather has been sensational over the week for beach fishing, although there were few taking advantage of the calm evenings over the weekend because of all the road closures due to the Yanchep fires. Just make sure you stay up to date with the latest warnings before heading out fishing. Evenings have been fishing best for tailor, tarwhine, small mulloway and school sharks. Rays have been a nuisance by catch, seems everyone is having a problem with them at the moment. There have been numerous very large guitar fish caught, they are tough fighters taking long powerful runs and it can be difficult to gain line back. Jetty fishing has been a little slow this week with a few squid caught and in the evenings there has been herring and tailor.

Dinghy and small boat fishers have continued to do well on squid, sand whiting and snook within the bay. Samson fish and packs of small yellowtail kingfish are near the islands in numbers. Nannygai to an impressive 60cm are about but in waters 20 to 30 miles out. Queen snapper, breaksea cod, blue groper and sea sweep are closer in.

Bull herring have been turning up at the Taylor Street Jetty in the evenings while smaller herring are being caught from the structure during the day. King George whiting have been on the bite mostly in the morning at the platform, which has also been producing garfish and squid. Bandy Creek boat harbour has smaller King George, herring, skippy, flounder and at night, garfish. Salmon are being found in their ones and twos, together with plenty of big herring, right along the Salmon Beach to Fourteen Mile stretch. Small tailor last week appeared at Stockyards, which has also been producing the usual small mulloway and skippy. Bigger skippy have been coming from Roses along with the odd tailor and bronze whaler shark. Dunns is worth a look for skippy, juvenile salmon and herring. Thomas River produced mulloway, skippy to a kilo, salmon and big flathead.

King George whiting enthusiasts have generally had to work hard for their catches through the inshore parts. Sand whiting are less abundant and there are very few juvenile salmon around. Small metal and bibbed minnow lures trolled off Two Peoples Bay, Cosy Corner, King George Sound, Gull Rock or Goode Beach should produce herring. Squid catches have tapered off to the extent that a bag of half a dozen is being regarded as a good session at the moment. Samson fish and yellowtail kingfish can be found near the islands and reefs. Reef fishers have been picking up fair catches of queen, pink and red snapper as well as breaksea cod, sea sweep and small dhufish between the 60m and 80m depths. The few who managed to head beyond the shelf scored hapuka and blue-eye trevalla.

Surf fishers have mostly been picking up herring and skippy along the beaches close to town. King George whiting are being caught at some of the protected areas including Frenchman Bay and near the old whaling station. Nanarup, Mutton Bird and Bluff Creek have been producing some bigger skippy. Avid rock fishers have been landing blue groper from the rock platforms near West Cape Howe and towards Bremer Bay. The King and Kalgan rivers have been producing plenty of small black bream as well as the very odd mulloway.

Reef fishers picked up some nice dhufish and breaksea cod in 20m to 40m of water off the west coast, and in similar depths within Geographe Bay, following the reopening of the demersal season. Pink snapper were found along Four Mile and Eight Mile reefs. There are some nice King George whiting off Eagle Bay and Quindalup, however the 30cm to 50cm fish require some effort to find at times. Potters and divers have been doing well on rock lobster off Canal Rocks and Cowaramup.

Yellowfin whiting are responding to soft plastics and small hard-bodied lures along the Quindalup sand flats. Herring can be targeted at most of the bays and headlands while tailor are mostly being caught from the surf beaches along the west coast. The rock platforms are worth trying for pink and queen snapper as well as blue groper, yellowtail kingfish and samson fish.

Those fishing from the rock walls of the Dawesville Cut report good fishing for tailor, herring, skippy and whiting. There are also a few crabs around and drop netters and scoopers are doing reasonably well, getting a feed in an hour or so. Beaches south of Mandurah are producing tailor and mulloway with an occasional mulloway up around the 12kg mark. Fish in the 5 – 6kg class are the norm and are being caught during the early mornings, around sunrise and well as after last light. Warmer weather has caused bream activity to slow down, those finding the deeper holes are managing a few fish. Generally, they are spread throughout the system and there have been reports of some good fish being reeled in around the lower estuary and from the areas adjacent to the Mandurah Quays and up around Murray Bend. Along the beaches between Silver Sands and Golden Bay there are reports of some good tailor and a few mulloway. Some better spots are the northern end of this strip with Golden Bay being the pick. There are plenty of herring, a few skippy and sand whiting being caught by anglers during the day. Small boat fishers just outside of the estuary are catching similar species with the occasional King George whiting thrown in for good measure. Out around the James Service reef there are still a few samson fish and some small snapper, skippy, and blue spot flathead being caught. Further offshore there is King George whiting and skippy on the Five Fathom Bank and a few snapper and dhuies reported from the deeper reef areas. If you are crabbing in the Peel Harvey estuary make sure that you are to up to date with all the management changes. Read about them here.

Those fishing the jetties report catches of herring and tailor. An occasional King George whiting and plenty of yellowfin whiting have been caught from Shoalwater Bay this week and there have been tarwhine and skippy caught during the mornings. People fishing the drop-off along the sandbar to Penguin Island are catching some good flathead and also report the occasional flounder. Long Point, Kwinana and Warnbro beaches are producing good tailor early in the morning and yellowfin whiting and herring until the sea breeze makes fishing and casting lighter tackle a bit of a problem. Anglers fishing from the beaches around Warnbro have been finding tailor and small mulloway and one of the better spots has been along the southern side of Long Point.

Reef fishing enthusiasts, who ventured out following the reopening of demersal season, found dhufish in depths of 30m to 40m together with breaksea cod, queen snapper and pink snapper. Samson fish are still being caught near the barges and wrecks off-West End as well as around the reefs and bombies between Fremantle and Rottnest Island. Yellowtail kingfish, mostly in the 3kg to 9kg range, as well as the odd bigger fish of about 15kg have been caught on baits and lures inshore of Rottnest. Dolphinfish have continued to be caught near the Recfishwest and Perth Game Fishing Club Fish Aggregating Devices. Check out the coordinates here if you're looking for a new place to fish. Schools of small southern bluefin tuna can be found in depths starting at 30m west of Five Fathom Bank. Rock lobster efforts seemed to be mixed this past week with some managing to pick up their bag and boat limits and others pulling aboard only two or three keepers.

Peter Zahradka‎ got out with his partner in crime and caught some ripper flatties like this one the young fellas holding up. What a ripper Swan River flathead, well done!

Tailor have been turning up some mornings and evenings along the metropolitan beaches including Cottesloe Groyne, Grant Street, Swanbourne Drain, Floreat Groyne and Trigg. Herring have also been picked up together with tailor and the odd juvenile salmon, small mulloway and sand whiting. Tailor ranging from choppers to 50cm fish are evident in the lower and middle reaches of the Swan River. Yellowfin whiting can be targeted at North Fremantle and East Fremantle while flathead are also in these areas as well as the shallows not too far upriver. Giant herring were caught on lure and fly this past week, however, the precise locations of the aerobatic sport fish were not disclosed. Blue swimmer crabs seem to be around in fairly good numbers in both systems, with some monsters being pulled from the Swan. Find out about recent management changes to this fishery which will in future, result in better crabbing and bigger crabs and help to establish to Swan/Canning system as a trophy crab fishery right on Perth's doorstep.