With the end of the demersal ban coinciding with a stretch of great boating weather, recent capture reports have predominately featured Dhufish, Dhufish and more Dhufish. Plenty of people got amongst them just prior to the New Year and there were some great sized fish caught.
The numbers of Dhus reported in the double digit weight category was very high.
As always both bait and lures were successful, with it really coming down to the angler’s personal preference. The bigger fish appear to have been primarily taken in deeper water well offshore.
Other demersal species such as Pink Snapper, Queen Snapper, Nannygai and Harlequinfish have been caught helping anglers round off their daily bag limit (2 demersal species per angler including max 1 Dhufish. 2 Dhufish per boat.).
Other demersal species such as Pink Snapper, Queen Snapper, Nannygai and Harlequinfish have been helping anglers round off their daily bag limit.
- Steele Hawken
Pelagic species have also been a feature offshore for those looking for them. Southern Bluefin Tuna and Bonito have been present off the capes in waters between the 30-40m mark. Yellowtail Kingfish and large Samson Fish have been prevalent around offshore bombies.
Trolling lures is a reliable method for locating these species.
Reports of shore fishing captures have been sporadic, however there have been some decent Tailor caught, with the odd larger model amongst them.
Yellowfin whiting have been firing in sheltered waters such as the Geographe bay flats and the Augusta estuary. The fishing for Black Bream in the Blackwood has been heating up with the weather, with some nice sized fish caught. As usual Herring have been prevalent along the beaches and rocky locations. Berley up and the chances of success are high. Crayfish have still been a bit slow, with those putting pots out reporting inconsistent captures. Those diving for them have been fairing better.
Some great hauls of Abalone are being taken, especially when prospecting beyond the more accessible areas.
