Going beach prospecting is well worth it

As I sit down to write this report, I have to admit I’ve been a little distracted. The beach fishing around the Perth Metro area has gone beaches, I mean areas like Floriet, Trigg, Swanbourne and Cottesloe. These beaches produce good fishing on a consistent basis. Bread and butter species like herring, skippy, sand whiting and tailor are regular captures at all of these locations. Like with a feed of the species mentioned, what excites them in these cooler months is the prospect of tangling with some big mulloway in the wash, and species like pink snapper and samsonfish. Drone anglers are certainly driving the success on these species, however a drone is not an essential component of beach fishing success. Fresh bait, the right gutter, a bit of berley and being prepared to endure the cool morning temperatures are generally the real reasons for success at this time of the year. It is something I love, so I will see you out there.

Similar to the beaches, the rock wall fishing can be very good in the cooler months. The squid are bigger, the pinky snapper fishing steps up a notch (60-90cm average size fish), month, however our inshore grounds will also fish well for King George whiting, sand whiting, squid and the occasional flathead.

Any time I think about inshore fishing in these cooler months I think of Middle Ground. This area defines what you are looking up a notch. It is almost like the cooler conditions have sparked a beach fishing smorgasbord. The exciting part about this is that it should continue into June

It only seems fitting to start this report with what is happening on our Perth Metro beaches. When I say Metro any waterway, it is important to maximise your chances of finding fish. On our beaches, this means identifying the best gutters (likely to hold fish), so taking the time to do this before wetting a line will only improve your results. A berley bag pegged into the wash will also help.

Although beach anglers will always be happy while species like King George whiting, herring and skippy are all present. Early morning starts are your best option, with areas like the Fremantle Sailing Club, South Mole, North Mole and Cottesloe groyne all worth a look. Just take care during bad weather.

THE SWAN RIVER

The three main target species in the Swan River this month will be bream, mulloway and tailor. To find any of them, the key is to locate areas with structure that holds the food that they love eating.

As an example, the Swan River tailor tend to be found in the deeper channels beyond the sand flats and shallow water, ambushing food as the water drains into the deeper water.

The bream love natural or manmade structure. They hide in it while they wait for an oppotunity to grab anything that swims past. The area between Causeway up to Maylands and around Guildford has plenty of this structure, so it produces consistently good bream fishing. A good familyfriendly option is Garvey Park; the fishing access is good and there are some other distractions on offer if the fish aren’t biting.

Another option in June in the Swan are blue swimmer crabs. The deeper sections of the river between the Old Brewery and the Canning Bridge is a good place to start.

INSHORE

Pink snapper will be on most people’s minds this for if you are targeting any of these species. Areas of reef, sand patches and weed all mean these fish are available.

With the snapper, fishing at night (or at least the light changes), at anchor and with a berley trail will offer you the best chance of success.

Again, pink snapper will make up a large part of the angler effort in June in our offshore waters. These fish are such a big part of our DNA on this part of the coastline. Having said that, although they should be thick in the 20-40m depth zone, they are not your only targets. Breaksea cod, baldchin groper and dhufish are all attractive targets in this depth zone.