Recfishwest on the road! A big weekend celebrating fishing across WA

From the Pilbara to the South-West, Recfishwest was out and about over the school holidays, getting amongst three fantastic community fishing events.

Our team clocked up hundreds of kilometres and helped make plenty more memories catching up with local communities at the Southern Forests Trout Festival, Dampier’s Stardeck Mackerel 5000 and the Kalbarri Kids Whiting Competition.

From helping the next generation of fishos get hooked on fishing to gathering valuable scientific samples and celebrating WA’s freshwater fisheries, it was a big weekend with our State’s love for fishing on show.

Pemberton – Five years of freshwater fishing fun!

In the South-West, 300 freshwater anglers and families gathered at Big Brook Dam for the fifth annual Southern Forests Trout Festival, enjoying hands-on fishing fun!

Hundreds of rainbow trout yearlings and a dozen striking-looking brown trout broodstock were released into the dam, with plenty of excited young fishos helping give the trout a new home.

Hosted by the Southern Forests Freshwater Angling Club in partnership with Recfishwest and the Shire of Manjimup, the festival also featured fly-fishing demonstrations, face painting and family activities, helping introduce the next generation to WA’s fantastic freshwater fishing opportunities.

Southern Forests Freshwater Angling Club secretary Petula Holland said, “The highlight was seeing the excitement on the children’s faces as they released the trout. The chilly weather didn’t deter them at all.”

A big thank you to the Southern Forests Freshwater Angling Club, DPIRD, our fish-stocking partner Daiwa Australia, the local freshwater angling groups, and all the volunteers who helped make another fantastic festival possible!

Read more about getting into freshwater fishing in WA here.

Dampier – Fishing for science and getting kids hooked!

In the Pilbara, our Fishing for Science team, supported by Woodside Energy, got hands-on at Dampier’s STARDECK Mackerel 5000, with 40 boats taking part.

fish were still generously donated for scientific sampling, helping our team and DPIRD’s Paul Lewis collect valuable data to better understand Spanish mackerel stocks and support sustainable fishing into the future.

Learn more about our Fishing for Science initiative here.

Twenty young fishos took part in our Recfishwest kids fishing clinic in partnership with the Nickol Bay Sportfishing Club, learning new skills and enjoying some hands-on fishing fun!

A big thank you to the Nickol Bay Sportfishing Club, participating fishers, volunteers and our clinic supporters, Woodside Energy, for helping make it all possible!

Kalbarri – Hundreds of kids hook into school holiday fishing fun!

There were plenty of smiling faces at the Kalbarri Kids Whiting Competition, with 356 young fishos taking part across two Thursdays during the school holidays!

Run by the Kalbarri Offshore and Angling Club for 36 years, the much-loved event welcomed returning families and new faces, with plenty of whiting and a few surprise catches keeping the kids entertained.

Club president Cheryl Eley said the competition remains a favourite on the local calendar, with businesses and volunteers generously contributing prizes, giveaways, and their time to make the event possible.

Supported through Recfishwest’s Community Grants Program, the competition is a fantastic example of grassroots fishing bringing families and communities together, with plenty of smiles and memories made along the way!

A huge thank you to all the organisers, volunteers, anglers and families who all turned out for these great events and welcomed our team in another epic weekend for fishing in WA.