As we approach the start of spring, Western Angler editor Scott Coghlan explores some of the Peel and South West regions’ quality freshwater fishing locations in this week’s edition of Scott’s Spots. From Waroona to Harvey, there are many terrific spots to catch trout just off the South Western Highway. Continue reading “Scott’s Spots – Waroona and Harvey, two tranquil settings”
Tag: south west
People power wins out for new South West boat ramp
In a big win for the South West boat fishing community, the State Government has released a tender to build a new boat ramp and jetty at Canal Rocks, near Yallingup. Continue reading “People power wins out for new South West boat ramp”
New fishing platform for Bunbury fishers sets standard for more land-based fishing access across the State
Bunbury recfishers are celebrating a long-awaited victory after the newly refurbished Bunbury Service Jetty was officially opened for public fishing today.
Angel ring used in Sugar Loaf Rock rescue
Angel rings are an important component of Recfishwest’s State-wide Safe Fishing Program and they save lives. Continue reading “Angel ring used in Sugar Loaf Rock rescue”
Call out for Reef Vision volunteers
Recfishwest puts the call out for artificial reef filming fisher volunteers
Recfishwest is casting out for red-hot keen boat fishers who want to be part of the the marine citizen science program, Reef Vision – the first of its kind in the world.
We’re looking for more volunteers to join the ever-growing and valuable Reef Vision team and help catch valuable footage of the state’s artificial reefs while out fishing.
The Reef Vision Program is made up of passionate fishers from the recreational fishing community who assist Recfishwest map and monitor the growth and development of these fish habitat-enhancement structures in Esperance, Dunsborough, Busselton, Mandurah and Exmouth.
The State’s artificial reefs program driven by Recfishwest, has been developed to provide great fishing opportunities relatively close to shore allowing small boat owners the chance to have better fishing experiences.
Each Reef Vision volunteer is given a BRUV (Baited Remote Underwater Video) camera, and training on how to set up, deploy and retrieve the equipment.
The volunteers drop the cameras near to the reef on their way to their fishing spot and record an hour of video footage of the artificial reefs. This footage is later analysed by Recfishwest, university researchers and students to see what fish are using the reefs and helping us to understand the benefits of artificial reefs and the fish that call them home.
To date, Reef Vision volunteers have collected hundreds of hours of valuable footage from the six artificial reefs monitored in the reef vision program identifying hundreds of different species including dhufish, Samson fish, baldchin groper, pink snapper and large schools of mulloway and red emperor, Rankin cod, queenfish and blue bone.
“I love my fishing here in WA and being part of Reef Vision gives me the chance to give something back. It’s also really cool to see what’s going on down there – there are some amazing things you see” said Reef Vision volunteer Garry Dyer.
Recfishwest’s Research Officer Steph Watts said, “We need to know what’s happening on these reefs, and it’s even more important that the volunteers are enjoying their time collecting the footage for us.
“They’re the backbone of Reef Vision, and we can’t thank them enough,”
Fishers who might be interested in participating and want to know more are asked to email steph@recfishwest.org.au.
South West trout stocking locations and the Troutfest event
Freshwater fishing in WA’s South West can take you to places that are nothing short of breathtaking. Continue reading “South West trout stocking locations and the Troutfest event”
A new marine park in the South West, when did that happen?
Recfishwest have received feedback from a number of fishers who have recently travelled to the states South West in search of a salmon only to find their favourite fishing spot is now part of the Ngari Capes Marine Park. This confusion is hardly surprising given the community has heard very little about this park since consultation was first undertaken well over a decade ago. 
The Ngari Capes Marine Park starts about 5km to the east of Augusta and covers the entire Capes region, finishing half way between Capel and Busselton. The management zones for this park were put in place in 2018. Following a 12-month grace period, enforcement of the new fishing regulations has coincided with the start of the salmon season and this has caught many fishers off-guard.
Recfishwest made its first submission on the Ngari Capes Marine Park in 2004 and many passionate fishers in the South West made excellent contributions during the less than perfect community consultation process.
Without the input from Recfishwest and these passionate fishers, the park we see today would have had many more fishing restrictions.
Recfishwest believes recreational fishing is largely compatible with the conservation objectives of marine parks and is an activity that must be recognised as a key value when formulating management plans.
Like most fishers, Recfishwest support marine parks when they are created for the right reasons, put in the right places and implemented using simple, practical management that is risk-based, transparent and subject to regular review.
To read Recfishwest’s position on marine parks, click here.
Regardless of the process used to create the Ngari Capes Marine Park, the new regulations are now being enforced. It is the responsibility of all fishers to know what type of fishing you can do in each of the parks 15 sanctuary zones, 12 special purpose zones and 2 recreation zones. Whilst most of the Ngari Capes Marine Park still allows fishing, it is important to keep up to date by visiting either the DBCA or DPIRD website or by downloading the Recfishwest App.
The free Recfishwest smartphone app now has a new mapping feature identifying marine park zones that have some form of fishing restriction. The maps are downloadable to your phone, so once you leave phone range you can still view the maps at the touch of a button. When open, the app also sends you notifications once you enter and exit a marine park zone that has different fishing rules.
To unlock these new features, please update your Recfishwest app in the app store.
Click here to view Ngari capes zoning and permitted uses.
While the process used to create the Ngari Capes Marine Park was far from perfect, Recfishwest was pleased to hear the government earlier this year announced a new and transparent community consultation process for the creation of any new marine parks.
Recfishwest have been calling for greater consultation during the marine planning processes for a number of years and hopefully this new process will ensure the mistakes of the past are not repeated in the future. It’s vital that all of us engage at every opportunity.
This will ensure what’s important to us is recognised as part of marine planning processes.
To read about the new consultation process click here.
Breaking News – Crab Review
BREAKING NEWS!
A discussion paper release by DPIRD this afternoon calls into question the resilience of crab breeding stocks under current management arrangements and highlights an urgent need to better protect breeding stock.
Recreational fishing surveys since 2011 have clearly shown the blue swimmer crab is far and away the most caught species by fishers around Western Australia.
Particular concerns focus on increasing the protection for mated, pre-spawn female crabs which become highly vulnerable to capture in late autumn, winter and spring.
Recfishwest has held similar concerns for over a decade.
The Department have presented the following options for consideration:
1. Male-only fishery
2. Increase in the Minimum Legal Size (MLS)
3. Reducing fishing effort for all sectors when female crabs are vulnerable to capture
4. Patchwork closures for where female crabs aggregate
5. Broad-scale area closures when females are more vulnerable to capture
Attention is being focussed across the entire resource to ensure all areas of breeding stock vulnerability are addressed and includes all estuaries and ocean fishing for crabs from Perth to Geographe Bay.
In weighing up the options, the Department has identified broad scale seasonal closures (May to Nov) as the most balanced option to achieve the desired objective.
We are pleased to have the opportunity to put forward the community’s views.
Once we have fully digested the discussion paper, we will publish a short online survey, summarising the options and seeking your feedback.
Given that these fisheries account for around 90% of the state’s recreational crab catch, we urge you to have your say.
See the discussion paper summary here: http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/…/public_comme…/fmp288-summary.pdf
Recfishwest’s top lure picks for beach fishing for salmon
Catching salmon from world class beaches is one of the most iconic WA fishing activities you and your family can have. Launching a lure into a huge school of salmon only 30 metres from the beach gives every fisher, novice or pro, a tremendous thrill and one which never seems to gets old.
Check out how easy it is to catch a salmon from the beach, click here.
Lure fishing for salmon on world class West Australian beaches has many great benefits:
- No need for stinky bait and cheaper than buying bait all the time
- You can cast further and be amongst the action by putting your lure in the zone
- Adds to the ‘sportfishing’ element
- Great way to get the kids into lure fishing
- No skill needed in regards to lure movement or techniques
- Great method for catch and release fishing
So with that in mind, we’ve come up with the top salmon lures you and your family must have this season.
Salmon Lure Criteria:
- Castability: (beach casting only)
- Price: Affordable for everyone
- Catchability: Does it actually catch fish
Halco Twisty
The curved ends of the famous Twisty create an enticing action like no other metal lure. From a slow wobbling retrieve to a high-speed splashing retrieve, this lure is truly versatile. The Twisty Chrome has an incredibly realistic baitfish profile that has proven itself in both salt and freshwater.
Castability: 4/5
Price: 5/5 (approx. $5 – $10)
Catchability: 5/5
Other Species: Tailor, herring, bonito, tuna, trevally, Queenfish, freshwater trout, mackerel
How to fish them: For best results, vary speed and angle of retrieve, and choose different colours to match the available baitfish in the area. The Twisty Chrome comes in a range of weights. Constructed with a shiny chrome body, anglers have the choice of either a chrome, gold, green, or red holographic variety in a weight from 1.5g up to 70g.
Richter Plug
The Richter Plug is a simple yet effective lure that is nearly indestructible. Favoured among anglers for its great action on the retrieve this lure is the go to in any condition. With their slim profile and weight, they make a great long-distance casting lure that can be fired out like a torpedo and this can be crucial when trying to reach distant schools of cruising salmon on southern beaches. Whether you’re casting into open clear water or around rocky reef structures, this is one lure you can’t do without this salmon season.
Castability: 5/5
Price: 5/5 (approx. $5-$10)
Catchability: 5/5
Other Species: Tailor, herring, bonito, tuna, trevally, Queenfish, Kingfish, ,ackerel
How to fish them: They can be fished as either a sinking stickbait or a surface lure or both during the same retrieve! Retrieve them fast to create a frantic baitfish surface splash action or slow the retrieve down and watch it dart around just under the surface.
Available in White, Red Head, Chartreuse, Pink and Yellow, and in five sizes from 28 grams through to 140 grams – sized from 138mm to 78mm.
Spanyid Raider
Along with the Halco Twisty, Raider metal lures are one of the most versatile fishing products ever designed and are useful for many fishing applications. Not only do these lures work in all water depths, they are effective in all aspects of lure use. The range of sizes match most baitfish profiles. Their range of weights means they have multiple fishing applications but do their best work being cast off a beach at a hungry waiting school of salmon.
Castability: 5/5
Price: 5/5 (approx. $5 – $10)
Catchability: 5/5
Other Species: Tailor, herring, bonito, tuna, trevally, Queenfish, Kingfish, mackerel
How to fish them: For best results, vary speed and angle of retrieve, and choose different colours to match the available baitfish in the area. The angled design allows for maximum casting distance, a ‘dart and weave’ motion on the retrieve at all but slow speeds for spinning.
Constructed with a shiny chrome body, anglers have the choice of nine sizes ranging from 10g upto 200g.
FREE SALMON HOTSPOT MAPS
Yes that’s right, we’re giving you all the tools and advice you need to catch one of these awesome sportsfish from your local beach by providing free beach fishing for salmon maps available for download here, alternatively pick one up from a local tackle store and speak to the experts on the ground.
Also why not be involved in all the excitement by checking out the Awesome Autumn of Salmon celebrations we’re having! More info here.
So what salmon lure is the best? What do you buy?
The answer is obvious, you can never have enough lures for all forms of fishing. Recfishwest’s suggestion is to buy one of each and try for yourself. Different lures will work best with different rod and reel setups. With the lures we’ve reviewed being so affordable and proven to catch salmon, it won’t break the bank if you buy one of each and make up your own mind! 
Have you caught a salmon on one of the lures above? Send us your pics! Email them to info@recfishwest.org.au
Sign the petition to save Canal Rocks boat ramp
Click HERE to sign the petition to save Canal Rocks boat ramp!
The recreational fishing community has been angered over the past few weeks as plans to close an important boat ramp in the South West region became apparent.
Canal Rocks Boat Ramp, near Yallingup, has provided fishers access to important local fishing spots for decades. Recently, however, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is considering closing the ramp, citing safety concerns.
This has been met with anger and frustration from both local and visiting fishers who are set to lose access to one of the South-West’s most loved aquatic playgrounds.
Recfishwest Operations Manager Leyland Campbell who spoke at the rally to hundreds of concerned locals , said the peak body is disappointed not to have been consulted and that all options to keep the ramp open are not being considered.
”We will advocate for the ramp to remain open as it is actually one of the safest ramps in the region and DBCA claims about safety simply don’t add up.”
“The Department of Biodiversity, Conservations and Attractions claim this ramp doesn’t meet Australian Standards (exposure to waves greater than 20cm) however, the standards they are choosing to apply are for boat ramps within marinas, not oceanic ramps. If the government applied this standard to all oceanic boat ramps in Western Australia then over 90% of these ramps would be closed. This is simply not acceptable and cannot go unchallenged.”
“While Recfishwest has a strong track record in advocating for fishing safety, we recognise people must take personal responsibility. It is not the Government’s role to protect the community from every conceivable risk, but it is the Governement’s role to provide the basic community infrastructure required to support our culture and lifestyle,” Mr Campbell said.
“The fishing public of Western Australia accept the risks associated with operating a vessel anywhere in our state, including using discretion to assess any ramp for a safe launch and retrieve.”
Recfishwest believe access to high-quality experiences, including fishing, are paramount to the West Australian lifestyle and must be maintained.
Local fisher Glenn Wakelam can’t believe the ramp is being considered for closure.
“This is such a popular ramp during the summer months. On a nice day, it is not unusual to find over 20 trailers in the carpark,” he said.
“Canal Rocks Boat Ramp has been used by the public for decades and the wave height has not changed over that time.
“People aren’t stupid if the swell is too big, they don’t use the ramp.”
Recfishwest has written to the Environment Minister urging him to reconsider this decision but we need your help to ensure the message is heard loud and clear.
What can you do to help?
1. Sign the petition, HERE.
2. Contact your local MP, and tell them how important it is that we have recreational boating facilities around our great state. Whilst you may not launch at Canal Rocks, your local ramp could be next on the list.
3. Tell everyone you know. The more we can let decision makers know how important access to great fishing experiences is to us, the better our chances of a decision in our favour.
