The Fishing Report: Winds make squid fishing tricky

Squid have been on the quiet side this week with strong winds making it hard to catch these slimy suckers.

Small catches have been reported, with skilled boaties able to navigate over various weed patches having better luck.

Cuttlefish are showing up in good numbers off both Bunbury and Busselton with many being landed as by-catches for people chasing bigger fish.

Mulloway are being caught along the coast, with some lucky anglers getting not just one but two in the space of a couple of weeks.

Beginner’s luck chasing mulloway was the case for angler Joe, who landed his first-sizeable one off the Busselton Jetty.

A week later he hooked onto another while fishing offshore in the Geographe Bay region.

Choices of bait included live herring and a paternoster rig baited with squid.

Divers who are still chasing crayfish are doing quite well, not letting cooler water temperatures deter them away from these spiny creatures.

It is also the season for snapper.

And there are numerous examples of this species being landed both locally off the beach and boats as well as further south.

Squid seems to be the bait of choice but snapper are unpredictable with some managing to swallow large baits like blue mackerel, herring, snook, tailor, skippy and whiting.

But by far the most favoured bait by anglers is the good old mulie.

King George whiting are in good numbers especially offshore.

Sizes are great in the high 40s and mid 50s and are very meaty at that size.

Rigs that work well for these fish include snelled hooks with a long strip bait which presents well rather than a ball of meat.

Hooks in the 3/0-5/0 size are perfect.

Baits such as squid, octopus or mulies is the best choice.