A really great place that I've been to that's not too far from Perth would have to be Wagoe Beach. Only being around 550km north of perth and about 20km south of kalbarri it can be driven easily in a morning. Not only does it produce some spectacular fishing at times but it also has some magnificent scenery to admire.
A great thing about this place is if your not totally into your camping but still love fishing you can always stay at the chalets that are located on the farm. Although these are not a five start accomodation they are perfect for somewhere to stay while you are fishing.
Reef fishing
The beach and reef fishing here is something to really appreciate, with plenty of snapper, trevally, tailor being caught with the added possibility of landing a dhufish or baldchin groper with the latter two usually stitching you up in the first few seconds.
My favorite fish here has to be the pinkies as there's are a great fighter, and with them being so plentiful up there your always in with some fun. At times they are there in massive numbers but its usually the smaller ones they get to the bait first. The average sizes i have usually caught here would have to be round the 3-5kg mark but I have seen ones up to 8kg lying next to the cars of some lucky anglers.
As for the gear to use i run a shimano spheros 18000 loaded with good quality 50lb braid on my oz flex SU400 rod. For me personally I have found this to work the best up there, with the rod being stiff enough to muscle the fish out but has just enough give to no pull the hooks. The only negative thing with using braid in these types of areas is if it touches the rocks 9/10 times it'll ping. A good way to overcome this is just run a few meters of wind-on leader just to give you some abrasive resistance.
With rigs for me it has to be the Simple ball sinker and hook rig. A big size 10 ball sinker running down to a 6/0 hook works well for me. The ball sinker hitting the rocks on retrieve for me stops it snagging up and loosing a rig. I've used many others like paternosters but usually you get a few cast before its lost to the sea.
Balloon fishing
One thing that draws many fishos here is the ballooning, being able to send out a gardie under a balloon and be in with a good chance of a pelagic not too far from Perth is a big drawcard. As yet I'm still chasing my first wagoe mackie but I've seen plenty caught and landed so it keeps me in the game.
A good thing with here is that the range of pelagics are quite vast, with yellowfin and longtail tuna, mackies and even cobia being caught. At times tho it can be pretty hard to get past the nor west blowies, these can be a pain as they have the nasty habit of biting 10/0 hooks like butter.
Since the sharks are not as bad and prolific as places like steep point and quobba, there is no need to muscle the fish in you can let them tire and float them in. This is great as once you hook a fish you don't have to worry about it being bitten in half.
My gear is a trusty tyrnos 30 running 600yd of 65lb braid topshot with 250yd of mono, this is more than enough line as after a mackie makes its first run its usually beat. My rod is a shimano catana 10ft and for the price of these they are the best on the market, but coming past these rods are hard as these have been discontinued for a while now.
Weather
One major factor with this place is the weather, it can be your best friend or worst enemy. Care should always be taken when fishing, especially when off rocks or cliffs and this place is no exception. It's been a few times I have been knocked over by a wave coming from nowhere.
A swell of round 1-1.5 meters will allow you to fish the reef very comfortably and be able to get close to the edge with not too much hassle. I have fished it as high as 3 meters and it can be done just very very safely and standing further back away from the waves. If the rocks do get too dangerous or your not too sure there are always the cut ins and beaches between the reef, just be careful here too as the waves can break close and big next to the edge.
Other than that this place can be a real pleasure to fish and I hope to see your out there sometime.
Tight lines
Reece
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