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Five Fathom Bank ( Mandurah - Rockingham ) Western Australia

Five Fathom Bank had good reports over the summer of good sized Dhu fish and Snapper, along with some big Tailor, Yellowtail, Kingies and Samsons in good numbers. Please click the read more link for an interesting article about Boat Fishing on the Five Fathom Bank / Three Mile Reef, by Adam Eastman.

The entire Five Fathom Bank looks very good on a sounder, but it is difficult to determine exactly where to fish.

Best way of finding the spot is to drift. Best spot to start is to generally concentrate on the ocean side drop off and try and drift up/down this drop off.

Complete another drift once you leave the main drop off, other wise you will be drifting in the shallow water on top (approx. 10m) which is loaded with rig snagging kelp and wrasse, or the sandy flat on the ocean side which only has whiting.

Try to drift slowly, with the aid of a reasonably sized sea anchor, because unless you have a north or south drift, you will have passed the ground before you've even dropped your lines. As a rule of thumb a sea anchor about 1/3 the length of your boat in diameter works best - don't believe the recommended sizes of most sea anchors.

The quality fish on Five Fathom Bank tend to be localised so once you come across some activity and land some fish, mark the spot on your GPS or preferably drop a marker buoy.

A marker buoy seems to work better because you can line your drift up better as you have a visual landmark to orientate yourself with. Now having this spot marked, you can either keep working that bit of ground by drifting if the drift is not too fast, or more easily anchor up, using your marker, right over the top of the fish.

Do not berley in this situation as you will only encourage wrasse and rubbish fish like rays to the area. The action should then steadily increase as the fish in the area investigate the activity in their area. The really good fish (like Jewies) may take some time to persuade, but eventually they will be tempted. As a rule of thumb, the presence of red coloured fish usually indicates a good patch.

Once the action shuts down, return to drifting and try to find another location.

Unfortunately, unlike most deepwater spots, an area that holds heaps of fish one day can be totally barren the next, so working GPS marks that you have caught fish on in the past is no guarantee to success.

Also snags can be a real issue, have plenty of spare rigs and tackle.

Main species:

Foxfish: Like a smallish, red baldchin (bluebone) in appearance and every bit as good to eat. Like caves and broken, rubbly bottom. Have small mouths and bites are short, sharp continuous pecks, best way to hook is to feed out some slack line so that they can swallow the bait.

Breaksea Cod: Usually smaller and a lot darker than their deepwater siblings, but what they lack in size they make up for in number. Can be found just about everywhere, finding the big ones is the tricky bit. Voracious feeders, can fit surprisingly large baits in their mouth, easy to hook.

Red Snapper/Swallowtail: Usually found in small schools around lumps/pinnacles, so it's not unusual to get a dozen or so very quickly. Large mouths, will usually hook themselves.

King George Whiting: Usually encountered in sandy holes on broken bottom, 1 or 2 at a time. Will peck away incessantly at a bait until it is all gone, best way to hook is the same as for Foxfish.

Jewfish: By no means common on the Five Fathom Bank, and the majority will be undersize, most come from small caves and ledges and where there is one there is usually a couple. Less hesitant bite than ones from deepwater, and like a largish bait.

Other common species: Harlequin, Leatherjacket, Sweep, wobbegong, Skippy, Flathead, Blue Devil, Queen Snapper, Blackfish, Gurnard, Wirrah plus other reef 'uglies'.

Tackle

Rigs: As main rig use a paternoster style rig with two droppers tied with a full blood knot or 'dropper loop'. Swivels seem to spook shallow water fish and become expensive when you lose plenty, use black swivels if necessary. Line around 50lb is great for traces and perfectly strong enough for all fish likely to be encountered, I like Schneider brand - excellent wear resistance and knot strength, but don't use clear lines, again they seem to spook the fish.

Keep droppers quite short, about 30 cm as long droppers will snag if too long. Hooks 3/0 chemically sharpened suicides - small enough to handle smaller mouthed species yet large enough to escape most wrasse etc. Sinkers should be quite big, around 16 oz to make sure you stay on the bottom. A sinker which is too light will drift around on the bottom and snag too much or you will be inclined to feed too much line out and again snag. Also set up a rig, same style, with bigger hooks (6/0's) for bigger baits to target the larger species eg Jewies.

Rods/Reels/Handlines: Easiest combo is a mid sized overhead on an 8 to 10 kg line class rod with plenty of butt strength and a sensitive tip. Handlines are a good, cheap alternative, but make sure line not too heavy otherwise you will lose too much sensitivity. Braided line is brilliant - easy to feel bites, set hooks and hold bottom. Line class around 30 lb (15 kg) is more than adequate for the Five Fathom Bank.

Bait

Octopus: The pick of the baits, make sure it is fresh (i.e. NOT pink) otherwise swells up and fish don't like it. Cut the suckers off the tentacles and cut into bits about the size of 20c piece for 3/0's and bits the size of a mulie for 6/0's. Leave plenty of hook point exposed.

Squid: As good as occy but more susceptible to pickers. Bait as for occy

Herring/Mullet: Excellent so long as it is fresh. Scale, fillet and cut into diagonal chunks for 3/0's, whole fillet for 6/0's.

Other baits: Prawn, Mulie, excellent baits but usually destroyed by pickers.

ALWAYS occy/squid on bottom, fish bait on top hook, mainly for snagging reasons.

Other Hints

Tow a big squid jig with you on a heavyish handline - some of the squid and cuttlefish are absolutely huge. If you are keen, catch some live herring on your way out and drag a free swimming herring while you drift. Can be dynamite on sambos, Yellow Tail Kingies, bonito and even mackeral in season.

For further information please visit their web site Australian Anglers Association

With Thanks

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