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Writer's pictureToni Dearle

Fishing in the forests downsouth

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With all this National Park – there are plenty of places to lay your head, fish in the rivers, lakes and dams and just return to nature.

The National Park DPaW managed campgrounds tend to be in National Parks – so please do not bring your dog if you intend to fish in this area as there is no pets allowed in National Parks (the baiting program in this region is prolific and it is a terrible consequence for your pet to go through). Big Brook Arboretum and Moons Crossing are pet friendly state forest camping options you can DIY...

Fisheries Western Australia have seasonal fishing in rivers and streams – and Marron (our fresh water crayfish) is very seasonal with a limited summer season. Koonacs are also found in our winter wet swamps – but you would be hard pressed to suggest to a fisheries officer that is what you are netting (but fun to find with the kids!).

You will require a license to fish in the rivers and streams which can be purchased from online from the Fisheries Website. (Combine it with your Marron license to save a few dollars) you just need to show the receipt from the purchase to a fisheries officer if you purchase it during your holiday; you will be mailed out a plastic permit.

If you wish to purchase equipment then Rods, lures and bait are available from the Pemberton General Store or the BP Garage in town.

Trout season is now open all year round with the Warren River a favourite for Redfin and Trout – please note it is illegal to through Redfin fish back in once you catch them – they are good eating though so enjoy.

If you feel like giving fly fishing a go - you can book a private tour with Jim Kitis from Australis Fishing Ph 0427 007 080. He is available to travel to the Warren and other private dams to give you a lesson on the correct way to fish and you are pretty much guaranteed to go home with dinner.

If you can't be bothered purchasing a license then you can try and throw a line in the ocean - easy 2WD access is down at Windy Harbour - around 45min south of Pemberton.

If you don't have either license or equipment then the easy way out is to visit Karri Valley Resort as they offer fishing from Lake Beedelup (a private stocked lake) with rod hire available from Activities and no license is required.

Visit the Fisheries website and grab the pdf for the bag limits, fishing rules and fish species – they are valuable to store on your smart phone as a link. Other pages and specific fish species information is listed below.

Western Australian dhufish

Pink snapper

Tailor

Herring

Sand whiting

King George whiting

Black bream

Australian salmon

Marron

Rock lobster

Abalone

Freshwater angling

Recreational net fishing

Fishing from a boat

Some accommodation places have stocked dams – as they are not available to the general public they are not listed here.

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