Recreational catch estimates are frequently questioned by stakeholders and the fishing community, even when derived from robust survey methods. Comparing independent sampling approaches provides a direct way to test data accuracy and strengthen stakeholder confidence in the results. This is particularly important in multispecies fisheries, where fishers catch diverse species across broad spatial areas (up to 200 species). Off-site surveys (Phone Diary, PD) provide cost-effective, broad-scale coverage but rely on self-reported species identification, while on-site surveys (Boat Ramp, BR) allow for direct inspection of retained species by trained interviewers but are often limited in spatial and temporal scope. Using data from six concurrent PD and BR surveys over a 13-year period (2011–2024) in Western Australia (30,146 PD and 10,854 BR fishing trips), we applied non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and similarity percentage analysis (SIMPER) to compare species composition of retained catches between methods. Family-level catch composition overlapped substantially across four marine bioregions and eight fishing zones (NMDS stress <0.05), with SIMPER identifying four families driving dissimilarity between survey methods. In the Gascoyne Coast bioregion (northwest) this was driven by Lutjanidae (notably Pristipomoides typus) and Scombridae (Thunnus albacares and T. tonggol); on the West Coast, by Labridae (Notolabrus parilus); and on the South Coast, by Arripidae (Arripis georgianus and A. truttaceus). Higher detection rates in BR surveys for the Lutjanidae, Scombridae and Labridae species were consistent with misidentification or broad taxonomic reporting by self-reporting fishers, while differences in the two Arripidae species reflected seasonal sampling of the BR surveys rather than misidentification. These findings demonstrate that PD and BR surveys produce broadly consistent, corroborating species composition and diversity, supporting their combined use as complementary monitoring tools while identifying specific taxa where targeted training and education could improve confidence in recreational catch data.