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With the popularity of fishing booming and our growing population, the Perth metropolitan area is under recreational fishing pressure but there are still plenty of fish to be had. There are plenty of good fishing locations around the Perth metro area, so grab your reel and give them a go. Choose from the Swan River, Canning River or beautiful Indian Ocean.

The Top 10 Fishing Spots in Perth

#1 Canning Bridge

Good fishing infrastructure is available at Canning Bridge with a fishing platform for anglers. The river still has good supplies of fish with black bream, flathead, whiting, mulloway, herring and tailor popular in the area. As long as you know your fish species and the seasons they are most active, you’ll increase improve your chances. Bream like to hide near jetties, banks and bridge pylons and are most active near sandbanks. Try to use their favourite foods of mussels, worms and shrimp as bait. In summer you can try using a light-weight soft plastic lure.

#2 Blackwall Reach

A quiet spot away from roads with just the bush and cliffs to keep you company. The drop-off near the cliff is close to 25 metres, a perfect hiding spot for large schools and predator fish. Blackwall Reach is well-known for the wide variety of fish species you can find there. Try your luck for schools of herring, bream, mullet, tailor, garfish, pinkies, tarwhine, snapper and flatheads. Blowfish are notorious at Blackwall Reach - to avoid snagging one of them try moving your bait quickly through the water. With all the different species of fish swimming around Blackwall Reach, it's important to know your fishing knots. We recommend picking up a copy of the "Waterproof Book of Essential Fishing Knots" by Geoff Wilson for $8, as an addition to your tackle box.

#3 Narrows Bridge

In the heart of the CBD, the Narrows offers a central, sheltered, easy access area which also makes it a popular spot particularly in summer. Mulloway like to hide in around the bridge pylons. Black bream up to 45 cm are regulars here too and can be caught on almost any bait, even bits of bread and artificial lures. Try to avoid snagging your line on the seaweed and rocks and the discarded lines in the water.

#4 Riverside Gardens, Bayswater

This spot is a popular one for taking the kids fishing with a small jetty and fenced playground when the kids have had enough of their reel. Upstream is free of blowfish and has plenty of fish hiding holes with all the bridges and posts. Black bream are the most popular species in the area. If you're taking the kids fishing for the first time, grab a copy of the "WA Fish Guide & State Regulations Poster" for just $10- This colourful guide will help your kids learn about and identify all the fish you will be catching!

#5 Two Rocks

In the far northern suburbs, Two Rocks is an ideal location for catching dhufish. Hook the big fish from the beach or try your reel at pink snapper, groper, mulloway, samson, whiting, and cod. With a 4WD, you can access the beaches north of the marina to take advantage of the gutters and small reefs.

#6 Hillarys Boat Harbour

Another favourite northern suburbs location. There is no fishing allowed from the boardwalks and jetties in the boat harbour but there are more than enough rocks to go around on the groynes. Fish for skippy, bream, tailor and King George whiting. You can try fishing inside the marina on an incoming tide with light gear using bait. The south rock wall has water so clear you can see the fish you’re trying to hook. This makes Hillarys a firm favourite for kids learning to fish.

#7 E-Shed Markets, Fremantle Wharf

A Perth fishing hot spot list isn’t complete without including Fremantle. There’s no shortage of places around the iconic port city to drop in a line. The warmer waters in the harbour or river entrance are ideal. The E-Shed wharf offers tailor, bream, skippy and herring. Beware, there can be plenty of blowfish here so watch your bait. Just getting started in Beach fishing? Check out our blog on beach fishing here!

#8 Woodman Point, Munster

Another old favourite spot to take your kids fishing is Woodman Point. The groyne offers herring, tailor, salmon, snapper, garfish, skippy, whiting, flathead and squid. Use soft plastic lures or bait including mulies, squid, worms, peeled prawns, and squid jigs. Winter is ideal for squid fishing in the weed beds. During summer move to the end of the groyne and use mulies for catching salmon and tailor. It’s best to try for snapper after a storm. The jetty is also a popular fishing spot.

#9 Mangles Bay, Rockingham

For people in Perth’s southern suburbs, Rockingham offers beach, jetty and rock wall fishing. The majority of fish found in the area include mulloway, pink snapper, tailor, herring, silver trevally, samson, king george and yellowfin whiting. Australian salmon pass by on their annual migration in autumn. Pink snapper and mulloway are the species most often caught off the two town jetties. The Mangles Bay Fishing Club is on Point Peron Road overlooking Cockburn Sound. Fish like to take shelter around the boat moorings.

#10 Claremont Jetty, Claremont

The Claremont Jetty is another popular river fishing spot that offers black bream, tailor, flounder, silver bream, cobbler, and mulloway. It’s the ideal location to chase giant herring that have been reported here. If you don’t mind getting wet, you can try scooping or trawling along the beaches near the jetty for crabs and prawns.

About Fishing in Perth

Wherever you decide to fish around Perth, do your research before you go to increase your chance of success. The Department of Transport website contains information on coastal data, weather and emergencies. If you need a good resource to help wile away the hours while fishing check out The Ultimate Fishing Adventures which provides information on everything from knot typing to cooking your catch. It’s important to know which type of fish you have landed. So if you can’t tell the difference between a bream and cod, you need a copy of the Anglers Guide Fish of Australia. Take the laminated poster fishing so you can pinpoint the fish species. If you would like to identify the seaweed you reel in, check out the Marine Plants of the Perth Region for photographs and descriptions of all the plants you can find off the coast. Looking for a good fishing guide? Give us a call on (08) 9335 8665 or contact us online and we can give you a recommendation or track down a resource for you.