10 best fishing spots in Perth 2025

Perth’s best fishing spots are kept under breath by most fishers. But with a waterscape as vast as ours here in the west, there are so many great spots to catch excellent eating fish that we couldn’t help share a few. 

Fishing is one of the most popular things to do in Perth, the city’s long stretches of water running like veins through the region, splicing the city into two factions: SOR and NOR (South and North Of the River, respectively). Which is why we’ve included the best spots on both sides of the Swan River, as well as the long stretch of Perth coast.

Let’s get to it!

1. Canning Bridge, Como

The bus stop on Canning Highway sees plenty of passengers exit with their fishing rods and for good reason. Underneath Canning Bridge (fishing is prohibited on the actual bridge), either the west or eastern side, produces a barrage of bream and herring for the casual angler. We’ve even seen a huge mulloway brought in on the fishing platform (closed to the public since 2022). 

Canning Bridge has been a favourite Perth fishing spot for over eight decades, making it one of the most well known places to cast a line in the city. Expect to hook onto a blowfish or two, as the more you fish in the Swan River, the more likely you are to accidentally get one on your line. 

It’s one of the best fishing spots to access via public transport. If you don’t have a car and are looking for your next adventure in Perth, check out our list of top hiking spots near Perth accessible via public transport.

2. Cockburn Sound, Cockburn

Snapper is the primary target for fishers visiting Cockburn Sound, a huge body of water between Garden Island and WA’s Naval Base. 

The vast inlet has a tonne of spots on offer for those anglers with an outboard motor. And if not for the all-season fishing, the annual salmon migration brings a lot of punters to the region, a huge benefit of the Leeuwin Current. The D9 barge wreck is an awesome spot to bag out on snapper (as well as incredible shipwreck diving). Sulphur Rock near Garden Island offers snapper too, so load up on berley as they love the stuff. 

Make sure you check the Fisheries WA website before fishing anywhere in Cockburn Sound, as the region has been closed regularly (usually from early September to January the following year) to allow for pink snapper spawning. 

3. Point Walter Jetty, Point Walter 

In the middle of Point Walter’s family area sits a nice long jetty that’ll fetch you flathead, bream, flounder and cobbler. It’s one of the best fishing spots in Perth for accessibility. There are plenty of sandy patches amidst the seaweed where the flathead hunt their prey. A beautiful looking fish with a sweet taste, the flatties give up a hell of a fight, so eat your wheaties before you hunt them down and respect your fellow fishers when you’re dancing up and down the jetty with one on your lure. 

The nearby Point Walter sandbar stretches right into the middle of the Swan River. It’s walkable from the jetty, and in the right conditions can be a great place to take your kids for a cast. Or a swim, if you’re looking for a great swimming hole near Perth.

4. South & North Moles, Fremantle

Two of the best fishing spots in Perth, both South Mole and North Mole in Fremantle are a short drive from each other and are red hot favourites in the WA fishing community. 

North Mole offers far bigger catch than South Mole, and it’s not uncommon for fishers to take home solid sized tailor or even snapper. You’ll want to get to North Mole early to avoid searching for a spot to put your bucket and tackle box. The rocks are a little dicey, so only go if you’re confident keeping your rod in hand and balance in check. 

Far more suitable for beginners, South Mole is a great spot to bag herring, bream and the odd small tailor. The rocks are far easier to navigate at South Mole than North, and seeing as you’ll likely be bringing berley along for the hungry herring, you’ll have a less messier time juggling your tackle box and gear. Take the squid jig just in case the herring prove shy. 

5. Riverside Drive, East Fremantle

Alongside one of Perth’s fanciest Dome Cafe’s sits a brilliant pocket to fish for yellowfin whiting, flathead and cobbler. The same can be said all along Riverside Drive in East Freo, from Dome to East Street Jetty. 

The jetties here act as great platforms to drop a line, with lower tide offering solid conditions. There’s a lot of water moving here with the mouth to the ocean only a couple kilometres away, so the bigger fish love it. 

6. Narrows Bridge underpass, Perth City

Flathead and tailor run pretty rampant under the Narrows Bridge, particularly on the northside. The currents are quite strong, and as the bigger species of fish hunt their prey with the higher flow of water, it’s an excellent fishing spot to land some great eating fish. 

I’ve caught Mulloway here before, but felt as lucky as a lotto winner when doing so. They’re few and far between, so clear your dinner plans if you hook onto one. Mulloway are brilliant eating, sweet, delicate and if you ask me, perfectly paired with a local craft brew. 

7. Woodman Point Ammo Jetty, Coogee

One of the best beginner fishing spots in Perth, the Ammo Jetty at Woodman Point is an incredibly accessible, spacious and fun place for great fishing. You’ll find few better places to take the family for a fish, with bread-and-butter species in abundance. Herring and yellowtail are common in the area. 

All that said, the bigger catch can be found here, with Spanish Macks having been pulled in many times in its long history. 

Plans have been unveiled for a serious upgrade to the Ammo Jetty, with a t-head style jetty to replace the one that’s seen fishers fetch their catch since 1903. 

8. West End, Rottnest Island

Of course, a guide to Perth’s best fishing spots wouldn’t be complete without mentioning our island paradise, Rottnest Island. On Rotto’s far western point, the aptly named West End invites schools of salmon during their annual run, and year-round you can find herring, skippies, King George Whiting and even great sized dhufish. You don’t need a boat, but if you have one, you’ll be in line for Spanish Mackerel if the time is right, and of course snapper and dhufish in the deeper parts of the area.  

If you’re on two wheels, it’s a half decent ride to get out there, so choose your time wisely: use the morning easterlies to get you to West End and hope the onshores to kick in by the time you’ve bagged out and decided to head to the Quokka At Arms (the pub). 

You can of course get crayfish out this way on the island too, with a tonne of great spots all around the perimeter of the island to find a cray. For me, these are best spots to find crays on Rotto. 

9. Mooro-Beeloo Bridge, Bayswater 

Bream are a dime a dozen in Bayswater, particularly around the old Redcliffe Bridge, now known as the Mooro-Beelo Bridge. The best thing about bream of course is that they almost catch themselves, so a baited hook with no sinker will serve you well. Choose soft plastic lures and you’re a big step towards bagging bream in Perth waters. 

We’ve also barely seen a blowie in these parts, so if you hook on to something it’s either an old shoe, the bottom or a decent fish. 

10. Mullalloo Beach, Mullalloo

Finally, just north of the surf club in Mullalloo, is an immaculate stretch of beach that has been known to deliver mulloway, tailor, herring and the odd flathead. Chase the early morning offshores and cast a line from the sand or head to the cliffs for Pink Snapper, if you’re lucky. 

What to look for in a great fishing spot

Secret fishing spots in Perth are hard to come by for obvious reasons. WA fishers are notorious for withholding fishing information, and why wouldn’t they be? Half of them probably found those spots on their own. 

If you want to find your own amazing fishing spot in Perth, go out and buy some charts from your nearest fishing store and do the investigation yourself. Look out for any groins, inlets or areas with sharp bends, see what their access points are like (whether from land or sea) and consider getting out there. 

You can even download some pretty cool fishing chart apps, which tell you surface temperatures, currents, tides, moon phases, and allow you to mark your own ‘hot spots’. On the free side of things, Google Maps is a great resource for hunting down your own secret fishing hole. 

Just grab your rod and go exploring! At the end of the day, even without a bite, you’ll have yourself an awesome adventure trying to pioneer your own fishing spot in Perth. 

FAQs about fishing in Perth

Do I need a licence to fish in Perth?

In WA, every fisher catching fish from a boat needs a recreational fishing licence. This also applies for those catching marron and crayfish, or those fishing in freshwater (although a few criteria apply for the latter). 

If you’re fishing from a jetty or elsewhere on land, you don’t need to hold a recreational fishing licence. 

As of 2025, the costs are modest, with recreational fishing licences from a boat costing $40, crayfish licences $50 and freshwater angling about the same. 

Get your 2025 fishing licence here

To uphold their cultural rights and ensure their ongoing relationship with their waters, Aboriginal persons are not required to hold a fishing licence in WA.

What are the best fish to go for in Perth? 

The most common fish you’ll find on your hook are herring, skippy, whiting and flathead. The odd tailor and bream can be found in certain parts of the river and we’ve caught King George Whiting off the shore in South Beach in South Freo. Muloway is also popular, as is bream. On a boat, you might even get a hit from a tuna, like this one caught trolling in the Rottnest channel…

Springtime sees the annual salmon run, pulling punters out of bed early for a chance to hook a fun fighting fish along the WA coast.

Finally, if you manage to hook on to any Kingfish (Yellowtail Amberjack), keep the spot to yourself. 

What bait should I use?

Mulies are one of the most common types of bait found on fishing hooks in Perth, a magnet for herring, tailor, snapper and even King George Whiting. For bream, scaled mullet from the local fish shop or grocery store is a superb baitfish. 

Coral prawns are a crowd favourite. You’ll scarcely find a Perth kid who’s parent hasn’t helped chucked one on their line. Pinching the slippery little suckers on to my small octopus hook as a little tacker is forever etched in my mind. 

That said, stay away from frozen prawns from the supermarket, especially those from overseas, as these foreign shellfish can introduce unwanted bacteria to our waters. Only buy from fish shops using reputable Aussie brands. 

Lures are also an excellent option. They’re hassle-free for the novice angler, and these days, with soft plastics the go for much of the bread-and-butter fishing in Perth, they can actually be preferred over fishbait.

When’s the best time to fish in Perth?

With nothing better than the ambient light, golden hour is great for Perth fishing, both sunrise and sunset offering excellent conditions. These times are great for underwater predators to find their own meal. The water is also cooler and the oxygen levels higher at these times, favoured conditions for a considerable number of fish species. 

Moon phases also impact fish volumes. If you can, choose nights with a full or new moon. The tides are at their strongest then, meaning bigger fish come in to feed off the goodies that the high flow of water churns up.  

Is fishing at night better? 

It depends on the fish you’re hunting, but typically night time offers excellent spoils for the braver fisher. What fish can you catch at night in Perth? Mulloway, tailor, bream and of course squid favour night time conditions, due to their nocturnal vision and large beady eyes. 

Fishing at night at Perth presents additional challenges for the average angler. You’ll 100% want to douse yourself in mosquito repellent, long sleeves, gloves and pants—even in summer. The mozzies in Perth are relentless, especially by the water. Take your head torch, a decent camping chair, maybe even an eski of goodies to keep your tastebuds active while you work on finding your dinner. 

Can I take home any sized fish? 

Absolutely not. The WA Fisheries have incredibly tough laws to drop on any fisher doing the wrong thing. (We’ve even heard stories of people having their houses repossessed for extremely illegal fishing practices. Naughty, naughty.) Get yourself an AFN Fish Ruler Guide to help identify your catch’s minimum size. It’s under $25 from your local fishing store and also serves as a great educator to help you figure out what the hell you just caught. 

If you don’t have a ruler guide, either don’t fish at all or release everything you catch. In our book, anyone without a ruler guide or an idea of their bag limit also won’t have a clue about whether a fish is considered legal catch.

Everything you need to know about WA bag limits, fish size and possession limits is explained right here.

Is the Swan River clean enough for fish? 

These days, there’s always a risk that heavy or light metals have found their way into the fish you catch. Perth is no different, with the Swan River not exactly a perfectly pristine body of water. 

That said, we’ve never had a problem with our catch in the Swan. If you’re worried, head to one of our mentioned fishing spots on the Perth coast. You might feel more confident that the vast expanse of water offers cleaner catch. Otherwise, you can always just enjoy the fishing mission—catch and release and go buy your fish from a sustainable seafood brand. 

Our tips for a successful fish

The right bait will of course go a long way to getting the best out of your Perth fishing experience, as will having the right gear. Don’t be afraid of early mornings or late nights on the beach, on the rocks or (safely) in the boat. I’ve occasionally dove into the shallows at Mullalloo to find troughs where the baitfish hide. Sure, the word ‘shark’ cast a shadow over my mind, but when I found a few deep channels, we were on for an exceptional night fishing. Efforts like that go a long way, so don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty and your body wet to make for a successful fishing experience. 

But success in our eyes stems to water conservation too. Ensure you never go over your bag limit and return anything to the water that’s undersized or even debatably so. Leave only your footprints on the beach. Our resident population in the west is rapidly growing, and we want our kids—and even their great, great grandies—to enjoy the best fishing spots in Perth, just as we do.