Beginner Fishing Spots in Perth

The classic first-fish jetty — but Ammo Jetty is closed for a full rebuild until around summer 2027, so it’s out for now. For the same sheltered Cockburn Sound water and the same easy herring, squid and tarwhine, Coogee Beach is the like-for-like swap, with the Palm Beach and Rockingham jetties further down this list close behind.

Bulletproof when the wind’s up. Hillarys Boat Harbour is probably the most accessible fishing spot in Perth — sealed paths, cafes five metres from the water, and protected water inside the marina walls. Herring, squid, tarwhine and the odd skippy or tailor all turn up. It’s busy on weekends, and expect at least one tourist to ask you what you’re doing with a straight face. Early morning or evening fishes better anyway.

Estuary fishing at its most family-friendly. Point Walter has a big park, shade, toilets, a playground and a long sandbar running out into the Swan. Black bream, flathead, whiting and herring all work the edges of the bar, and you can fish light gear off the sand without ever standing on structure. The non-fishing partner will actually enjoy the surroundings here, which buys you more trips in the long run. Watch the paddle boarders behind your back cast — it gets busier than the Narrows on ferry day.

Quieter cousin of the main Rockingham jetty. Palm Beach Jetty sits along the Rockingham foreshore with flat, walkable footing, schools of herring that hang around most of the year, and enough sand and weed patches either side to hold yellowfin whiting through summer. Parking is kerbside and usually easy. It’s the kind of spot you can set up a camp chair, send the kids to the grass strip behind you, and fish for a couple of hours without a plan. A good confidence builder.

Underrated all-rounder. Coogee Beach gives you protected water, a walkable groyne, and a low-set jetty kids can fish safely. Herring, tarwhine and the occasional small tailor or squid round out the card. The whole area is sealed paths and grass lawns — you can push a pram to the water, which matters when fishing has to fit around a two-year-old. Swim and fishing zones are signed, so do the right thing. The cafe at the back of the reserve means you’re never far from a flat white if the bite dies off.

A different flavour — shore-based estuary fishing on shallow flats. Ashfield Flats sits on the middle Swan and holds bream that nose up onto the shallows on a rising tide, hunting prawns, crabs and worms. Quieter than quiet on a weekday morning, and it rewards a soft approach: lightweight gear, unweighted or lightly weighted bait, and patience. Not the spot for a bucket of fish, but a cracker for a solo session where you actually learn how bream eat. Wear boots you don’t mind getting muddy — the bank isn’t exactly the Cottesloe promenade.

Full family day out material. The Mandurah foreshore and jetty area is walkable, grassy, playground-adjacent, and sits right on the estuary. Bream, whiting, herring and tailor all show up, and in summer you can drop a net for blue swimmer crabs between fishing rods — note the crab fishery is closed 1 September to 30 November, so it’s a summer-and-autumn affair only. Bring proper tongs — a blue swimmer will take a chunk out of a finger without apologising. An easy drive down the freeway and one of the best introductions to estuary fishing in the state.

Busier than some, still beginner-friendly. Rockingham Jetty is one of the most productive shore-based spots in the metro area — southern calamari, herring, tarwhine, whiting and tailor all feature, with king george whiting as a bonus in the warmer months. It can get crowded at change of light, and there’s usually a bloke in thongs holding court about last summer. Find a gap and fish. The water’s sheltered behind Garden Island, the footing’s flat, and the species mix means you’re unlikely to blank.