Where is the best fishing in Perth?

There's no single best spot — it depends what you're after. For sheer variety and consistency land-based, the Fremantle moles, Coogee Beach and the Rockingham foreshore are hard to beat. For tailor and the chance of a mulloway, the surf beaches from Scarborough to Mullaloo are the metro pick. For a calm-water session close to a coffee, Hillarys Boat Harbour or the Swan River.

What's the best jetty to fish in Perth?

With Ammo Jetty at Woodman Point closed for its rebuild until around summer 2027, Rockingham Jetty is the most reliable land-based jetty in the metro area for herring, squid, tarwhine and whiting, adding king george whiting in the warmer months. For sheltered, family-friendly water, Hillarys Boat Harbour fishes when the coast is blown out.

Where can you fish in Perth without a boat?

Almost everywhere. The Fremantle moles, every metro jetty, the surf beaches and the entire Swan-Canning estuary are all productive land-based. Perth is one of the best cities in Australia for shore fishing — you can reach quality water from a car park at dozens of spots without ever needing a boat.

Do I need a licence to fish from shore in Perth?

No general licence is needed for shore-based line fishing in WA. Separate licences apply to rock lobster, abalone, marron, net fishing and freshwater angling. Bag limits, size limits and closed seasons still apply to everything you keep — check the current rules at fish.wa.gov.au before you head out.

Where can I catch pink snapper around Perth from shore?

Land-based pink snapper are a winter and spring proposition, mostly off the deeper marks — the Fremantle moles and the harbour walls give you the best shore-based shot. Cockburn Sound is the metro snapper nursery, so size and bag limits are tighter there and there's a seasonal spawning closure. Always check the current Cockburn Sound rules at fish.wa.gov.au.

What fish can you catch in Perth?

Land-based you'll commonly catch Australian herring, tarwhine, yellowfin and king george whiting, southern calamari, skippy and tailor. Bigger targets include mulloway off the beaches, pink snapper off the deeper marks, and black bream and flathead through the Swan-Canning estuary.

Best Fishing Spots in Perth

Perth is one of the best cities in Australia to fish without a boat. You’ve got 30-odd kilometres of metro coast, two sheltered harbour walls at Fremantle, a string of surf beaches that hold tailor and mulloway, and an entire estuary running through the middle of the city — most of it a short drive and a flat walk from a car park. The hard part isn’t finding water. It’s choosing.

This is the umbrella guide, sorted by the kind of fishing you want to do. We’ve got separate rundowns for beginners and for fishing with kids; this is the broader “best spots” list. Pick the type that suits the day’s wind and what you’re chasing, then click through to the spot page for tides, access notes and the current bite forecast.

Moles and Groynes — The Deep-Water Shot

The harbour walls and rock groynes put you over deeper water than a beach or jetty, which is why they hold the broadest range of fish. They’re also the least forgiving — grippy shoes, and don’t fish the end in a big sea.

North Mole — the Fremantle landmark. Tailor at dawn and dusk, squid along the inside, and the genuine shot at a winter pink snapper or mulloway off the deeper end. Busy, productive, and the closest thing Perth has to a fishing institution.
South Mole — the quieter twin across the harbour mouth. Same species mix, often fewer people, and a good land-based mark for tailor on a running tide.
Cottesloe Groyne — short, accessible and central. Herring, tarwhine and squid off the rocks, with tailor through the cooler months. Fishes best early before the swimmers and the brunch crowd arrive.

Jetties — The All-Rounders

Jetties are the backbone of land-based Perth fishing: flat footing, deep enough water, and a species mix that keeps you busy. If you’re picking one spot blind, start here.

Ammo Jetty at Woodman Point — the same public jetty also listed here as Woodman Point Jetty, not two spots — is closed for a full rebuild until around summer 2027. For the same sheltered Cockburn Sound herring, tarwhine, whiting and squid, Rockingham Jetty or Coogee Beach are the swaps.
Rockingham Jetty — one of the most productive shore marks south of the river. Squid, herring, tarwhine, whiting and tailor, with king george whiting as a warm-season bonus. The water sits sheltered behind Garden Island, so it fishes when other spots are blown out.
Hillarys Boat Harbour — bulletproof when the wind’s up. Protected water inside the marina walls, sealed paths, cafes five metres away, and a steady run of herring, squid and tarwhine. The most accessible fishing in Perth.
Mosman Bay Jetty — the pick if you want jetty fishing on the river instead of the coast. Bream, herring and squid in calm, leafy water a long cast from the CBD.

A long drive south, but worth a mention: Busselton Jetty is the longest timber-piled jetty in the southern hemisphere, and the deeper end fishes for squid, whiting and skippy. A day trip, not a dawn session — but a special place to wet a line.

Surf Beaches — Where the Big Ones Live

If you want a fish that pulls back, the metro surf beaches are the answer. Tailor run the gutters at dawn and dusk through the cooler months, and a beach session is your best land-based shot at a mulloway after dark.

Scarborough Beach — central, easy access, and a reliable tailor beach when the gutters line up. Read the sand at low tide, then fish the trough on the rising water.
Trigg Beach — the reefier neighbour, holding herring and tarwhine around the structure plus tailor off the beach. Respect the swell; it builds fast.
Leighton Beach — a long, open stretch between Fremantle and Cottesloe that produces tailor and the chance of a mulloway after dark.
Mullaloo Beach — up north, a classic tailor and whiting beach with a gentle gradient that’s easy to read.

Beach fishing rewards effort: a Halco Twisty 40–55g or a set of ganged hooks on a mulie, a long rod for distance, and the patience to fish the change of light. Overkill for a herring, but you need the reach to get beyond the first breaker.

The Swan-Canning — Estuary Fishing in the City

The river runs through the heart of Perth and fishes year-round in water that’s calm when the coast is a mess. Black bream are the headline estuary fish — moody, structure-obsessed, and a genuine challenge — alongside flathead, whiting and herring.

Point Walter — the long sandbar into the lower Swan holds bream, flathead and whiting along its edges, and the foreshore is built for a relaxed session. The all-rounder of river spots.
Narrows Bridge — city fishing under the freeway. The bridge pylons and deeper channel hold bream, mulloway in the warmer months, and tailor pushing up on a tide.
Bicton Baths — a swimming enclosure with fishable jetty structure attached. Bream work the pylons and herring school through at dusk.
Mandurah Jetty — south of the city, where the Peel-Harvey estuary serves up bream, whiting, herring and, in season, blue swimmer crabs you can scoop from the foreshore.

Pick Your Spot by What You Want to Catch

A fish that fights — surf beaches for tailor and mulloway; the moles for a winter pink snapper.
A feed of herring and squid — Coogee, Rockingham or Hillarys, any time the water’s calm.
A challenge — chase black bream on light gear through the Swan, where the fish are smarter than the fishing.
Shelter from the wind — Hillarys, the river spots, or Rockingham behind Garden Island when the coast is unfishable.

Read the Conditions First

The best spot on paper is useless in the wrong wind. Summer easterlies flatten the coast at dawn, then the sea breeze slams in by midday and the bite dies. Winter southerlies close the exposed jetties but barely touch the middle Swan. Tailor and mulloway feed hardest at the change of light; squid and herring bite through the day; a rising tide around dawn or dusk lifts the odds almost everywhere on this list. Pull up wind, swell, tide and the bite forecast on BiteCompass and match the spot to the day, not the other way around.

Rules and Etiquette

No general licence is needed for shore-based line fishing in WA, but bag limits, size limits and closed seasons apply to everything you keep — and Cockburn Sound has its own tighter pink snapper rules and seasonal spawning closure. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development sets the lot; check the current numbers at fish.wa.gov.au before you keep a fish. Give other anglers room, and take your tackle and rubbish home — mono left on the rocks is a death sentence for seabirds.

Perth’s land-based scene is deep enough that you could fish a different quality spot every weekend for a season and not run out. Start with the type of fishing you want, pick a spot, and check wind, swell and tide on BiteCompass before you load the car. Get the conditions right and the spots look after themselves.