Drakesbrook Weir Fishing (Waroona)

Q: What fish are in Drakesbrook Weir?

Drakesbrook Weir at Waroona holds stocked rainbow and brown trout, redfin perch, and marron in season. The weir is restocked with trout each year — most visibly around the Waroona Troutfest each spring — so the trout fishing is put-and-take rather than a wild fishery. Redfin are a declared pest and must not be returned to the water alive.

Q: Can you use a boat at Drakesbrook Weir?

Only electric-powered or paddle craft. Petrol and other motorised boats are prohibited on the weir, which keeps the water calm for swimmers, kayakers, and bank anglers. A kayak, canoe, or electric-motor tinny is the way to reach the far bank and the deeper water off the wall.

Q: Do you need a licence to fish Drakesbrook Weir?

Yes. Fishing for trout, redfin, and other freshwater species in WA's south-west needs a South-West Freshwater Angling Licence, and taking marron needs a separate Recreational Marron Licence. Both are issued by DPIRD — check the current requirements before you go.

Q: When is marron season at Drakesbrook Weir?

The WA recreational marron season runs from 12 noon on 8 January to 12 noon on 5 February each year — under a month. Drakesbrook Weir is a general marron water, so the limit is eight marron per licensed fisher per day at a minimum 80mm carapace, taken with a drop net, scoop net, or snare. Always confirm current dates and limits with DPIRD before you set a net.

Drakesbrook Weir is what happens when a town decides its water supply should also be a swimming hole, a marron pot, and a trout fishery — and mostly pulls it off. Sitting on the edge of Waroona about 120km south of Perth, an easy hour and twenty down the freeway, it’s a freshwater spot built for a day with the family rather than a dawn raid. The fishing is honest: stocked trout, a few redfin, and marron for the few weeks a year you’re allowed to chase them.

Officially it’s Lake Moyanup, but everyone calls it the weir. This is a guide to what swims in it, when you can take it, and how the no-powerboat rule quietly shapes the whole experience.

What’s in the Weir

Drakesbrook is a stocked fishery, not a wild one, and that’s the point.

Rainbow and brown trout — the headline species. The weir is restocked with trout each year, most visibly around the annual Waroona Troutfest when thousands of fingerlings and grown fish go in. That makes it put-and-take fishing: the trout are there because someone put them there, and the population leans on the stocking calendar.
Redfin perch — an introduced European pest, established here as in most south-west dams. They pull hard for their size and eat better than their reputation suggests, but they’re a declared pest in WA and must not be returned to the water alive. Catch one, keep one.
Marron — the smooth marron (Cherax cainii) that the whole south-west chases for a few weeks each summer. Drakesbrook is a classic public marroning water, close enough to Perth to make a season trip realistic.

For the full picture on each, see the brown trout, marron, and redfin perch species guides.

The Electric-Only Rule (and why it matters)

The single most important thing to know about Drakesbrook Weir: motorised boats, other than electric, are prohibited. No petrol outboards, no jet skis, nothing with a combustion engine.

This isn’t a footnote — it shapes the fishing. The water stays flat and quiet, which suits trout that spook off engine noise and anyone bank fishing or paddling. It also means the far bank and the deeper water off the wall belong to whoever brought a kayak, canoe, paddleboard, or electric-motor tinny. A cheap inflatable kayak genuinely opens up water that bank anglers can’t reach, and you’ll have it to yourself while the swimmers stay near the pontoon. If you don’t paddle, the bank fishing is still the core of the spot.

Marron Season Rules

Marron is the most tightly regulated fishing you’ll do here, and the rules are not optional. The recreational season is short by design: 12 noon on 8 January to 12 noon on 5 February each year. Outside that window, marroning is closed completely.

What applies at Drakesbrook (a general marron water, not a trophy water):

Licence: a separate Recreational Marron Licence from DPIRD — your freshwater angling licence does not cover it.
Bag limit: 8 marron per licensed fisher per day, measured noon-to-noon.
Minimum size: 80mm carapace length. Measure before you bag it.
Gear: drop nets, scoop nets, or a single bushman’s pole snare — one method at a time. Traps and pots are illegal.

Worth knowing: nearby Waroona Dam (Lake Navarino) and Harvey Dam are trophy waters with a tighter limit of 5 marron at 90mm and a snare-only rule, so don’t carry one dam’s habits to the next. Bag and size limits change, so confirm the current season with the DPIRD recreational fishing rules before you set anything.

Gear and Technique

Trout

Stocked trout in still water respond to small, slow presentations. From the bank:

PowerBait (rainbow, sherbet, or green) on a running sinker rig, fished on the bottom near the wall or off the pontoon — the standard stocked-trout method, and it works.
Small spinners — Celta size 1–2, or a 3–5g spoon — fan-cast and retrieved slowly along the margins at first light.
Soft plastics — a 2-inch grub on a 1/16oz jighead, hopped slowly, when fish are fussy.
Light gear: a 6–7ft 1–3kg rod, a 2500 reel, and 4–6lb line. Fluorocarbon leader if the water’s clear.

Early morning and late evening are best. Browns in particular feed in low light and go quiet under a high sun.

Redfin

Redfin hold around structure — submerged timber, weed edges, the drop-off near the wall. Small soft plastics, bladed lures, or a worm under a float will find them, and where there’s one there are usually a dozen. A good species to put a kid onto: aggressive, willing, and no minimum size to fuss over. Just don’t release them alive.

Marron (in season)

A baited drop net or scoop net worked from the bank at dusk and checked by torchlight after dark. Oily baits — chicken, soap, or commercial marron bait — last well. This is the part families camp out for: set in the late afternoon, eat dinner, check by torch.

Conditions and Timing

Freshwater fishing here runs on light and temperature more than tide. Aim for the cooler edges of the day — dawn and the last hour before dark — and the cooler months for the most active trout. Hot, still summer afternoons are for swimming. Marron is the summer exception, because the season is locked to January.

Check the Waroona Dam area forecast on BiteCompass for the day’s wind and temperature, and if you’re pairing the trip with the coast, Preston Beach is the closest surf — about twenty minutes west — for tailor and whiting on the same weekend. Heading further south, Wellington Dam near Collie is the other big south-west impoundment worth a look, holding the bigger trout and redfin.

Frequently Asked

What fish are in Drakesbrook Weir?
Stocked rainbow and brown trout, redfin perch, and marron in season. The weir is restocked with trout each year, so it fishes as a put-and-take fishery. Redfin are a declared pest and must not be returned to the water alive.

Can you use a boat at Drakesbrook Weir?
Only electric or paddle craft — kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, and electric-motor tinnies. Petrol and other motorised boats are prohibited, which keeps the water flat for swimmers and anglers.

Do you need a licence to fish Drakesbrook Weir?
Yes — a South-West Freshwater Angling Licence for trout and redfin, and a separate Recreational Marron Licence to take marron. Both come from DPIRD.

When is marron season at Drakesbrook Weir?
From 12 noon on 8 January to 12 noon on 5 February each year. Drakesbrook is a general marron water: 8 marron per day, 80mm minimum carapace. Confirm current dates with DPIRD.

Is Drakesbrook Weir good for kids and families?
It’s one of the better family fishing spots within easy reach of Perth. The reserve has a pontoon, BBQs, shaded picnic shelters, a playground, and walking trails, and the electric-only rule keeps the water flat and safe. Bank fishing for trout and redfin needs no boat and not much gear, which suits first-timers.

Drakesbrook Weir is the kind of spot you take the kids to and quietly end up fishing harder than they do. Sort your South-West Freshwater Angling Licence with DPIRD, read up on the marron season before January, and check the conditions on BiteCompass before you load the car.