Where can I take my kids fishing in Perth?

Point Walter, Hillarys Boat Harbour, Mandurah Jetty, Coogee Beach, Rockingham foreshore and Bicton Baths are the standouts — all with calm, protected water and most with toilets, grass, playgrounds and cafes nearby. Pick the one that suits your kids' ages and keep the session short.

What's the easiest fish for kids to catch in Perth?

Australian herring. They school up, bite in daylight, fight above their weight and take a strip of mulie on a simple float rig — the perfect first fish. Yellowfin whiting on the sand flats and tarwhine around jetty pylons are the other reliable kid-pleasers.

Do kids need a fishing licence in WA?

No — and neither do you, for jetty and beach fishing. In WA you don't need a licence to fish from the shore at any age, so the herring, whiting, tarwhine and bream kids chase off a jetty are all licence-free. A Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence only applies to fishing from a powered boat. Always check current rules at fish.wa.gov.au.

What gear do you need to take kids fishing?

Keep it simple: one short rod per kid with a pre-tied rig, a size 6–8 long-shank hook, a small float and a packet of mulie or bluebait. Crush the barbs, pack wet wipes and more snacks and water than you think you need, and bring a spare rod for the one that gets dropped off the jetty.

How long should a fishing trip with kids be?

Short. Two hours is the ceiling for under-eights, ninety minutes is safer. Finish while everyone's still having fun rather than pushing through a meltdown — that's how you end up with kids who actually want to come back.

Kid-Friendly Fishing Spots in Perth

Taking the kids fishing sounds simple until you’re twenty minutes in, down one thong, out of sunscreen, and explaining for the fourth time that no, we cannot swim in the bait bucket. Perth is spoilt for family-friendly spots though — grass, toilets, cafes nearby, and species keen enough to quiet the “when’s the fish coming?” countdown that starts every ninety seconds. Here are seven that actually work with kids in tow.

Point Walter (Swan River)

Point Walter is the gold standard. Huge grassed foreshore, playground, toilets, cafe, and a sandbar that runs out into genuinely fishy water. The edges hold black bream, flathead and the odd whiting, and kids can paddle in ankle-deep water fifty metres from where you’re fishing. Prawn chunks or worms on a size 8 long-shank will catch something most sessions. The only real hazard is the kid who decides to walk along the sandbar while you’re tying a rig, then announces they’re going to Rottnest.

Hillarys Boat Harbour

Hillarys Boat Harbour is basically a family fishing theme park. Cafes, ice cream, playgrounds, AQWA next door if the fishing goes pear-shaped, and sheltered water that fishes when the coast is blown out. The inner jetties produce Australian herring almost every session — the perfect “first fish” species, pulling like they’re three times their size. Bluebait or small strips of mulie on a size 6 long-shank under a float is all you need. Keep clear of moving boats, and accept that at least one juice box will end up in the harbour.

Mandurah Foreshore and Jetty

The Mandurah Jetty and foreshore is family central on the weekend. Crabs in summer, bream year-round, herring, whiting and the occasional flathead, plus grass, playgrounds, fish-and-chip shops and multiple coffee options for the adult in charge of morale. Scoop nets for blue swimmer crabs (in season, within rules) are basically designed for seven-year-olds. The water’s calm, the jetty’s wide, and there’s something happening the whole time — which matters when your kid’s threshold for “nothing is biting” is about four minutes.

Coogee Beach

Coogee Beach pairs a swimming enclosure with a small jetty, playground, cafe and grassed foreshore. The water is protected, the sand soft, and kids can rotate between fishing and swimming without a car trip in between. Herring, tarwhine and whiting come through off the jetty, and southern calamari show up on a squid jig drifted beside the pylons. Look before you cast — Coogee gets busy, and “sorry about the sinker” is not the conversation you want to be having.

Rockingham Foreshore

Rockingham Jetty and foreshore is underrated. Enormous grassed area, playgrounds, cafes, ice-cream shops, protected water and a jetty that holds herring and whiting. Snorkelling gear works for the kids who’ve given up on fishing by 9am. Short casts work — most fish are within ten metres on the right tide.

Bicton Baths (Swan River)

Bicton Baths is a swimming enclosure with fishable jetty structure attached — exactly what you want. Older kids swim, younger ones fish, everyone’s within shouting distance. Bream work the pylons, herring school through on dusk. A flotation vest for non-swimming toddlers isn’t paranoid — the jetty edge is closer than it looks when a kid is chasing a runaway tackle tray.

Ammo Jetty (Woodman Point)

Ammo Jetty is the rustic one a lot of Perth parents first handed their kid a rod on — no cafe on top of it, a walk from the car, but reliable herring, tarwhine, whiting and squid. It’s closed for a full rebuild until around summer 2027, so for the same sort of session right now, Coogee Beach or the Rockingham foreshore are the swaps.

Species That Actually Cooperate With Kids

Three species do the heavy lifting: Australian herring, yellowfin whiting and tarwhine. Herring are the headliner — they school up, bite in daylight, fight above their weight, and take a piece of mulie on a simple rig. Whiting are the sand-patch option on a rising tide. Tarwhine fill the gaps around jetty structure. Southern calamari on a squid jig is a good sideline for older kids with patience for twitch-and-pause. Save Swan black bream for dedicated adult sessions — moody and structure-obsessed, they’ll test a patient adult let alone an eight-year-old.

Practical Tips for Fishing With Kids

Keep sessions short. Two hours is the ceiling for under-eights, ninety minutes safer. One rod per parent, one per kid — don’t run three rigs between two of you, because the moment two snag at once you’ll wish you’d stayed home. Crush the barbs; they come out of fingers, sleeves and the inevitable hooked jumper with a lot less drama.

A mini-tackle kit with pre-tied rigs saves you tying knots while being asked when the fish is coming. Wet wipes for bait hands are non-negotiable. A spare rod in the car is a good call for when one gets dropped off the jetty by the older cousin showing off a hook-knot he “learned on YouTube”.

Pack more water and snacks than you think you need — juice boxes are a recognised currency at Perth jetties, and a second one keeps negotiations short. Just check before you head home that the esky doesn’t also contain a nappy from earlier that morning. Ask how I know.

Rules, Safety and What to Check Before You Go

Usual WA rules apply — bag and size limits, closed seasons and licences are set by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, so check the current rules at fish.wa.gov.au before keeping anything. Sun protection matters more than you think on a Perth jetty — zinc, hats, long sleeves, shade if you can rig it. Life jackets for non-swimmers near the edge are cheap insurance.

Check the forecast on BiteCompass before you load the car. A 25-knot easterly makes a session miserable even if the fish are biting. Pick a calm morning, keep it short, and finish while everyone’s still having fun — that’s how you end up with kids who want to come back.

Perth’s family fishing spots are some of the best in the country, and you don’t need a boat or a big drive to make a day of it. Pick one that suits your kids’ ages, load a small kit, check wind, swell and tide on BiteCompass, and go. Land that first herring and you’ve probably got a lifelong angler on your hands — or at least someone who owes you a coffee in twenty years.