Do King George whiting bite in winter in Perth?

Yes. King George whiting are caught year-round around Perth and the bite holds through winter, though it concentrates around deeper, sheltered water — Cockburn Sound, Shoalwater Bay and the lee of Rottnest. Mid-morning on a rising tide on a calm day is the standard winter window, not the first-light dawn session that works in summer.

What's the bag and minimum size for King George whiting in WA?

Bag limit is 12 King George whiting per person per day, with a minimum size of 28cm. KGs are not part of the combined whiting group — they have their own rule. Confirm current limits with DPIRD before keeping a feed.

What about yellowfin and school whiting?

Yellowfin and Western School (sand) whiting share a combined bag limit of 30 fish per day across the two species. There is no minimum size on either. They're mostly found on shallow sandy flats and inside estuaries and they bite year-round.

Where are the best Perth jetties for whiting in winter?

Palm Beach Jetty, Woodman Point Jetty and Ammo Jetty are the consistent winter performers. Palm Beach in particular fishes well in winter because the structure is short, the water is shallow over sand, and KGs cruise close to the pylons on a rising tide.

Is bait or lure better for whiting?

Bait. Whiting are a bait species — fresh pipis, tube worms, beach worms or peeled prawn. Soft plastics will occasionally produce yellowfin on the flats but they will not match a fresh worm on the same drop, and they're a poor option for KGs.

Why are whiting better in calm winter weather?

Whiting feed by sight in shallow water. Calm, clear days let them see bait on a long-shank hook in the sandy patches between weed. Stirred-up water from a winter front pushes them off the flats and shuts the bite down for a day or two — the second calm day after a front is often the standout.

Perth Winter Whiting 2026: Where King George, School & Yellowfin Are Still On

The autumn run is over, the salmon are gone, and Perth has shifted gears. Tailor are still around for the patient, but the species that quietly carries the metro shore-fishing calendar through winter is whiting. Three of them, actually — King George, yellowfin and Western School — and through June 2026 they’re worth more than the cold morning it takes to chase them.

This guide is the lay-of-the-land for winter whiting in metro Perth: the rules, the spots that fish through winter, the rig that keeps catching fish, and the conditions that turn a quiet session into a feed.

The three whiting and why they matter in winter

King George whiting are the headliner — sweet, white, prized table fish that grow to 4kg and reward a quiet, considered approach. KGs feed over sand near weed beds in sheltered water and they hold around Perth year-round, with the spring/autumn peak around Cockburn Sound and Shoalwater. Winter fishing is reliable rather than red-hot — you fish the deeper, calmer pockets and the protected bays of Rottnest Island, and you settle in for a slower bite.

Yellowfin whiting are smaller, more abundant, and more willing biters than KGs. They cruise sandy estuary flats and shallow beach gutters and they’re the species you’ll most often catch by accident while targeting something else. They hold through winter but the bite tightens as the water cools.

Western School whiting — usually called sand whiting around Perth — are smaller again, often the first fish a kid catches off a jetty, and excellent eating despite the size. They run through winter on the same flats as yellowfin and through the inner reaches of jetties.

The rules — all three together

Confirm current numbers with DPIRD before you keep fish. At the time of writing:

King George whiting: bag 12, minimum size 28cm.
Yellowfin and Western School (sand) whiting: combined bag of 30 across the two species, no minimum size.

KGs are not part of the combined whiting group. The 12 KGs is on top of the 30 combined. Get the species ID right before you put one in the chiller — KGs have the distinctive horizontal rows of small dark spots running along the back, the others don’t.

Where they’re still on through June

Mangles Bay, Cockburn Sound — the most consistent winter KG mark in metro Perth. Sandy bottom near patchy seagrass beds in protected water. Wade out to the sandy patches and cast into the gutters. Mid-morning on a rising tide on a flat day is the standard winter window. Fresh pipis or tube worms on a small long-shank hook, light line, patience.

Palm Beach Jetty, Rockingham — the standout winter jetty for both KGs and yellowfin whiting. The water is shallow over sand and weed, the jetty structure pulls fish in, and unlike a lot of metro jetties, it actually fishes through winter rather than going to sleep. KGs cruise close to the pylons on a rising tide.

Woodman Point Jetty — broader Cockburn Sound option. Mixed-bag spot — KGs, herring, the odd late squid before the new season starts in August — but the whiting fishing through winter is the part most anglers underrate. Fish the deeper end on the change of tide.

Rottnest Island — if you’re prepared to take the ferry and the bike, the north-side bays around Rotto sit in the lee of the prevailing winter southerly and fish for KGs when the metro shore is wind-blasted. Geordie Bay, Longreach Bay and the inner east coast around Thomson Bay all hold fish on a calm day. The bonus: you’ll usually have the spot to yourself in June.

Point Walter, Swan River and Applecross Jetty — the Swan River runs cooler in winter and the whiting bite slows compared to summer, but yellowfin and school whiting still come through on the sandy flats inside the river. Worth a quiet session on a still afternoon when the metro coast is unworkable. River winter whiting fishing is more about the walk than the haul, in honesty.

Ammo Jetty, Coogee — a fallback when wind shuts the open coast. Smaller average whiting than Palm Beach but a reliable bend in the rod most winter sessions, mixed with herring.

The rig that keeps catching whiting

Whiting fishing is a rig-and-bait game. There’s no clever lure work, no technique that beats the fundamentals. Get the rig right and let the fish do the rest.

Rod: 7–9ft light spin, 2–4kg. Sensitive tip — whiting bites are tap-tap-tap, not a hit.
Reel: 2500–3000 size with 4–6lb braid.
Leader: 4–6lb fluorocarbon, around a metre.
Rig: running ball sinker straight to a #4–6 long-shank hook. Use the lightest sinker that holds bottom. Some anglers run a small two-hook paternoster for sand whiting on the flats — both work.
Bait: fresh pipis (collected from the beach an hour before fishing if you can), tube worms, beach worms, peeled prawn. Frozen bait will catch but fresh always outfishes it for whiting.
Net: for KGs over a metre of jetty drop. Lifting on light line over a high pylon is how good fish get lost.

Conditions — calm and clear, not dawn and dark

Whiting are not a low-light species. They’re sight feeders over sand and they bite better in calm, clear water on a rising tide than they do in the wash. The window most winter sessions hinge on is mid-morning to early afternoon on a flat day with the tide coming in. After a winter front blows through and the swell drops, the second day of the calm is often the standout.

Watch wind especially. A southerly that ruffles Cockburn Sound at 15 knots will shut the KG bite down. The same morning at Mangles Bay in glass-out conditions will produce.

When the metro coast is closed

Some June sessions you’ll wake up to a 25-knot southerly and 3m of swell and there’s no point being on the open coast. That’s the day for the Swan River, the Mandurah estuary, or staying home. The whiting won’t be feeding either.

For live wind, swell and tide on the spots in this guide, check BiteCompass before you commit.