What fish are biting in Perth in October?

October is arguably the best fishing month of the Perth year. King George whiting peak on the grass beds, southern calamari are firing, black bream are feeding as the rivers warm, herring are everywhere, yellowfin whiting move onto the sand flats, and the first tailor of the spring run start showing on the metro beaches.

Where do King George whiting bite around Perth in October?

October is peak KGW on the inshore grass beds and sand patches. Drift over broken ground in three to seven metres with small long-shank hooks, light fluoro and fresh bait. Safety Bay and the flats off Warnbro hold quality fish, Hillarys is worth an early launch, and land-based anglers can score off Palm Beach and Rockingham jetties.

Is October a good time for squid in Perth?

Yes — southern calamari are in cracking form through October, with thick weed beds, clear water and squid that haven't copped the summer crowds yet. Fish size 2.5–3.5 jigs at first and last light, natural colours in bright sun and brighter ones in low light. Ammo Jetty and Woodman Point are the same jetty, now closed for its rebuild until around summer 2027, so Rockingham Jetty, Coogee Beach and Mandurah Jetty are the picks.

When do tailor start showing in Perth in spring?

The first tailor of the spring run start appearing on the metro beaches through October as the water warms. It's not the thick autumn schools, but early-season fish tend to be decent greenbacks rather than choppers. Throw 20–40g metals fast through the gutters at dawn and dusk, and keep moving until you find them.

How do you catch yellowfin whiting around Perth?

Yellowfin whiting are the sleeper fish of October — they move onto warming shallow sand flats to feed on nippers, worms and small prawns. Fish light gear with a running ball sinker straight to the hook and fresh bait, or small surface lures like bent minnows on calm mornings. Work the shallow gutters on a rising tide and keep moving.

What’s Biting in Perth in October

October is proper spring in Perth and it’s arguably the best fishing month of the year. The water’s warming, the grass beds are green and holding bait, the mornings are still calm, and the afternoon sea breeze hasn’t quite worked itself up to full tyrant mode yet. It’s that sweet spot where you get a run of 24°C days that feel like 28°C the second you step outside. Fishing-wise, there’s a bit of everything on — peak whiting, squid firing, bream feeding, herring everywhere, and the first tailor of the season starting to show. If you can only pick a handful of sessions this year, stack them in October.

King George Whiting: Peak on the Grass Beds

The headline act this month is King George whiting. October is when the metro population really kicks into gear on the inshore grass beds and sand patches. Water’s warm enough to have them feeding hard, not so warm they’ve moved deeper. Numbers are up, sizes are solid, and they’re genuinely reliable if you put the work into finding clean bottom.

Drift fishing over broken ground in three to seven metres is the go. Small long-shank hooks, light fluorocarbon leader, fresh bait — squid strips, prawns, or blue sardine fillets will all get a flogging. Safety Bay and the flats around Warnbro Beach are both holding quality fish, and Hillarys Boat Harbour is worth a shot if you launch early, before the tradie utes migrate to the boat ramp like it’s a pilgrimage. Land-based, Palm Beach Jetty and the outer edges of Rockingham Jetty can produce a feed if you work the weed edges with a light running sinker rig.

Southern Calamari: Firing

Southern calamari are in cracking form through October. Weed beds are thick, water’s clear, and the shallow grounds are loaded with squid that haven’t copped the summer holiday bombardment yet. First and last light are the prime windows, though overcast days fish well right through.

Size 2.5 to 3.5 jigs do the heavy lifting. Natural browns, pinks, and olive greens when the sun’s up; brighter oranges and pinks for low light. With the one public jetty at Woodman Point — the Ammunition Jetty — closed for its rebuild until around summer 2027, Rockingham Jetty and Coogee Beach are both producing consistently, and the weed edges around Mandurah Jetty are worth a run on a run-out tide. Sink to the weed, sharp double rip, long pause — most hits come on the drop. Keep a rag handy.

Black Bream: Solid and Feeding

Black bream are on the chew as water temps climb and the river systems warm through. The Swan and Canning fish are moving into the middle reaches chasing prawns and small baitfish, and the Mandurah estuary fish are doing similar work along the reed lines and pontoon fringes.

It’s still a finesse game. Small soft plastics on light jigheads, unweighted prawns, or hardbodies in the 40 to 50mm range all work. Point Walter is a standout this month — fish the drop-offs and moored boats on a rising tide. Early morning and the last hour before dark are the picks. Avoid the middle of the day in the Swan when the tinnies are out doing loops — bream vanish under every pontoon on the river and sulk until the wake stops.

Australian Herring: The Reliable Option

You cannot fish Perth in October without tripping over Australian herring. They’re thick around every jetty, groyne, and rock wall in the metro, and they’re perfect for a school-holiday session when the kids are bouncing off the walls and the jetty crowd is back in full force. Small float, gang hooks, strip of mulie, sorted.

The outer ends of the local jetties hold the better fish — plenty of action, plenty of parking, and enough bites to keep small humans interested for longer than ten minutes. Bigger herring sit a bit deeper under the main school, so fish a couple of metres down rather than right on the surface. A decent esky of herring also sets you up with prime live bait for mulloway and tailor sessions later on.

First Tailor of the Season

The first tailor of the spring run start showing on the metro beaches through October as the water warms. It’s not the thick schools you get in autumn, but there are fish around — and the early-season ones tend to be decent greenback size rather than scrappy choppers. Dawn and dusk are where the action is.

Metal slugs in the 20 to 40g range, cast hard into the gutter, fast retrieve. Big soft plastics and stickbaits also work if you want to slow things down. Work beach stretches and keep moving until you find fish — early-season tailor don’t sit in one spot for long. If the sea breeze comes in and the swell stirs up, don’t bail; a bit of white water right in close is often where the better fish are holding.

Yellowfin Whiting on the Sand

Yellowfin whiting are the sleeper fish of October. The shallow sand flats warm up fast and the yellowfin move in to feed hard on nippers, worms, and small prawns. It’s a fun, light, wade-or-walk style that rewards mobility.

Light gear, a running ball sinker straight to the hook, fresh bait — beach worms or nippers if you can pump them, peeled prawn if you can’t. The shallows south of the metro fish well, and small surface lures like bent minnows work a treat on calmer mornings if you’re sick of watching a rod tip. Fish the shallow gutters on a rising tide and keep moving until you find the bait — where the nippers are, the yellowfin won’t be far away.

October is as good as it gets if you time your sessions around the wind. Mornings are mostly calm, the arvo sea breeze rolls in by about one or two, and the AFL’s officially over so everyone’s checking cricket scores and there’s no excuse not to be on the water. Watch for Royal Show crowds clogging the Guildford-to-Swan corridor if you’re heading upriver, and expect the school-holiday jetty rush on weekends. Check BiteCompass for wind, swell, and tides, pick your window, and make the most of it — this is the prime family-friendly fishing month of the Perth calendar, with quality fishing and none of the summer circus.