Como Jetty (Swan River)

Como Jetty is the biggest jetty on the Swan and Canning system — a long timber deck first built in 1907, when it ran some 300 metres into the bay, and completely rebuilt in 1982 after the Kwinana Freeway cut off its landward end. It still reaches well out from the Como foreshore into Melville Water. It sits midway between Canning Bridge and the Narrows, and you can pick it out from the Kwinana Freeway on the drive south. The length is the point: it carries anglers past the shallow margins to water that holds bream, flathead and the odd mulloway, while the beaches either side draw prawn and crab scoopers in summer. It's a workhorse rather than a scenic pick, but it fishes the range of the lower-middle Swan from one deck.

Walk out and fish light tight to the pylons for bream — prawn, bloodworm or small soft plastics on the tide change. Drag a small soft plastic or paddle-tail slowly along the sand off the jetty for flathead, which is the most reliable daytime target here. Yellowfin whiting sit on the cleaner sand patches through summer; take them on small prawn or bloodworm baits. Tailor push through on the autumn tides, and mulloway are an after-dark, rising-tide proposition off the deeper section for anyone prepared to wait them out.

Black bream around the pylons year-round, flathead over the sand as the steady daytime fish, yellowfin whiting on the summer sand patches, autumn tailor on the tide, and mulloway off the end after dark. Blue swimmer crabs and river prawns are the summer headline — the paddling beaches either side of the jetty are scoop-and-drop-net territory once the water warms.

Flathead are the fish that make the trip pay in daylight — cover water with a soft plastic rather than sitting on one spot. Swan-Canning cobbler are subject to size (430 mm min) and bag (8) limits and periodic seasonal closures — verify current DPIRD rules before keeping any, and handle with care. Don't fillet on the boards with kids on the paddling beaches below. Light leaders suit the clear water; heavy leaders get refused by bream.

There's no driving to the jetty itself — the Kwinana Freeway severed it from Como, so you park on the suburb side around the Preston Street shops and along Melville Parade, then cross the freeway on the pedestrian overpass at the end of Preston Street. The jetty deck is sealed and railed, but the overpass is a genuine walk with gear and sets the mobility ceiling for the spot. Public toilets, a small playground and paddling beaches sit at the base of the jetty, so it works as a family session. There's no formal lighting on the deck; a head torch is needed for night or pre-dawn fishing. The overpass is the only way across, so factor that walk into every trip.

This is Melville Water — saltwater, with moderate tidal influence that lifts around the change. Tide movement drives the bream and whiting; slack water is slow. Easterly mornings fish calmest, and the afternoon Fremantle Doctor pushes across the open water from the west. Water clarity is generally good but colours up for a few days after heavy winter rain when the upper river silts the system. The jetty's length means part of it stays fishable even when the near-shore margin is wind-churned.

The timber deck gets slippery in heavy dew and after rain, and it's a long walk back if you go over. Stingrays cruise the sand off the jetty and over the paddling beaches; shuffle your feet if you wade or scoop. Cobbler get hooked at night and spike badly through the dorsal and pectoral spines — handle by the line if releasing. Blue swimmer crab guts should not be eaten from the Swan because of the Alexandrium algal toxin; remove the head, mustard and gills and wash the meat before cooking. Boat, ferry and paddle traffic uses the water off the jetty, so keep long casts and crab nets clear of moving vessels.

Como Jetty sits on the Como foreshore on the far side of the Kwinana Freeway, so there's no driving right up to it. Park on the suburb side around the Preston Street shops or along Melville Parade, then cross the freeway on the pedestrian overpass at the end of Preston Street. The overpass is the only access and it's a real walk with gear.

Como Jetty is the biggest jetty on the Swan and Canning river system. The original 1907 jetty reached about 300 metres into the bay; it was completely rebuilt in 1982 after the Kwinana Freeway severed it from the Como shore. Even the current deck is long — it reaches past the shallow foreshore margins to the better water, which is why it fishes well.

Yes — drop nets off the jetty and scoop nets over the paddling beaches either side both work once the season opens on 1 December. The Swan and Canning are closed to all crab fishing from 1 September to 30 November. Blue swimmer crabs must be at least 127 mm across the carapace, with a daily limit of 5 in the Swan-Canning; check current DPIRD rules before you go. Don't eat the crab guts from the Swan — remove the head, mustard and gills and wash the meat because of the Alexandrium algal toxin.

Black bream around the pylons year-round, flathead over the sand as the steady daytime target, yellowfin whiting on the sand patches through summer, tailor on the autumn tides, and mulloway off the deeper section after dark. Blue swimmer crabs and river prawns are the summer draw off the beaches either side of the jetty.

Yes — there are public toilets, a small playground and paddling beaches at the base of the jetty, and the deck is sealed and railed. The catch is the access: the only way in is the pedestrian overpass across the Kwinana Freeway from the end of Preston Street, which is a decent walk with children and gear.