Deep Water Point (Canning River)

Deep Water Point is the most civilised fishing spot on the Canning — reserve, car park, BBQs, jetty — but don't let the picnic tables fool you. Long sand flats drop off hard into the main channel right in front of the jetty, and that drop is where bream patrol and flathead ambush. It's also the Perth family crab headquarters once the season opens in December.

Work the edge where the flats fall into the channel — that's the feeding line. Small soft plastics dragged along the bottom are deadly for flathead. For bream, fish light leaders with prawn or blade lures around the jetty pylons and along the drop-off on the turn of the tide. Fish dawn, dusk, or the tide change. After dark, switch to heavier bait for mulloway in the deeper water.

Black bream (the main target, year-round on the drop-off), flathead (sand flats, soft plastics), tailor (autumn), herring, tarwhine, yellowfin whiting (summer on the flats), and mulloway in the channel. Blue swimmer crabs are the headline from December 1.

The jetty was rebuilt and reopened in January 2014 so the deck is sound, but the boards go slick under dew. Estuary cobbler carry a 430 mm minimum and a daily bag of 8 (shared with catfish), with no closed season — verify current DPIRD rules before keeping any. Don't drag crab nets through seagrass; lift them clear. Arrive early on weekends — parking fills once the BBQs start.

Sealed car park immediately adjacent to the jetty and reserve, with a second overflow car park on Riverton Drive. Sealed paths along the foreshore and onto the jetty — among the more mobility-friendly Canning River spots. Public toilets, BBQs, playground and a grassed picnic area sit on the foreshore. No formal lighting on the jetty; head torch needed for night sessions. Parking fills extremely fast on summer weekends and during crab season; arrive early or pick a weekday.

Canning River position with significant tidal influence; the rising tide pushes bait onto the flats and is the productive window. Off-shore easterly holds the surface clean for the morning window. Water clarity is excellent in the lower Canning year-round; reduces only in the days after heavy rain. The drop-off in front of the jetty is the defining feature — it's where the river depth changes hard from flats to channel.

The jetty deck goes slick under dew and after rain. The flats are walkable at low water but stop before waist deep; the drop-off is genuinely steep. Stingrays cruise the flats; shuffle when wading. Cobbler spike badly; handle with care. Boat traffic is moderate at weekends; keep crab nets and long casts clear of vessels. Algal blooms periodically affect the system; check DPIRD advisories before consuming fish.

The Swan-Canning crab season is set by DPIRD; the typical opening is December 1. Always check current rules before setting nets — minimum size is 127 mm across the carapace and bag limits apply.

Yes — sealed paths, jetty, BBQs, playground, public toilets and a productive light-tackle fishery make it one of the better family spots on the Canning. Adult supervision on the jetty deck is sensible.

Right in front of the jetty — the river depth changes hard from shallow flats to the main channel within a few metres of the jetty edge. That's the feeding line for bream and flathead. Walk the flats at low water and you'll see exactly where it falls away.

Estuary cobbler carry a 430 mm minimum and a daily bag of 8 (shared with catfish), with no closed season — verify current DPIRD rules before keeping any. Handle with care if releasing; the dorsal and pectoral spines deliver a painful sting.