Garratt Road Bridge (Swan River)

Garratt Road Bridge is really two bridges — the 1935 timber original and its 1972 twin — carrying Garratt Road over the Swan between Bayswater and Ascot. Close to 240 m of tightly spaced timber piles sits in the water here, which is about as much bream structure as one stretch of river can hold. Add a jetty and grassed foreshore at the base of the bridge and it's one of the middle Swan's most convenient land-based bream marks — an after-work session rather than an expedition.

Work the pylon lines rather than the open water — bream hold tight to the timber and the shade lines and move with the tide. Flick lightly weighted soft plastics or small hardbodies up-current of a pile and let them wash back past it, or soak a fresh river prawn on a light running sinker from the jetty. Tide changes are the trigger; the fish use the current seams behind the piles to ambush whatever washes past. Dawn and dusk comfortably outfish the middle of the day, and a quiet approach matters in the clearer months — these are well-educated urban bream.

Black bream are the main event — plenty of fish in the 25–30 cm class, with better models pushing towards 40 cm for anglers who work the timber with lures. Bait sessions off the jetty tend to sort through undersized fish before a keeper shows up. Mulloway move through this reach of the Swan in the warmer months — land-based fish over a metre have been taken between the city and Bassendean — and a patient after-dark bait session under the bridge is a legitimate shot at one.

First presentations count — a lure that lands softly and swims past a pile naturally gets eaten; the fifth cast at the same fish gets inspected. This is also one of Perth's better-known kayak bream marks — drifting the pylon field opens up water the bank can't reach. If the jetty is busy, walk the foreshore and cast to the piles rather than crowding in. The timber takes a steady toll on terminal tackle, so bring more jig heads and hooks than feels reasonable.

Garratt Road Bridge Park sits under the bridge on the Bayswater side, with parking close to the amenities, lawns, picnic tables, BBQs and a playground — one of the easier spots on the river to combine fishing with a family afternoon. The small jetty is the main platform, with open bank casting either side, and the flat, short walk from car to water suits anglers who don't want a hike. The Ascot side is reachable via the bridge footpath. There's no dedicated foreshore lighting, so pack a head torch for dawn starts or after-dark mulloway sessions.

Middle-Swan water — brackish, tannin-stained after winter rain and clearer through the warm months. Tidal movement is subdued this far upstream but still enough to matter; plan sessions around the changes rather than the slack in the middle. The afternoon seabreeze funnels down the river corridor in summer, but the fish are holding on structure rather than roaming, so the spot stays workable in most winds. Big winter fresh flows can colour the reach for days and slow the bream right down.

The timber piles that make the spot will also claim rigs — snags are constant, so re-tie often and check leaders after every fish. The foreshore and bank get muddy and slippery through winter. Mosquitoes are thick around dawn and dusk in the warmer months — pack repellent. The Swan-Canning has documented toxic algal bloom events — check current DBCA/DPIRD advisories before eating your catch, particularly after heavy rain or during summer heat.

The jetty and grassed foreshore at Garratt Road Bridge Park on the Bayswater side are the main land-based platforms, with bank access either side for casting at the pylon lines. Kayaks launch easily from the same foreshore and open up the full pylon field across both bridges.

Fresh river prawn on a size 2–4 hook with the lightest running sinker that holds bottom. Expect to sort through small fish on bait — the better bream tend to fall to soft plastics and small hardbodies worked tight against the timber piles.

Yes, within the rules: minimum size 250 mm, individual daily bag limit of 6 within the statewide nearshore/estuarine mixed bag of 16, and no more than 2 black bream over 400 mm may be taken from the Swan and Canning rivers. Check current DPIRD rules before keeping fish.

One of the better ones on the river — the Bayswater-side park has a playground, BBQs, lawns and a jetty a short flat walk from parking, so a fishing session can share the afternoon with a family outing.

Yes — it's a popular metro kayak-bream mark. Drifting the pylon lines lets you present lures to timber that shore-based anglers can't reach, and quality fish approaching 40 cm are taken from kayaks here.