Kent Street Weir (Canning River)

Kent Street Weir marks the exact upstream limit of the Canning estuary — the tidal salt water stops at the weir wall, and black bream stack against it as the last piece of hard structure before the river turns fresh. The precinct around it is built for families rather than hardcore anglers: a cafe, playground, barbecues and a boardwalk out to the footbridge that walks you across the weir itself. What makes it worth the drive is the blowfish — the pests that strip baits raw downstream thin out this far up, so a kid can actually keep a bait in the water. Bream, cobbler and yellow-eye mullet hold among the seagrass, snags and sunken logs on the estuary side, and the fishing stays honest year-round.

Fish the estuary side below the weir, tight to the limestone walls, pylons and sunken timber — that structure is where bream sit, and the boundary concentrates them further. Light soft plastics or fresh prawn on a light leader worked on the tide change is the bread-and-butter bream approach. Flathead lie on the sand lanes off the structure and take a paddle-tail dragged slow along the bottom. The fresh water pooled above the weir fishes differently and carries its own licence — most anglers stay on the estuary side, where the tide still moves the bait.

Black bream are the headline, holding tight to the weir wall, snags and seagrass on the estuary side year-round. Flathead work the sand edges below the structure, cobbler feed over the muddy bottom after dark, and yellow-eye mullet school through in numbers. Blowfish are present but noticeably thinner than downstream — the reason the weir gets a reputation as a kids' spot. Nothing here runs big by Fremantle standards, but the bream are consistent and the crowd is light.

The blowies that plague the lower Canning thin out at the weir, which makes it a genuinely good spot to put a beginner on fish. In the Swan and Canning rivers only 2 black bream over 400 mm may be kept per day, on top of the standard bream limits — worth knowing before you fill an esky. 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. Fishing the fresh water above the weir falls under WA's South-West freshwater angling licence, unlike the estuary side below it — check current DPIRD requirements if you plan to fish upstream of the wall.

Park at the Kent Street car parks off Queens Park Road in Wilson, alongside the Canning River Eco Education Centre. The precinct has flushing wheelchair-accessible toilets, a wheelchair-accessible barbecue, sheltered picnic tables, a playground and a cafe for refreshments. A timber boardwalk leads to the accessible footbridge that crosses the weir, so you can walk or cycle to either bank, and there's a canoe launch with a small beach downstream. Sealed paths and the accessible footbridge make this one of the more mobility-friendly and kid-friendly fishing precincts on the Canning. The weir sits on the Canning between the Nicholson Road and Riverton bridges.

The weir controls the salt/fresh line — hydraulic lay-flat gates, which replaced the old removable timber boards in 2017, hold fresh water pooled above through summer, then lay flat to flush the system before the winter rains. Below the wall the water stays tidal and estuarine, and the run of the tide across the boundary is when the bream feed hardest. Water clarity in the lower Canning is generally good and drops in the days after heavy rain or a winter flush. A fishway built into the weir lets fish move past when the gates are up, which keeps the estuary side stocked. Slack water is slow; fish the tide change.

The weir is a working structure with deep pooled water and gates that move water — don't fish off, or clamber on, the weir wall itself, especially when water is running over it. The boardwalk and limestone edges get slippery after rain or heavy dew. Dugites and tiger snakes live in the surrounding wetland reserve and are active on warm days from spring through autumn — watch the path edges and long grass. Mosquitoes are a wetland hallmark at dawn and dusk in the warmer months; bring repellent. Cobbler spike badly with venomous dorsal and pectoral spines — handle by the line and release with care.

Yes. The estuary side below the weir is the upstream limit of the Canning's tidal salt water, and black bream hold tight to the weir wall, snags and seagrass year-round. Flathead, cobbler and yellow-eye mullet round out the catch. Fewer blowfish than downstream makes it a popular spot to fish with kids.

Shore fishing on the estuary side below the weir doesn't need a licence for most species. Fishing the fresh water pooled above the weir falls under WA's South-West freshwater angling licence — check current DPIRD requirements before fishing upstream of the wall. A Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence is needed if you fish from a vessel.

Yes. Below the weir is tidal estuary water where the standard Swan-Canning rules apply; above it is fresh water held back by the gates, which carries a separate freshwater angling licence. Most anglers fish the estuary side, where the tide still moves the bait and the bream congregate against the wall.

Yes — it's one of the better family fishing precincts on the Canning. The blowfish that strip baits downstream are noticeably thinner here, there's a playground, cafe, barbecues, accessible toilets and a boardwalk, and the bream fishing is forgiving on light gear.

Black bream are the main target, holding against the weir wall and structure year-round. You'll also find flathead on the sand edges, cobbler over the mud after dark, and schools of yellow-eye mullet. In the Swan and Canning only 2 black bream over 400 mm may be kept per day, so check the current DPIRD limits before keeping a feed.