North Mole (Fremantle)

North Mole is Perth's most iconic land-based fishing spot. The long rock wall stretching from the Fremantle port breakwater puts you over deep water with constant current pushing bait along the edges. It's where tailor season kicks off every March, and mulloway patrol the harbour side after dark year-round. The combination of depth, structure and traffic of bait makes it the only Perth spot where you can credibly target everything from herring to kingfish on the same outing.

The ocean side is exposed — cast metals or stickbaits into the wash for tailor and salmon moving through. The harbour side is calmer and fishes better with bait along the rocks, especially for mulloway on live mulies or squid heads at night. Tide changes and low light are when it fires. Locals fish the run-out into dusk on the ocean side in autumn, then walk back across to the harbour side after dark for the second session.

Tailor (Mar–Jun, the main event), Australian salmon (autumn), herring, skippy, mulloway (year-round, harbour side at night), and kingfish when they push through in summer. Squid hold over the weed and sand on the harbour side from late winter to early autumn. Pink snapper and samson fish are caught off the wall but are inconsistent and tend to be a bonus rather than a target.

Arrive before dusk in autumn and you'll often have tailor smashing mulies by dark. The wall fishes shoulder-to-shoulder when the bite's on — set up downwind of established anglers and don't crowd a productive ledge. Cleaning fish on the wall draws sea lice and gulls fast; bag and take home.

Park at the Mews Road car park at the base of the wall in Fremantle. The walk to the productive tip is around 1.2km along uneven rock — anglers travel light and stay mobile. There are no formal toilets at the wall; the nearest are at Bathers Beach about 800m east. Lighting along the wall is functional but spaced, so a head torch is a practical addition for any session that runs into the dark. The rocks make this a non-mobility-friendly walk end-to-end.

North Mole is managed by Fremantle Ports, and the whole wall — not just the exposed ocean-side ledges — is closed to the public from time to time. It gets gated for essential maintenance and structural repairs, after storm and swell damage, and occasionally for port events such as SailGP. One such closure ran for around eight weeks of safety works in early 2023. These closures are about the structure and public safety rather than the fishing, and they can land with little notice. When the gate's down, South Mole fishes the same harbour-side species and stays open in most of the conditions that close North Mole. Check Fremantle Ports' notices before committing to the drive and the 1.2km walk — a locked gate turns a dawn session into a wasted trip.

The mole runs roughly NW–SE, so the ocean side faces SW swell head-on and washes out quickly when the swell pushes past about 2m. The harbour side stays fishable in almost any wind because the wall blocks the prevailing afternoon seabreeze. Tide changes are when bait gets pushed along the wall — the run-out into dusk is the classic window for tailor and mulloway. Water can colour up after a winter storm and the squid bite drops away when it does.

The ocean side is the highest-risk land-based fishing in Perth — large swell sets can wash over the lower rocks without warning and people have died here. Watch the swell for several minutes before committing to a low ledge, never fish in heavy swell, and never alone in the dark. The rocks are slippery wet or dry; grippy footwear is non-negotiable. Boat traffic in and out of the port passes close to the harbour side — keep lines and gear clear of the navigation channel.

Tailor typically arrive in March and the run holds through to June, peaking in April and May. Dawn and dusk on a moving tide are when most fish are caught.

The harbour side is the safer choice after dark — it's calmer and the lighting is reasonable. Avoid the ocean-side ledges in the dark unless you know them well, and never fish low ledges without watching the swell first.

The ocean side directly faces incoming SW swell with no shelter, and waves wash over the lower rocks above about 2m. When the swell's up, fish the harbour side or move to a sheltered alternative like Ammo Jetty.

North Mole is usually open, but Fremantle Ports closes the whole wall from time to time — for maintenance and structural repairs, after storm or swell damage, and occasionally for port events like SailGP. Because a closure can land with little notice, check Fremantle Ports' latest notices on their website or Facebook page before heading down. If the gate's shut, South Mole is the standard fallback for the same harbour-side fishing.

Whole mulies or fresh squid heads on a single 6/0 hook fished tight to the rocks on the harbour side after dark. A live herring on a slow drift around the tide change is the standout when conditions allow.