Tim's Thicket marks the southern boundary of the Perth metro fishing zone and it fishes like a country spot without the drive. The beach is exposed to open ocean swell, which carves deep gutters and pushes bait in close. When the autumn salmon run is on, this stretch can be electric — schools of salmon herd bait into the surf and you can see them busting up from the car park.

Walk the beach and look for defined gutters where wave patterns break differently — darker water means deeper sand. Cast metals or pilchards into the gutter on a running sinker rig. For salmon, work metal slugs or poppers through the white water when you spot schools working. Dawn sessions on the incoming tide produce best.

Australian salmon (Mar–Jun, the main event here), tailor (summer evenings), herring (year-round in gutters), KGW and sand whiting on cleaner sand, and the odd mulloway at night in deeper holes.

Let someone know you're fishing here, especially at night. Don't bother with heavy rigs; light spin gear and metals are all you need. Don't leave gear unattended; opportunistic theft is a known issue at remote access points.

Sealed car park at Tim's Thicket foreshore reserve, with overflow on Old Coast Road. The walk from car park to the beach is short on a sealed path; the soft sand walk to productive gutters is not mobility-friendly. Public toilets at the main reserve. No formal beach lighting; head torch essential for dawn or dusk sessions. Parking generally easy outside summer weekends and during salmon-run peaks.

West-facing exposed ocean beach. Fishes well in swell up to about 2.5m. Easterly mornings are calmest; afternoon sea breezes blow up most days. The exposed nature means weather shifts can be sudden; check forecasts before committing. Gutters reshape after each significant swell. The autumn salmon run is the most reliable annual event; conditions otherwise can be variable. Water clarity is generally good outside winter storms.

Big swell sets can wash anglers in low gutters; stay back in heavy seas. Bluebottles drift in during summer northerlies. Stingrays cruise the gutters; shuffle if you wade. Sharks transit the area but have not historically affected fishing safety. Mobile coverage can be patchy on the remote sections; tell someone your plans. Soft sand walking with heavy gear is tiring.

Yes — the spot is on the autumn salmon run path (March–June) and visible feeding schools are common. Cast 30–40g metals or poppers through working schools and retrieve fast. The car-park elevation gives a good vantage to spot fish before committing to a position.

It's the southern boundary of Perth's metro orbit — 5 minutes south of Mandurah but feels country. Sealed access to the foreshore but the productive remote gutters require a beach walk. Mobile coverage can be patchy on outer sections.

Yes for the gutters in manageable swell, with a head torch. Going with a friend is sensible because it's remote and not heavily trafficked at night. Gear theft is a known issue at remote beach access points.

Light spin gear and metals are enough for most species. 9–11ft rod with 15–25lb braid and 30–40g metals covers tailor, salmon and herring. Heavier gear is only needed if you're chasing mulloway specifically in deeper night gutters.