Perth fish species guide

Tailor

Shore / Surf

Aggressive schooling predator that hunts baitfish in packs along rock walls and beaches. Best targeted at dusk and da...

Pomatomus saltatrix · Oct–Jun

Australian Herring

Shore / Jetty

Bread-and-butter species found year-round on almost every structure and beach in Perth. Reliable on small bait rigs, ...

Arripis georgianus · Year-round

Australian Salmon

Shore / Surf

Hard-fighting pelagic that schools along beaches and rock walls during the autumn migration. Cast metals or pilchards...

Arripis truttaceus · Mar–Jun

Skipjack Trevally (Skippy)

Jetty / Harbour

Fast-moving schooling fish found around jetty pylons and rocky structure. Takes small lures and bait readily. Often c...

Pseudocaranx georgianus · Year-round

Mulloway (Jewfish)

Shore / Surf

Perth's premier land-based trophy fish. Patrols rock walls, channels, and river mouths after dark. Best targeted with...

Argyrosomus japonicus · Year-round (night)

King George Whiting

Shore / Estuary

Prized table fish found over sandy bottom near weed beds in sheltered waters. Target with light tackle and fresh bait...

Sillaginodes punctatus · Year-round

Yellowfin Whiting

Shore / Estuary

Excellent eating fish found on sandy shallows and estuary flats. Often caught alongside King George whiting. Target w...

Sillago schomburgkii · Year-round

Southern Calamari (Squid)

Jetty / Harbour

Hugely popular target around jetty pylons and weed beds year-round, with peaks in autumn and spring. Target at night ...

Sepioteuthis australis · Year-round

WA Dhufish

Reef / Offshore

Western Australia's premier table fish, endemic to WA. Mostly boat-caught over reef but occasionally taken from deep-...

Glaucosoma hebraicum · Year-round

Pink Snapper

Reef / Offshore

Prized reef fish found over hard bottom and structure. Land-based catches possible from deep-water rock walls and cha...

Chrysophrys auratus · May–Sep

Black Bream

Estuary / River

The Swan River's signature species. Found around bridge pylons, jetties, and rocky edges year-round. Best on light ta...

Acanthopagrus butcheri · Year-round

Flathead

Estuary / River

Ambush predators that lie on sandy and muddy bottoms in estuaries and near-shore waters. Target with soft plastics or...

Platycephalus spp. · Year-round

Yellowtail Kingfish

Shore / Reef

Powerful pelagic that pushes through Cockburn Sound and along the coast in summer. Occasionally taken from rock walls...

Seriola lalandi · Dec–Apr

Samson Fish

Reef / Offshore

Close relative of the kingfish, endemic to southern Australia. Occasionally taken from deep-water structure on heavy ...

Seriola hippos · Year-round

Snook

Shore / Jetty

Sleek, fast predator with sharp teeth found around jetties, groynes, and rocky structure. Often caught while targetin...

Sphyraena novaehollandiae · Year-round

Western School Whiting

Shore / Estuary

Small but excellent eating fish found on sandy beaches and shallow flats. Common catch when targeting whiting species...

Sillago vittata · Year-round

Tarwhine

Shore / Jetty

Silver bream relative found around estuary mouths and sheltered coastline. Takes similar baits to bream — prawns, wor...

Rhabdosargus sarba · Year-round

Cobbler

Estuary / River

Estuary catfish with venomous dorsal and pectoral spines — handle with care. Decent eating despite its looks. Common ...

Cnidoglanis macrocephalus · Year-round

Garfish

Jetty / Shore

Slender surface-feeding fish found in estuaries and sheltered bays. Excellent live bait for bigger species, and good ...

Hyporhamphus melanochir · Year-round

Spanish Mackerel

Pelagic / Reef edge

Fast pelagic predator of WA's Gascoyne and North Coast bioregions, hunting bait schools along the outer reefs from St...

Scomberomorus commerson · Sep–Apr (Gascoyne/Pilbara peak)

Coral Trout

Reef

Iconic tropical reef predator and one of the most prized eating fish in northern WA. Coral Bay and Exmouth mark the s...

Plectropomus leopardus · Year-round (Pilbara/Kimberley); Apr–Nov (Ningaloo)

Red Emperor

Offshore / Reef

Deep-water tropical snapper and one of the most prized demersal fish in northern WA. Found from the Abrolhos northwar...

Lutjanus sebae · Year-round (Gascoyne, Pilbara, Kimberley)

Spangled Emperor

Reef / Lagoon

The mainstay reef demersal of WA's Gascoyne and North Coast bioregions, locally called nor'west snapper. Found from S...

Lethrinus nebulosus · Year-round (Gascoyne, Pilbara, Kimberley)

Queenfish

Inshore / Estuary

Fast inshore predator of the tropical north, hunting bait schools across flats, channels and creek mouths from Ningal...

Scomberoides commersonnianus · Year-round (Pilbara/Kimberley)

Giant Trevally

Reef / Inshore

The GT — apex inshore predator of the tropical reef, and the headline target for popper and stickbait anglers from Ni...

Caranx ignobilis · Year-round (Gascoyne/North Coast)

Mangrove Jack

Estuary / Creek

Hard-fighting tropical snapper of the Pilbara and Kimberley estuaries — Onslow, Dampier, Port Hedland, Broome and the...

Lutjanus argentimaculatus · Sep–May (Pilbara/Kimberley)

Sailfish

Pelagic / Offshore

Indo-Pacific sailfish — the headline gamefish of Exmouth and the WA tropical north. The continental shelf runs unusua...

Istiophorus platypterus · Sep–Jan (Exmouth peak)

Barramundi

Estuary / Freshwater

The headline tropical sportfish of WA's North Coast and one of the few species that genuinely lives up to its reputat...

Lates calcarifer · Sep–May (Kimberley wet build-up peak)

King Threadfin Salmon

Surf / Estuary

Large inshore predator of WA's North Coast — Eighty Mile Beach, Cambridge Gulf and the Pilbara estuaries are the head...

Polydactylus macrochir · Apr–Nov (dry season peak)

Baldchin Groper

Reef / Offshore

WA west-coast endemic, found from Kalbarri south to Geographe Bay with the bulk of the recreational catch coming from...

Choerodon rubescens · Apr–Nov (open season — see closures)

Redfin Perch

Freshwater

Introduced freshwater pest, declared in WA — must not be returned alive to water. Established in the south-west's dam...

Perca fluviatilis · Year-round (cooler-month peak)

Rainbow Trout

Freshwater

Introduced freshwater salmonid, stocked annually by DPIRD's Pemberton Freshwater Research Centre into south-west dams...

Oncorhynchus mykiss · Apr–Oct (cooler months)

Brown Trout

Freshwater

Introduced freshwater salmonid, the older of WA's two trout species and less actively stocked these days than rainbow...

Salmo trutta · Apr–Oct (cooler months)

Marron

Freshwater

WA's iconic south-west endemic freshwater crayfish, found in dams, rivers, and weirs from Harvey through to the Warre...

Cherax cainii · Jan 8 – Feb 5 (open season)

Cobia

Pelagic / Offshore

Pelagic predator of WA's North Coast and Gascoyne, often mistaken for a shark on the first sighting. Holds tight to i...

Rachycentron canadum · Year-round (north of Kalbarri)

Longtail Tuna

Pelagic / Inshore

Northern WA's signature inshore tuna — fast, hard-running, and accessible from beach, boat, and kayak. Schools chase ...

Thunnus tonggol · Year-round (peak Apr–Oct)

Silver Cobbler

Freshwater

Lake Argyle and Ord River freshwater catfish — the bread-and-butter target of any East Kimberley freshwater session a...

Neoarius midgleyi · Year-round

Blue Swimmer Crab

Estuary / Sheltered Bay

WA's iconic recreational crustacean, found in sheltered estuaries and bays from Geographe up through Cockburn Sound. ...

Portunus armatus · Dec–Aug (closed Sep–Nov in West Coast bioregion)

Rankin Cod

Offshore / Reef

WA-endemic tropical grouper of the Pilbara and Gascoyne, found across rubble bottom and broken reef from around Shark...

Epinephelus multinotatus · Year-round (Gascoyne, Pilbara)

Western Rock Lobster

Offshore / Reef

WA's iconic west-coast endemic crustacean and one of the most valuable single-species fisheries in Australia. Distrib...

Panulirus cygnus · Oct 15 – Jun 30 (south of North West Cape); year-round north