Perth tides
WA prawning regulations
WA fishing regulations
WA marine parks
Perth stocked waters
Perth dam levels

Prawns are a hugely popular resource for Perth fishos, with more than 50,000 people going prawning each season, mostly in the Swan-Canning and Peel-Harvey estuaries.

The best time to catch prawns is using a strong torch and a hand scoop net in the shallows on calm summer evenings, during the dark phases of the moon between October and February.

Prawners’ lights can be seen illuminating the estuaries at this time as they chase western river prawn (Metapenaeus dalli) and the larger western king prawn (Penaeus latisulcatus).

Prawns are prolific breeders – a female river prawn can produce 300,000 eggs in a spawning, while the king prawn may lay up to four times as many.

Fishing pressure can take a toll despite this breeding capacity.

There is a closed season for prawning in the Swan-Canning and in parts of the Peel-Harvey system, with a different season on the Serpentine, Murray and Dandalup Rivers.

The life of a prawn is dominated by the moon.

When young, prawns grow rapidly, moulting their shells to coincide with the full moon (and high tides) each month.

After reaching maturity, growth and moulting slow.

Live river prawns are almost translucent, having blue tips and a greasy feel.

King prawns are cream in colour, with brown body markings and blue legs and tail fins.

While a river prawn spends its life in rivers or estuaries, a king prawn goes through larval stages in the ocean, and settles in coastal bays or estuaries.

During spring, river prawns reach a catchable size of about 5cm at 10 months.

In contrast, king prawns do not achieve this until Jan/Feb, but can reach 8cm by late summer when they begin their journey back to the ocean.

Female king prawns grow larger than males.

A female prawn caught in Shark Bay measured 24.4cm long and weighed 99g.

Such is the popularity of prawning in WA that about four million prawns were stocked into Perth’s two major rivers following a reported decline in stocks.

Restocking began in 2013, and between May 2013 and March 2015, about 2.5 million juvenile prawns were released into the rivers.

Another 1.1 million prawns were released in December 2015, and about 1.5 million more in 2015-16.

WA’s commercial prawners catch more than 2000 tonnes of prawns a year.

In 2014 more than 50 per cent were western king prawns and almost 25 per cent were brown tiger prawns.

Prawns can be legally taken using a single hand-dip net, a single hand-scoop net, or a single hand-throw net.

Throw nets are not permitted in some areas, such as the Swan and Canning rivers.

A single prawn hand-trawl (drag) net that is not more than 4m across with a mesh of not less than 16mm, and not attached to a boat or set, can also be used.

Check the latest WA prawning regulation before fishing.

Bycatch such as crabs and seahorses must be returned to the water.

Fishos may may not use, or leave unattended, a prawn hand-trawl net in the Harvey Estuary and its tributaries, Peel Inlet and its tributaries, Peel Inlet channel entrance, Dawesville Cut, Leschenault Estuary and its tributaries, and Swan River within 100m of any part of the Pelican Point Nature Reserve, or within 100m of the Milyu Nature Reserve.

The Swan River has great fishing at times, see our detailed Swan River fishing spots page here.

Here is a list of recommended tackle for WA waters.

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Perth’s Swan River is a shallow tidal estuary with good fishing, prawning and crabbing.

Specialist fishos find big mulloway in the river, but black bream and flathead are the common catch.

Bream and other marine fish move upriver in summer and downriver during winter when it rains.

In parts of the river bream can be caught all year.

During the big tides of August and September, sea water is pushed right into the system and from September to November bream, mulloway, tailor, flathead, flounder and whiting move upstream.

In summer, bream can be found above the Causeway.

Good places to fish include East Fremantle, Point Walter, Mosman Park, the old Swan Brewery site and Canning Bridge.

The secret to successful bream fishing, especially for bigger bream, is to fish light, use fresh or live bait, and use little if any weight on the line.

Baits rigged under a small float can work too and are a good way to fish snaggy areas.

Using small lures is a good way to beat the abundant blowfish.

Try light resin heads on tiny soft plastics.

Look for snags, jetties and mussel banks.

Bream like structure, but move onto sandbanks to feed.

In winter, try Blackwell Reach and Mosman’s where the water is deep, as freshwater flow often sits on top.

For year-round fishing try from East Perth to Garratt Road Bridge.

The best time to fish is early mornings and evenings and the change of tide.

Mulloway are reasonably common in the river and are sometimes caught in large sizes. Livebait is important for mulloway success.

One of the best mulloway spots is The Narrows, and September-January is the peak mulloway period.

Flathead are another Swan River favourite and are caught upstream to Guildford, but are more common in the lower reaches.

They are usually fished over shallow flats using either drifted or slowly retrieved bait or lures.

Yellowfin whiting are found in the Swan in small numbers, with East Fremantle the best spot.

Fresh or live bloodworms are the best whiting bait.

For chopper tailor, fish from Maylands to Fremantle with bait or lures.

Some anglers troll pilchard baits, while others use lures.

Mullet can be caught in the Swan River using light tackle and a piece of compressed bread on a hook.

Other fish caught in the Swan are skippy, grunter, herring (tommy ruffs), giant herring and flounder.

The river is usually clear so always try to fish with light line.

Puffer fish can be a problem in the Swan, sometimes appearing in plagues.

It is best to move if they show up.

There is surf, beach and rock wall fishing along the coast outside the Swan River.

For sand and yellowfin whiting, fish the beach gutters between Swanbourne and Trigg.

Also try around Mettams Pool and Watermans Beach.

South of the Swan River try along Kwinana to Rockingham, Secret Harbour and Golden Bay.

Whiting are found close to shore, with gutters often holding the bigger fish.

Mornings and afternoons are best and the strong daily sea breeze doesn’t put the fish off.

On beaches fish the incoming tide.

At East Fremantle, try fishing an evening outgoing tide in winter.

Perth fishing seasons

Garfish – best in winter.
Herring – Summer sees huge schools. Use berley and small hooks. They bite day and night.
Mackerel – when the water wide of Perth reaches 22C the spanish mackerel may show, usually after Christmas. West End is a good spot. Watch for reports from up the coast as the fish move south.
Bonito – abundant in season. Can be caught land-based at North Mole, Woodman Point and Trigg. Summer, autumn.
Dhufish – usually caught around deeper reefs, but some are caught on shallow reefs and even from shore.
flathead – usually run into the Swan River about December.
Mahi mahi – WA’s offshore FADs have small fish in early summer, with bigger fish coming later.
Mulloway – best in the Swan in early summer. Try Mosmans and the Narrows, and Scarborough and Mandurah beaches.
Pink snapper – widely available on reefy ground. Be aware of snapper restrictions in Cockburn Sound. Can be caught from many rock groynes during winter storms.
Salmon – autumn and winter.
Samson – from December until March, best in March. Schools of big fish show up. Wrecks are best.
Skippy – winter for bigger fish.
Tailor – all year.
Yellowfin tuna – summer.
Whiting – for large yellowfin whiting, try fishing the Swan River at night at East Fremantle and Claremont.
Squid – try Garden Island, and jetties with night lights.
Crabs – summer and autumn. Mandurah is popular, but before Christmas try deeper parts of the Swan River for bigger crabs.

Here is a list of recommended tackle for WA waters.

Book your fishing stay early at Booking.com

Perth tides
Perth stocked waters
Perth dam levels
WA fishing regulations
WA marine parks

Email corrections, additions, pictures or video here.

Port Broughton is located on the upper west side of Spencer Gulf, about 170km north of Adelaide.

It is known for its sheltered waters and 400m-long T-jetty.

The waters immediately surrounding Port Broughton are shallow, with extensive flats and seagrass beds.

Before the state’s snapper ban, Port Broughton waters produced some huge snapper for trailerboaters, much like the Whyalla region on the opposite side of the upper gulf.

Today the protected waters of the bay are ideal for chasing smaller bread and butter species like gar, tommies and squid, as this area can be fished when the wind might shut down other locations.

Yellowtail kingfish show up quite regularly.

Large yellowfin whiting are caught from the beach or jetty – use the lightest possible tackle and fresh or live baits in the shallow, clear water.

Tommy ruffs, salmon trout, mullet, gar and tommies are the main catch off the jetty, along with squid and blue crabs.

When the snapper ban ends, the Illusion wreck and Plank Shoal may once again become the top offshore spots.

The snapper run in spring and summer.

Further south, Wallaroo is another popular fishing spot.

Port Broughton Fishing GPS Marks

Tiparra Reef
34 03.913S
137 23.494E
Tiparra Wide
34 04.654S
137 18.261E

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Port Broughton on Beachsafe
Port Broughton tides
SA fishing regulations
SA marine parks

NOTE: Special snapper rules apply in South Australia – more info here.