Australian Salmon caught on a Duo Pressbait 125HD lure in Perth

The Ultimate Guide to Australian Salmon Fishing in Perth

The Salmon Run - Perth's Most Exciting Shore Fishing Event

Every autumn, schools of Australian salmon migrate along the WA coast on their way to spawning grounds in the south-west. When they hit the Perth metro beaches - usually from late March through May - it's the most exciting shore-based fishing event of the year.

These are big, aggressive, powerful fish. They smash lures with reckless abandon, fight incredibly hard with aerobatic jumps, and they're accessible to anyone with a rod and a stretch of beach. You don't need a boat, you don't need expensive gear, and you don't need years of experience. When the salmon are on, they're ON - and it's absolute chaos in the best possible way.

After a quiet decade for Perth metro salmon, 2026 has seen them return in serious numbers. If you haven't fished the salmon run before, this guide covers everything you need to know - where to find them, what gear to use, the best lures, techniques that work, and how to make the most of these incredible fish.

Australian Salmon caught on a Duo Press Bait 125HD lure during the Perth metro salmon run

A quality Australian salmon taken on a Duo Press Bait 125HD - this is what the Perth salmon run is all about.

Understanding the Salmon Run

Australian salmon (Arripis truttaceus) aren't actually salmon at all - they're a uniquely Australian species found only in our southern waters. They're a schooling, pelagic fish that migrates west along the south coast each autumn to spawn, with the leading edge of the schools hitting Perth metro beaches from late March.

When Does It Happen?

  • Late February - March: Schools begin moving along the south coast. Early fish appear south of Perth (Mandurah, Rockingham)
  • Late March - April: Peak metro season. Schools hit Trigg, Scarborough, Cottesloe, North Mole, and beaches from City Beach to Burns Beach. This is the window - often coinciding with the April school holidays
  • May: Tail end of the run. Schools thin out but the remaining fish are often bigger and less pressured. Quality over quantity

The run varies year to year - some years are incredible, some are quiet. 2026 has been a ripper so far, with consistent schools through the metro.

How Big Do They Get?

Perth metro salmon typically run 2-4kg, with fish up to 5-6kg not uncommon during a good season. The WA record is over 9kg. Even a 3kg salmon on light-medium tackle fights like a fish twice its size - they're fast, powerful, and love to jump.

How to Spot Them

Salmon schools are visible from shore if you know what to look for:

  • Dark patches in the water - a school of salmon looks like a dark shadow moving through the shallows. Polarised sunglasses are essential
  • Birds diving - terns and seagulls diving into the water is a dead giveaway that baitfish (and salmon) are underneath
  • Baitfish flicking on the surface - if you see small fish leaping or spraying on the surface, there's a good chance salmon are chasing them
  • White water in the wash - salmon pushing bait into the shallows creates a visible commotion in the waves

Best Spots for Salmon in Perth

Salmon follow the baitfish, so they can turn up anywhere along the metro coast. But these spots are consistently the most productive year after year.

Trigg Point and Scarborough Reef

The #1 salmon spot in the metro. The shallow reef pushes bait into concentrated areas and salmon hammer them. When the schools arrive at Trigg, word spreads fast and the beach fills up. Early morning with a south-westerly pushing bait onto the reef is prime time. Fish the beach rather than the rocks for safety.

Cottesloe Groyne

The groyne creates a natural funnel point that salmon patrol. Cast metal lures or stickbaits along the reef edge and into the gutters. Produces fish throughout the season.

North Mole and South Mole (Fremantle)

The moles give you access to deep water where salmon cruise. North Mole is particularly productive - fish the channel side with metals and stickbaits. Can produce fish even when the beaches are quiet.

City Beach to Floreat

Long stretches of beach with gutters and reef that hold bait. Walk the beach, watch for signs of fish, and be ready to cast. Less crowded than Trigg during the peak.

Point Peron

The rocks at Point Peron give access to deeper water where salmon school. Autumn salmon fishing here can be exceptional. Be careful on the rocks - wear appropriate footwear and fish with a mate.

Burns Beach to Mindarie

Northern metro beaches that see salmon as the schools move through. Less pressured than the southern spots and can fish well throughout the run.

Rockingham and Mangles Bay

The southern metro beaches often get fish first as the schools migrate from the south. Rockingham can produce quality salmon before the fish reach the central metro beaches.

Hillarys Boat Harbour

The breakwalls hold salmon during the run. A more sheltered option that's family-friendly and produces consistent fish.

Pro tip: Follow the Salmon School Tracker WA - a volunteer-run community resource that tracks real-time sightings along the metro coast. When fish are spotted, the tracker lights up and you'll know exactly where to go.

Australian salmon fishing gear and catch on Perth beach during the 2026 salmon run

Geared up and ready for the salmon run - the right tackle makes all the difference.

The Right Gear for Perth Salmon

Salmon fishing is about casting distance and fish-fighting power. You need to throw lures a long way to reach schools that might be 50-100+ metres from shore, and then handle a hard-fighting fish in the surf.

Rod

A 9-11ft rod capable of casting 20-50g lures is the sweet spot for metro salmon. Longer rods give more casting distance from the beach. You want enough backbone to handle a big salmon in the wash, but not so stiff you can't feel the lure working.

  • Oceans Legacy Aurora Surf Light Spec S922M - designed in Australia for exactly this kind of fishing. The 9'2" length with medium power handles salmon lures perfectly and has the backbone to land big fish in the wash. Staff pick.
  • Shimano 24 Dynaflare S96M - Shimano's dedicated shore casting rod. The 9'6" length gives excellent casting distance and the moderate-fast action is perfect for working stickbaits and metals.
  • Penn Prevail II 1062SPM - a longer option at 10'6" for maximum casting distance from the beach. Penn tough, handles big fish, and excellent value.
  • Shimano Colt Sniper BB - Shimano's shore jigging and casting rod. Purpose-built for throwing metals and stickbaits from rocks and beaches.
  • Shimano 23 Dialuna - Shimano's premium shore casting rod. The Dialuna is lighter and more sensitive than most rods in this category, with exceptional casting performance. A favourite among serious shore-based lure anglers for salmon, tailor, and mulloway.

Browse our full range of shore casting rods and surf rods.

Reel

A 5000-6000 size spinning reel spooled with 20-30lb braid. You need a smooth, powerful drag to handle a salmon's hard runs, and enough line capacity to avoid getting spooled on the first run. Salt-resistant construction is a must - you're fishing in the surf.

  • Shimano Saragosa SWA 5000/6000 - the go-to salmon reel for Perth anglers. X-Shield sealing, Infinity Drive, and more than enough drag for any salmon. Proven on thousands of sessions. Staff pick.
  • Shimano 24 Stradic SW-B 5000 - lighter than the Saragosa with excellent sensitivity. Great for anglers who want to fish all day.
  • Penn Slammer IV 5500 - IPX6 sealed, brutal drag, virtually indestructible. If you fish the rocks, the Slammer handles abuse like nothing else.
  • Daiwa 26 Certate SW - premium option. Monocoque body, Mag Sealed, silky smooth. For the angler who wants the best.
  • Shimano 22 Stella FK 5000 - the ultimate. If you want the best spinning reel money can buy for shore casting, the Stella FK delivers unmatched smoothness, power, and durability. A reel you'll hand down to your kids.

Line

20-30lb (PE 1.5-3) braided line. PE 2-3 is the most common for Perth salmon - heavy enough to handle big fish in structure, thin enough to cast a long way.

  • Varivas Avani Casting Max PE3 300m - Varivas's dedicated casting braid. Smooth, round profile for maximum casting distance. Excellent abrasion resistance. Staff pick.
  • Varivas Avani Shore Master X8 200m - Varivas's dedicated shore casting braid. Designed for distance and abrasion resistance when fishing from rocks and beaches. Smooth casting and excellent colour retention.
  • Daiwa J-Braid Expedition X8 300m - Excellent value 8-strand braid in a 300m spool - enough to fill a 5000-6000 reel with plenty of reserve. Smooth, strong, and proven on Perth salmon.

We also offer bulk braid spooled in-store - Yakamito Chikara X8 ($25/100m), Shimano Kairiki ($25/100m), Tasline ($30/100m), and Sunline Siglon ($30/100m). Come in and we'll spool your reel to your specs.

Leader

30-40lb leader - salmon have a sandpapery mouth that can abrade lighter leader, and you'll be fishing around reef and rocks. About 1-1.5 metres is standard.

Terminal Tackle

A fast clip or swivel allows you to change lures quickly when the salmon are on - you don't want to waste time retying when schools are moving through.

Best Lures for Perth Salmon

Salmon are aggressive feeders during the run - they'll hit a variety of lures. The key is casting distance. Schools can be 50-100+ metres from shore, so your lure needs to fly. Here are the lures our team reaches for every salmon season.

Stickbaits - The #1 Choice

Stickbaits are the most versatile salmon lure. They cast long distances, work subsurface with an enticing darting action, and salmon absolutely demolish them. Work them with a steady retrieve or twitch-twitch-pause.

Metal Slugs - For Distance

When the salmon are way out and you need every metre of casting distance, metals are your best friend. They're heavy, aerodynamic, and fly like a bullet. Retrieve fast with a rod-tip-down, straight wind - the salmon will find it.

  • Doctor Hook School Bully 45g - a Perth salmon legend. Casts a mile, sinks fast, and the tight vibration on retrieve drives salmon wild.
  • Doctor Hook Long Tom - elongated profile that imitates the whitebait and garfish salmon feed on. Different action to the School Bully - worth having both.
  • Yakamito Hyper Dart 160 - a casting machine. Aerodynamic shape means insane distance even in headwinds. Fast retrieve, let the shape do the work.
  • Richter Sea Iron Super Sprat - Australian made, proven on decades of salmon seasons. Classic metal slug design that just works.

Browse our full range of metal lures.

Poppers - When They're Close

When salmon are pushing bait into the shallows and you can see them smashing on the surface - that's popper time. Nothing beats watching a salmon explode on a surface lure in knee-deep water.

Angler fishing for Australian salmon from Perth beach during autumn salmon run

Beach fishing for salmon - walk, watch, and be ready to cast when the schools move through.

Techniques That Work

Beach Fishing (Safest and Most Productive)

Beach fishing is the recommended approach for salmon - it's safer than rock fishing and often more productive because you can move with the schools.

  1. Walk and watch. Walk the beach with polarised sunglasses, scanning for dark patches, birds, or surface activity
  2. Lead the school. When you spot a school moving along the beach, cast your lure ahead of the school - not into it. You want the lure to be in their path as they swim through
  3. Retrieve fast. Salmon are chasing fleeing baitfish - a fast, erratic retrieve triggers their predatory instinct. Stickbaits with a fast twitch-twitch-wind, metals with a straight fast wind
  4. Don't stop when you hook up. Where there's one salmon, there are hundreds. If you're with mates, keep casting while one person fights their fish. Schools move fast and the window can be short

Rock Fishing (Higher Risk, Rewarding)

Rock platforms give you access to deeper water and can produce fish when beaches are quiet. But rock fishing carries serious risks - people die every year from being washed off rocks in WA.

Safety rules:

  • ALWAYS wear a life jacket - many tackle shops (including us) stock or loan them
  • NEVER fish alone on rocks
  • NEVER turn your back on the ocean
  • Check the swell forecast before heading out
  • Wear appropriate footwear with grip
  • Let someone know where you're going

Bait Fishing

While lure fishing is the most exciting approach, a whole pilchard or mulie on a running sinker rig cast into a gutter still catches plenty of salmon. Use a 4/0-6/0 circle hook, 40lb leader, and enough sinker to hold bottom in the wash. Set the rod in a sand spike and wait - salmon hit bait hard, so you'll know about it.

Best Conditions

  • Dawn - consistently the best bite window. Be on the beach before first light
  • Incoming tide (last 2 hours) - pushes bait into the shallows where salmon can pin them against the beach
  • South-westerly wind - pushes bait onto the reef and into the gutters. A bit of chop on the water helps
  • After rough weather - a day or two after a big swell often produces great fishing as bait gets disorientated
  • Overcast days - salmon seem to feed more aggressively and closer to shore on cloudy days

Bag Limits and Regulations

  • Daily bag limit: 4 per person
  • Minimum size: No minimum size for Australian salmon in WA

Always check the latest rules on fish.wa.gov.au before fishing - regulations can change.

Fresh Australian salmon catch from Perth metro beach ready for the table

Fresh salmon ready for the smoker - bleed and ice immediately for the best eating quality.

On the Table - Better Than You Think

Australian salmon get a bad rap as a table fish, but that's mostly because people don't handle them properly. Treated right, they're genuinely good eating - rich, oily flesh that's packed with omega-3 and takes bold flavours beautifully.

The secret to good salmon on the table:

  1. Bleed immediately. Cut a gill as soon as you land the fish. This is the single most important step - unbled salmon tastes terrible
  2. Ice immediately. Get the fish into an ice slurry as fast as possible. Don't leave it sitting in the sun
  3. Remove the bloodline. When filleting, cut out the dark red/brown bloodline that runs along the centre of the fillet. This is where the "fishy" taste lives

Best cooking methods:

  • Smoked - hands down the #1 way to eat salmon. Hot-smoked fillets are incredible
  • Barbecued - skin-on fillets, high heat, 3 minutes per side. The oily flesh doesn't dry out like leaner fish
  • Curried - the bold, oily flesh stands up to strong curry spices. A salmon curry is a Perth autumn classic
  • Sashimi - if the fish is bled, iced, and ultra-fresh, thinly sliced salmon sashimi is surprisingly good

Take a couple home for the table, and release the rest. These fish are a shared resource and the run depends on healthy breeding stocks.

Ready to Chase Some Salmon?

The salmon run is one of Perth's great fishing events - free, accessible, exciting, and it happens right on our doorstep. Whether you're a seasoned salmon chaser or hitting the beach for the first time, there's nothing quite like watching a school of salmon move through the shallows and feeling that first savage hit on your lure.

Come into Compleat Angler Nedlands at 154 Stirling Highway for the latest intel on where the salmon are, the gear to catch them, and advice from a team that fishes the run every year. We'll set you up right.

For more Perth fishing guides, check out our posts on squid fishing, bream fishing, flathead fishing, and drone fishing.

Free shipping on orders over $150 Australia-wide. Call us on (08) 9389 1337.

Shop the full Oceans Legacy range at Compleat Angler Nedlands - rods, jigs, lures, and terminal tackle in stock with free shipping over $150.

— Jon Hammond
Tagged: Australian salmon beach fishing lure fishing Perth fishing salmon run shore casting WA fishing
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