Australian Salmon Fishing Guide: How to Catch Salmon

Every autumn, big schools of Australian salmon push along the WA coast, and the beaches come alive. They're big, powerful fish that smash lures, jump and run hard, and you can catch them from the sand with nothing more than a rod, a handful of metals and a pair of polarised sunglasses. When the salmon are on, it's the most exciting land-based fishing of the year.

This guide covers how to catch Australian salmon, and everything else you need to know about salmon fishing in WA: when and where the run happens in Perth and around WA, the right rod, reel and line, the best lures, how to set up a salmon rig for lures and bait, the techniques that work from the beach and rocks, and how to get the best out of salmon on the table.

Understanding Australian Salmon

Australian salmon aren't actually salmon. They're Arripis, a uniquely Australian family related to our Australian herring, found only in southern waters. There are two species: the western Australian salmon (Arripis truttaceus), which ranges from about Kalbarri in WA around to Victoria and Tasmania, and the eastern Australian salmon (Arripis trutta) of NSW, Victoria and Tasmania. They look and behave much the same, and the same methods catch both.

Young fish are known as salmon trout in WA and SA, and bay trout in Victoria and Tasmania. They live in estuaries, bays and along the beaches year-round. The adults form big schools that migrate along the coast each autumn to spawn, and that migration is the salmon run.

How big do they get?

Adult western salmon running along the WA coast are typically 2–4 kg, with fish of 5–6 kg not uncommon in a good season, and the biggest going well over 7 kg. Even a 3 kg salmon fights like a fish twice its size on light-to-medium gear: fast, powerful, and with a habit of launching out of the water.

When Is the Salmon Run?

The salmon run is a spawning migration. The schools move west along the south coast, round the Capes and push north up the west coast. Exact timing shifts a few weeks each year with water temperature, and the size of the run varies a lot from year to year.

• March: schools move along the south coast, from Esperance and Bremer Bay west towards Albany and Denmark.
• April–May: peak time around the Capes (Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin) and up through Bunbury, Binningup and Preston Beach.
• Late March to May: in a good year, the schools reach Mandurah, Rockingham and the Perth metro beaches. This is the metro window, and it often lines up with the April school holidays.
• May–June: the tail end of the run. Numbers thin out, but the fish that are left are often bigger and less pressured.

The Perth metro run is the most variable part. Some years the schools reach the metro in big numbers, and some years only a few fish make it past Mandurah. The south-west is far more reliable, which is why so many Perth anglers plan an autumn trip to the Capes or the south coast.

Around Australia, salmon are caught through the cooler months on the beaches and rocks of South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and southern NSW, with plenty of fish in bays and estuaries year-round.

Best conditions

• Dawn: consistently the best bite window. Be on the beach before first light.
• The last couple of hours of the rising tide: pushes bait into the shallows, where salmon can pin it against the beach.
• Onshore wind and a bit of chop: a south-westerly pushes bait onto the reefs and into the gutters.
• A day or two after rough weather: bait gets disorientated, and salmon take advantage.
• Overcast days: salmon often feed harder and closer to shore under cloud.

Where to Catch Salmon

Perth metro

Salmon follow the bait, so they can turn up anywhere along the coast. These are the spots that produce most often when the run reaches Perth.

• Trigg Point and Scarborough: the best-known metro salmon spot. The shallow reef concentrates bait, and salmon hammer it. Fish the beach rather than the rocks.
• Cottesloe: the groyne and reef edges funnel bait, and salmon patrol them.
• North and South Mole, Fremantle: access to deeper water, and fish can turn up even when the beaches are quiet.
• City Beach to Floreat: long stretches of beach with gutters and reef. Walk and watch.
• Burns Beach to Mindarie: the northern beaches, often less crowded.
• Hillarys: the breakwalls hold fish during the run, and it's a sheltered, family-friendly option.
• Rockingham and Point Peron: the southern metro often gets fish first as the schools push north.

South-west and south coast

This is the heart of the WA salmon run:

• The Capes: Cape Naturaliste, Sugarloaf, Yallingup, Smiths, Injidup, Cowaramup Bay, Redgate, Hamelin Bay and Cape Leeuwin.
• The south coast: Windy Harbour, Peaceful Bay, Ocean Beach at Denmark, the Albany beaches (Nanarup, Cosy Corner, Cheynes Beach), Bremer Bay, Hopetoun and the Esperance beaches.
• Heading north: Bunbury, Binningup, Preston Beach and Mandurah.

How to spot a school

• Dark patches in the water: a salmon school looks like a dark shadow moving through the gutter or the shallows. Polarised sunglasses are essential.
• Birds diving: terns and gulls working the water usually mean bait, and salmon underneath it.
• Bait flicking on the surface: baitfish spraying out of the water are being chased.
• White water in the wash: salmon pushing bait up the beach create a visible commotion in the waves.
• Get up high: on the south coast, anglers use the dunes and cliffs as lookouts to spot the schools coming.

Pro tip: join the Salmon Tracker Western Australia group on Facebook. Anglers post sightings along the coast in real time, so you'll know where the schools are on any given day.

The Right Gear for Salmon

Salmon fishing from the shore is all about casting distance and fish-fighting power. Schools can be 50–100 metres out, so you need to throw a lure a long way, then handle a hard-fighting fish in the surf.

Rod

A 9'–11' rod rated to cast 20–60 g is the sweet spot for beach salmon. Longer rods cast further from the beach, and you want enough backbone to handle a big fish in the wash without being so stiff you can't work a lure.

• Oceans Legacy Aurora Surf Light Spec: designed in Australia for exactly this fishing. The S922M casts salmon lures beautifully and has the backbone to land big fish in the wash. For heavier lures and rougher water, step up to the Aurora Surf Heavy Spec.
• Yamaga Blanks Blue Current 100 Beta (Tuned for Surf): a 10' surf lure rod that's light, sensitive and casts a long way. A joy to fish all morning.
• Yamaga Blanks Ballistick: sharp-casting and tough, and brilliant for throwing stickbaits and metals from the beach.
• Ripple Fisher Runner Exceed Final: a premium Japanese shore-plugging rod with the power to handle big salmon off the rocks and the south coast headlands.
• Shimano 23 Dialuna: light, sensitive and a superb caster. A favourite among serious shore lure anglers for salmon, tailor and mulloway.
• Shimano 24 Dynaflare: Shimano's dedicated surf range. The S96M is a great-value salmon rod.
• Shimano 24 Coltsniper SS: purpose-built for throwing metals and stickbaits from the rocks and beaches.
• Penn Prevail II: the 10'6" 1062SPM is a tough, great-value option for maximum distance.

Browse our full range of shore casting rods. For fishing from a boat, or for smaller salmon and salmon trout in the bays, a 7'–8' spin rod rated 4–8 kg is ideal.

Reel

A 5000–6000 size spinning reel suits most beach salmon fishing. Step up to an 8000 off the rocks. You want a smooth, strong drag, good line capacity and salt-resistant sealing, because you'll be fishing in the wash. A higher gear ratio (around 6:1 or faster) helps get metals moving the moment they hit the water.

• Shimano Spheros SW: tough, simple and great value.
• Shimano Saragosa SW: the go-to salmon reel for many WA anglers. Sealed, tough and plenty of drag.
• Shimano 24 Stradic SW: lighter, and a pleasure to cast all day.
• Shimano Twin Power SW: a big step up in power and smoothness, and bulletproof off the rocks.
• Shimano 22 Stella FK 5000: the ultimate lightweight shore casting reel.
• Daiwa 24 Certate SW and Penn Slammer IV: premium and hard-wearing alternatives.

Browse all spinning reels, or see our guide to fishing reels.

Line and leader

• Main line: PE2–3 (30–50 lb) braid is the most common for WA salmon. It's thin enough to cast a long way, and strong enough for big fish around reef. Try Varivas Avani Casting Max PE3, Varivas Avani Shore Master X8 or Daiwa J-Braid X8 300m.
• Leader: 30–50 lb, about 1–1.5 m. Salmon have a sandpapery mouth, and you'll be fishing around reef and rocks. Try Oceans Legacy Duelist Shock Leader or Icon Super Tough mono.

We also spool bulk braid in store, so come in and we'll fill your reel.

Salmon Rig Setup

Lure rig

The standard salmon lure setup is simple:

1. Join your braid to 1–1.5 m of leader with an FG knot, so it runs smoothly through the guides on the cast.
2. Tie a quality clip to the end of the leader, like the Oceans Legacy HD Ultra Ball Bearing Swivel / Access Clip or Yakamito XTS Quick Clip. When the schools move fast, you want to change lures in seconds, not retie.
3. Clip on your metal, stickbait or popper and go.

Swap trebles for single hooks

Salmon are aerial specialists. They jump and shake their heads, and they throw treble hooks surprisingly often. Swapping the treble on a metal for a pair of opposing inline single hooks hooks up just as well, holds on far better through the jumps, and makes releasing fish quicker and safer. Try Oceans Legacy Lancet Inline Singles or BKK Lone Diablo.

Bait rig

Bait fishing is the traditional way to catch salmon, and still deadly in a gutter.

• Running sinker rig: a ball or star sinker running on the main line down to a swivel, then 1 m of 40–50 lb leader and a set of ganged hooks. Use the lightest sinker that holds the bottom in the wash.
• Paternoster rig: holds a bait up off the bottom in rougher water. The Vexed Premium Long Cast Tarpon Gang Paternoster comes pre-tied and ready to go.
• Hooks: a set of 3–4 ganged 4/0–5/0 hooks through a whole pilchard (mulie). Try Halco Linked Gang Hooks or BKK HD Ganged Hooks. Circle hooks (4/0–6/0) also work well with the rod in a sand spike.
• Sinkers: a Vexed Beach Sinker or wire grapnel grips the sand when there's current or swell.

Set the rod in a sand spike and leave the drag light enough that a salmon can't pull the rod in. Salmon hit baits hard, so you'll know about it. Browse our hooks and rigs, or see our beach fishing guide for more on surf rigs.

Best Lures for Salmon

Salmon are aggressive feeders during the run and will hit a range of lures. Match your lure size to the bait they're feeding on: if they're chasing tiny whitebait, a small metal often out-fishes a big one, while big salmon on bigger bait love a 60 g slug. Carry a range from about 20 g to 60 g.

Metal slugs

Metals are the classic salmon lure. They're heavy, aerodynamic and fly like a bullet, so when the school is way out, reach for a metal.

• Doctor Hook School Bully 45g: a WA salmon legend. Casts a mile, sinks fast and has a tight vibration on the retrieve.
• Doctor Hook Long Tom: a slim profile that imitates whitebait and garfish.
• Halco Twisty and Surecatch Knight: classic, affordable chrome slices that have caught countless salmon.
• Richter Sea Iron Super Sprat: Australian-made and proven over decades of salmon seasons.
• Yakamito Hyper Dart 160: an aerodynamic casting machine that flies even into a headwind.
• Oceans Legacy Roven: a slim, rear-weighted jig that casts like a bullet and doubles as a jig off the rocks.

Browse all metal lures.

Stickbaits

Stickbaits are the most versatile salmon lures. They cast a long way, swim with a darting action just under the surface, and salmon demolish them. Work them with a steady retrieve or a twitch-twitch-pause.

• Duo Press Bait 125 HD: the premium salmon stickbait. Heavy enough to cast into the wind, with a deadly action. If you only buy one salmon lure, make it this one.
• Oceans Legacy Keeling 105 Heavy Long Cast: Australian-designed, with exceptional casting distance and a darting action salmon can't resist. Also in 88 and 160.
• Halco Slidog 105H: an Australian classic, walked across the surface or wound just under it.
• Nomad Riptide 125 Sinking and Floating: a WA staple off the beaches and rocks.
• Yakamito Sub Minnow 125: a subsurface stickbait with a great shimmy, for when salmon are sitting just below the surface.

Poppers

When salmon are pushing bait into the shallows and busting up on the surface, it's popper time. Watching a salmon explode on a surface lure in knee-deep water is fishing at its best.

• Halco Roosta Popper 105: the classic. Blooped across a feeding school, it's hard to beat.
• Halco Roosta Popper – Midnight Fish: our exclusive custom colour.
• Shimano Coltsniper Rock Pop Slim 140F: a long-casting popper for the rocks and breakwalls.

Fly

Salmon are superb on fly. An 8–9 weight rod with a fast-sinking line and a baitfish pattern like a Clouser or Surf Candy is a brilliant way to fish a school in close. Try the Wildfish Saltwater Inshore fly pack to get started.

How to Catch Salmon: Techniques That Work

Beach fishing

The beach is the safest and often the most productive way to fish for salmon, because you can move with the schools.

1. Walk and watch. Walk the beach with polarised sunglasses on, looking for dark patches, birds or surface activity. Salmon schools move fast. A school in front of you now can be 500 m up the beach in ten minutes, so be mobile.
2. Lead the school. Cast ahead of the school, not into the middle of it. You want your lure in their path as they swim through.
3. Start winding the moment it lands. Salmon hit on instinct. Burn metals back fast with the rod tip down, and work stickbaits with a fast twitch-twitch-wind. You can't really wind a metal too fast for salmon, and they'll even hit one skipping across the surface.
4. Try sink-then-burn. If fish aren't showing on top, let the metal sink to the bottom first, then rip it back fast. It wakes up fish holding deep.
5. Keep casting when a mate hooks up. Where there's one salmon, there are plenty more. Schools move fast, and the window can be short.

When they won't bite

Salmon can switch off completely, especially under heavy fishing pressure or in clear, calm water. When they're following lures and refusing them, go lighter and smaller: a lighter leader, a smaller lure, and a slower retrieve. On the gin-clear south coast beaches, this is often the only thing that works.

Fighting salmon

Salmon lunge with no warning and change direction violently. Keep the rod low, use a smooth drag, and let the rod and drag absorb the jumps. Don't bully a fish in the wash. Wait for a wave to help you slide it up the beach.

Rock fishing

Rock platforms and headlands give you access to deeper water and can produce fish when the beaches are quiet. They're also the most dangerous places to fish in Australia, and salmon spots on the south coast have claimed lives.

• Always wear a life jacket.
• Never fish alone.
• Never turn your back on the ocean.
• Check the swell forecast before you go, and watch the sets for a good while before you set foot on the rocks.
• Wear footwear with grip, like cleats.
• Tell someone where you're going and when you'll be back.

No fish is worth your life. If in doubt, fish the beach.

Salmon on the Table

Australian salmon have a bad reputation as a table fish, mostly because they aren't handled well. Treated right, they're much better than people think: rich, oily, full of omega-3, and great with bold flavours.

• Bleed it immediately. Cut a gill as soon as the fish is landed. This is the single most important step. The Oceans Legacy Iki Jimi Spiker and Bleeding Knife Kit makes it quick and clean.
• Ice it straight away. Get the fish into an ice slurry as fast as possible, and never leave it sitting in the sun.
• Cut out the bloodline. When filleting, remove the dark red strip along the centre of the fillet. That's where the strong, fishy flavour is.
• Eat it fresh. Salmon is at its best within a day or two.

Best ways to cook it:

• Smoked: hands down the best way to eat salmon.
• Barbecued: skin-on fillets over high heat, a few minutes each side. The oily flesh doesn't dry out.
• Curried: it stands up to strong spices, and a salmon curry is a WA autumn classic.
• Fish cakes and rissoles: a great way to use the whole fillet.
• Sashimi: if the fish is bled, iced and ultra-fresh.

Salmon fillets and frames also make excellent bait for mulloway, sharks and samsonfish. Many anglers keep a couple for the table and bait, and release the rest so there are plenty of fish for next year's run.

Salmon Fishing FAQ

How do you catch salmon?

Find the school first: look for dark patches, diving birds and bait on the surface. Cast a metal slug or stickbait ahead of the school on a 9'–11' rod and 5000-size reel, and start winding fast the moment it lands. Whole pilchards on ganged hooks in a beach gutter also work well.

When is salmon season in Perth?

The run usually reaches the south coast in March, the Capes in April and May, and the Perth metro beaches from late March to May in a good year. Timing and numbers vary from year to year.

What is the best lure for salmon?

Metal slugs like the Doctor Hook School Bully and Halco Twisty for distance, stickbaits like the Duo Press Bait and Oceans Legacy Keeling, and poppers like the Halco Roosta when fish are busting on top.

What is the best salmon rig setup?

For lures: PE2–3 braid joined to a 30–50 lb leader with an FG knot, and a quick clip on the end. For bait: a running sinker or paternoster rig with a whole pilchard on 3–4 ganged 4/0–5/0 hooks.

What size reel do I need for salmon?

A 5000–6000 spinning reel for beach fishing, and 6000–8000 off the rocks. A 3000–5000 reel is plenty for fishing from a boat or for smaller salmon trout.

Are Australian salmon good to eat?

Yes, if they're handled properly. Bleed and ice them immediately, cut out the bloodline and eat them fresh. They're excellent smoked, barbecued, curried or made into fish cakes.

Get Ready for the Salmon Run

The salmon run is one of the great fishing events in WA: free, accessible, exciting, and 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 move through the shallows and feeling that first savage hit.

Come and see us at Level 1/154 Stirling Highway, Nedlands, for the gear and advice to get you onto the salmon, or call us on (08) 9389 1337. For more, see our guides to beach fishing, fishing rods and mulloway fishing.

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