Make your way to Maylands HOTSPOT
Luke Doherty
The Swan River runs through the heart of Perth, and one of the more scenic parts is Maylands. As the river twists and bends around the Maylands Peninsula Golf Course and then around past Optus Stadium, it creates an interesting mix of shallow flats and deeper channels. The river banks are scattered with jetties and fallen timber, which provide great habitat for the local fish populations.
stays further upriver, and the salt pushes upstream well past Maylands. Coupled with the warmer weather, a variety of species begin moving into the middle reaches of the Swan River to breed and hunt. Among these species are tailor, flathead and, for those anglers who invest the time stalking the flats, giant herring also make an annual appearance. LAUNCHING There is no shortage of boat ramps around Maylands on both sides of the river. Using the boat ramps is optional though because if you look hard enough you
if conditions aren’t right and the bream aren’t actively feeding it can be difficult to coax a bite. Long casts and slow retrieves with the occasional pause can help prompt a timid fish to take your offering. When casting at structure, especially with lures, if you don’t feel like you’re going to lose your lure you may not be casting close enough. If you are working across flats, cast around then move forward – this way you’ll avoid spooking fish by running over them with your kayak. Look for activity on the surface and get a cast into
The Hardey boat/dinghy ramp on the Belmont side is one of many great places to launch in the Belmont/Maylands area. Areas like the edge of Baigup wetlands and Kuljak Island are mostly only accessible by watercraft, so they experience a lot less pressure than those spots which offer easy access by foot. During the winter rains, the freshwater coming down river can make the fishing tougher. However, the summer months really turn it on, with a variety of species in good numbers.
can find plenty of suitable spots to launch from the banks, and even a purposebuilt kayak launch area at Tranby House. Parking on the Belmont side of the Swan River is convenient and can save you a drive through the city, but parking can be a challenge if there’s an event on or the boat ramps are busy. Heading to the Maylands side offers a few
Bar-tail flathead are quite prolific in this area all year round, but are far more active once the water temperature starts to rise. TARGET SPECIES Through winter, bream are the species of choice for most anglers. The cooler weather and rain bring on a fresh water flush that pushes the brackish species into the deeper parts of the river. The deeper channels still see the occasional mulloway cruising through. When the water warms up in summer, the freshwater 54
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more parking opportunities and will bring you in past shops and cafés, which are great when you want to stop and grab breakfast or on-water snacks. THE APPROACH Looking for bream usually involves lots of casting into snags and structure, or fanning casts across flats. This generally yields good results, though
areas where fish are on the surface where you can. Tailor will sometimes follow a bait or lure intended for a bream. If you find a tailor showing an interest in your bream offering, a well-placed cast and quick retrieve will have them in hot pursuit. River fishing is a game of one-percenters; anglers who are great estuarine fishers are constantly refining their approach and gear. For bream, that might involve changing hook size, using lighter or heavier jigheads depending on depth of water or current flow, leader size or just tying rigs a little differently. For tailor it might mean a different retrieve or different colour bait or lure. The diversity of fishing environments and species around Maylands mean that you can experiment with new techniques and not need to travel far to find the ground or the species you want to catch. THE TACKLE BOX Anglers targeting most river species won’t need any heavy equipment. A 6-7ft, 1-2kg or 2-4kg graphite rod with a fast action will be suitable for most fishing. Smaller reels in the 10002000 range will help keep the weight down, so you don’t get fatigued as much while casting all day. With any style of fishing, high end gear will make life a little bit easier, but a good entry level bream or estuary combo doesn’t need to cost a fortune. Line and leader will be the next thing to consider. Again, for most species you’ll want
to look for lighter options. Choosing a 6-8lb braid will have you covered for most of the river monsters that Perth has on offer. A good quality fluorocarbon leader can make all the difference. A 6lb leader might work most days, but the day that it doesn’t could be the day that a 4lb or even 2lb leader is the difference between fish on the yak or nothing at all. Fish as light as you are comfortable with, but remember that species like tailor and giant herring can bite through lighter leaders. If you get a bite-off or two, consider changing leader size up a kilo or so, and then try to catch whatever was the cause of the bite-offs in the first place. Terminal tackle will depend on whether you want to fish baits or lures. For bait fishing, hook size will depend on the bait of choice. Whole river prawns, or even peeled segments, on about a size 1 long shank hook will entice bream, and
Bream are one of the easiest fish to catch around Maylands and can be found on just about every bank. It’s just a matter of finding which one they are feeding around on the day. really lift your catch rate to carry some scent to put on plastics that don’t already have it. Small vibes and minnows are also great for a few different species, and are a worthwhile addition to your arsenal. Hopping vibes across the flats can turn up some great flathead.
area, especially on those fine spring and summer days. Wearing bright colours will help you stand out and make it less likely that you’ll have a run-in with a boat or one of the many rowers that frequent the area. Heat stroke and dehydration are also a
The Belmont cliffs are a great area to start out. Deep water and heaps of structure mean that you can potentially catch any of the species that frequent this part of the river, including bream, mulloway and flathead. a strip of mullet or mulie will also work well. Using larger hooks can help avoid the smaller fish and stop the larger fish from swallowing the hooks. For lure fishing, 2.5” soft plastic grubs rigged on 1/16oz jigheads are a good all-round option. While some plastics come with scent impregnated in them or mixed in the pack, it can
SAFETY There are no legal requirements to carry any safety gear while fishing in the Swan River, but it’s good practice to always wear an inflatable PFD. The biggest safety challenges are visibility and the elements. Maylands can be a high traffic area, and with several boat ramps it’s a popular boat launching
Reedy banks are always a great place to start searching, especially on run-in and high tides.
concern. Moving in and out of the shade during the warmer months when there is very little breeze around can make it hard to stay cool. Cover up exposed skin and cover the rest in sunscreen. Local wildlife can also be a problem. There is a bird sanctuary on Kuljak Island, and with the waterbirds nesting in the area be careful not to venture too close to their nests or young. Sitting in a kayak being harassed by an angry swan isn’t a pleasant experience. CONCLUSION The boat ramp and kayak launching areas around Maylands provide a fantastic access. With the twists in the river there is always somewhere to get out of the worst of the wind, and with lots of turns and bends there is a great mix of surprisingly deep water and shallow banks, making it a great spot to fish in any weather.