The best spots to go crabbing around Perth

Recreational fishing is a favourite pastime for many Perth folks, and equally as popular is crabbing.

In addition to fish, the Swan River is home to an abundance of big beautiful blue manna crabs, and there’s plenty of spots along its shores (and deeper) to grab a few for dinner, or even better – Christmas lunch.

And to make sure you crab responsibly please keep in mind catch limits (which have just been updated), size limits and fishing seasons via the Fisheries WA Website, including no crabbing between September 1 and November 30 and a bag limit of five per fisher and 20 per boat.

Mosman Bay

This popular recreational foreshore is not only the perfect picnic spot, but has the perfect jetty to throw a pot or two off. Boaters can launch from the Johnston Parade boat ramp nearby, and keep your eyes peeled for dolphins, who love to pop in for a quick fish themselves.

East Fremantle

As the crab season kicks back up from December 1, the waters around East Freo are prime for crabs. The jetties near the Left Bank and the East Freo Yacht Club are both great dropping positions, or if you’ve got a boat get out into the deeper waters around Blackwall Reach (just make sure you stay out of the traffic channels).

Canning Bridge

Another popular spot as the summer gets on and crabs continue making their way up river, it’s also a great little fishing spot. You can also do a bit of scooping off the beach.

Point Walter

Point Walter’s sandbar is a popular spot for fishing (especially flathead), but also makes for a nice spot of scooping. It’s also a great prawning spot, and just generally makes for a fantastic place to take the family for an afternoon on the river with plenty of barbecue facilities to hopefully cook up your catch super fresh!

The Old Brewery

No doubt you’ve driven along Mounts Bay Road and seen a few empty milk bottles bobbing up and down in the water along the stretch down to Nedlands. This area and underneath the Narrows are popular for a reason, so if you don’t mind sharing the space with a few fellow fishers, there’s some gold to be had here later in summer heading into autumn.

Cockburn Sound

For the first time in over 10 years Cockburn Sound has reopened to recreational fishers after it was closed to support stock recovery in 2014. And while the stocks have recovered enough to allow recreational fishing, it’s still off-limits for commercial fishers.

Mandurah Estuary

If you’re keen to make a day of it, you can always head south to the Blue Manna Mecca of Mandurah. There’s a wealth of spots for you to drop nets from jetties, get out on the boat or go scooping, so do a bit of research and make sure you’ve got good footwear if it’s the latter – cobbler barbs are no fun at all.

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