Eyebrow perch are a good-looking little reef fish with bold markings and a proper grumpy face. They are not a big-name target for most anglers, but they are a fun by-catch around shallow southern reefs and always worth a look when you pull one up.
In Australia you will mostly find eyebrow perch along the southern coastline around Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and parts of southern New South Wales. They like rocky reefs, broken ground, kelp edges and inshore bommies, usually in fairly shallow to mid-depth water rather than out wide.
They feed on small fish, crabs, shrimp and other little reef critters picked off the bottom and around cover. Most of their hunting is short and sharp, ducking out from reef structure rather than chasing bait long distances.
Tide matters most when there is enough run to move food across reef edges, with the turn and the early push often giving them confidence to feed. Low light from early morning, late afternoon or a bit of cloud usually helps, because they are happier sitting out from cover. Light to moderate wind is better than dead calm or a hard blow, as a bit of surface ripple helps but too much wind makes shallow reef fishing messy. Smaller, manageable swell is ideal, because some wash over the rocks can fire them up, but heavy swell makes them shut down or puts the area out of play altogether.
A light estuary or inshore reef outfit works fine, with small paternoster rigs, lightly weighted baits or soft plastics bounced close to the bottom. Use bits of pilchard, squid, prawn or small strips of fish, and keep your presentation tight to the reef without burying it in the bricks.
That dark stripe over the eye is what gives the eyebrow perch its name, and it really does look like the fish is giving you a dirty look.