Adelaide, South Australia

Adelaide boat ramps
Adelaide boat ramps

Adelaide is known for its relatively sheltered gulf waters, metro jetties and low-energy beaches.

Rock platforms within the state’s St Vincent and Spencer Gulfs tend to be safer than those outside the gulfs.

The two gulfs form a substantial portion of the state’s coastline, with Adelaide located on the Fleurieu Peninsula on the east side of the Gulf of St Vincent.

Gulf waters are mostly sandy and shallow, with extensive seagrass beds.

What the gulfs lack in large sportfish is made up for by easy fishing for common bread and butter species.

The proliferation of jetties is a special feature for landbased fishos, both near the city and at coastal townships around the gulfs and in the large bays of the west coast.

Jetties were built so ships could be loaded with wheat or mining ore. Some jetties still serve this purpose.

Other jetties are now used solely for fishing, and towns with a good jetty invariably attract more holidaymakers.

Adelaide itself has several metro jetties, as well as the productive Port River estuary, which includes the harbour entrance rock walls.

Adelaide’s metro jetties are Brighton, Glenelg, Henley, Grange, Semaphore and Largs Bay.

West Lakes is a reclaimed marsh that is now a saltwater system and a great spot to target large black bream.

Outside of the gulfs are true surf beaches that face the mighty Southern Ocean.

Kangaroo Island is a popular fishing holiday and boating destination for Adelaide folk, with the southerly half of the island facing the Southern Ocean, and the north coast more sheltered.

It has beach, creek and rock fishing.

Boating facilities in South Australia are generally excellent, with protected, all-tide dual-lane ramps and caravan parks at most coastal towns.

Adelaide fishermen looking for a good day trip generally head south as the coast north of the city is shallow and drab, although crab raking has a strong seasonal following in this area.

Beaches and rock platforms immediately south of Adelaide are quite sheltered, but the southern side of Adelaide’s Fleurieu Peninsula has the more exposed Waitpinga and Parsons surf beaches that fish well for salmon, mulloway and occasional tailor.

Victor Harbour is a popular daytrip, with good fishing off the Granite Island causeway and Screwpile Jetty, and at Port Elliot.

Port Noarlunga’s Onkaparinga River is a popular destination for fishos chasing black bream, and small mulloway are also caught.

Rapid Bay has a good fishing jetty, also within day trip distance of Adelaide, with several other good fishing spots located on the run south down the peninsula to Cape Jervis.

Weekend or longer trips from Adelaide may be spent heading around the top of the gulfs to various York Peninsula fishing destinations, or the Eyre Peninsula’s Port Lincoln.

Further afield, the state’s west has a coastline as wild and pristine as a fisho could ask for.

Parts of the west coast are remote and require a 4WD for beach access, while some long stretches of beach can’t be accessed at all. Yalata is arguably the premium surf destination for those chasing trophy mulloway.

The east coast through to Port Macdonnell and Robe is home to bluefin tuna and crayfish for those who have suitable boats, as well as the usual bread and butter species, with Kingston and Cape Jaffa also having a strong following among fishing holidaymakers.

South Australia’s top species are king george whiting, snapper, yellowfin and silver whiting, tommy ruff (WA herring), yelloweye mullet, Australian salmon, black bream, mulloway, squid, blue crabs and garfish.

Yellowtail kingfish, samsonfish and bluefin tuna are the state’s large sportfish, along with thresher, mako and whaler sharks.

Big calamari squid are common throughout the gulfs, as is the world’s largest cuttlefish species, which spawns en masse near Whyalla.

Other locally popular species are red mullet (goatfish), leatherjackets, sand flathead and silver trevally.

Snook, a smaller relative of northern barracuda, are common and a popular target.

Barracouta are of interest to some fishos and they grow large in SA waters.

Dusky morwong (locally called strongfish) and magpie morwong are often seen in seagrass beds by divers but they rarely take baits and are poor eating.

Offshore reefs produce mainly blue morwong, pink snapper, harlequin fish, blue groper, big leatherjackets and samsonfish.

Warm waters from Western Australia’s Leeuwin Current sometimes pass the state in summer and bring surprise catches of tropical species such as mahi mahi, but these can in no way be relied upon.

Crayfish are common mostly outside the gulfs, and blue swimmer and two-spot sand crabs thrive within the gulfs, with smaller populations of blue crabs in inlets along the ocean coast.

Small salmon are called “salmon trout” in South Australia, and tommy ruffs are called “tommies”.

The state has a large network of marine parks and some small aquatic sanctuary areas.

Be sure to know where they are before fishing, see the links below.

Adelaide freshwater fishing

Adelaide is the capital city of Australia’s driest state, but there is freshwater fishing to be had.

The lower Murray River empties into the sea at the Coorong mouth, 80km south-east of Adelaide, a famous mulloway haunt when floodwater flows.

The section of the Murray flowing through South Australia can fish well, with cod making a comeback in recent times, until drought hit hard in 2019.

The lower Murray has mainly carp, golden perch (also called callop, or yellowbelly), silver perch, redfin and tench.

Yabbies are at times common in streams around Adelaide.

There is a small following of die-hard trout fishers, but climate extremes have killed off some marginal trout waters, along with a push to help native non-sporting fish to thrive, instead of feral favourites like trout and redfin.

Trout are in Adelaide’s Torrens and Onkaparinga Rivers, along with carp, redfin and galaxia.

Sixth Creek, a permanent stream that flows into the upper Torrens, has had self-sustaining populations of brown and rainbow trout in the past.

Further afield, the Broughton, Hindmarsh and Finniss Rivers are the best places to find SA trout, along with some public reservoirs and private dams.

A government survey showed that redfin perch were far more common than trout in most SA streams, with the Inman, Myponga, North Para and Onkaparinga Rivers holding many redfin.

Quite a strong population of tench was found in Sturt Creek.

All these streams are an easy day trip for Adelaide residents.

Click here for more detailed info about SA trout waters.

The South Australian Fly Fishers Association is the focal point for gaining the latest knowledge and access to local trout waters.

The map below, adapted from a 2006 government report, shows trout availability in some of the streams that flow into the lower Murray lakes.

The state was a late starter in Australia to allow fishing in its reservoirs, but some impoundments have been opened to fishing, with more planned.

Fish stocking of reservoirs took off only after years of lobbying, with Warren, Beetaloo, Bundaleer, South Para and Myponga Reservoirs stocked with golden perch, silver perch and murray cod.

More reservoirs may be in the pipeline for public access, however there has been ongoing debate over stocking trout versus native fish.

The lower Torrens River flows through Adelaide’s CBD and this section has plenty of large carp. Don’t discount carp as a sportfish, they fight hard and large fish can be difficult to tempt.

How to fish Adelaide – bait, lures & tackle

Cockles (pipis) are a popular bait in SA.

These are found in the sand of some surf beaches, as are beach worms.

Tubeworms are collected in muddy flats areas, and are a prime bait.

There is seasonal run of bloodworms, which are sold at tackle shops.

Worms found in rotting seaweed, a common feature of SA beaches, are good for whiting.

Maggots (gents) are commonly used for garfish and tommies – they are bred in rotting meat, then purged in wheat bran.

Mulloway are best targeted with livebait.

Squid are readily available in SA and make good bait, being particularly effective as fresh or live bait for mulloway and kingfish.

Of the packet baits, prawns, bluebait, whitebait and pilchards work well on juvenile salmon, tommy ruffs, bream and snapper.

Pilchards presented on ganged hooks work well for surf salmon.

Tommy ruff fillets make great snapper bait.

A local species of shellfish called razorfish is a good whiting bait. It is found on tidal flats.

Yellow-eye mullet will take small flesh baits, with mice meat being popular.

Paternoster rigs are standard fare when beach and boat fishing in SA, using light star sinkers and small long-shank hooks.

For black bream, running sinker or weightless rigs work well. Gar and tommy ruffs are often targeted using float-fishing methods, and floats can be useful when rock fishing for sweep.

Lures: Small soft plastics and minnows work well on black bream, with chrome slices the best casting lure for salmon, snook and silver trevally.

Squid jigs are a must in the tackle box, and large baited jigs work well on big SA squid.

Adelaide fishing weather & tides

Autumn and winter provide the most stable weather, with more wind in spring and summer.

Sea breezes blow hard in the warm months as the land heats up, and temperatures can sore above 40C for days at a time.

April, May and June are the best boating months, although storm fronts come through in winter, bringing gale-force winds.

Keep an eye on the weather forecasts.

In the Southern Ocean a big swell often occurs, and boaters must beware breaking waves over reefs.

Much of the state has a relatively small tidal range, to about 2m, but this increases to almost 4m in the upper reaches of the two gulfs as the water mass is pushed up into a smaller area.

The gulfs have a tidal quirk called “dodge tides” – an extended period of little movement when fishing is usually poor.

Port Lincoln has a localised tidal quirk of a one-tide day.

The state’s small tidal range makes boating easier, but small tidal movement and clear water can make fish bite less aggressively.

Special features

South Aussies (Croweaters) like to “dab” for garfish in the shallows at night.

A spotlight is used to dazzle the fish, which are caught (dabbed) with a handnet.

Another popular pastime is “raking” blue crabs in the shallows in summer.

Crabs are also caught from jetties and boats with baited drop nets.

Flounder are found throughout the state in sheltered tidal shallows, and are speared at night with a light.

The local yellow-eye mullet is one of the few mullet species that scoff meat baits, and curried raw mince meat was a favoured bait for many years during the autumn mullet run on the beaches.

Crayfish are caught on the state’s oceanic coast, and these southern crays are among the tastiest in the world.

South Australia is home to the great white shark, which give small boats a nudge from time to time.

The cownose ray, locally called eagle ray, is a fighting fish that often jumps when hooked, unlike the huge smooth stingrays that are also common.

Gummy and school sharks are popular, but less popular are fiddler rays, shovelnose sharks and Port Jackson sharks (doggies).

Elephant fish are caught in SA waters.

Big blue groper are caught in the more remote coastal rocky areas.

In recent times there have been severe restrictions on snapper fishing, because of declining stocks.

Adelaide also has some language quirks, perhaps because it was a free settler state … you go to the d’ah’nce (not the dance), dams are called reservoirs, rock walls are called breakwaters, and the word “river” often appears first in titles, eg River Murray. Golden perch (yellowbelly) are often called callop and the small western striped trumpeter are almost always called “shitties”.

Here is the SA seasonal fishing calendar for various fish species.

Book your fishing stay early at Booking.com

Adelaide (Outer Harbour) tides
West Beach webcam
SA fishing regulations
SA marine parks
SA stocked dams
SA dam water levels
Murray River fishing spots

NOTE: Special snapper rules apply in South Australia – more info here.

Email corrections, additions, pictures or video here.

Darwin, Northern Territory

No Australian capital city offers fishermen more than Darwin.

Gill netting and commercial crabbing are banned in Darwin Harbour, and barramundi, mud crabs and various sportfish species are abundant.

You don’t even need a boat licence, boat registration or a fishing licence.

Despite this seemingly relaxed attitude, there are very few boating accidents.

Though the gas industry is visible from the city, most of Darwin’s vast mangrove-lined harbour is undeveloped and in good condition, offering a wilderness experience.

The harbour’s three main arms have sheltered waters with many tidal creeks and flats that are ideal for chasing fish in small boats.

There are several artificial reefs, as well as World War II wrecks and cyclone wrecks that fish well.

Natural reef is abundant, although the best of this is in the shipping lane, where anchoring is not permitted. Drift fishing or spotlocking with an electric motor is the alternative, as long as skippers move their boat well before a ship draws near.

The main species caught are barramundi and mud crabs, but common species include blue and threadfin salmon, golden snapper, goldspot cod, various trevally, mangrove jacks, queenfish, jewfish, tricky snapper, Indon snapper (redfish), various mackerel and longtail and mackerel tuna.

Whiting, bream and flathead are about, but with so many more exciting fish to chase, they are rarely targeted.

Darwin is also within day-trip distance of iconic barramundi waters such as the Daly River, Corroboree Billabong, Shady Camp, Dundee Beach and Kakadu National Park.

Bynoe Harbour is an undeveloped “sister harbour” south-west of Darwin, with excellent fishing.

Shoal Bay, near Darwin’s northern suburbs, is a barramundi and crabbing hotspot with a large wetland.

Dundee Beach and Mandorah can also be done as a day trip, and a ferry service operates to Mandorah.

A popular pastime in Darwin during the wet season is driving to flooded culverts or bridges where barramundi will be found.

Darwin has a stocked impoundment at Manton Dam.

Small lakes at the satellite city of Palmerston are also stocked with barramundi.

Darwin has active fishing clubs that hold a range of competitions.

The annual Million Dollar Fish promotions sees 100 or so tagged barramundi released across the Top End, each worth $10,000, and plenty of these are caught in the harbour. There is also a $1m prize. The MDF event usually runs from October to February, although it varies.

Detailed fishing maps of the harbour and the Top End’s best rivers, including rockbars, are in the North Australian FISH FINDER book.

How to fish Darwin

Harbour fishing is all about the tides, which alternate in roughly a two-week cycle between large tides of up to 8m movement, to neap tides with little movement.

The bigger tides require trip planning, as most boat ramps are high and dry at low tide, as are many of the harbour’s reefs and rockbars.

Fishing and crabbing can be good on big tides, but the water is usually turbid, and the currents are strong.

Neap tides provide clearer water, and longer windows of bottom fishing in deep water when the current ebbs.

Barramundi are generally caught as mud drains empty out as the tide flows out.

Drain fishing is generally best with low tides of 1.5m or less.

Neap tides provide sight-fishing opportunities among the mangroves and on the flats.

High-tide fishing is problematic as most estuary fish move into the mangrove forests to feed.

The harbour arms and side creeks have rockbars and rubble bottoms which hold mangrove jacks, cod and golden snapper.

Big jewfish are caught on deep wrecks at the turn of the tide, as well as over natural reef that extends out to Charles Point.

Off Lee Point, big spanish mackerel are usually easy to find in the dry season from May onwards, along with longtail tuna.

Lee Point is home to arguably the best artificial reef system, with three sites consisting of multiple components.

Queenfish and trevally are where you find them around Darwin, but usually are best around current rips off rock walls and headlands.

Some small areas around the harbour are off limits, use the Northern Land Council’s Kenbi Land Claim map here to understand where you can and can’t fish.

Landbased fishing can be had off Stokes Hill Wharf, Mandorah Wharf, various rock walls, and around Mindil Beach, Lee Point, East Point, Nightcliff and Buffalo Creek.

Keep in mind that crocodiles can show up anywhere, and box jellyfish and stonefish are abundant.

Local bait that can be harvested are sardines and herring, which live around the wharves and in creeks, and can be caught with tiny jigs or cast net. Small prawns are available during and after the wet season.

Mullet are also easy enough to find in the creeks, with mainly whiting along the beaches.

Small torpedo squid can be caught under wharf lights, along with the occasional larger tiger squid.

Trolling and casting lures works in the harbour arms, using around 15kg braided lines and well-made Australian lures such as Reidys and Classics and soft plastics and vibes such as Vibelicious. Leaders of around 40kg are needed.

Many imported lures are not strong enough for barramundi.

Barramundi are caught all year but the best time in the harbour is the Build-up, from September until the wet season breaks.

The harbour has no run-off creeks, but nearby Shoal Bay does have wetland and some run-off fishing during the wet season.

Pelagic fish are best in the dry season, with golden snapper and jewfish good in April and May.

Mud crabs are caught almost all year, but tend to be most full in the dry season.

Be sure to fish the harbour with a copy of the local ‘bible’, the North Australian FISH FINDER fishing map book, which has marks, detailed maps and information.

Each year the harbour receives tagged fish for the NT’s Million Dollar Fish promotion, these fish are worth $10k each if caught and entered by registered fishos. There is also a single $1m prize for which several tagged fish are eligible, these are released across the Top End.

Darwin is a popular destination in the dry season, be sure to book accommodation early.



Booking.com

Darwin tides
NT fishing regulations
Kenbi Land Claim no-go areas
Recent NT rainfall
NT fishing holiday accommodation
NT’s Million Dollar Fish promotion
NT fishing regulations
North Australian FISH FINDER fishing map book

Email corrections, additions, pictures or video here.

Dundee Beach, Northern Territory

Dundee Beach is the gateway to Fog Bay, south-west of the Northern Territory’s capital city of Darwin and adjacent to Bynoe Harbour.

The bay has numerous rock patches, shallow reefs, a FAD and an engineered artificial reef, all fed by the vast floodplains of the Finniss and “Little Finniss” Rivers

There is a range of fishing opportunities in a compact area.

In a single day a well-organised crew can catch sailfish, reef fish, mud crabs and barramundi, although it is better to spend a dedicated day or two chasing each.

The bay can be fished on bigger tides than the waters off Darwin, as Fog Bay is less impacted by tidal currents.

Well wide of the boat ramp, about 70km out, are grounds that hold red emperor, huge mangrove jacks and nannygai.

Pelagic fish are found throughout the bay, with spanish mackerel and longtail tuna caught in close during the dry season.

To the south are the Finniss River and the Peron Islands.

To the north is the entrance to Bynoe Harbour.

For landbased fishermen, the coastal rocks produce large barramundi, blue salmon, goldspot cod, golden snapper, mangrove jacks , trevally and queenfish.

Sailfish are a major fishery in the bay, with multiple hookups possible, but the fishing quality changes each year, presumably with the local bait cycle.

Of interest is the presence of micro marlin in the bay, suggesting a spawning ground is not far away.

The local lodge has cabins and camping and retail.

The arms of Bynoe Harbour and the freshwater section of the Finniss River extend behind Fog Bay, with two public boat ramps servicing the Mackenzie and Milne Inlet arms, and a single ramp on the freshwater Finniss at Hardcastle Rd.

The tidal range in this area reach 7m+ and there are numerous drying reefs and flats, so boating trips must be planned with care.

Every year, tagged barramundi worth $10k are released in this region for the Million Dollar Fish annual promotion. Some of these fish are eligible to collect the $1m prize.

Detailed fishing maps of this area are in the North Australian FISH FINDER book, including proven fishing marks and rockbar maps.

Be sure to book Dundee Beach accommodation early to avoid disappointment, nearby at Bynoe Harbour visitors can stay at Sandpalms Roadhouse and Crab Claw Island Resort.

How to fish Dundee Beach

Sailfish are caught all year but are often best shortly after the wet season and again into the Build-up, which are also periods with calmer weather as the mid-year dry season brings persistent south-easters.

The usual techniques work on sailfish, but rig for smaller fish as the sails are rarely huge.

That said, black marlin to 150kg are hooked in this region.

Spanish, grey and spotted mackerel are commonly caught in the bay, as well as longtail and mackerel tuna. Just look for the seabirds.

Landbased fishing is done at the top of the tide, with calm mornings required for success with barramundi.

Trolling the three coastal rock outcrops to the north of the ramp through to Bynoe Harbour also produces good sport, again at high tide.

During the wet season and just after the Finniss River produces good barramundi fishing.

Mud crabs are usually easy to find.

The upper tidal Finniss River and “Little Finniss River” is closed to boaters under an Aboriginal Land exclusion.

The dry season brings the most comfortable weather temperature-wise but – as mentioned – has persistent south-east winds.

During these winds small boats can fish close to the shore on the shallow reefs and headlands.

Bigger tides are generally better for fishing in Fog Bay, but there is clearer water in the river on neaps.

For this reason, the Finniss River often fishes best with lures on or just after neaps.

Big jewfish are caught on the shallow reef near the boat ramp, but most crews target the shoals and artificial reef further out for coral trout, tricky snapper and golden snapper.

Reef fish are caught on flat rubble on the wider grounds, so keep a sharp eye on your sounder.

One of the proven far-wide spots is the gas pipeline.

Detailed fishing maps of the rockbars, jewfish reef and other local features are in the North Australian FISH FINDER book.

Native Point (Dundee Beach) tides
Recent NT rainfall – important for run-off fishing
NT fishing holiday accommodation
NT Million Dollar Fish promotion
NT fishing regulations
North Australian FISH FINDER fishing map book.

Email corrections, additions, pictures or video here.

Book your fishing B&B early at Booking.com



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