All posts by WFS Admin

Over about 45 years I fished most of the Aussie mainland and Tasmania. I mapped Top End river rockbars, reefs and wrecks using early sonar mapping software. I published the North Australian Fishing and Outdoors Magazine (closed it when COVID took off), and still publish the biennial FISH FINDER book of fishing maps. I was Sunday Territorian fishing columnist for two decades. Perhaps more importantly, I have caught 20lb+ snapper off Adelaide's metro jetties :) Great memories of catching tommies, chow and slimies at Port Giles and Edithburgh with my dad, and fishing in England for everything from carp and grayling to cod and plaice. This site is pretty much a love job, so be patient with site issues. Fishos can help by posting useful comments, fishing reports and feedback. Fish on!

Tasmanian kingfish

WFS Admin

The recreational kingfish catch across Tasmania
ABOVE: The recreational kingfish catch across Tasmania – data adapted from 2022/23 Survey of Recreational Fishing in Tasmania by UTAS/IMAS.

Though there has been damage to endemic habitat, Tasmanian fishos are seeing some benefits to warming waters.

Catches of yellowtail kingfish, pink snapper and king george whiting are increasing in the island state’s coastal waters.

Perhaps the elusive mulloway will show up in due course?

A steady decline in the recreational catch of endemic species such as sand flathead, black bream and yelloweye mullet and the introduced gamefish trout has also been noted, likely the result of various factors.

For anglers considering chasing “kingies”, peak kingfish action off Tasmania is usually in January/February. They show up at many inshore hotspots, and fall to much the same methods that take Aussie salmon, which are also abundant in Tassie waters.