Who is 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 :) Also have 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!
Jurien Bay is a popular holiday fishing destination located 220km north of Perth.
The bay features clear shallow water and an abundance of broken seagrass/sand bottom, with some north-south breaking coastal reef, and several inshore islands.
A mix of temperate and tropical species is caught.
Squid and blue swimmer crabs are usually easy to find, with the calm waters inside the marina as good as anywhere to catch them.
Inshore fishos also have a chance of catching bigger fish such as samson, mulloway, kingfish, mackerel and snapper.
Jurien Bay jetty and marina rock walls fish well for a range of species.
Green Head lies a 30-minute drive north, and Cervantes is 25 minutes to the south, with many fishable beaches and headlands between, along with the typical fringing reef that appears in much of the WA inshore coastal waters.
A local feature is rafts of beached and free-floating weed, usually in winter. Fishing is difficult when the weed is thick.
Inshore and landbased fishing at Jurien Bay tends to be best on bigger tides at dawn and dusk.
As the water is generally very clear and quite heavily fished, fresh or live baits help lure the bigger fish into striking.
Offshore fishing produces dhufish, crayfish, baldchin, snapper, breaksea cod, mulloway, mackerel, samson, kingfish and more, along with tuna and billfish out wide.
The range of northern coral trout and the similar southern harlequin fish intersect here, redthroat emperor are also caught, with red emperor found on the deeper grounds.
Dhufish are what most Jurien Bay boaters hope to catch, and these are usually found from 20m deep onwards, but are sometimes caught in shallower water around reefs.
Jurien Bay marina has a sheltered boat ramp, while some boaters choose to beach launch at nearby locations.
Beach launching small boats can be done in suitable conditions using a 4WD vehicle.
For those with trailerboats, there are lee areas near Boullanger and Tern Islands at the south end of the bay, but note the large sanctuary zone.
Tiny Favourite Island lies just 3.3km west of Jurien Bay marina, while 7km west of the marina are patches of breaking reef that are important local fishing spots.
One of these patches is ‘Seaward Ledge’ at approx 30 17.443S 114 58.279E, with another patch 2km north at approx 30 16.291S 114 58.334E. ‘The Boomer’ is a named patch that lies 2.7km south of Seaward Ledge at approx 30 18.894S 114 58.171E, with more breaking and submerged reef running roughly north and south in this area, marking the north-south line where the seabed starts dropping away into deeper water.
These reefs are a gathering point for pelagic fish such as mackerel.
When the local offshore FAD is in place in summer, dolphin fish (mahi mahi), wahoo, tuna and billfish are caught.
Winter fishing sees fewer species around, but usually with calmer weather.
To the south, Cervantes is another great fishing location.
Jurien Bay fishing spots
Hill River – 10km south of Jurien Bay, 4WD access only. This small river usually is landlocked at the mouth. It is a scenic spot, with black bream in the river and the nearby beach producing mulloway, tailor and sharks. The small point to the north also fishes well for tailor and occasional mulloway.
Island Point – this shallow area is at the south end of Jurien Bay, it has mainly tailor, silver trevally, herring, whiting and squid in the shallows in calm weather. Jurien Bay jetty – this small platform is popular in the holidays and it can produce almost anything. The site is quite protected from southerlies thanks to the curve of the bay. Best at dawn, dusk and at night. Squid and herring under lights.
North Head – 12km from Jurien Bay, 4WD access only. Beach fishing in designated areas north and south of the head for mostly squid, whiting, trevally, tailor and herring. The rest of the area, including the extensive shallow reef and seagrass located between North Head and Sandy Point, lies in a marine sanctuary zone.
Sandy Point – can be reached by 2WD but other beaches in this region require 4WD. Sandy Point is popular in the holidays. Lots of shallow reef and seagrass around the point but a sanctuary zone begins towards North Head.
Jurien Bay Marine Park
The park begins south of Wedge Island (South Rocks) and runs to Dynamite Bay in Green Head.
Within the park are the towns of Green Head, Jurien Bay and Cervantes.
The park consists of six zone types: no-take sanctuary zones, a special purpose (puerulus monitoring) zone, special purpose (scientific reference) zones, special purpose (shore-based activities) zones, aquaculture zones and a general use zone.
Recreational fishing can be done in most park areas but special rules or bans apply in some zones.
Jurien Bay fishing calendar
Crabs – summer. Herring – all year. Use berley and small hooks. They bite day and night but switch on and off. Mackerel – usually December to April, with spanish and shark mackerel along the inshore reefs. Dhufish – all year, usually caught around deeper reefs, but some are caught on shallow reefs and very occasionally from headlands. flathead – all year, best in summer. Mulloway – all year, best in summer. Pink snapper – widely available on reefy ground. Samson – summer. Trevally (Skippy) – winter for bigger fish. Tailor – all year, best in summer. Yellowfin tuna – summer. Whiting – all year. Squid – all year.
The Gold Coast has an abundance of landbased fishing for everyone from serious big-fish chasers to family fishos looking for a safe place for kids to wet a line.
Wiki Fishing Spots has listed the best parks and reserves for landbased fishing here.
There are many other good fishing areas at the Gold Coast and nearby. Here’s a few …
1. Burleigh Heads – the north bank of Tallebudgera Creek mouth has tailor and bream. Rock groynes on the south bank and along Palm Beach through to Kirra have tailor, bream and luderick.
2. For yakkers, Palm Beach Reef has spotted mackerel in summer.
3. On big tides Tallebudgera Creek has bream, whiting, flathead, luderick, mangrove jacks , jewfish, queenfish, trevally, tarpon, giant herring and occasional mud crab.
4. Currumbin Creek fishes much the same as Tallebudgera Creek. Currumbin Rock south of the creek has most species, with mackerel in season. There are big flathead at the creek mouth in spring.
5. Elephant Rock (north) and Flat Rock (south) have tailor, dart and bream, flathead on edges.
6. Snapper Rocks has great landbased fishing with bonito, tailor and tuna off the rocks between Rainbow Bay and Point Danger.
7. The Tweed River’s north and south rock walls have bitumen paths, easy access for landbased fishing. Fish turn of tide. Mainly bream, tailor, luderick, flathead. mulloway after rain.
18. Black Rocks is out of casting range from the beach but the adjacent beach has tailor, bream, dart, mulloway – there is a carpark nearby.
Those chasing mulloway, big tailor, sharks and more should try the Gold Coast seaway area, where the entrance rock walls and nearby sand-pumping jetty produce a variety of fish.
There is a large park just inside the seaway entrance that also has rock walls and good fishing.
You’ll need appropriate gear to fish these places as the rocks are large and the jetty is very high.
The sheltered waters of the Gold Coast include a labyrinth of canals off the rivers, with many public parks that give good access to bream fishing, with flathead, whiting, mangrove jacks , luderick, tailor, mulloway, cod, trevally and more also caught.
The broad shallow areas of sand around the Broadwater where flathead and sand whiting are the main catch.
Landbased fishing tends to be best on bigger tides.
In the canals, spots around tidal restrictions that produce mixed currents are often good fish-holding areas.
Use fresh bait and light tackle in the shallow, clear Gold Coast waterways.
For freshwater fishos, the Gold Coast’s Bjelke Petersen Dam has excellent bass fishing in summer.