The Blackwood River is the longest river in Western Australia’s south-west.

It is also the only south-west river to historically maintain an annual flow, with trout and redfin in the upper reaches.

The lower river forms Hardy Inlet, a large shallow estuary.

The inlet is fed by the Blackwood and Scott Rivers.

A dinghy gives access to the inlet’s bream, spotted and yellowfin whiting, tailor, salmon, herring, trevally, flathead, cobbler, herring, mullet, flounder, prawns and blue crabs.

The estuary is something of a nursery, so an abundance of little fish can be a problem.

The Blackwood River’s source is near Kukerin, about 500km from the sea entrance.

The tidal section of the river has big bream, along with quality yellowfin whiting in the estuary, but light tackle and fresh or live bait is a must to fool them.

The trick to catching the big bream is often just getting past all the little ones.

Try using lures or fishing at night.

Sea-run trout are a chance in the lower river in late winter and spring, but the river has mostly redfin in the upstream section, as well as cobbler (freshwater catfish).

Trolling the lower river usually produces tailor and juvenile salmon, with some large herring at times, and occasional skippy.

Tidal water extends to Schroeders Weir, about 50km from the mouth.

Bream fishing extends as far as Warner Glen (Chapman Pool) about 40km upstream of the mouth, but is usually better downstream around Alexandra Bridge (25km).

Bream move upstream in summer. Heavy rain will push most marine fish downstream.

Mulloway are a chance in the lower river.

Trout are around Darradup, Jalbarragup, Nannup and Wrights Bridge, but the fish can be hard to find. Rainbow and brown trout are caught.

Eulin Crossing is a popular access point.

The Blackwood River is an attractive location that is popular with kayakers.

Weed can be an issue in the estuary at times, and Hardy Inlet has been affected in recent times by water quality issues related to local land use, check the latest situation locally when planning a trip.

Here is a list of recommended tackle for WA waters.

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Hardy Inlet tides
Augusta-Margaret River coastline
WA fishing regulations
WA marine parks

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

Port Augusta is at the northern end of South Australia’s Spencer Gulf.

This is an unusual marine area. Key features are shallow and drying flats, seagrass beds and mangroves, with deeper channels leading from creeks and up into the top of the gulf.

A big attraction is an annual run of yellowtail kingfish.

Kingfish supported a local commercial fishery until the 1980s, with a net ban in the 1980s seeing the fish maintain numbers.

Most kingfish are caught in winter by recreational fishos in winter around the power station hot water outlet, with fish over 40kg taken.

Different methods are used when the hot water outlet is closed and the fish spread out.

Other kingfish locations to try are north of Port Augusta at the railway bridge and around the navigation beacons south of the power station.

Big kingfish return each year to the top of Spencer Gulf, possibly to spawn, with numbers peaking from about June until October.

They can be caught on fast-trolled or cast lures, or jigs, but most fishos chasing the bigger fish use a live squid or baitfish under a float.

Balloon rigs can be used to float a bait out with the wind.

There were also historically big numbers of snapper around Port Augusta, including large fish, but that changed as stocks were over-exploited.

Otherwise, the local waters are best for yellowfin whiting, blue crabs, gar, tommy ruff, salmon trout, bream and snook.

Spotted whiting are caught, but there are many juvenile fish among them.

Winter months fish well in the upper gulf, with the shallows warming up quickly in the sun, sometimes getting too hot in summer, when the fish go deeper.

Bloodworms usually run in winter after the new moon in July. With the abundance of food during the bloodworm run, the fishing can temporarily slow down.

Razorfish (shellfish) beds exist and the meat is great bait.

Gar, squid, flathead and spotted whiting are best in winter, with numbers of problematic blowfish and trumpeter (shitties) greater in summer months.

For squid try south of Chinaman Creek to Miranda and near weedbeds south of the old power station.

Salmon trout are available all year, with the Port Paterson producing big fish in winter.

Yellowfin whiting are a special attraction around Port Augusta in summer, with big fish caught in the shallows.

A boat is needed to access the best yellowfin whiting spots.

Try travelling the mangrove edges at high tide on a calm and clear day and look for small dark spots (tracks) where they dig for food.

Fish as a morning high tide leaves the mangroves, when the whiting leave the mangrove cover as the water drains.

Afternoon tides in summer can see the water get too hot.

The fish are caught in very shallow water, and seem to dislike dirty water, so fish in calm conditions.

For whiting use baits of prawns, bloodworms or tubeworms. Tiny lures also work at times. Light tackle is a must.

Port Augusta’s shallow flats are good for gar dabbing and crabbing.

Flathead and flounder are usually abundant, with flathead leaving recognisable depressions in the sand in the areas they frequent.

Flathead can be targeted with lures.

Bream can be found around structure.

An occasional appearance is made by tropical dolphin fish (mahi mahi), presumably when ocean currents bring them from Western Australia.

These fish usually die as the water cools off.

Eagle and smooth rays are abundant in this region, and great white sharks are commonly seen, presumably following kingfish and snapper schools.

Port Augusta’s boating facilities are good.

There is a tyre reef 20km south of Port Augusta. Augusta Tyre Reef 32 39.914S 137 45.879E

Port Augusta tides
SA fishing regulations
SA marine parks
SA stocked dams
SA dam water levels
Murray River fishing spots

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Newcastle is a busy harbour city at the mouth of the Hunter River.

The river mouth forms the harbour and is visited by coal carriers, which must be kept in mind when boat fishing around the shipping channel.

There is good fishing within the port area from the rock walls, and from nearby beaches.

The lower river has mulloway, bream, luderick, flathead, whiting, blue swimmer crabs and mud crabs.

Large mulloway are taken from the river mouth walls, but fishing is usually only easy at the turn of the tide.

Mulloway are taken on lures at night under the port lights.

As with most east coast rivers, the mouth comes alive with mulloway when heavy rain pushes baitfish down the river.

The upper Hunter River and its tributaries have bass.

Newcastle’s Grahamstown Lake has bass but at the time of writing was not open to fishing.

Newcastle’s Stockton Beach once made headlines when local fishermen were hooking white pointers and other sharks in the surf.

Stockton Beach is otherwise renowned for tailor. Vehicular access is permitted.

The tailor run at Stockton from December through to June.

Mulloway are best from October to May.

Bream and luderick are best in winter.

Local beaches have beach worms and pippis.

For boaters and rock wall fishos chasing mulloway and kingfish, yakkas (horse mackerel) are usually not to hard to find.

There are some offshore grounds handy to Newcastle, with snapper, morwong and flathead the main target, along with pelagic fish.

The Hunter and major tributary Williams River have bass in the upper reaches, with catches of large numbers of small fish the norm.

The Williams is arguably the better river, with Clarence Town and the Seaham Weir fine starting points.

For larger bass, work the undercut banks at dusk and get lures in tight under cover.

The Paterson River is another Hunter tributary that also fishes well for bass – some local enthusiasts launch in the Hunter River at Morpeth and motor up the Paterson.

Good bass are often seasonally available upriver at Paterson township.

Another great bass location is the upper Manning River, 120km to the north.

Newcastle fishing spots

1. Stockton Beach is renowned for tailor and sharks, but mulloway, bream and flathead are also taken. Vehicular access is permitted.
2. Stockton Bridge is productive for bream, flathead, luderick and small mulloway. Mud crabs upstream.
3. The seawall along the river channel has mulloway, luderick, bream, tailor.
4. The southern entrance rock wall is a big fish hotspot, but currents make fishing hard. kingfish, mulloway and most of the local estuary species are caught. An indentation half way along is a good spot.
5. Sheltered Horsehoe Beach near the base of the south wall has flathead and whiting, while rock walls upstream have bream, tailor and luderick.
6. Queens Wharf is a family hotspot with the chance of mulloway. Nearby Lee Wharves fishable by boat when no ship is berthed.
7. The bridge at Throsby Creek holds good fish, with a land-based fishing area and a wharf. A large floating dock downstream is a good spot to collect yakkas.
8. Walsh Point has flathead and whiting along the drop-off with mulloway in the deeper water.
9. There is rock and surf fishing at Redhead Beach.

Newcastle region fishing GPS marks

48m Reef – 7.4km off Newcastle
32 58.609S 151 50.031E

The Cave – 1.6nm off Swansea Hds
33 05.807S 151 40.066E

Dumping Ground – 3km off Newcastle
32 56.990S 151.49.245E

The Farm 1 – 16km off Swansea
33 08.909S 151 49.162E

The Farm 2 – 16km off Swansea
33 08.344S 151 49.678E

Fruitshed Reef – 8.14km off Swansea
33 01.751S 151 42.665E

Charted wreck – 13km east of Hunter River entrance
32 54.965S 151 56.461E

Charted obstruction – 11.6km east of Hunter River entrance
32 54.449S 151 55.528E

Spoil ground – 3km south-east of Hunter River entrance
32 56.151S 151 49.363E

Here is a list of recommended tackle for NSW waters.

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Newcastle tides
Newcastle coastline on Beachsafe
NSW fishing regulations
NSW marine parks

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