Outer Harbour is the entrance to Adelaide’s Port River, a waterway that has produced many large mulloway.

The entrance rock walls are great place to target mulloway, and big fish can be expected.

The harbour entrance is dredged and lined by giant walls, locally called breakwaters, with the southern wall being accessible on foot and the northern wall only fishable by boat.

There is no footpath on the wall, so it is a long and dangerous hop, skip and jump along the rocks, and a very long way to the end, especially if you are carrying a lot of gear.

However there is no need to fish the end to catch mulloway, as good fishing can be had the full length of the wall.

Mulloway were also caught from the nearby wharves before they were closed to access.

Mulloway patrol along the rock wall, but divers say schools will also rest in one location until they decide to feed.

Unfortunately, without a boat and sounder to locate schools, landbased fishos must target fish that are on the move along the wall.

Mulloway usually feed on the turn of the tide.

Night fishing is best for mulloway, but some good fish are caught from Outer Harbour breakwater in daylight.

Use livebait for mulloway.

Catching livebait can be problematic – small salmon trout, tommies, gar and squid are ideal but not always available from the rocks.

Alternatively, try a small zebra fish, which can be caught on small hooks along the rocks, or fish the shallow (south) side of the wall for sand whiting.

If you catch a large salmon trout the fillets can be good bait, but rays will be a nuisance.

Be sure to have fresh whole pilchards or gar as backup bait.

Mulloway will pick up a bait and run, presumably to get away from other competing fish in the school with their prize, so you may need to give them line before striking.

Mulloway schools tend to come and go, making mulloway fishing hot or cold.

Be sure to have suitable tackle for big fish and a gaff to land your fish.

Large snapper are also caught while fishing for mulloway, as are various sharks and rays.

Tidal flow along the walls is not always strong enough to prevent fishing, but on the bigger tides fishing is easier on the turn, and it is also when mulloway are likely to bite.

Anything is possible along the Outer Harbour wall – mulloway, snapper, kingfish, salmon, leatherjackets, flathead, bream, tommies, zebra fish, squid, sharks and rays all show up.

Nearby, North Haven marina has smaller rock walls that produce a few fish for landbased fishos.

North of Outer Harbour the shallow coastline is a mecca for crab-rakers and gar-dabbers.

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

Outer Harbour tides
Outer Harbour webcam
SA fishing regulations
SA marine parks

Email corrections, additions, pictures or video here.

North Haven marina rock walls are located south of the popular Outer Harbor breakwater at the entrance of Port River.

Outer Harbour is the better spot to target mulloway, but occasional mulloway are caught from North Haven’s rock walls.

Mulloway are usually caught here in summer and autumn.

Small livebaits such as mullet, salmon trout or squid is a must, and you should fish at night.

For mulloway, don’t cast too far from the rocks, as they patrol the edge.

Also, the last of the runout tide can fish well for mulloway at this location.

Week nights are best when there is less boat traffic.

For landbased fishos, North Haven rock walls produce mostly salmon trout, squid, garfish, black bream, yelloweye mullet, flathead and blue swimmer crabs.

Flathead are mostly an incidental catch in South Australia, but there are enough flathead on North Haven’s sandy sea floor to be worth targeting – just slowly retrieve a bait or lure to catch them.

North Haven also has good boat fishing nearby, with king george whiting, red mullet, squid, garfish, flathead and snapper found over patch ground and near the seagrass beds.

Gummy sharks and large rays are caught from the North Haven rock walls at night.

Note that there are special rules for fishing for sharks and rays in South Australia.

Other landbased spots to try near Adelaide include the productive Port River estuary, and West Lakes, a reclaimed marsh that is now a saltwater canal estate and a great spot to target large black bream.

Adelaide’s metro jetties are located south of North Haven, at Semaphore and Largs Bay, Grange, Henley, Glenelg and Brighton.

North Haven tides
SA fishing regulations
SA marine parks

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

Email corrections, additions, pictures or video here.

North Haven marina rock walls are located just 1.2km south of the more popular Outer Harbor breakwaters.

For landbased fishos, North Haven rocks produce mainly salmon trout and squid, but garfish, black bream, yelloweye mullet, flathead, occasional mulloway and blue swimmer crabs are also caught.

Flathead are mostly an incidental catch in South Australia, but there are enough flathead on North Haven’s sandy sea floor to be worth targeting – just slowly retrieve a bait or lure to catch them.

Garfish are best off the rocks here in summer.

Black bream and mulloway are year round, with blue crabs best in summer.

Salmon trout are most abundant in autumn and winter, and tommy ruffs are also caught.

Flathead, yelloweye mullet and leatherjackets are caught all year.

Mulloway are caught here in summer and autumn, but livebait such as mullet or salmon trout is a must, and you should fish at night.

For mulloway, don’t cast too far out from the rocks, as they patrol the edge. Also, the last of the runout tide can fish well for them at this location.

North Haven has good boat fishing nearby, with king george whiting, red mullet, squid, garfish, flathead and snapper found over patch ground and near the seagrass beds.

Another landbased spot to try is West Beach boat ramp rock wall, where big black bream are caught, mostly inside the rock wall.

Gummy sharks, eagle and smooth rays can be taken with suitable gear at North Haven and West Beach, but Port Jackson sharks and fiddler rays can be a nuisance.

Note that there are special rules for fishing for sharks and rays in South Australia.

North Haven tides
Outer Harbour webcam
SA fishing regulations
SA marine parks

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

Email corrections, additions, pictures or video here.