Robe is a popular holiday fishing destination in South Australia’s far east, and it arguably fishes best during the long summer school holiday period.
The town has good fishing within the bay for trailerboaters, and offshore fishing can be brilliant when the weather cooperates.
The harbour sea entrance is a safe ocean access point, and the town is well equipped with facilities.
Long Beach is the town beach, with 14km of driveable coastline, but beware soft sand and the rising tide.
The beach from the third ramp to Boatswain Point is arguably the best area for landbased fishing, with flathead, whiting, salmon, mullet, garfish and occasional snapper and mulloway caught.
Long Beach is shallow and fishes best at high tide.
School mulloway are about from spring to autumn, always with a chance of a big fish turning up. Mulloway are usually best in summer. Fish a large rising tide after dark.
Use the freshest or live bait for mulloway, but expect gummy sharks and the ever-present rays to make their presence known.
Surf fishing is generally done by 4WD vehicle, but in good conditions conventional vehicles can access Long Beach off Riviera Drive.
There are numerous 4WD tracks to the beaches from the town tip to Little Dip Conservation Park.
There is no need to travel far as nearby Back Beach and Evans Cave Beach have great salmon and mullet fishing in winter and mulloway, snapper and sharks in summer.
Within Little Dip Conservation Park try Bishops and Domashenz Beaches, but beware soft sand on the beaches.
The harbour rock walls produce school mulloway in summer, as well as squid, bream, flathead and passing salmon trout.
For boaters, KG whiting, squid, gar, flathead and snapper are the main catch on the reefs, along with gummy sharks and occasional seven-gill, whaler and school sharks.
The large smooth rays and eagle rays can be a nuisance when bottom fishing within the bay.
Thresher, blue and mako sharks are caught on the offshore grounds.
Southern bluefin tuna can be targeted out wide by trolling lures, usually best in early autumn.
Mulloway are caught on coastal reefs in summer, with salmon and mullet most common in the surf in winter and autumn.
Robe is renowned for its crayfish (rock lobsters), which are usually not hard to find. Check the latest regulations before fishing.
For those with a suitable offshore boat and electric reels to cope with the deep water, gemfish, blue grenadier blue-eye trevalla, hapuku and ling are on the wide grounds.
Robe’s jetty produces whiting, salmon, garfish, flathead, trevally and mulloway. Fishing is best in summer.
There are three lakes joined by channels near Robe, and all have produced bream, mullet, salmon trout and occasional school mulloway.
Cape Dombey has rock fishing, but note the marine reserve.
For boat fishing, Guichen Bay has good reef running north to south between Cape Thomas and Cape Dombey, with Baudin Rocks at the north end of the bay offering relatively sheltered fishing.
Beware the shallow reefs outside and at South Point as they may break unexpectedly, including the Black Pigs.
North of Guichen Bay is Wright Bay. This can be reached from the main road between Kingston and Robe or via 4WD access from Kingston to Cape Jaffa.
The middle and northern ends are best for surf fishing, with big mulloway in summer.
North of Robe, there is great fishing from the tiny holiday town of Cape Jaffa.
Robe is popular during holiday periods, so be sure to book accommodation early.
Here is a list of recommended tackle for SA waters.
Here is the SA seasonal fishing calendar for various fish species.
NOTE: Special snapper rules apply in South Australia – more info here.
Robe weather and tides
Robe coastline
SA boat ramps
SA fishing regulations
SA marine parks
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