Fowlers Bay is a tiny coastal community in the far west of South Australia.
It has a 340m jetty that is illuminated at night and fishes well for squid, along with garfish, tommy ruff and snook.
Boat launching is from the beach.
There is reef close in off Point Fowler but conditions must be calm to fish it, with unexpected wave breaks a possibility.
Scott’s Bay (Scott’s Beach) is on the west side of the peninsula and has good surf fishing for big mulloway in summer, with salmon in winter.
Lathe salmon schools are commonly at Scott’s Beach, with fish to a stunning 8kg+, along with attending whaler sharks and sometimes white pointers.
King george whiting and mulloway are also caught from this beach.
Offshore fishing produces king george whiting in close, with samson, kingfish, groper, nannygai, tuna, harlequin, morwong and snapper out wide.
East of Fowlers Bay is Tuckamore Beach, which usually has good gutters with mulloway, salmon, gummy and whaler sharks and even samson fish.
South of Fowlers Bay, the rocky point has ledges and beaches along a productive saection of coastline. Expect salmon, kingfish, snapper and even tailor.
September to March is the best fishing time here, but occasional mulloway will show up in winter.
There are usually plenty of crayfish on the reefs.
A 4WD is needed to reach spots on soft sand tracks at various beaches, and tyre deflation may be required, so carry a compressor.
A with anywhere, never drive on beached seaweed rafts, as bogging is inevitable.
Because of its remote location, Fowlers Bay is trophy fish country.
The bay is 900km from Adelaide, just 23km off the Eyre Highway.
The recommended road in is the signposted Fowlers Bay Road, off the Eyre Highway 45km West of Penong and 35km East of Nundroo.
This road is half sealed and half gravel.
From the west Fowlers Bay can be accessed via Coorabie on a rough road. Tallala Well Road is an unmaintained road best avoided.
Further west is Mexican Hat, Wandilla, Cabot’s Beach, The Lagoons, Snook Ground and the Yalata Indigenous Protected Area (IPA).
The Yalata IPA has natural dune camping areas adjacent to 40km of arguably the best remote surf fishing beaches in Australia.
There is also public access at the eastern end of this coastline outside the Yalata IPA.
The months either side of Christmas are best for mulloway, with the best results had fishing big tides of the full and new moons.
Salmon are caught in winter, and snapper and tailor visit the area.
The public access area outside Yalata IPA is at Dog Fence Beach and further east towards Fowlers Bay.
Yalata Beach is off limits.
Access to Dog Fence Beach is via Nallanippi Road.
Entering via Dog Fence crossing is deemed trespassing.
Here is a list of recommended tackle for SA waters.
Here is the SA seasonal fishing calendar for various fish species.
Fowlers Bay tides
SA fishing regulations
SA marine parks
Fowlers Bay coastline
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