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

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