Port River is a tidal inlet in Adelaide’s north, with the mouth flowing through Outer Harbour, and the “river” extending upstream past Torrens Island to a road causeway that joins the West Lakes manmade canal system.

The river’s North Arm extends around Garden Island and through to Barker Inlet, a nursery area for many species of fish.

The shallows of St Kilda lie to the north.

“The Port” is an important location for Adelaide fishos.

The main species are black bream and salmon trout, but mullet, mulloway, KG whiting, tommy ruffs, flounder, slimy mackerel, chow, snapper and flathead are also caught.

Big kingfish are found around the wharves near the Outer Harbour sea entrance, with mostly smaller fish caught upstream.

Large snapper occasionally show up at Outer Harbour and within the inlet, and historically very big snapper were caught in the Torrens Island shallows at night.

Mulloway, known by some older Adelaide fishos as butterfish, respond best to livebaits.

Winter fishing produces some better fish, but mulloway are caught all year.

Small western striped trumpeter (locally called “shitties”) are common in the river and make a good livebait for mulloway.

Fresh pilchards or mullet fillet also will catch mulloway.

Some mulloway fishos flick lures under the lights of the three Port bridges near high tide.

Eagle rays, smooth rays and gummy sharks show up regularly and using lures avoids the attentions of these.

The Port’s big black bream are a prime target for lure fishos.

Using lures instead of bait helps get past small bream. Crab baits also work well.

Local tubeworms are an effective bait and bloodworms are a seasonal favourite, as well as peeled packet prawns, but all attract pickers.

Local bait shops usually stock worms in season.

A boat helps when fishing the Port but there are some great landbased bream spots, including Snowdens Beach and the foreshore at Birkenhead.

Schools of salmon trout move through the river and provide non-stop fishing when they are located.

The rock wall at Outer Harbour faces deep water and is a place where almost anything might be hooked, the author hooked and lost a small mako shark there many years ago, and caught several large mulloway and snapper from the wall.

Mulloway, salmon trout and flathead are the usual catch at Outer Harbour rock wall, with leatherjackets and zebra fish in close to the rocks.

When sufficient weed has accumulated on the beach adjacent to the rock wall a species of worm that looks like an earthworm can be dug from the weed rafts, and these are good bait for whiting.

Port River landbased fishing spots

Heading from the top of the river, going downstream …

Bower Road – this is near the West Lakes/Port River causeway. Salmon trout mostly in autumn/winter, with bream and mulloway all year and garfish in autumn.

Jervois Bridge – salmon trout mostly from autumn to spring, bream all year, mulloway in summer, and kingfish in spring/summer. Fish under lights for mulloway.

Birkenhead Bridge – salmon trout mostly from autumn to spring, bream all year, mulloway in summer under lights. Fishing under lights for mulloway is sometimes effective.

Birkenhead Beach – a great spot for big bream, it covers up at high tide. Fish the early incoming tide. bream all year, mullet in autumn, and salmon trout autumn to spring.

Tom Derrick Bridge – mulloway mostly in summer/autumn at night, best at low tide. Fish under lights for mulloway. Salmon trout autumn to spring and bream all year.

Snowdens Beach – this sandy beach has produced a great many quality bream over the years. It is easily fished with no need to cast far. Mullet mostly in autumn/winter on early incoming tide, salmon trout in autumn to spring on an early incoming tide. bream mostly from summer to winter on early incoming tides.

Torrens Island wharf – bream all year and salmon trout autumn to spring.

Torrens Island hot water outlet – this pumps hot water into the river and is good in the cold months. Mulloway autumn/winter and at low tide, with bream all year. Salmon trout autumn to spring.

Garden Island jetty – bream all year, with salmon trout mostly autumn to spring on the incoming tide, and mullet in summer and autumn. Sometimes a lot of juvenile fish.

Torrens Island Bridge – bream all year, with salmon trout mostly autumn to spring on the incoming tide, mulloway in summer and autumn at low-tide, and kingfish in spring.

Veitch Road – bream spring to autumn, with mullet mostly in autumn and salmon trout autumn to spring on an incoming tide.

Mutton Cove – bream spring to autumn, with mullet mostly in autumn and salmon trout autumn to spring on an incoming tide.

Snapper Point – bream in summer, mullet in autumn and salmon trout autumn to spring on an incoming tide.

Lastly, Outer Harbour has some great landbased fishing along the rock wall (breakwater).

West Lakes

This is a former marshland that was developed into a canal estate.

See more detailed West Lakes coverage here.

The tidal lake is connected to the sea via pipes at the southern end but the tidal movement is small, consequently the water is usually clear and the fish can be wary.

The canal system is a bream hotspot but success often requires a finesse approach using fresh bait or tiny lures, and light tackle.

The Bower Road causeway into the Port River is at the north end of West Lakes, with the area downstream of the weir flow into the Port River being a good bream spot, although with an abundance of small fish.

Within West Lakes itself some of the bream are stonkers, but they can be hard to tempt.

Mullet, salmon trout (small salmon), mulloway, squid, whiting, garfish and more are also caught in West Lakes.

The adjacent sea beaches are low energy locations good for large yellowfin whiting in summer, and yellow-eye mullet in winter.

The whiting respond best to worm baits presented on light tackle. Mullet are caught on small baits, with mince meat being a popular local bait.

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

Port River tides
West Lakes tides
SA fishing regulations
SA marine parks

Email corrections, additions, pictures or video here.