Darwin ’s location on the shores of the Timor Sea provides access to fishing which is unmatched by any other major city in the world. Medium and light-tackle game fishing, a wide range of tropical sportfishing and some wonderful reef fishing are all within reach, including some terrific action right inside Darwin Harbour (link).
There are a host of productive fishing spots that can be accessed in 5 m to 10 m boats. Some 20 km north-north-west of Darwin is the Fenton Patches where there is a large artificial reef complex. There is excellent bottom fishing on the reefs for black jewfish, golden snapper and other reef species, as well as pelagic species, including sailfish and marlin which are caught in the surrounding waters.
Close to the city, there is good fishing on the reefs and shoals just out from Charles Point at the harbour mouth. Further to the west, from Kellaway Reef through to Middle Reef and on to Quail Island, Fish Reef, Bass Reef and Lorna Shoal, there are plentiful numbers of snapper, jewfish and other reef fish to be caught. Quail Island is at the entrance to Bynoe Harbour, another huge inlet offering reef fish, barra, queenfish and other species.
Bynoe is a labyrinth of creeks, rivers, islands, sand bars and reefs with vast expanses of open water. Inside, there are good numbers of estuary, reef and pelagic fish. Offshore anglers use the boat ramps in Bynoe as calm-water starting points to travel to hotspots such as Quail Island, Fish Reef, Bass Reef and Roche Reefs.
Accommodation, camping, boat hire and guided fishing are available at Crab Claw Island Fishermen's Village in the harbour. Inland from Bynoe there is a beautiful 20 km section of the Finniss River, which is non-tidal freshwater with plenty of barramundi and sooty grunter.
A little further round the coast is Fog Bay with boat launching, accommodation, camping grounds, fuel, food, basic provisions and bar facilities at Dundee Beach which can be accessed by road from Darwin. The public boat ramp at Dundee is a popular launching site for larger-boat operators who fish areas around and offshore from Fog Bay.
Dundee is also the launching site for anglers fishing the saltwater portion of the Finniss River. Its mouth is about half an hour’s run by boat west of the boat ramp. A large expanse of shallow reef called Roche Reefs is about 10 km to the north of Dundee and can turn on some great fishing for queenfish, mackerel, trevally and reef fish. Reefs and islands adjacent to the entrance to Bynoe Harbour are also easily accessed.
Some 20 km south-west of Dundee is the Point Blaze area and another 30 km onward are the fabulous Peron Islands. Most tropical bluewater species can be caught in these areas and the small rocky peninsulas along this part of the coast also provide some excellent saltwater barra fishing. Moving to the east of Darwin, Lee Point lies just outside the harbour. The area is well known for its run of big mackerel which are usually caught lure trolling or on floating ganged pilchard baits during the dry season.
Further to the north-east are the Vernon Islands which provide some spectacular fishing action for giant trevally around the reefs which rise steeply out of deep water. These fish often respond well to fast-retrieve surface lures or poppers, providing some of the most exciting fishing action available. Good mangrove jack and reef fishing is also available around the island rocks and the deeper channels hold big jewfish. On neap tides, Spanish mackerel often feed in the vicinity of the reefs Excellent reef fishing can be had in the Blue Holes at Gunn Point, inshore from the Vernons, but these become landlocked at low tide so careful trip planning is necessary. The Vernons are within relatively easy reach of Darwin and there is a concrete launching ramp at Leeders Creek which is quite close to the islands.
Fish to Catch
Barracuda, barramundi, billfish, black jewfish, blue salmon, cobia, cod, groper, coral trout, giant trevally, golden snapper mangrove jack, moonfish, pikey bream, queenfish, red emperor, saddle-tailed sea perch, Spanish mackerel, tarpon, threadfin salmon, tricky snapper, tuna and mud crab. When to Catch Them Year-round depending on species |
