Sure, Darwin Harbour is home to around 105,000 people with the Territory’s main city on its shores. Yes, it does have major port facilities and other developments. But it is a huge inlet, many times bigger than Sydney Harbour. Its waters are pure and largely unpolluted. The vast majority of its shoreline is still healthy mangrove environment and commercial net fishing is banned. This means that it has amazingly good fishing for a wide range of fish — black jewfish, golden snapper, queenfish, trevally, Spanish mackerel, longtail tuna, the mighty barramundi, threadfin and blue salmon, many more reef and estuary species and tasty mud crabs.
There are plenty of fishing spots around the harbour for the land-based angler. Two wharves are open to the public — Stokes Hill, which is right in the city and has a dedicated fishing platform and artificial reef, and the ferry jetty at Mandorah on the western side of the harbour. (Mandorah Ferry Timetable 2001) Fishing can be very good at both these spots, especially during the dry season when mackerel and tuna come within casting distance. Just outside the harbour, adjacent to Nightcliff boat ramp, there is another fishing jetty.
The creeks, rock bars and tidal run-offs in the three arms of the harbour fish well for barra, salmon, jacks, golden snapper and pikey bream. The best fishing for barra and salmon is during the wet season and the build up to it, and during spring tides when the last two hours of the outgoing tide and the first two hours of the run-in are most productive.
The harbour has many reefs and wrecks, some resulting from World War II bombing raids such as the USS Peary and USAT Mauna Loa. Cyclones and other mishaps have taken boats to the bottom and yet more boats and other material have been deliberately sunk around the harbour to provide additional areas for anglers and divers. These include the Ham Luong, John Holland Barge, Song Saigon and DSAC hulls, and a number of Catalina flying boats. All these reefs and wrecks produce large numbers of jewfish and golden snapper with cod, saddletail snapper, coral trout and tricky snapper caught regularly.
On Anglers Reef off Lee Point, a complex of three artificial reefs (the Bottlewasher, Mills Reef and Tipper Reef) has been created. This has become a home to giant trevally and jewfish as well as moonfish, golden snapper, coral trout and sweetlip. Queenfish are common in the harbour and some good cobia have been caught at various locations. During the dry season, longtail tuna and Spanish mackerel come right into the harbour and can be caught from local jetties and wharves, although more consistent catches of these pelagics come from popular spots such as East Point and the big Spanish mackerel hotspot of Lee Point. There are plenty of succulent mud crabs around the harbour and these are usually taken in pots during the rising tide.
Fish to Catch
Barracuda, barramundi, black jewfish, cobia, cod, groper, giant trevally, golden snapper, mangrove jack, moonfish, pikey bream, queenfish, Spanish mackerel, threadfin and blue salmon, tuna, saddletail snapper, coral trout, tricky snapper and mud crab. When to Catch Them Year-round with the best barramundi fishing during spring tides and in the build-up and wet season. Threadfin salmon are also abundant then, together with golden snapper and queenfish. Black jewfish are best on neap tides when water is clearer and baits can more easily hold bottom. Pikey bream are best in the cooler months of the Dry. Longtail tuna and Spanish mackerel come into the harbour during the dry season when they are often caught from local jetties and wharves. Access There are well-formed concrete boat ramps at various locations throughout the harbour.
Tips for the Traveller
Boat launching and retrieval may not possible from some launching ramps during low-tide periods. General tide requirements of harbour ramps are: Vesty’s beach – over 3.5 m Doyles (aka Ski Club Ramp) – over 2.5 m Dinah Beach – over 2.5 m East Arm – over 1.5 m Channel Island – most tides Palmerston – all tides Middle Arm – most tides Nightcliff – over 2.5 m.
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