
Yackatoon
Sydney Harbour, Sydney (AUS)
Fishing in Australia is some of the best and most varied on offer, anywhere in the world. With an area size that intimidates most other countries, the fishing - as can be imagined - is quite varied depending on the destination you are at. There’s also a range of different fishing techniques that one can try when fishing anywhere around this giant country. Not only does the 60,000km of coastline almost all offer incredible fishing destinations waiting for you to explore but when heading inland the rivers and lakes are just as exciting if interested in targetting freshwater species.
The prized fish species poon offer include the famous Barramundi if fishing in the north of Australia, giant Bluefin tuna of the coast, coral trout while overlooking the great barrier reef and brown or rainbow trout in the inland rivers and lakes.
Barramundi: These are the prized fish of the north of Australia. They are a little unique as they can be found living in both saltwater and freshwater areas. They are known for putting on a great show and are sure to test any level of fisherman throughout the fight.
Bluefin tuna: These are considered among the biggest bony fish in the sea and provide a test of strength to any angler. They can grow to an impressive 1500 lbs. Good luck.
Coral trout: These are considered one of the nicest table fish by locals in Australia, especially in the North Queensland area. As you can imagine they are generally found around reef and underwater structure and can be fished with a variety of different techniques.
Brown/Rainbow trout: The rivers and lakes are full of these great freshwater fish species mainly in the south of Australia where the water temperature is lower. They also have a sea runner variety that can provide an exciting fishing opportunity as they make their way inland up rivers to spawn.
The Amberjack species are a game fish that are found both in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Jigging and live bait fishing are the best techniques to target these magnificent fighters. Greater Amberjack can weigh up to 170 lb (80 kg).
Distributed throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region, the Giant Trevally - also known as GT - (Caranx ignobilis) is the most wanted species for popping lovers. They can be 1,70 cm long and reach up to 80 kg (175 lb)!
Salmon is a generic name for several species from Salmonidae family. In fact there are eight species distributed in the Pacific Ocean (like for example the Chinook salmon, Pink salmon or the Sockeye salmon) and one species from the Atlantic Ocean (the Atlantic salmon).
The great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda), often referred to as barracuda, is a long predator that can be found in tropical and subtropical waters where they like to patroll mangroves, reefs and drop-offs. Record barracuda can grow to 1,5m and weigh over 45kg (100lb+).
A Flounder is a flatfish and several species are distinguished. They camouflage themself by lying on the bottom of the ocean floor to ambush their prey and also as protection against predators.
Flounder are very good eating fish and can grow up to 60 centimeters (20 inch).
The yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi) is a type of amberjack found in the Southern Hemisphere. They can grow up to 180 cm (70 in). Yellowtail kingfish can be caught from New Zeeland, Australia to Chile.
Talang Queenfish (Scomberoides commersonnianus) are a Pacific fish that are highly reflective, shiny and are known to travel in schools. At times they fight so hard that they’ll die due to exhaustion before being released back into the water. They also have pointed spines that can inflict wounds if not handled carefully. Queenfish grow to around 15 kilos, but are most commonly encountered around half that size.
The king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) or kingfish is a common fish species of the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. King Mackerel can grow to up to 40kg (90lb) and have razor sharp teeth.
Yellowfin tuna grow fast, up to 400 pounds (180kg) in about a 7-year lifespan, and they range in length from 59 inches to 88 inches long. They’re known for their torpedo shape, with a pointed nose and a sickle-shaped tail, and have dark blue backs with yellow sides (thus their name) with a silver underside.
The Blue Marlin (Makaira nigricans) is probably the most wanted fish in the sport fishing world. The magnificent fighter usually feeds during day time on fish, octopuses and squids. Blue Marlin is mainly caught trolling with artificial lures or with dead bait (bonito, mackerel...).
The Albacore (Thunnus alalunga) has large eyes and long pectoral fins. This is why this species is also known as longfin tuna. The largest Albacore can reach up to 140 cm (4.6ft) and weigh up to 40 kg (90lb).
Mahi Mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) are also commonly referred to as dorado, dolphin or dolphinfish. They are recognizable by their bluntly shaped heads, long dorsal fin and their bright colouring, dark blue and green on their dorsal side and yellow on their sides and underside.
Wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri), also known as Ono (meaning “delicious” in Hawaiian), are found in many subtropical and tropical waters. They’re identifiable by their blue-green upper body which shifts into silver towards their belly. They also have blue vertical striping along their sides. These predators are torpedo-shaped and have long and largemouths with teeth.
Striped marlin (Kajikia audax) can be told apart from blue marlin due to their “stripes” of blue that run vertically down their bodies. Striped marlin is lighter than blue marlin, but their body shape and even colouring remains the same aside from the stripes. These marlin can weigh up to 180kg (400lb) and have a maximum length of 4 m (12 ft).
Barramundi (Lates calcarifer) is often referred to as one of the most iconic and exciting fish to catch in all of Australia. They live in the northern regions of Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia. The maximum weight is about 60 kg (130 lb).
Mangrove red snapper (Lutjanus argentimaculatus), also known as mangrove jack in Australia, belongs to the snapper family. It is found in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean from the African coast to Samoa and Japan in the north to Australia in the south. Mangrove red snapper can grow up to 1,5 m and reach a maximum weight of almost 9 kg.
The dentex (Dentex dentex) is a common saltwater fish in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and sometimes they appear in the Canary Islands, Morocco and Senegal. They have very strong teeth to feed on fish, squid and mollusca. Dentex are a great species for sportfishing and are targetted mainly trolling or jigging. The larger fish are 1m long and can weigh up to 15 kg (35 lb).
The horse mackerle (Trachurus trachurus) is a common species found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off Europe from Norway to South Africa and into the south-eastern Indian Ocean to Mozambique. They are normally between 20 and 30 cm, although the larger fish can grow up to 70 cm and weigh around 2-3kg.
The Atlantic Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus maculatus) is a species of mackerels that can be found in the western Atlantic Ocean in the waters of Mexico, Gulf of Mexico to Florida. Atlantic Spanish mackerel have very sharp teeth and can grow up to 13 pounds (6kg) and live up to 12 years old. Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel live in tropical and sub-tropical waters of in Southeast Asia and can grow up to about 2.4 m and more than 40 kg.
Blackspotted croaker also known in Australia as black jewfish (Protonibea diacanthus) grow to lengths of 150 centimetres and weigh up to 45 kilograms. Their colour ranges from dark bronze to a salmon-brown on the upper section. Its sides are silver and have a yellowish underside.
The Coral Trout (Plectropomus leopardus) also has a couple of other common names such Leopard Coral Grouper or Leopard Coral Trout. It is a close relation to fish from the grouper and coral cod families. They can grow to a length of 23 and 62 cm and the general average has been noted at around 40 cm.
Mud Crab
The Fingermark bream (Lutjanus johnii) is also known as John's snapper or the golden snapper. The species is found in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. It can grow to approximately 8 kg and 75 cm in length. Fingermark are a very good eating fish.
Nannygai is kind of a snapper. Various fish in Australia are called Nannygai.
The northern red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) is a popular fish often caught reef fishing in the Atlantic waters of Florida, Gulf of Mexico and also the Caribbean. This sought-after game fish can reach 1 m and weight up to 50lb.
Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) or simply mackerel have a great back with irregular black bands. They're very common and like the temperate waters of the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the northern Atlantic Ocean. Mackerel are typically between 25-35cm.
Black marlin (Istiompax indica) grows to be as big or bigger than blue marlin, with males reaching lengths of 4.65 meters and weighing up to 750 kilograms (1500lb), females larger. They are part of a group of fish called billfish, which includes varieties of marlin, swordfish, and spearfish.
The Flathead is of the fish family Platycephalidae. This fish is common in Australia, popular for sport fishing and very good eating.
The sooty grunter (Hephaestus fuliginosus) is a fresh water fish from northern Australia. The species inhabits the rivers of Queensland and the Norhtern Territory where they feed on plants, roots, crustacians and small fish. They can grow up to 54 centimetres (21 in) long and weigh over 6 kg (14 lb).
The White Marlin (Kajikia albida) is a very nice predator which can be caught off shore in warmer waters. This powerful fighter usually feeds during day time on fish, octopuses and squids. They can be caught trolling with artificial lures or with dead bait (bonito, mackerel...).
Spearfish (Tetrapturus) are a generic name for several species such as the shortbill spearfish and longbill spearfish. These billfish are found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world: Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean.
Cod is a common name for a number of other fish species, like the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and the Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus). Cod are caught in colder and fairly deep waters, close to rocky areas, wrecks and drop-offs. Cod can weigh over 50kg.
Sailfish (Istiophorus) are one the most wanted fish in the sport fishing world. Often described as the fastest fish in the sea, sailfish can weigh up to 90 kg (200 pounds) and grow up to 3 m (9.7 ft) in length.
Dogtooth tuna (Gymnosarda unicolor), also referred to as Doggies or white tuna, is probably one of the most sought after species for sportfishermen, being jigging and spinning the preferred fishing techniques. Apart from braking your back, landing one of these brutal fighting machines is arguably an unforgettable experience. They can grow as large as 250cm (8 feet) and can weigh a whopping 130kg.
Grouper is common name for all the bass-looking-fish from the Epinephelinae Family. This family also includes sea bass by the way. Grouper are colorful predators who like to live in rocky areas, reefs, wrecks where they can hide.
The common pandora (Pagellus erythrinus) is a type of snapper, common in the Meditarranea Sea, but is also present in the eastern Atlantic coastal areas from Cape Verde to Scandinavia. The biggest pandora can grow up to 50cm (20 inch).
The Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is a pelagic fish that can grow up to 500kg (1000lb). The biggest Bluefin Tuna every caught was 780kg (1496lb). These great fighters can be caught trolling, jigging, casting or drifting; mainly off-shore.
The southern parts of Australia operate with a traditional four seasons throughout the year and depending on the time of year will influence which species one will attempt to target. In the winter it can become quite rough in parts of Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia so if heading boating ensures that the weather report is looking good.
In the North of Australia, the climate is divided into just two seasons known as the wet and dry seasons. When it is the wet season the north is famous for getting large downpours of rain that make rivers and other inland waters flow at full capacity or even burst their banks. This is when Barramundi fishing becomes famous and charters pounce into action. You can even target remote destinations via helicopter charters and this is an incredible style of fishing and seeing the special landscape of the area. You might even spot a crocodile or two.
For a more detailed description of what to target and at what time of the year visit the destination or state, you are wishing to fish in.
Australia sees some 8 million-plus visitors hit its shores each and every year. It is famous across the globe for having some of the vastest and most wild landscapes on offer as well as amazing cities in all states.
By far the most famous cities to visit include Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane but if you can break away from these typical destinations others are just waiting to be explored. Tasmania has had a huge surge in tourist numbers of late, Perth is a city located in the west and often forgotten about but well worth the effort to visit and the north of Queensland has the stunning Great Barrier Reef on its doorstep.
Again head to the state of your choice to find more direct tourist information for each region.
You need a fishing license to fish in certain areas of freshwater and saltwater. The fishing charters in Australia normally have the fishing license included in the price, so you don't need to buy one if you're chartering a boat.
For more specific information search via each state or local destination, you are wanting to fish in.