Fishing hot spots

Fishing is an incredibly popular worldwide past-time and fortunately for residents and visitors in Western Australia, there are excellent fishing spots both onshore and off the coast. Snapper, herring, whiting and prized dhufish are ripe for the picking, and let’s not forget the famed ‘salmon run’ in March and April.

Here are the best spots in the South-West to fill the cooler box with your freshly-caught haul.

Busselton

Busselton Jetty is a perennial favourite and a great place to catch smaller fish like herring, skippy and garfish. Locals say one of the best spots on the 1.8km jetty is between 250m and 750m. Tailor and shark can also be found in this area, and stick around at night to try your luck catching squid and mulloway.

The inlets are good for beach fishing. The Wonnerup Estuary sees plenty of black bream, whiting and skippy.

Legend Charters with Paul from iFish

Dunsborough

Eagle Bay, Bunker Bay, Meelup and Cape Naturaliste are very popular for sand whiting – catch these from the beach or the rocks – as well as herring, garfish and skippy. There is also the famous ‘salmon run’ which occurs between March and April. To catch salmon, stand on the shore in knee-deep water and then wait. You won’t need much more than a lure and a line.

Offshore, you’ll find pink snapper, herring and dhufish on the Four Mile reef. Another kilometre or so out is a second reef with, again, dhufish and snapper.

Yallingup and Margaret RiverThere are plenty of promising fishing spots between Yallingup and Margaret River, including Smiths Beach, Canal Rocks, Injidup Point, Cowaramup Bay, and also the Margaret River mouth. Get ready for everything from herring and mulloway, to tailor and even southern bluefin tuna at some locations. The March-April salmon run also passes through this area.

The waters off Cowaramup are perfect for deep sea fishing to catch groper, breaksea cod, yellowtail kingfish, and bronze whaler. Look into joining a charter such as Legend Charters.

Augusta

Another excellent town for enthusiasts. Fish such as yellowfin whiting, bream, and flathead can be found in the Hardy Inlet, the riverbank and river mouth. Also try out the new marina wall. The river-side of the inlet is a good place where other family members can come along to enjoy swimming and kayaking.

Outside Augusta, try Hamelin Bay, Windy Harbour and Cosy Corner. Offshore, anglers will find dhufish, samson, queenfish, pink snapper, and yellowtail kingfish.

Blackwood River, Augusta.

Enjoy a day of fishing out on the water and come home to a luxury home for the night. Browse our list to find the perfect home for your next stay in the region.