Fishing in Australia

Licences are issued state by state, and the rules change as you cross borders. Northern Territory and South Australia require no general recreational licence at all, while Victoria, NSW and Tasmania do.

12 researched spots — 8 Saltwater, 1 Fly Fishing, 3 Freshwater.

Licences and permits in Australia

There is no Australian fishing licence. Each state and territory runs its own system, and the difference between neighbours is large enough to catch visitors out. New South Wales requires the Recreational Fishing Fee for both fresh and salt water, sold in short-term and multi-year forms, and you must carry proof of payment while you fish; the state publishes a list of exemptions, including anglers fishing under a guide or charter operator who holds an exemption certificate. The Northern Territory is the opposite case and requires no recreational licence whatsoever, though boating rules, closed areas and Aboriginal land permissions all still apply. Because the border matters more than the country, check the state agency rather than any national page — and on the Murray, check which bank you are standing on.

When to fish in Australia

Australia's fishing year runs on the tropical wet and the southern temperate seasons at once, and the two are almost opposites. In the north, the barramundi fishing we cover keys off the monsoon: the run-off after the wet, roughly February to April, and the build-up from October to December. Cairns marlin fishing is a defined heavy-tackle season from September to December, while the reef itself fishes year-round. In the south the pattern is conventional — Sydney kingfish from spring through autumn, Murray cod best in summer and settling into autumn. Murray cod also carry a statutory closure: the stretch from Yarrawonga Weir to the Tocumwal Road Bridge is closed to all fishing from 1 September to 30 November, not merely closed to cod.

What the fishing is like

The Australian spots on AnglerDeck are mostly saltwater, and they span nearly the whole continent. Darwin Harbour is tidal creek and mangrove country for barramundi, threadfin salmon, mangrove jack and queenfish, fished around making tides at the creek mouths. Cairns sits on the black marlin grounds outside the Great Barrier Reef, with Spanish mackerel, coral trout and yellowfin tuna on the same trip. Sydney Harbour is genuinely urban saltwater for yellowtail kingfish, bream, flathead and tailor. Inland, the Murray at Yarrawonga is the country's iconic native freshwater fishery, for Murray cod and golden perch in slow, timbered water. Hervey Bay adds shallow flats and winter whiting. Difficulty runs from beginner to advanced, so there is something here for a first trip and something for a serious one.

Guides covering Australia

  • A year of fishing seasons, by country — Nineteen countries don't share one calendar — half run on the northern hemisphere's clock, some on the tropics' wet and dry seasons, a few on their own statutory closures entirely. This lays the year out month by month, so a trip gets planned around when a country actually fishes well, not just when it's convenient to fly.
  • Where you can fish without a licence — A country-by-country comparison of where recreational fishing needs no licence — and where "no licence" still does not mean "no permission". Every claim links to the agency that made the rule.

Species you can target

  • Atlantic salmon
  • Australian bass
  • Australian salmon
  • King George whiting
  • Murray cod
  • Spanish mackerel
  • barramundi
  • black marlin
  • bonefish
  • bream
  • brown trout
  • coral trout
  • flathead
  • giant trevally
  • golden perch
  • golden trevally
  • longtail tuna
  • mangrove jack
  • mulloway
  • queenfish
  • rainbow trout
  • saratoga
  • snapper
  • squid
  • tailor
  • threadfin salmon
  • whiting
  • yellowfin tuna
  • yellowtail kingfish

Fishing spots in Australia

  • Sydney Harbour Kingfish — Sydney, NSW. Saltwater, Intermediate. Target species: yellowtail kingfish, bream, flathead, tailor.
  • Port Phillip Bay Snapper — Melbourne, VIC. Saltwater, Beginner. Target species: snapper, King George whiting, flathead, squid.
  • Cairns Black Marlin Grounds — Cairns, QLD. Saltwater, Advanced. Target species: black marlin, Spanish mackerel, coral trout, yellowfin tuna.
  • Darwin Harbour Barramundi — Darwin, NT. Saltwater, Intermediate. Target species: barramundi, threadfin salmon, mangrove jack, queenfish.
  • Exmouth & Ningaloo Flats — Exmouth, WA. Saltwater, Advanced. Target species: bonefish, giant trevally, queenfish, golden trevally.
  • Great Lake Highland Trout — Central Highlands, TAS. Fly Fishing, Intermediate. Target species: brown trout, rainbow trout.
  • Murray River Cod Country — Yarrawonga, VIC/NSW. Freshwater, Intermediate. Target species: Murray cod, golden perch.
  • Coorong Surf Mulloway — Coorong, SA. Saltwater, Intermediate. Target species: mulloway, Australian salmon, bream, flathead.
  • Lake Jindabyne Trout — Snowy Mountains, NSW. Freshwater, Beginner. Target species: brown trout, rainbow trout, Atlantic salmon.
  • Hervey Bay Flats & Bay — Hervey Bay, QLD. Saltwater, Beginner. Target species: golden trevally, longtail tuna, whiting, flathead.
  • Somerset Dam Bass — Somerset Region, QLD. Freshwater, Beginner. Target species: Australian bass, golden perch, saratoga.
  • Albany & King George Sound — Albany, WA. Saltwater, Beginner. Target species: King George whiting, Australian salmon, snapper, squid.

Official sources

Licence requirements and closed seasons change regularly. Always confirm with the relevant fisheries authority before you fish — each spot page links to its source.

Fishing regulations and licences by country · Fishing guides · View the fishing map