Australia is a vast fly fishing destination with seemingly endless opportunities in both the salt and freshwater arenas. Whether you’re looking for a dedicated fishing trip, a holiday combining fishing with travel, or simply somewhere to sneak in a day or two on the water, we’ve picked out a few options from across Australia.
For a brief glimpse of what is on offer, below is the full film ‘Coast to Coast Australia’ filmed by Todd Moen of Catch Magazine along with Alex Jardine.
Exmouth, Western Australia
Suitable For: Fishing focused trips, fishing/non-fishing stays, part of longer itineraries in Western Australia.
Accommodation: A variety of accommodation available, from self-catered cabins to full board hotels.
Prime fishing targets: Giant trevally, queenfish, Indo-Pacific permit, golden trevally, bonefish.
In the remote far north-west of Australia, some 1,300km from Perth, lies a small township called Exmouth. The fishery here is hugely diverse. It can be broken down into three principal areas; bluewater, the Ningaloo reef system, and the gulf fishery. Easy to access and home to both semi-temperate and tropical fish species species, the fishery offers an extraordinary variety for the visiting angler.
Among the dozens of species here, the prime targets are Indo-Pacific permit, giant trevally, golden trevally, queenfish, cobia and big bonefish. The guides are experienced both conventional and bait methods. Peak time in this part of the world is October to December, with January to March being considered very good too. Outside of these months there is continued great fishing but just not as predictable for those looking to target permit and GTs.
Whilst wade fishing is an option, the whole fishery is best fished from the boat to accommodate the big tidal movements and to allow quick adjustments to position. This is especially important when covering large areas in search of permit or looking for spontaneous aggressive feeding on the flats that usually stems from shark or ray activity.
From its wonderful peninsula location, Exmouth is certainly not limited to fishing with a range of activities including four wheel driving, birdwatching, canoeing/kayaking, scuba diving, sailing, snorkelling, surfing, swimming and hiking all available locally. The area is also well known for various aquatic encounters such as the chance to swim with whale sharks (March to September), view humpback whales (August to October) or watch nesting turtles (November to March).
A range of accommodation is on offer making it a great destination for solo anglers, groups and those travelling with non-fishing families or partners.
Cape Lodge, Queensland
Suitable For: Fishing focused trips, part of longer itineraries in Queensland and New South Wales.
Accommodation: Fishing lodge with twin or single rooms, en-suite options available.
Prime fishing targets: Permit, milkfish, giant trevally, blue bastard, queenfish, barramundi, coral trout.
At the northern tip of Australia, across the Torres Strait from Papua New Guinea, West Cape York offers an extensive and remarkably uncrowded saltwater fishery. With more than 100 miles of coastline, 11 rivers and vast areas of flats, creeks and reefs, Western Cape is a superb destination for adventurous saltwater fly anglers. The fishing hub is Weipa, accessible by Qantas flights from major Australian cities.
The season prime runs from April to December, with Cape Lodge offering all-inclusive programmes of four to six days’ fishing. Anglers explore the region aboard dedicated skiffs, with a two anglers to one guide ratio, returning each evening to the comfortable fly fishing lodge. For those looking to venture further afield, helicopter transfers and remote adventure camps offer access to more isolated waters.
The variety of fishing is exceptional, with more than 30 species possible over a week. Target tuna and mackerel close to shore, sight-fish for trevally, queenfish and barramundi across the river-mouth flats, or explore the reefs for coral trout and red bass. The flats are a particular highlight, offering the chance to pursue Indo-Pacific permit, blue bastards and black-spotted tuskfish. It’s hard to beat for anglers looking for variety, adventure in one of Australia’s finest saltwater fisheries.
Hamilton Island, Queensland
Suitable For: Fishing focused trips, fishing/non-fishing stays, part of longer itineraries in Queensland and New South Wales.
Accommodation: A variety of accommodation available from self-catered cabins to the luxurious Qualia Resort.
Prime fishing targets: Black marlin, sailfish, giant trevally, queenfish, coral trout.
With its unique location offering access to both the Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef, anglers visiting Hamilton Island have a huge variety of fishing options, whether looking for a half-day charter or for multiple days on the water. Conventional tackle is the norm in this part of the world, but those looking to try with the fly will also get close to some amazing fish.
Inshore options allow anglers to explore some of the 74 islands that make up the Whitsundays. These islands offer spectacular scenery, stunning white sand, and most importantly plenty of fish to target. It is not unusual to find big GTs, large schools of queenfish and tuna activity. In the shallower water it is possible to sight cast to Indo-Pacific permit, solo bonefish and more. The island creeks also offer barramundi.
In the offshore fishery, anglers can target the largest pelagic species including giant black marlin, blue marlin, striped marlin, and sailfish. There will also be chances at big tuna, giant trevally and many other open water species. The boats are well set up for conventional anglers but fly anglers can also have shots.
The Great Barrier Reef offers a stunning fishing experience and the colourful coral reef provides life to a huge swathe of ocean. The shallow water offers numerous reef species from emperors, coral trout and tusk fish. It is also possible to find various trevally species, smaller tuna, bumphead parrotfish and Napolean wrasse hunting the clear waters.
Hamilton Island itself is a resort island with a number of accommodation options available from well-appointed sea view chalets to several hotels. The jewel in the crown is Qualia Resort which offers secluded luxury on the island’s northern tip.
Hervey Bay, Queensland
Suitable For: Fishing focused trips, fishing/non-fishing stays, part of longer itineraries in Queensland and New South Wales.
Accommodation: A variety of accommodation available from self-catered cabins to oceanview hotels.
Prime fishing targets: Juvenile black marlin, golden trevally, queenfish, longtail tuna.
Based from the coastal town of Hervey Bay, the guides at Hervey Bay Fly and Sportfishing Charters offer access to the fish-rich waters in the bay and along Fraser Island. There are wonderful fly fishing opportunities for both flats sightfishing and bait-balling tuna.
Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and lies to the east helping to shield the bay from the south easterly trade winds. With this protection and the maze of creeks in the Sandy Straits the Hervey Bay area has plenty of options for all weather conditions.
The flats of Hervey Bay are renowned as one of the birth places of Australian flats fishing. In the summer months they see a wide range of species, among which are tailing golden trevally, cruising queenfish, big GTs, yellowtail kingfish, black marlin and longtail tuna. Targeting these species on fly and lure will certainly get your heart pumping.
What really sets Hervey Bay apart, is it being one of the only known places where you can see juvenile black marlin cruising the shallow flats. Chasing the ‘little’ black torpedos with a fly can be incredible.
The accommodation options range from self-catering to comfortable properties with sunrise views over the harbour.
Driftwater Lodge, Tasmania
Suitable For: Fishing focused trips, fishing/non-fishing stays, part of longer itineraries in Tasmania, Queensland and New South Wales.
Accommodation: Comfortable boutique homestead.
Prime fishing targets: Brown and rainbow trout.
There is no better place to experience fly fishing for a wild brown and rainbow trout than in Tasmania, with its diverse fishery set amid a stunning landscape of mountains and breathtaking scenery with great wildlife viewing.
Driftwater Lodge is located close to Deloraine in northern Tasmania in the beautiful Meander Valley. Driftwater’s century-old homestead provides the perfect home for both fishers and non-fishers.
Fly fishing in Tasmania is mixed and varied – from casting a tiny dry fly to freely rising trout in a small mountain creek, to wading freestone streams with slow flowing riffles and runs, or sections with bubbly pocket water. Drifting down meandering meadow rivers in the lodge’s handmade wooden boats or exploring the margins of lowland lakes for mayfly feeders is also great fun.
The jewels of fly fishing in Tasmania are the lakes located in the central highlands. Here you can sight cast to trout as you wade the edges of shallow lakes, search for that tell tale fin breaking the glassy surface as trout rummage in the shallows, or fish loch style from the wooden motor boats.
For more information on any of the locations above or to look at other spots and longer itineraries please contact Alex Jardine or call our office on +44(0)1980 847389.
