Lifestyle and Leisure
Fishing in Australia
When it comes to fishing in Australia, the Aussies are spoilt for choice, writes Nick Clark
Australia is the world's sixth largest country, is surrounded by over 60,000 kilometres of coastline, and is blessed with numerous inland waterways. Given this, it is unsurprising that fishing in Australia is the most popular leisure activity, as well as being highly important to the nation's economy. According to the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, some 40,000 people are employed in Australia's fishing industries, while over three million Australians engage in recreational fishing.
If you are moving to Australia it will most likely be the recreational aspect to angling that interests you. Indeed, for many Brits the prospect of sitting on a boat under the sun, fishing-line in one hand, cold beer in the other, would have to rank pretty high on a list of to-do's in Australia. Perhaps the ultimate fishing experience you can get Down Under is deep-water marlin angling. The black marlin can grow beyond 700 kilogrammes and is renowned for its fighting abilities. Many anglers will have dreamt of wrestling with this powerful fish, watching it twist and turn as it leaps from the waves.
North Queensland is one of the best places for fishing in Australia for black marlin. Every year in early September, the giant female arrives from the Pacific Ocean to spawn along this 250 kilometre stretch of the Great Barrier Reef. A large collection of gameboats have built up around the Reef and Coral Sea to service the large market that surrounds this fish. The Great Barrier Reef also has an array of other light-tackle sports-fishing options. The waters off Cairns are plankton- and bait-rich and attract almost every species of Pacific game fish. You can troll rigged baits for species such as barracuda, wahoo, dolphin fish (Mahi Mahi), spanish mackerel, yellowfin tuna, scaly mackerel, trevally and sailfish.
Australians are also pioneers in the field of salt-water fly fishing. Although fly fishing is usually associated with fresh water, Australians have taken the sport out onto the ocean too. Salt-water fly fishers use flies which imitate larger creatures such as shrimp, prawns and crabs. Further around the coast, the Northern Territory and Western Australia offer fascinating opportunities for fishing in Australia. Inland amongst the vast flood plains, rocky escarpments and billabongs you can try angling for tarpon, archerfish, black bream and alligator garfish. The classic inland experience, though, is barramundi fishing. Chasing barramundi – young barra amongst the weeds, large barra during the post-wet season run off, and medium barra during the remaining part of the year – is an exhilarating experience. Barramundi can weigh up to 20 kilograms, so the sport can be intense. Australia's tidal creeks and estuaries also provide excellent fishing opportunities. Surrounded by bays, inlets, rocky headlands and coral reefs, waters like this are every fisherman's dream. There are hundreds of species of fish in such environments including golden snapper, barramundi, trevally, spanish mackerel, barracuda, coral trout, jewie, red emperor and queenfish.
Turn inland to Australian fresh-water (or 'sweet-water') rivers and you will find other fishing treats. There are sharp sighted jungle perch in clear mountain streams, tough sooty grunters (black beam) that will take a surface fly or shallow sinking streamer with gusto, and other lesser known species such as fresh water grunter and small tarpon. Trout fishing is generally restricted to the Snowy Mountain region in New South Wales. Brown, brook and rainbow trout are all found in the alpine streams, and world-renowned rivers and lakes such as Eucumbene, Jindabyne and Khancoban Pondage that dot the region.
In spring and summer in the Snowy Mountains, fishing takes over as one of the area's most popular activities, with trout the most sought after fish. (It is possible to fish here in winter, but only on lakes and reservoirs as most streams are closed from the Queen's Birthday weekend in June to the first weekend in October.) Finally, there is the famous Murray River cod, a freshwater fisherman's dream. Murray cod are remarkable in their adaptability and the diversity of habitats they occupy, from small clear streams on the upper western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, to large, meandering rivers in the lowland reaches of the Murray-Darling Basin. Specimens as large as 1.8 metres long which weigh over 100 kilograms have been caught.
These are some of the fishing experiences and creatures that you will come across in Australia if you decide to pick up a rod. And in terms of getting hold of equipment and accessing choice fishing areas, you should be spoilt for choice. Whether you want to chase barra up the creek on fly fishing gear, or take an easy day soaking a live sardine for a queenfish in a tidal estuary, or take a day out on the Great Barrier Reef chasing marlin, there will be local charter operator, fishing guide, or game boat skipper who can help you out. Australians love getting out into their wilderness to engage with wildlife and nature, and know that one of the best ways to do this is with a line and tackle. If you are going Down Under, in terms of experiences, this should definitely be the one that didn't get away.
Register for your FREE emigration starter pack
Subscribe to Emigrate magazine. Read more ...