Fishing Exmouth and Ningaloo Reef: the flats, the GTs, the billfish and the plan

What and where it is

Exmouth is a town on the North West Cape, about 1,250 km north of Perth. It sits between the Exmouth Gulf on its east side and the Ningaloo Reef on its west. Ningaloo is the world's largest fringing reef, a UNESCO World Heritage site, running roughly 260 km down the coast and close enough to shore that you can swim onto it.

The thing that makes the fishing here unusual is the geography. On most reefs you motor for an hour to reach blue water. At Ningaloo the reef is a fringing reef, so it runs right along the shore, the lagoon inside it is shallow flats, and the drop-off to deep water is sometimes only a few hundred metres out. That means you can sight-fish the flats for bonefish, permit and giant trevally in the morning and be over marlin and sailfish in deep water by lunchtime, a few miles from the beach.

The Exmouth Gulf, on the sheltered eastern side, holds the biggest and most consistent flats: large sand and weed flats that fish on the tides for golden trevally, GTs, queenfish, giant herring and permit. The seaward Ningaloo side is more about the reef edge, the passages through the reef, and the close blue water for pelagics and billfish.

The water is warm and clear tropical water. Exmouth is a fly-out destination for most visitors (there are flights from Perth into Learmonth airport, then a short drive to town), so people arrive with a fixed window of days and want to fish them well. It is also a famous spot for swimming with whale sharks and manta rays, so in season the town is busy and the boats are booked, plan ahead.

The fish, and where, when and how to catch each

On the flats: bonefish, permit, giant trevally, golden trevally, queenfish and giant herring, fished on fly or light spin. Offshore, close in: sailfish and marlin (six billfish species occur here), Spanish mackerel, tuna and cobia. Each holds in a different place and wants a different method. The cards below give you where, when and how for every species in scope.

Reef fish, for context. The Ningaloo reef also holds spangled emperor, coral trout, baldchin groper, tuskfish and red emperor over the deeper reef. These are the demersal (bottom) reef fish, and they are the ones WA limits most tightly (see the licence section). They are good eating within the limits, but most visitors come for the flats and the pelagics, so the cards above are the trip.

Read the card for the fish you want, then check the seasonal section for how it moves through the year, and follow the rig link to build the method. Most of these are released here (see what you can eat), so this is a sport fishery first.

How the fishing changes through the year

Exmouth fishes all year, but in seasons. The flats and the calmer, cooler months suit fly fishing the gulf for bonefish, permit and trevally. Sailfish peak on the Ningaloo coast in August and September and in the gulf from October to December. Billfish and pelagics run through the warmer months. Wind and tide shape every day more than the calendar does.

Here is the year in plain terms.

• The cooler, calmer months (autumn into spring, roughly April to October). Lighter winds and clearer flats make this the prime stretch for sight-fishing the Exmouth Gulf on fly: bonefish, permit, golden trevally and GTs on the tides. The flats need a light wind to spot fish, so a calm morning is gold.
• August and September. Big sailfish numbers along the Ningaloo coast. This is a headline billfish window if a sailfish on fly or light tackle is the goal.
• October to December. Sailfish move into the Exmouth Gulf in numbers; the warmer water also fires up the flats and the close pelagics. The whale-shark and manta season overlaps, so book boats and beds early.
• The hot, warmer months (summer). Billfish and pelagics run, but it is hot, the wind can be up, and the flats fishing depends on finding calm windows. The reef and the blue water are the play.
• Year-round truth. Tide rules the flats (you need water moving onto them to bring the fish) and wind rules whether you can fish the seaward reef at all. A guide books your days around the tide and the forecast, not the date, which is why a local boat earns its place.

What you can eat (and what you must release)

This is largely a catch and release sport fishery. Billfish (sailfish and marlin), giant trevally and bonefish are tag and release here, by convention and good practice. Spanish mackerel, tuna, cobia and the reef fish are the ones people keep, within WA's bag and size limits. Nothing extractive may be taken inside a Ningaloo sanctuary (green) zone at all.

A few things are worth being exact about.

• Billfish, GT and bonefish are a release fishery. Sailfish and marlin are tagged and released as standard practice on the game boats; giant trevally and bonefish are released to protect the sport fishery and because they are not prized eating. Handle them in the water, support big fish, and let them swim off.
• The eating fish are the pelagics and reef fish. Spanish mackerel, tuna and cobia are good eating, as are the reef fish (spangled emperor, coral trout, baldchin groper, red emperor) within the size and bag limits in the next section. WA limits the demersal reef fish tightly, so check the current limit before you keep one.
• Sanctuary zones are no-take. Inside a Ningaloo Marine Park sanctuary (green) zone you may look but not take: no fishing or collecting of any kind, with fines up to A$5,000 for a first offence plus an additional penalty of ten times the value of the catch (WA DPIRD / Parks and Wildlife, Ningaloo Marine Park zoning, as of 5 June 2026). The sanctuary (green) zones cover about a third of the marine park, so carry the zoning map and know where the lines are before you cast (see licence and rules).

Whatever you keep, check the size and bag limits and any closure first, handle fish in wet hands, release what you are not keeping carefully, and respect the marine park and the turtle and whale-shark closures. Take a recreational fishing rules check before you travel; WA's new statewide reef-fish limits took effect on 1 June 2026.

Licence and rules

To fish from a powered boat in WA you need a Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence (RFBL), A$40 a year from DPIRD (half price on a concession). Land-based line fishing needs no general licence, and a licensed charter's own licence covers its clients, so you do not buy your own to go out with a guide. There are size and bag limits by species and a no-take rule inside the sanctuary zones.

Who needs a licence, and who doesn't. Western Australia has no general recreational fishing licence. You need a licence only for specific activities. The one most visitors need is the Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence (RFBL), required for any fishing from a powered boat (line fishing, and also crabbing and spearfishing from a boat).

How to get the RFBL: apply or renew online through DPIRD. It runs for 12 months from payment. If you take more than one licence type in the same transaction you get a 10% discount, and concession rates apply for under-16s and concession-card holders (DPIRD, as of 5 June 2026).

Sizes and bag limits (Gascoyne Coast bioregion)

Exmouth sits in WA's Gascoyne Coast bioregion, in the "other bioregions" rules outside the West Coast. The limits below are the current figures (WA DPIRD, as of 5 June 2026). WA's new statewide finfish size and bag limits took effect on 1 June 2026, tightening the demersal (reef) rules, so check the current figure before you keep a reef fish.

• Mixed-bag categories (Gascoyne / "Other regions", from 1 June 2026). WA caps the daily bag by category, not just by single species: 4 demersal (reef) scalefish, 3 large pelagic finfish, 16 near-shore/estuarine finfish combined per angler per day (WA DPIRD statewide finfish limits from 1 June 2026, as of 5 June 2026). So the reef fish and the pelagics each have a small daily ceiling on top of the per-species sizes.
• Demersal reef fish are limited tightly. Spangled emperor, coral trout, baldchin groper and red emperor fall in the demersal category, which WA restricts hardest: a combined 4 demersal scalefish a day in the Gascoyne, with coral trout capped at 1 and red emperor and the tuskfishes (including baldchin groper) at 2 each. Read the current Gascoyne limits before you keep a reef fish.
• The sport fish are released. GT, bonefish, sailfish and marlin are released here as a matter of practice, so the limits that matter for keeping are the mackerel, tuna, cobia and reef-fish ones.

The Ningaloo Marine Park zones (the rule that catches visitors out)

Ningaloo Marine Park is zoned. The key one for an angler is the sanctuary (green) zone, which is no-take: you may motor through and snorkel, but no fishing or collecting of any kind. Sanctuary zones cover about a third of the park (a substantial no-take area along the 260 km reef), with fines up to A$5,000 for a first offence plus an additional penalty of ten times the value of the catch (Ningaloo Marine Park zoning; WA Fisheries marine protected areas, as of 5 June 2026). Carry the zoning map and know which side of the line you are on. Your charter will know the zones cold; if you fish your own boat, this is the one to get right.

Other rules that matter

• Whale-shark and turtle protections. Ningaloo is a protected wildlife reef; keep clear of whale sharks, manta rays and nesting turtles, and follow the seasonal closures and approach rules.
• Carry your RFBL (on your phone is fine) when you fish from a boat.
• Confirm the current rules at DPIRD before you travel; WA's new statewide reef-fish limits took effect on 1 June 2026.

Where to fish

Two worlds. The sheltered Exmouth Gulf, on the east side, holds the big sand and weed flats for the fly fishing (bonefish, permit, trevally) and is the calmer water. The seaward Ningaloo side has the reef edge, the passages and the close blue water for GTs, mackerel, tuna and the billfish. Land-based spots work the beaches, the rocks and the reef passages.

The lake-style "bank" here is the beach, the rocks and the flats you wade on foot; the productive water is mostly reached by boat. Named access, from the maps and the local guides (as of 5 June 2026):

• The Exmouth Gulf flats (east side). The big sheltered flats, fished from a shallow-draft boat or waded on the right tide, for bonefish, permit, golden trevally, GTs and queenfish on fly. This is the heart of the flats fishery and the calmer side when the seaward reef is blown out.
• Bundegi and the Navy Pier area (north of town). Sheltered northern water and reef near the tip of the cape, a base for the gulf and the northern reef (note the Navy Pier itself is a restricted defence area; fish the surrounding water, not the structure, and check access).
• Tantabiddi (west side). The main boat ramp and passage onto the Ningaloo reef and the close blue water on the seaward side, the launch for reef and billfish trips.
• The Mildura Wreck and the reef passages (west side). Reef-edge and passage marks for GTs, mackerel and reef fish (inside the rules and outside the sanctuary zones).
• Coral Bay (south of Exmouth). A second access town to the southern Ningaloo reef, with its own charters and shore spots; spangled emperor, tuskfish, trevally and queenfish off the beaches and reef.
• Gnaraloo and the southern Ningaloo (far south). Remote land-based reef and beach fishing for the self-sufficient angler; long drive, big country, strong fish off the rocks.

What it means for method

• The flats (shallow, on foot or a shallow boat): sight-fishing on fly or light spin, led to a seen fish. Tide matters most: you want water pushing onto the flat. Use the nymph rig (bonefish, permit, golden trevally) or the streamer rig (GT, queenfish).
• The reef edge and passages (from a boat): GTs and queenfish on surface lures, mackerel on troll or cast, reef fish on bait or jig over the deeper reef. Use the popper and stickbait rig and the jigging rig.
• The close blue water (game boat): billfish and tuna on troll and switch-bait, the trolling rig.
• Land-based (beach and rocks): reef fish, trevally, queenfish and mackerel off the rocks and reef passages, on bait, spin and high-speed metals.

Bank vs boat, and the time of day

You can fish land-based off the beaches, rocks and reef passages for trevally, queenfish, mackerel and reef fish. But the flats fly fishing and the billfish both need a boat: a shallow flats skiff for the sight-fishing, a game or sport boat for the reef edge and the blue water. Fish the moving tide on the flats and the edges of the day for the pelagics.

Plain version: with no boat you can still have a good trip off the beaches and rocks for trevally, queenfish, mackerel and reef fish on bait and spin. But the famous fishing here, the flats fly fishing and the close billfish, both need a boat. A flats skiff opens the gulf; a game or sport boat opens the reef edge and the blue water.

This table is the core decision the trip turns on. It lives on the cheat sheet too. Pick your fish, pick where you are and when, and it gives you the rig.

The boat: guided charter, hire, or your own

Most visitors fish Exmouth on a guided charter, and it is the simplest way in: the operator's licence covers you, they know the tides, the zones and the marks, and they supply the tackle. There are flats and fly guides, sport-fishing charters and game boats. You can also hire a boat or bring your own (you need the RFBL then). Rates are on request, so the links below are the ones to book through.

A charter is genuinely the way most people fish here. The flats need a guide who can read the tide and pole you onto fish; the billfish need a game boat and crew; and the marine park zoning is easy to get wrong on your own. Watch the wind on the seaward side, which can shut the reef down, and the tides, which make or break the flats.

Flats and fly guides (the sight-fishing on the gulf flats)

Book directly:

• Ningaloo Fly Fishing – flats for bonefish, permit and GT, within sight of the billfish boats. ningalooflyfishing.com.au.
• Exmouth Fly Fishing – flats permit and GTs in the morning, big flies to marlin and sailfish in the afternoon. exmouthflyfishing.com.au.
• Shallow Water Safaris – small-group fly and sport fishing across the gulf flats and the reef. shallowwatersafaris.com.au.

Sport-fishing and game charters (the reef edge, the pelagics and the billfish)

Book directly:

• Ningaloo Sportfishing Charters – light tackle and fly for bonefish, permit, GT, billfish and pelagics. ningaloosportfishing.com.
• Peak Sportfishing Adventures – sport and game charters out of Exmouth. peaksportfishing.com.au.
• On Strike Exmouth Fishing Charters – reef and sport fishing charters. onstrike.com.au.

Hire a boat or bring your own

Self-drive boat hire operates out of Exmouth for the gulf and inshore reef; you need the RFBL to fish from it, and you must know the sanctuary zones. Public boat ramps include Tantabiddi (the main seaward launch) and ramps around the marina and Bundegi on the gulf side. If you trailer your own boat, carry the Ningaloo zoning map, fit the safety gear WA requires, and watch the wind and the bar.

Where to stay

Base yourself in Exmouth town for the gulf flats, the marina and the charters, or in Coral Bay for the southern reef. Exmouth has resorts, motels, holiday parks and self-contained units; book well ahead in the whale-shark and billfish seasons (roughly March to October), when the town fills up. For remote land-based reef fishing, the southern Ningaloo stations (Gnaraloo, Warroora) offer camping.

Stay near the fishing

• Exmouth town. The main base: close to the marina, the gulf flats, the charters and Learmonth airport. Resorts, motels, a holiday park and self-contained apartments. The natural choice for a fly or sport-fishing trip.
• Coral Bay. A small town on the southern Ningaloo, with its own charters and shore reef, for the southern end of the reef.
• The southern Ningaloo stations (Gnaraloo, Warroora). Remote station-stay camping for the self-sufficient angler chasing land-based reef and beach fishing; you need to be set up for off-grid camping.

Book accommodation and charters together and early. The fishing seasons overlap the whale-shark and manta season, so beds and boats both go fast.

The methods, and the rigs to build them

A handful of rigs cover everything here. On fly, the small weighted fly led to a flats fish, and the big baitfish fly for GTs and queenfish. On spin, surface poppers and stickbaits for GTs and pelagics, jigs over the reef, and the trolling spread for billfish behind a game boat. Each links to its own build page; the knots live there too.

Map of fish, where and when, to a rig. The build instructions and knots are on the rig pages, so I link rather than repeat them.

• Bonefish, permit and golden trevally, on the flats → nymph rig. A small weighted shrimp or crab fly led ahead of a sighted fish and twitched into its path, the way a weighted nymph is led to a trout. The page covers the leader and the fly knots.
• GTs, queenfish and giant herring, on fly → streamer rig. A big baitfish fly on a short, stout leader with a heavy shock tippet, tied on a loop knot so it swims. The page covers the leader, the shock tippet and the loop knot.
• GTs and pelagics on the surface, on spin → popper and stickbait rig. A surface lure on heavy braid and a heavy fluorocarbon leader, the braid joined with an FG knot. The page covers the tackle and the knots.
• Reef fish and reef pelagics over deeper water → jigging rig. A metal jig dropped to the reef and worked back up on heavy braid and a leader, with assist hooks. The page covers the slow-pitch and vertical styles and the knots.
• Reef fish and trevally on bait, inshore → inshore bait rig. A running-sinker or light paternoster with bait, for the land-based and the bait angler. The page covers the running-sinker presentation and the snell.
• Billfish, behind a game boat → trolling rig. The trolled spread (skirted lures and rigged baits) the charter runs; book the boat for the crew and the gear.

The knots that tie these are the FG knot (braid to a heavy leader, the spin and jig work), the non-slip loop (the fly and lure loop for free movement) and the fly leader knots (the perfection loop, surgeon's knot and blood knot) that the fly pages use. Each rig page links the knots it needs.

Build your kit (the kit builder and the shopping list)

Pick your fish and whether you are wading the flats or fishing from a boat, and the kit builder trims the list and the rigs to what you need. A flats trip is a fly outfit and a box of flies. A reef and pelagic trip is a heavy spin and jig outfit. Most people book a charter and travel light, so this list is for the angler bringing their own. No brands, no prices.

That is the whole list, split into the fly setup and the spin/jig setup. If you book a charter, the operator supplies the tackle, so you can bring your sunglasses, flats boots and a buff and pick the rest up on the boat. Buy generic sizes and types; you do not need a named brand to catch a trevally.

A trip checklist

Before you go: check your dates against the fishing seasons and the whale-shark season for boats and beds, sort the licence (the RFBL only if you will fish from your own or a hire boat, not on a charter), book the charter or boat, learn the sanctuary zones, pack the right outfit, and note the limits. Then print the cheat sheet and take it with you.

Do this in order:

1. Check your dates and book early. Match your fish to the season (the "what's on" strip above), and book beds and boats well ahead, the fishing seasons overlap the busy whale-shark season.
2. Sort the licence. Fishing from your own or a hire boat: buy the Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence (RFBL) at DPIRD (A$40 a year, half price on a concession). Going on a charter or fishing land-based: you need no licence. Carry the RFBL on your phone if you have it.
3. Book the boat or charter. Flats fly: a flats and fly guide (links above). Reef, pelagics or billfish: a sport or game charter. Bringing your own boat: check the ramp, the wind, the bar and the safety gear.
4. Learn the sanctuary zones. Get the Ningaloo Marine Park zoning map and know where the no-take green zones are. Your charter knows them; if you fish your own boat, get this right (fines up to A$5,000).
5. Pack the right outfit. A fly setup for the flats (8 to 12 weight), a heavy spin and jig setup for the reef and pelagics, plus polarised sunglasses, flats boots, a buff and reef-safe sun cream. On a charter, bring the personal kit and use the boat's tackle.
6. Note the limits. Most sport fish (GT, bonefish, sailfish, marlin) are released. Keep mackerel, tuna, cobia and reef fish within the current Gascoyne limits, and confirm them at DPIRD before you keep one.
7. Print the cheat sheet and fold it into the bag. Get the printable cheat sheet

Common mistakes

The big ones: fishing inside a sanctuary zone by accident, buying a licence you do not need (or skipping the one you do), bringing one outfit for a two-outfit fishery, ignoring the tide on the flats, fishing the wrong side of the cape for the wind, and turning up without a boat booked in the busy season.

• Fishing inside a sanctuary (green) zone. The no-take zones cover a lot of the reef and the lines are not obvious from the water. Carry the zoning map and check it before every drop. Fines run to A$5,000.
• Getting the licence wrong. You need the RFBL only to fish from a powered boat (your own or a hire boat). On a licensed charter you need nothing; land-based you need nothing. Don't buy one you don't need, and don't skip it on your own boat.
• Bringing one outfit. This is a two-outfit fishery: a fly setup for the flats and a heavy spin/jig setup for the reef and pelagics. One light rod covers neither end well. If you charter, the boat solves this.
• Ignoring the tide on the flats. The flats fish when water is pushing onto them. Turn up at the wrong tide and you will wade empty sand. Let the guide book your flats sessions around the tide.
• Fishing the wrong side for the wind. When the seaward Ningaloo side is blown out, the sheltered Exmouth Gulf flats still fish. Pick the side to match the forecast.
• Not booking ahead. The fishing seasons overlap the whale-shark and manta season, so charters and beds fill up. Book both early or miss out.
• Underestimating the fish. A GT will straighten light gear and a sailfish is a big animal close to shore. Match the tackle and the leader to the fish; the rig pages give the ratings.

Frequently asked questions

The questions travelling anglers ask most about Exmouth and Ningaloo Reef: what is here, the boat licence, the best time, shore versus boat, the sanctuary zones, the close billfish, what you keep and release, getting on the water, the outfit, and whether it is catch and release.