Exmouth and Ningaloo Reef cheat sheet

Every fish, the licence and the rules, the rigs and the box of tackle. One page to take to the water.

Fishing Dan · cheat sheet

Exmouth and Ningaloo Reef

Every fish, the licence and the rules, the rigs and the box of tackle. One page to take to the water.

By Dan · read the full guide

Checked 5 June 2026

fishingdan.com/spots/exmouth-ningaloo

What's on

Flats fly Apr – Oct best

Giant trevally warmer months

Sailfish Aug – Dec peak

Marlin warmer game season

Mackerel & tuna warmer months

Peak In season Slow Closed (law)▎This month

Flats fly fishing is best in the cooler, calmer months (roughly April to October). Sailfish peak on the Ningaloo coast in Aug to Sep and in the gulf Oct to Dec. Tide and wind shape each day.

Licence

A powered boat needs the WA Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence (RFBL), A$40/year (half price on a concession), from DPIRD. Land-based and charter clients need none. Confirm the current fee with DPIRD (as of 5 June 2026).

Key limits (Gascoyne)

Spanish mackerel 900 mm; coral trout 450 mm, 1/day; spangled emperor 400 mm; baldchin groper 400 mm, 2/day; red emperor 450 mm, 2/day. Mixed bags: 4 demersal / 3 large pelagic / 16 near-shore per day (from 1 June 2026). No-take inside a sanctuary (green) zone, A$5,000 fine. Confirm with DPIRD.

Release / sanctuary zones

GT, bonefish, sailfish and marlin go back (tag and release the billfish). Keep mackerel, tuna, cobia and reef fish within the limits. Carry the Ningaloo zoning map; the green zones are no-take. Handle released fish in the water.

Bank vs boat · season · time → rig

Fish	Land-based	From a boat	Best time	Rig
Bonefish	Wade the flats on foot	Yes, a flats skiff	Tide pushing onto the flat, good light to spot	Nymph rig (fly)
Permit	Wade the flats	Yes, a flats skiff	A flooding tide, overcast helps	Nymph rig (fly)
Golden trevally	Wade the flats	Yes	The moving tide	Nymph rig (fly)
Giant trevally	Possible off the reef and rocks	Yes, the flats and reef edge	Rising tide on the flats; low light on the reef	Streamer rig (fly) or popper/stickbait
Queenfish, giant herring	Yes, off the rocks and passages	Yes	Moving tide, dawn and dusk	Streamer rig or popper/stickbait
Spanish mackerel	Off the rocks and passages	Yes, the reef edge	Warmer months, the moving tide	Popper/stickbait or trolling
Tuna	Rarely	Yes, surface schools	Dawn, when schools show	Popper/stickbait or jigging
Reef fish	Off the rocks	Yes, over the deeper reef	Through the day	Jigging rig or inshore bait rig
Sailfish, marlin (release)	No	Game boat only	The game season	Trolling rig (book a charter)

Land-based off the beaches and rocks covers trevally, queenfish, mackerel and reef fish. The flats fly fishing and the close billfish both need a boat: a flats skiff for the gulf, a game boat for the blue water.

The rigs

Nymph rig

Fly line → tapered fluoro leader → a small weighted shrimp or crab fly (#1–#6) led ahead of a sighted flats fish and twitched into its path

Perfection loop · surgeon's / blood knot (leader)

Streamer rig

8–12 wt fly line → short stout leader → heavy shock tippet → a big baitfish fly on a non-slip loop so it swims

Non-slip loop · leader knots on the rig page

Popper & stickbait

Heavy braid → FG knot → heavy fluoro leader → a surface popper or stickbait worked fast across the reef edge

FG knot · non-slip loop

Jigging rig

Heavy braid → FG knot → leader → a slow-pitch or vertical metal jig with assist hooks dropped to the reef

FG knot

Inshore bait rig

Main line → a running sinker → leader → hook (snelled) with bait, for reef fish and trevally from the rocks or boat

Snell · Palomar

Trolling rig

The trolled spread (skirted lures and rigged baits) the game boat runs for billfish; book the charter for the crew and gear

Crimps / heavy leader on the boat

What you need

Rod & reel

Flats fly outfit 8 to 9 weight fly rod, large-arbour saltwater reel, sealed drag, plenty of backing

GT fly outfit 10 to 12 weight fly rod, big saltwater reel, strong sealed drag

Heavy spin outfit a stout spin rod and 6000 to 14000 reel for poppers and stickbaits

Jig outfit a jigging rod and high-speed reel

Lines & leaders

Fly line (flats) weight-forward floating line to match the 8 to 9 weight

Fly line (GT) weight-forward floating or intermediate to match the 10 to 12 weight

Fly leaders 16 to 20 lb tapered leaders for the flats; a heavy shock tippet for GT

Spin braid heavy braid (PE rated) for the popper/jig outfits

Heavy leader heavy fluorocarbon leader, joined with an FG knot

Flies, lures & jigs

Flats flies small weighted shrimp and crab flies (around #1 to #6)

Baitfish flies larger baitfish and brush flies

Surface lures poppers and stickbaits

Metal jigs slow-pitch and vertical jigs with assist hooks

Metal slugs small high-speed slugs

Terminal & other

Loop knot the non-slip loop for flies and lures

Solid and split rings for the surface lures and jigs

Bait terminal a running sinker, hooks and a snell for inshore bait

Sun and wading kit a buff, polarised sunglasses, flats boots or sturdy reef shoes, reef-safe sun cream

Other pliers, a de-hooker, a measure, a landing net or boga grip

Two outfits cover it: a fly setup for the flats (8–9 wt for bonefish and permit, 10–12 wt for GTs) and a heavy spin and jig setup for the reef and pelagics. On a charter the boat supplies the tackle.

The knots

Knot	Ties	Used by
FG knot	Braid to a heavy fluoro leader.	Popper, stickbait, jigging
Non-slip loop	A free-moving loop at a fly or lure.	Fly and lure movement
Perfection loop	A loop to build and join a fly leader.	The fly rigs

Learn the FG knot for the braid-to-leader join, and the non-slip loop for the flies and lures. The fly rigs use their own leader knots (perfection loop, surgeon's, blood), given on each fly rig page. Wet every knot before you pull it tight.

Want the flats or the billfish? You need a boat. Book a flats and fly guide, or a sport or game charter, out of Exmouth. See the charters in the full guide →

Fishing Dan · fishingdan.com/spots/exmouth-ningaloo · Last checked 5 June 2026 · Confirm licences, seasons and boat hire with the authorities named in the full guide before you travel.

The printable

This one page is the printable I take to the water.

Give me an email and I will show it to you, ready to print. A one-page reference: what's on by month, the licence and rules, a rig for every fish, the shared tackle box and the knots.

I'll send you the cheat sheet, and email you when I add a new place to fish. Nothing else.