Yorke Peninsula’s waters offer a diverse range of fishing and plenty of opportunities to catch you own seafood feast! You can rake in the shallows for blue swimmer crabs, diver for scallops just off shore or cast a line for your fill of king George whiting, garfish or tommy ruffs.

Here is a taste of some of the catches on offer …

Blue Swimmer Crabs can be caught by raking or netting. Summer months are more productive and the warmer water makes raking more enjoyable.

Succulent King George Whiting can be caught from both sides of the peninsula and is undoubtedly one of the tastiest meals you will catch from the sea.

Australian Salmon are the flavour of the day anywhere there is a headland, bluff or surf area. They can be caught all year round using pilchards or lures for bait.

Salt and Peppered, crumbed, stir fried or marinated Squid is extremely versatile. Easily caught on squid lures from boats or jetties.

Dabbing with a light at night or fishing with a float using gents for bait are the easiest ways to catch a feed of Garfish. With tender white flesh they are delicious filleted and lightly fried with a generous dob of garlic butter.

Tommy Ruffs and Mullet are abundantly caught in most places on Yorke Peninsula using cockles or gents. Both are tasty eating fish and often under-rated, best eaten fresh they are great on the BBQ, crumbed, salt and peppered or if you have time, are delicious when smoked!

Snapper is a great fighting fish and you will be well rewarded with the mouth watering taste. Only available from boats in deeper water off the coast, the most common bait is squid, pilchards or fresh fillets. A snapper fishing closure is currently in place until 31 January 2023.

The rugged southern coastline of Yorke Peninsula is home to the Southern Rock Lobster. Be aware of the restrictions and seasons to ensure you are legally catching these tasty morsels.

Trailing a lure from your boat is the best way to catch Snook. Fresh fillets on the BBQ are fantastic and they are one of the best fish for smoking or try a snook mornay!

The vast expanse of water to the east of Yorke Peninsula is Spencer Gulf, where the Prawn fishing fleet operates 80 night per year. Local prawns can be purchased from seafood outlets around the region.

Savour the fresh taste of the sea from one of Yorke Peninsula’s Oyster farms. There are farms at Port Vincent, Stansbury, Edithburgh, Coobowie & Port Broughton – just keep an eye out for the ‘fresh oyster’ signs when in season.

Rake up your own feast!

Think dining out on crab is expensive? It’s not if you’re armed with sharp eyes, a cheap rake, old sneakers and a floating tub to store your haul of Blue Swimmer Crabs!

Caught in great numbers during summer, you can try your luck along the beaches from Port Gawler to Stansbury in Gulf St Vincent or along the Copper Coast around to Port Broughton in the Spencer Gulf.

The best time to head out with your rake and tub is when the tide turns to come back in. The crabs are mostly buried but generally easy to see. Just look for the grey mounds in the sand that often signal a crab is in residence.

The best months for crabbing are September to April as the waters are warmer and more productive.

Whilst raking the shallows can be lots of fun, you can also drop a crab net from a jetty or boat using fish heads or squid for bait – just make sure your rope is long enough so the net can sit flat on the bottom of the ocean!

Be mindful that crabs have a legal size limit and that females carrying external eggs can’t be taken. This help to ensure the breeding cycle and sustain future crab stocks.

Surrounded by water on three sides, the best thing about Yorke Peninsula is you’re never far from water.

It’s about a 30 minute drive form coast to coast or, in other words, just a short drive to your next fishing adventure.

Port Wakefield to Price

Dominated by mangroves, sand flats and tidal creeks, the top of the Gulf St Vincent is a productive area for recreational fishers. Garfish, King George Whiting, Mullet and Blue Swimmer Crabs are all popular species to target.

Ardrossan to Port Vincent

Delicious Blue Swimmer Crabs and caught throughout the summer months and the ever reliable Tommy Ruffs and Mullet are plentiful. Garfish, Squid, Snook, Flathead and the prized King George Whiting are also found in this area.

Stansbury

Tommy Ruffs and Squid can be caught most of the year from the jetty with Blue Swimmer Crabs and Garfish plentiful in the summer months. Good catches of Mullet can be found at Stansbury from the end of February through to May. Boating enthusiasts can get good catches of King George Whiting at most times of the year and Mullet, Tommy Ruffs and Squid are also popular catches.

Edithburgh to Sultana Point

Tommy Ruffs, Squid, Garfish and Snook are regular catches from the jetty with King George Whiting regularly caught from the south eastern side. A fantastic beach fishing area, with Salmon, Flathead, Snook and Whiting all plentiful.

Troubridge to Marion Bay

the southern beaches from Troubridge to Marion Bay provide some of the best fishing in South Australia. Large Mulloway up to 36kg have been caught in this area with catches of Squid, Tommy Riffs, Mullet, Garfish, Salmon and Snook available. Night fishing seems to produce larger fish than daytime trips, with School and Gummy Sharks also caught at night.

Marion Bay to Corny Point

Be rewarded with some awesome catches on these pristine beaches. Fantastic Salmon grounds, including great catches of Mulloway, Flathead, Shark, Squid and Mullet.

Corny Point to Point Turton

A wonderful rock and beach fishing coast with Salmon, Trevally, Whiting, Garfish and Snook as common catches. In autumn, Mullet can be caught all around the southern coast.

Port Victoria

Renowned for its great catches of King George Whiting, this area offers fantastic boat and jetty fishing with excellent catches of Squid, Tommy Ruffs, Mullet and Garfish.

Port Hughes, Moonta Bay and Wallaroo

the historic jetties in these Copper Coast townships are some of the most popular in the state for fishing. There are terrific hauls to be made at certain times of the year from Snook, to Tommy Ruffs, King George Whiting, Flathead, Squid and Blue Swimmer Crabs.

Port Broughton and Fishermans Bay

Port Broughton has a great reputation for excellent fishing. This uniquely sheltered bay offers fantastic boating and fishing all year round. From light estuary fishing through to heavy offshore. Catch the famous Blue Swimmer Crabs, King George Whiting, Tommy Ruffs, Garfish, Squid and Snook.