Best Fishing Spots in Darwin 2025

The Top End of the Northern Territory has some of the best fishing in all of Australia – and you barely have to leave the city to hook some of the best fishing spots Darwin has to offer.

We Are Explorers acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Countries on which these adventures take place who have occupied and cared for these lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Fishing in and around the Darwin region can be a bit of a tricky hobby – what with all those Saltwater crocodiles about. But if you have a decent-sized boat, Darwin Harbour and its many tributaries are your oyster. If you’re not lucky (or is it silly?) enough to have your own tinny, there’s still an abundance of land based fishing available (although crocs still inhabit these areas).

On the blue water of Darwin Harbour

If you’re fanging to pull in something brag-worthy (I’m talking Giant trevally, Blue salmon, Golden snapper, or Coral trout) you can always pay one of the many fishing charters to take you further out into the sparkling Arafura Sea to try your hand at nabbing a sport fish.

Read more: Remember to leave no trace

Be Crocwise

Every waterway in the Top End and around Darwin is prime croc country. If you go fishing, whether on a boat or on land, you’re entering the home and habitat of Saltwater crocodiles, and you need to act accordingly.

• Follow all croc warning signs
• Never provoke a crocodile
• Gut and clean fish far away from the water’s edge
• Don’t prepare food or carry out tasks on the water’s edge
• When land based fishing, always stay five metres back from the water’s edge
• Never lean over the edge of a boat, or dangle limbs above the water
• Always use a landing net when bringing in fish

Read more: How To Stay Safe in Croc Country

Big fat snappy in the Mary River

Best Fishing Spots Darwin

1. Buffalo Creek

Time from Darwin: 25 minutes

Sitting at the furthest northern reach of Darwin is Buffalo Creek. Nestled between Casuarina Coastal Reserve and Buffalo Creek Management Area, the creek is accessed via Lee Point Road.

Although there’s a boat ramp here, you’ll often find people casting from the banks of the river mouth where it runs into the ocean.

The banks of Buffalo Creek before the rains hit

2. East Point

Time from Darwin: 10 minutes

East Point Reserve is an outdoor recreation area not far from Darwin city centre that encapsulates the easternmost headland of Darwin Harbour – which means it’s ripe with coastline ready for casting.

Many people throw in a line on East Point Beach itself, but if you delve deeper into the reserve, you’ll find more secluded headlands and beaches which you could have all to yourself. There are toilets at East Point Beach and picnic tables, BBQs, and benches scattered throughout the reserve, mostly along the shared walking/cycling trail that loops around the headland.

So pack a picnic and a chair and come ready to spend the whole afternoon – East Point puts on a show every night at sunset!

3. Stokes Hill Wharf

Time from Darwin: 3 minutes

Smack bang in the middle of the city, Stokes Hill Wharf plays home to an assortment of restaurants, is the departure point for nearly all the city’s sunset cruises, and never fails to have a handful of people sitting patiently by their fishing lines.

Thankfully, you can stand a little closer than five metres from the edge here as the wharf is raised well above the water – just be careful not to topple in when you get a tug on your line.

4. Rapid Creek

Time from Darwin: 15 minutes

Flowing through the suburb of Rapid Creek is the waterway of Rapid Creek – go figure!

Many anglers try their luck at the river mouth by the Rapid Creek Bridge that crosses over into the Casuarina Coastal Reserve. The stunningly blue water makes for a picturesque scene whether you’re looking for dinner in the water or not. This is best fished on an incoming tide.

5. Dripstone Cliffs

Time from Darwin: 20 minutes

Towering above Casuarina Beach are the colourful and dramatic Dripstone Cliffs, which make for a great fishing spot safe from the danger of Saltwater crocodiles – if you time it right.

As Darwin has such large tides, often high tide, or especially a king tide, will completely inundate the beach and water will reach all the way to the cliffs. This is when you’ve gotta cast your line!

Standing atop the cliffs at high tide is the ideal time to catch a fish here.

Sunset from Dripstone Cliffs

Best Fishing Spots Near Darwin

As Darwin is surrounded at nearly all sides by water, there’s no shortage of Darwin land based fishing spots available. But if you really want to play big, you gotta get in the car and hit the road.

6. Shady Camp on the Mary River

Time from Darwin: 2 hours 10 minutes

Situated in Mary River National Park, Sandy Camp is a bucket list fishing spot for fishing enthusiasts – particularly if you’re chasing barra – and is particularly unique as it offers both freshwater and saltwater fishing in the same location.

The section of the Mary River at Shady Camp features a barrage (like a rock wall) with a boat ramp on either side. This means that at low tide, water to the north of the barrage empties out, while water to the south doesn’t drop away. Dropping your boat in the southern ramp allows you to fish the freshwater of the Mary River through the wetlands, while taking your boat out on the northern ramp allows you to head north to explore other waterways like Sampan Creek.

Low tide at the barge at Shady Camp on the Mary River

If you put your boat in the northern boat ramp, it’s crucial that you know the timings of the tides, as the water falls so low during low tide, it’s very easy for boats to become stuck.

If you don’t own a boat, no matter! Plenty of anglers fish from the barrage itself and turn up plenty of Barramundi.

How’s that?!

7. Dundee Beach

Time from Darwin: 1 hour 35 minutes

If you don’t like fishing, there’s almost nothing for you in Dundee Beach. Although there’s not a lot of successful land based fishing to be done at Dundee Beach any more, it’s a popular place to book a fishing charter and have the experts take you out to deeper waters.

Off the coast is where you’ll find the big stuff – think Mangrove Jack, Spanish mackerel, Threadfin salmon, Giant trevally, Queenfish, Coral trout, Golden snapper, Longtail tuna, Black jewfish, Sailfish, Red emperor, Tricky Snapper, and of course, Barramundi.

Closer to shore, it’s not all slim pickings – there’s still plenty of mud crabbing to be done throughout the nearby river systems and mudflats.

Dundee Beach bringing the colour palette

8. Bynoe Harbour

Time from Darwin: 1 hour 30 minutes

Tucked away one peninsula south of Darwin Harbour, separated by the Cox Peninsula, is the much quieter and more pristine Bynoe Harbour. With endless estuaries to explore, this extremely sheltered harbour is primed for excellent fishing, with possible catches including Queenfish, Threadfin salmon, Barramundi, and Mangrove jack.

There are a handful of boat ramps leading into the harbour, including one at Crab Claw Island, another two in creeks on the south shore. At Keswick Point on the northern shore, there’s a firm natural boat launch site as well.

If you’re not into fishing, no matter! You can soak up the pristine nature of Bynoe Harbour from your beach-side cabin at Crab Claw Island, the only bookable accommodation within the harbour.

End your day sipping beers and watching the sunset at Crab Claw Island Resort

Best Fishing Spots in Darwin FAQs

What fish can you catch in Darwin?

If there’s one fish species that fishing enthusiasts expect to reel in while in Darwin it’s Barramundi AKA barra. In fact, there’s even an annual competition around catching barra called the Million Dollar Fish that runs during the wet season.

Between the Darwin fishing spots and those a little further afield, there’s a whole seafood menu of good fish species available to catch, including:

• Barramundi
• Black jewfish
• Pikey bream
• Giant trevally
• Longtail tuna
• Mangrove jack
• Blue salmon
• Threadfin salmon
• Golden snapper
• Coral trout
• Spanish mackerel
• Sailfish
• Queenfish
• Red emperor
• Tricky snapper
• And mud crab!

Whatever you catch, be sure to check the possession limits and size limits for different fish species. These limits help maintain fish populations and allow recreational fishing to continue successfully in the Territory.

What tide is best for fishing in Darwin?

The best times for fishing in and around Darwin is when the tide is moving as this is when the fish are moving! This is usually around an hour before and after low tide as there’s less water for the fish to be swimming in.

Darwin, like much of north west Australia, has very large tides, partly due to the large width of the continental shelf. In Darwin Harbour, the difference between high tide and low tide can be as much as 8m.

What is the best time of year for fishing in Darwin?

Whether you visit Darwin in the dry season or wet season, visit the right fishing spot and you’re all chances of reeling in a prize. But it’s between March and April, a few months before the official dry season starts that’s the best time of year to fish in the Top End of the Northern Territory. This period is known locally as ‘the run off’ and makes for really excellent fishing.

Once the wet season starts to die down, the river and creek mouths become ideal for barra fishing, as the swollen rivers start to retake their shape and the freshwater empties out of the floodplains into the ocean. This is when anglers and fishing enthusiasts from across the country migrate north for some classic Darwin fishing.

Funnily enough, March and April are also great times for fishing the bluewater around Darwin and reeling in those prestigious saltwater fish. With the changing winds between wet season and dry season easing, Darwin Harbour and surrounds are calm and the fish are making the most of the smaller bait fish being flushed back into the sea on the run out tide.

What is the best bait for Darwin Harbour?

When selecting a bait fish for fishing in Darwin Harbour, the fresher the better. Pilchards and squid are often cited as some of the best bait to use while fishing in Darwin.

Do I need a fishing licence in Darwin?

Hell no, it’s the wild west up here. No fishing licence is needed and no boating licence is needed either. However there are still boat laws that need to be abided by, but technically nearly anyone can drive it.

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