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Giant Trevally (GT) in WA: Where, When and How

Species in this guide Giant Trevally

Published: 20 Jun 2026
Updated: 21 Jun 2026
Read time: 6 min
Sections: 7

The giant trevally is the fish that broke your mate’s expensive rod and then his composure. It eats a popper the size of a banana with a boil you can hear, runs straight for the nearest coral bommie, and tests whether you tied your knots properly or just confidently. Most Perth anglers never catch one — the GT is a tropical fish and Perth is not a tropical place. But every winter a steady stream of southerners point the troopy north chasing exactly this: the most violent topwater strike in Australian fishing.

This is the WA giant trevally — distinct from the inshore “silver” or “skippy” trevally off the Perth jetties, a different and much smaller fish.

What It Is — and What It Isn’t

The giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis) is the apex inshore predator of the tropical reef. It exceeds 60kg at the top end — most WA fish are 8–25kg — and hunts baitfish across reef in water sometimes shallow enough to see its back out.

Do not confuse it with the skipjack (silver/skippy) trevally — the schooling 1–2kg fish locals catch off metro jetties. Same family, opposite proposition: the GT is sportfishing, the skippy is dinner. For the full rundown, see the giant trevally species guide.

Where and When in WA

GTs are a northern fish — Gascoyne and North Coast, year-round. They show around Ningaloo and run up through the Pilbara to the Kimberley archipelagos. There are no giant trevally off Perth, and no amount of optimism changes that.

The best weather window is the cooler dry season, roughly April through October, when Ningaloo has clearer water, flatter seas and gentler heat. The fish are there year-round, but the build-up and wet make access miserable. Tide changes — particularly the start of the run-in — push bait onto the reef and switch the GTs on. First and last light are the prime windows; a midday session in 38-degree heat is its own punishment.

The Rules (Check DPIRD First)

Here’s the part people get wrong, including some fishing websites. The giant trevally is not in the nearshore “trevally and queenfish” group that the silver/skippy trevally sits in. Under the June 2026 DPIRD Recreational Fishing Guide, Caranx ignobilis is listed as a large pelagic finfish, with no minimum legal size, counting within the combined large pelagic daily bag limit of 3 fish per fisher statewide.

In practice that’s almost academic, because the right thing to do — and what nearly every WA GT angler does — is release them. Eating quality is poor and the ciguatera risk in big reef fish is real. Bag limits change, so confirm the current numbers at DPIRD before you go rather than off a forum.

Where to Throw a Popper

Order here is roughly by how reachable each spot is from a 4WD versus a boat.

Tantabiddi (Ningaloo)

The iconic land-based GT mark in WA. The reef edge and channels near the Tantabiddi boat ramp let you cast stickbaits into genuine GT water from the rocks and flats, and it’s the launch point for charters working the Muirons and the outer reef. Walk the edge at first light, cast parallel to the drop-off, and expect the fish closer than you think.

Lighthouse Bay (Exmouth)

Lighthouse Bay at the tip of the North West Cape is the other postcard land-based spot — deep water close to shore, current sweeping past structure, and a long history of producing big fish to anglers prepared to grind. It rewards patience and a locked drag.

Bundegi and Exmouth

Bundegi, on the Exmouth Gulf side, gives sheltered water when the open coast is blown out, and the town of Exmouth is base camp — every dedicated popping charter runs from here, onto reef edges no land-based angler can reach.

Coral Bay

Further south on Ningaloo, Coral Bay holds GTs along the reef and is a softer introduction for first-timers — easier access, smaller fish, and charters that’ll teach you to work a stickbait properly.

The Pilbara Islands

The Mackerel Islands off Onslow and the broader Pilbara archipelagos hold big, lightly pressured GTs over endless reef — multi-day, boat-based territory.

Steep Point

Steep Point, the westernmost tip of the mainland, is better known for land-based gamefish but produces GTs from the cliffs for those willing to make the long corrugated drive and respect some serious ledges.

Gear That Survives a GT

Light tackle does not work here — a GT finds every weak link you own.

Rod: 7’6”–8’ heavy spin stick rated PE 6–10 (roughly 30–60lb), built to cast 150–200g lures all day.
Reel: 14000–18000 spin reel (Shimano Stella SW, Daiwa Saltiga) with a sealed drag you can lock to 15kg-plus.
Line: 80lb braid minimum — 100lb is not overkill — with a 130lb fluorocarbon leader, FG knot.
Poppers: Halco Roosta Popper 195, Carpenter and Hammerhead chuggers. Big bloops, hard pauses.
Stickbaits: Shimano Orca, Hammerhead and Carpenter sinking stickbaits, surface walkers in the 150–200g range.
Terminals: upgrade everything. Single inline assist hooks or strong inline trebles, solid and split rings rated to 200lb-plus. Stock hooks straighten.

Bring spares — you’ll lose lures to reef and to fish, and a GT trip with three poppers ends early.

Timing and Conditions

Work the run-in tide around first or last light, watching for boils, surface chases, or birds working bait over the reef. When a GT commits, set hard and keep the rod low to turn the fish away from coral — the first ten seconds decide the fight. Soft drag means a busted-off lure. Lock it up, lean back, and let the gear work. Check wind and swell for your mark on BiteCompass before committing to a long drive on a marginal day.

Frequently Asked

What’s the difference between a giant trevally and a silver trevally?

They’re different fish in the same family. The giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis) is a tropical apex predator that reaches 60kg and is chased on poppers and stickbaits up north. The silver trevally — the inshore ‘skippy’ caught around Perth — is a smaller schooling fish that tops out around 1–2kg. See the skipjack trevally guide for the metro one.

Where can you catch giant trevally in WA?

Tropical WA only — Ningaloo (Exmouth, Tantabiddi, Lighthouse Bay, Coral Bay), the Pilbara islands, and the Kimberley. They don’t occur off Perth. Tantabiddi and Lighthouse Bay are the iconic land-based marks; everywhere else is mostly a boat or charter game.

Are giant trevally good to eat?

No — the flesh is coarse and dry in big fish, and large reef-dwelling GTs carry a genuine ciguatera risk. Almost every WA GT is tagged and released. If you want a trevally for the table, the golden trevally eats far better.

How big do giant trevally get?

They exceed 60kg, though most WA fish are 8–25kg. A 20kg-plus GT on a popper is the trophy most anglers travel north for.

Do I need a licence to fish for GT in WA?

No licence is needed for shore-based recreational fishing in WA. Boat-based fishing requires a Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence. Giant trevally has no minimum size but counts within the large pelagic finfish daily bag limit — check current numbers at DPIRD.

The giant trevally is the rare WA fish worth booking flights for — explosive, hard-earned, and best put straight back. Read the full giant trevally species guide for rigs and handling, and if you’re already up at Exmouth, the same reefs hold sailfish for the days the GTs go quiet.

Sources & Further Reading

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