Esperance (Esperance Jetty / Bandy Creek / Cape Le Grand / Twilight Beach)

Esperance is eight hours south-east of Perth and the biggest land-based fishing town on the South Coast. The original Tanker Jetty closed in 2015 after a long fight to save it and was deconstructed in stages through 2019; the 415-metre replacement, Esperance Jetty, opened in March 2021 with built-in fishing seats, lower platforms and an over-water cleaning station. Bandy Creek Boat Harbour east of town gives you sheltered breakwater fishing in any weather, and the Cape Le Grand beaches — Lucky Bay, Hellfire Bay, Thistle Cove — are the postcard salmon and bream beaches an hour east. Twilight Beach on the Great Ocean Drive is the everyday after-work spot.

Esperance Jetty: light to medium spin gear for herring, skippy, garfish and KGW along the rails, with squid jigs over the weed and sand below. Heavier outfits land samson, big squid and the occasional snapper. Wire trace is banned within 800m of the jetty since October 2024 — no shark targeting. Bandy Creek harbour: light gear from the breakwaters and rock walls for herring, skippy, whiting and bream, plus bream from the creek upstream of the weir. Cape Le Grand beaches: walk the gutters at Lucky Bay and Hellfire Bay for salmon, herring, whiting and flathead, and spin metals into the autumn salmon schools. Twilight Beach for herring, trevally and whiting on a calm day.

King George whiting (signature, off the jetty and beach edges), Australian salmon (Mar–Jul migration plus a smaller summer run), herring, skippy, garfish, squid, tailor, flathead, sand whiting, snook, and from the jetty samson, the occasional mulloway and pink snapper. Black bream from Bandy Creek upstream.

The jetty cleaning station at the 100m mark is lit and over water — use it rather than the rails. Fish Lucky Bay in the morning before the tourists and 4WDs arrive on the sand. Tackle, fuel, supermarkets and accommodation are all in town; once you head out to Cape Le Grand, you're committed.

Sealed access to Esperance via Coolgardie-Esperance Highway. The Esperance Jetty has sealed foreshore parking, public toilets, lighting along the entire 415m, and wheelchair-accessible fishing set-downs. Bandy Creek Boat Harbour 10km east has sealed parking, a fish-cleaning station at Summy's Park, and breakwater access. Cape Le Grand National Park is 60km east via sealed road; standard DBCA vehicle entry fee applies and the access road and major beach car parks are sealed. Twilight Beach is 10 minutes from town on the Great Ocean Drive. Drive from Perth is around 8 hours.

South Coast Bioregion swell exposure — Southern Ocean groundswell is constant and weather windows shift fast. The new jetty fishes through most conditions because it sits in Esperance Bay behind the islands of the Recherche Archipelago, which knock down the worst of the swell. Bandy Creek harbour fishes in almost anything. Cape Le Grand and Twilight Beach are exposed open coast and wash out on big SW sets. Easterly mornings are the calmest window.

Wire trace banned within 800m of the Esperance Jetty since October 2024 — fines apply. White sharks are present along the entire coast and Esperance has had attacks; never fish alone on remote rock platforms. Cape Le Grand beaches have soft sand, hidden gutters and full Southern Ocean exposure. South Coast Bioregion demersal rules differ from West Coast — check current DPIRD South Coast pink snapper and dhufish limits. Some marine sanctuary zones sit within the Recherche Archipelago and Cape Le Grand area; check the South Coast Marine Park zoning before fishing islands and offshore reefs.

No. The original Tanker Jetty closed to the public in 2015 and was deconstructed in stages through to 2019. The 415-metre replacement, Esperance Jetty, opened in March 2021 and is purpose-built for recreational fishing with lower platforms, fishing seats, lighting, a cleaning station and wheelchair-accessible fishing points. It's the main land-based jetty option in town.

No. Since 1 October 2024, recreational fishing with wire trace is prohibited within 800m of the Esperance Jetty. The rule was introduced to manage shark targeting in the area. Use heavy mono or fluoro leader instead.

Yes. Cape Le Grand is a national park managed by DBCA, and a standard vehicle entry fee applies. An annual all-parks pass is the better option if you plan to fish Lucky Bay, Hellfire Bay or Rossiter Bay more than a couple of times. Some sections of the Recherche Archipelago and surrounding waters are inside marine sanctuary zones — check the South Coast Marine Park zoning before fishing islands or offshore reefs.

Two windows. The main south-coast migration runs March through July — same as Bremer Bay and Hopetoun. Cape Le Grand also gets a smaller November–February run with bigger average fish (5–8kg). Lucky Bay, Hellfire Bay and Rossiter Bay all produce; walk the beach, find the gutters and spin metals into the schools.