Exmouth (North Ningaloo / North West Cape)

Exmouth is the town at the top of the North West Cape, thirteen hours from Perth, with two completely different fisheries on either side of the cape. The Exmouth Gulf to the east is sheltered, shallow and run by sand, mangrove and shoal — Bundegi at the top is the calm-water staging point. Tantabiddi on the west is the Ningaloo lagoon access with the reef, the open Indian Ocean and Lighthouse Bay platforms. Spanish mackerel, sailfish, GTs, coral trout, red emperor, longtail tuna, cobia and queenfish are the tropical headline; marlin sit further out as a bigger-boat target.

Exmouth Marina and Town Beach: light gear and small lures for whiting, garfish, bream and squid, with a chance at trevally and queenfish at the right time of year. Bundegi: sheltered launch ramp, beach fishing for trevally and queenfish, and short runs to the gulf flats for emperor, snapper and groper. Tantabiddi: launch into the lagoon and out through the gap for the full Ningaloo fishery — coral trout, emperor, mackerel, pelagics. Lighthouse Bay land-based: limestone ledges with float-rigged garfish or stickbaits for mackerel, queenfish and trevally. Always check Ningaloo zoning before each drift — sanctuary zones run all the way up the western side.

Pink snapper, kingfish, samson, mulloway, whiting, tailor, squid and garfish from the structured list. The headline species are tropical: Spanish mackerel, coral trout, red emperor, spangled emperor, blue bone, GTs, queenfish, longtail tuna, cobia, sailfish and marlin. Tantabiddi is one of the few places in Australia where billfish are within minutes of the ramp.

Pick your side of the cape based on the wind — the Gulf is fishable on a westerly, the western reef on an easterly. Marina fuel and ice are non-negotiable; the run to Tantabiddi takes 45 minutes by road. The marine park zoning is complex and enforcement is real — use the Marine Parks WA app every drift. Land fish fast or feed sharks.

Sealed road in via the North West Coastal Highway and the Minilya–Exmouth Road, around 13 hours from Perth. Town has fuel, supermarkets, multiple tackle shops, a hospital and plenty of accommodation including caravan parks. Exmouth Marina has a sealed ramp and is the main town launch. Bundegi is 12km north on a sealed road with a sealed ramp. Tantabiddi is around 35km north-west on sealed road with a sealed ramp into the lagoon. Lighthouse Bay and Vlamingh Head have sealed car parks and toilets. Cape Range National Park entry fees apply for some western-side spots.

Two coastlines means a plan B is always available. Exmouth Gulf is sheltered and shallow with a strong afternoon southerly seabreeze; the western lagoon is sheltered by the reef and fishable in most weather, while the open ocean outside the reef gets the full Indian Ocean swell. Tidal range is around 2m, larger than Perth, and runs the bait through the lagoon gutters reliably. The Leeuwin Current and Ningaloo Current both feature. Cyclone season runs roughly November to April with serious storm potential.

Sharks are the dominant in-water hazard — bronze whalers, tigers, reefies and the occasional bull are common and tax hooked fish hard, particularly bleeding fish in shallow water. There are no crocodiles in Exmouth — saltwater croc range starts further north around Onslow. Sun exposure is severe; reef-cuts infect fast. Cyclone season needs flexible planning and weather monitoring. Marine park sanctuary zone fines start at $5,000 and zones are camera-monitored.

Depends on the wind. Easterlies make the western lagoon and Tantabiddi calm; westerlies make the Exmouth Gulf and Bundegi calm. Most trips fish both sides over a week. The Gulf is more sheltered and shallower; the western side has the reef, the cliffs and the pelagic action.

No. Saltwater crocodile range in WA starts north of here — around Onslow and into the Pilbara and Kimberley. The relevant predator at Exmouth is sharks, particularly bronze whalers and tigers, which are common around hooked fish and in the lagoon.

Tantabiddi is one of the few places in the country where you can be in 100m of water within minutes of the ramp, and sailfish are the realistic small-boat target between September and January. Marlin are usually a bigger-boat proposition. Charter operators run from the marina and Tantabiddi if you don't have your own gear.

No — Exmouth is in the Gascoyne Coast Bioregion, well north of the Kalbarri boundary. Gascoyne demersal rules apply: a 5-fish mixed bag, emperors capped at 3, plus species-specific size and bag limits. The Ningaloo Marine Park zoning overlays additional restrictions including sanctuary (no-take) zones. Always verify current DPIRD and DBCA rules before a trip.