How do you get to the Fortescue River mouth?

Turn off the North West Coastal Highway onto Fortescue River Road and follow it about 23km to the river, around 100km and two hours from Karratha. The City of Karratha listed the road open to all vehicles at its 31 July 2026 update, but a small creek crossing floods on spring tides, so take a 4WD. Check the City's road-condition page after rain.

Can you camp at the Fortescue River mouth?

It is not one of the City of Karratha's designated camp grounds. The City allows coastal camping only at Cleaverville and 40 Mile (Gnoorea Point), plus caravan parks, and issues on-the-spot $100 fines for camping elsewhere. Ask City Ranger Services on (08) 9186 8555 before staying overnight, or base yourself at 40 Mile, about 57km away.

What can you catch at the Fortescue River mouth?

Mangrove jack, threadfin and black jewfish are the mainstays, with trevally, queenfish and flathead around the shallow mouth and the occasional barramundi up the pools in the warmer months. The deep hole near the launch suits a floated live bait for jewfish, and the tide-isolated pools upstream suit hardbodies for jack.

Do you need station permission to fish the Fortescue River mouth?

Not to reach the mouth on the public road. The land at the mouth is unallocated Crown land and a public-purpose reserve, subject to native title, and Fortescue River Road is a City road rather than a station track. Stay on the formed road: the mainland beside the river is covered by mining tenements around CITIC Pacific's Sino Iron operation, whose site roads are private, and the Mardie pastoral lease adjoins this coast. Respect any signage from the City, the mine or Traditional Owners.

Are there crocodiles at the Fortescue River?

Treat it as croc country. The Department of Transport warns that saltwater crocodiles inhabit Pilbara coastal waterways, and Parks and Wildlife confirmed more sightings on the Pilbara coast in 2024 than in the previous decade combined. Don't wade the river or the mangroves, keep back from undercut banks, and clean fish well away from the water.

Bite Compass

Bite Forecast

Fortescue River Mouth (Mardie / Fortescue River Road)

Tue 27 Oct 2026 · Australia/Perth

Forecast updated 6:59pm AWST

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📍 Fortescue River Mouth (Mardie / Fortescue River Road)

full · 99%

Weather: Sunny Wind: W 272° · 21 km/h Swell: flat Water: 25.0 °C Pressure: 1010.7 hPa → steady Faces north · Offshore: SE, S, SW · Onshore: NW, N, NE · Forecast wind: cross-shore

★★★★☆

High Fish Activity

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▸ Why this score?

At the day's peak · 5:30 am

Solunar Minor window

Time of day Dawn

Tide Turning

Wind SW 17 km/h

Moon full all day

Water temp 25.0 °C all day

Learn how the score works →

Activity Forecast

Day Timeline

Major Minor Tide Twilight

First light 5:13 am Last light 6:46 pm

Low 5:23 am High 11:31 am Low 5:29 pm High 11:24 pm

Drag or use arrow keys to explore

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

4:30 am → 7:00 am

2h 30m

Good

11:00 am → 1:00 pm

Good

5:30 pm → 8:00 pm

2h 30m

Good

12:00 am → 1:30 am

1h 30m

First light

5:13 am

Last light

6:46 pm

Sunrise

5:35 am

Sunset

6:23 pm

Moonrise

7:43 pm

Moonset

5:57 am

Low tide

5:23 am

High tide

11:31 am

Low tide

5:29 pm

High tide

11:24 pm

Hourly Wind

High Bite Hours Highlighted

12am

☀️

22°

↙︎

233°

12 km/h

1am

☀️

22°

↙︎

218°

16 km/h

2am

☀️

21°

↙︎

204°

20 km/h

3am

☀️

20°

↓︎

202°

19 km/h

4am

☀️

20°

↙︎

203°

18 km/h

5am

☀️

19°

↙︎

206°

17 km/h

6am

☀️

18°

↙︎

209°

17 km/h

7am

☀️

20°

↙︎

210°

18 km/h

8am

☀️

23°

↙︎

206°

18 km/h

9am

☀️

26°

↙︎

214°

16 km/h

10am

☀️

29°

↙︎

229°

15 km/h

11am

☀️

30°

←︎

256°

16 km/h

12pm

☀️

30°

←︎

272°

21 km/h

1pm

☀️

29°

←︎

273°

24 km/h

2pm

☀️

29°

←︎

272°

25 km/h

3pm

☀️

27°

←︎

271°

26 km/h

4pm

☀️

26°

←︎

267°

26 km/h

5pm

☀️

24°

←︎

263°

26 km/h

6pm

☀️

22°

←︎

260°

23 km/h

7pm

☀️

21°

←︎

260°

21 km/h

8pm

☀️

21°

←︎

258°

19 km/h

9pm

☀️

21°

←︎

257°

18 km/h

10pm

☀️

21°

←︎

257°

18 km/h

11pm

☀️

21°

←︎

258°

17 km/h

Hourly Swell

Easing 0.5 → 0.2 m W

12am

0.5 m

@ 4 s

←︎

Slight

chop

1am

0.6 m

@ 4 s

←︎

Slight

chop

2am

0.6 m

@ 4 s

←︎

Slight

chop

3am

0.6 m

@ 4 s

←︎

Slight

chop

4am

0.5 m

@ 4 s

←︎

Slight

chop

5am

0.5 m

@ 5 s

←︎

Slight

chop

6am

Calm

7am

Calm

8am

Calm

9am

Calm

10am

Calm

11am

Calm

12pm

Calm

1pm

0.2 m

@ 6 s

←︎

Calm

chop

2pm

0.1 m

@ 7 s

←︎

Calm

chop

3pm

0.2 m

@ 7 s

←︎

Calm

chop

4pm

0.2 m

@ 6 s

←︎

Calm

chop

5pm

0.2 m

@ 6 s

←︎

Calm

chop

6pm

Calm

7pm

Calm

8pm

Calm

9pm

Calm

10pm

Calm

11pm

Calm

Wind Map

Wind data (text)

Now: 21 km/h W (272°).

Wind map data: ECMWF HRES (operational), updated every 6 hours. Not for navigation.

Open in the full fishing map →

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

4:30 am → 7:00 am

2h 30m

Good

11:00 am → 1:00 pm

Good

5:30 pm → 8:00 pm

2h 30m

Good

12:00 am → 1:30 am

1h 30m

First light

5:13 am

Last light

6:46 pm

Sunrise

5:35 am

Sunset

6:23 pm

Moonrise

7:43 pm

Moonset

5:57 am

Low tide

5:23 am

High tide

11:31 am

Low tide

5:29 pm

High tide

11:24 pm

Nearby Spots

Forty Mile Beach (Gnoorea Point / 40 Mile camp) 31.8 km

Species at This Spot

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