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Bite Compass

Giant Herring

Inshore / Estuary
Elops machnata

A slender, silver, hard-jumping sportfish of WA's tropical north — the local 'ladyfish'. Patrols estuaries, creek mouths, harbours and sandy beaches from the Gascoyne up through the Pilbara and Kimberley, smashing small lures and skipping across the surface when hooked. Pure sport: spectacular on light tackle but bony and poor eating, so almost always released.

Overview

Giant herring (Elops machnata) are one of the great light-tackle sportfish of tropical WA — the local equivalent of the ladyfish or 'poor man's tarpon'. Long, slim and bright silver, they school around estuary mouths, harbour edges, creek entrances and sandy beaches from Shark Bay north through the Pilbara and into the Kimberley, hunting small baitfish and prawn on the tides. What makes them special is the fight: hook one and it goes airborne immediately, greyhounding and tail-walking across the surface in a series of wild jumps. They throw hooks constantly, which is half the fun. They are not, however, an eating fish — the flesh is bony and poor — so giant herring are a sport-and-release proposition almost everywhere they're caught.

How to Catch
Best baits

Small live baits (hardyheads, prawn, mullet), small strip baits — though most are caught on lures

Lures

Small chrome slugs and metals, small soft plastics on 1/8–1/4oz jigheads, small surface poppers and stickbaits, soft vibes

Rigs

Light spin gear — 10–20lb braid, 15–25lb fluorocarbon leader, single hooks on lures. They have hard, bony mouths, so sharp hooks and a firm hookset matter, but no wire is needed. Crush the barbs to speed up release of a fish that's mostly going back.

Technique

Sight-cast small metals and surface lures to schools working bait around creek mouths, harbour walls and sandy beach gutters on a moving tide. A fast retrieve triggers the chase; the strike is immediate and the first jump comes a heartbeat later. Keep the rod tip working to stay connected through the jumps — they shed hooks the moment the line goes slack. Fish the run-in and run-out around structure and current lines.

Best time

Available year-round in the tropical north, with the cooler dry season (April–October) the most comfortable to fish. Run-in and run-out tides around creek mouths and harbour entrances concentrate bait and fire them up. Dawn, dusk and the first hour of dark are the standout windows.

Size

Up to 1m and ~10kg, commonly 1–4kg

Peak season

Year-round (Pilbara/Kimberley)

Eating quality

Poor — bony, dry flesh riddled with fine intramuscular bones. Not worth keeping for the table, and the vast majority are released. Their value is entirely as a sport and light-tackle fish.

Regulations (WA)

Giant herring are not individually listed in WA's main bag and size tables and fall within the 'all other species' mixed daily bag of 30 (no minimum size). Most anglers release them regardless. Always check current DPIRD rules — regulations may change.

Perth Tips

Beadon Creek (Onslow), Dampier and Karratha harbours and back creeks, the Exmouth marina flats and the Kimberley creek mouths all produce giant herring on the moving tides. Crush your barbs and keep the fish in the water for release — they're delicate and there's no reason to keep them. Light gear and small lures make for the best sport.

Where to Catch Giant Herring
Broome (Town Beach / Gantheaume Point / Roebuck Bay) Dampier (Hampton Harbour / Dampier Archipelago) Exmouth (North Ningaloo / North West Cape) Murchison River (Kalbarri) Onslow (Town Beach / Beadon Creek / Mackerel Islands)
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