Guide to Saltwater
Fish Species in NSW
The fish you can catch around Sydney and right along the NSW coast, from harbour and estuary favourites to reef, deep-water and blue-water game fish. Tap any species for season, size, methods and eating quality.
Fish species that can be caught in NSW
Explore some of the most popular fish species that can be caught in New South Wales, including fish found in Sydney Harbour, offshore reefs, estuaries, beaches and wider NSW coastal waters. Use the filter to narrow the list by the kind of fishing that targets them.
Australian Bass
Australian Bass (Macquaria novemaculeata): an iconic native NSW sportfish. Season, size, methods and eating quality, plus where to find them in NSW rivers and estuaries.
Australian Salmon
Australian salmon (Arripis trutta), also called kahawai: hard-running schools in the Sydney surf and harbour. Season, size, methods and eating quality, plus how to catch them.
Black Marlin
Black marlin (Istiompax indica): Sydney's summer game-fishing prize, chased offshore on the troll and tagged and released. Season, size, methods, plus how to catch them.
Blue Eye Trevalla
Blue Eye Trevalla (Hyperoglyphe antarctica): a prized deep-drop fish off NSW. Season, size, bag limits, methods and eating quality, plus how to catch them off Sydney.
Blue Marlin
Blue marlin (Makaira nigricans): the heavyweight billfish of the NSW offshore grounds, a bucket-list capture on the blue water. Season, size, methods, plus how to catch them.
Bluefin Tuna
Southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii): powerful cool-season tuna off the NSW coast, brutal fighters and top-shelf sashimi. Season, size, methods, plus how to catch them.
Bluespotted Flathead
Bluespotted Flathead (Platycephalus caeruleopunctatus): a common Sydney harbour and estuary flathead. Season, size, bag limits, methods and eating quality off Sydney.
Bonito
Australian bonito (Sarda australis): a fast, hard-hitting coastal speedster around Sydney Harbour entrances. Season, size, methods and eating quality, plus how to catch them.
Dusky Flathead
Dusky Flathead (Platycephalus fuscus): the Sydney estuary staple. Season, size, bag limits, methods and eating quality, plus how to catch them around Sydney Harbour.
Flounder
Flounder (Bothidae spp.): a well-camouflaged NSW estuary flatfish. Season, size, bag limits, methods and eating quality, plus how to catch them around Sydney.
Hapuka
Hapuka (Polyprion oxygeneios): a giant of the deep NSW reefs. Season, size, bag limits, deep-drop methods and eating quality, plus how to catch them off Sydney.
Mahi Mahi
Mahi mahi (Coryphaena hippurus), also called dolphinfish: dazzling, acrobatic and fast-growing, a summer favourite off Sydney. Season, size, methods and eating quality.
Morwong
Jackass Morwong (Nemadactylus macropterus): a reliable NSW reef fish. Season, size, bag limits, methods and eating quality, plus how to catch them off Sydney.
Silver Trevally
Silver trevally (Pseudocaranx georgianus): hard-pulling schooling fish on Sydney Harbour and coastal reefs, year-round. Season, size and bag limits, methods and eating quality.
Snapper
Snapper (Pagrus auratus): Sydney's classic reef fish. Season, size, bag limits, methods and eating quality, plus how to catch them on the reefs off Sydney.
Tailor
Tailor (Pomatomus saltatrix): a fast, slashing surf and harbour predator off Sydney. Season, size and bag limits, methods and eating quality, plus how to catch them.
Tiger Flathead
Tiger Flathead (Platycephalus richardsoni): an offshore NSW flathead. Season, size, bag limits, drift-fishing methods and eating quality, plus how to catch them off Sydney.
Yellowfin Bream
Yellowfin Bream (Acanthopagrus australis): a cagey Sydney harbour and estuary favourite. Season, size, bag limits, methods and eating quality off Sydney.
Yellowfin Tuna
Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares): a blue-water bruiser off Sydney with rich, meaty flesh. Season, size, methods and eating quality, plus how to catch them.
Yellowtail Kingfish
Sydney's premier sportfish. Brutal, fast and famous for busting anglers off in the reef, the yellowtail kingfish holds right around Sydney Harbour and along the coast, and going toe to toe with a big model is a genuine rite of passage.