Southern calamari
Excellent
Spring and autumn are the seasons: the weed beds on the rising tide, slow sinking jigs.
Esperance Fishing Report
Updated Fri, 25 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
White beaches, granite headlands and the Recherche Archipelago: Esperance fishes for salmon, herring, whiting and the reef species from the far south coast.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Next tide
Low 4:13 pm model
Air / High
14 °C / 18 °C
Wind
SE 29 km/h
Sources: modelled tide curve, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Esperance rewards patience today, with cool water and short feeding windows. Today brings cloud cover, wind SE around 29 km/h, steady pressure near 1028 hPa and a high of 18 °C. Tides: high 9:39 am and 9:54 pm, low 3:20 am and 4:13 pm: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 17 °C for the season (estimated). With the full moon, the solunar majors run 10:25 AM-12:25 PM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM: the windows to build the day around.
Tailor
Excellent
The main run. Fish the gutters and headlands into the evening; ganged pilchards, metals, and a wire-free trace only if you accept the bite-offs.
West Australian dhufish
Good
A good time on the mid-depth reef on the calm days; jigs and baits, slow.
Tie on: Blade or vibe, slow hops · Lightly weighted plastic · Whole pilchard or squid on the bottom · Suspending hardbody. Prime windows: 10:25 AM-12:25 PM, 10:25 PM-12:25 AM, 4:55 AM-5:55 AM. Cooler at 15 °C with likely rain: fish ahead of the front. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.
Before you go
Western Australia requires a fishing licence for most fishing, from A$40.00. Western Australia fishing licence: cost, rules and where to buy →
Chasing west australian dhufish here? Check the size and bag limits with DPIRD WA before you keep anything; the West Australian dhufish page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for Esperance today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:38), sunset (17:50), the moon and today's score, with the modelled tide changes in the panel below. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 10:25 AM-12:25 PM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM; minor 4:55 AM-5:55 AM. Full Moon, 99% lit.
Water and weather
A modelled tide curve for these coordinates and the forecast for the day.
Tides (modelled)
Modelled sea level curve from Open-Meteo Marine for these coordinates, datum mean sea level. Fish the moving water either side of each change.
A model, not the official prediction: times can drift by tens of minutes inside bays and estuaries. Check the Bureau of Meteorology tide predictions for the exact times before you rely on them.
Fri
LOW3:20 am-0.19 m
HIGH9:39 am0.41 m
LOW4:13 pm-0.26 m
HIGH9:54 pm0.19 m
Sat
LOW4:00 am-0.34 m
HIGH10:04 am0.21 m
LOW4:17 pm-0.40 m
HIGH10:13 pm0.16 m
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp14 °C
High / Low18 °C / 13 °C
WindSE 29 km/h, gusts 54 km/h
Pressure1027.8 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 100%
Sunrise / Sunset05:38 / 17:50
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~17 °C est.
Why the tide matters here: tides and fishing in Australia.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Esperance
Today is the pick of the week on Esperance, at 3 out of 5. Every day is scored by the same engine as the report above: pressure trend first, then wind, sky and season. Pick a species and the plan for that day changes with it.
Best day this week: today, 25 Sept — fair at 3/5, steady pressure, neither help nor hindrance.
Today, 25 Sept — Fair
A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
- Solunar majors
- 10:25 AM-12:25 PM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM
- Minor period
- 4:55 AM-5:55 AM
- Sun
- 05:38 to 17:50
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Storms, 32 km/h
- Rain chance
- 100%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Esperance: seasons written for the southern year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
West Australian dhufish
Year-round demersal fishery with a closed season on the West Coast; check DPIRD
WA's prize demersal. Lives on limestone reef and lumps in 20 to 100 metres from Kalbarri to Augusta; slow-growing and tightly managed. A good time on the mid-depth reef on the calm days; jigs and baits, slow.
Samson fish
Best: summer and autumn off WA
The big amberjack of the west: bruising fights on jigs over the deep reef and around the offshore aggregations in summer. Fewer fish, deeper; jig the wrecks and the deeper lumps on the calm days.
King George whiting
Best: December to May in SA; spring and summer in Port Phillip
The table fish of the south. Feeds over sand patches between weed and reef in 2 to 10 metres, mostly by day, mostly on the moving tide. Deeper sand patches and the middle of the day; slower bites, bigger fish.
Southern calamari
Spring and autumn peaks in the southern bays
Southern calamari over weed and sand in 2 to 10 metres of the bays and gulfs; a jig fishery at dawn, dusk and under the jetty lights. Spring and autumn are the seasons: the weed beds on the rising tide, slow sinking jigs.
Tailor
Autumn and winter on the east coast; August to September on Fraser Island
The surf and rock fish of the east coast, running north in autumn and winter. Fast, toothy and best at dawn, dusk and into the dark. The main run. Fish the gutters and headlands into the evening; ganged pilchards, metals, and a wire-free trace only if you accept the bite-offs.
When to come: the Esperance calendar
Activity by species and month for the southern year, and how the water warms and cools. Tap any cell.
Species activity by month
1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted. January is midsummer here.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
West Australian dhufish
Samson fish
King George whiting
Southern calamari
Tailor
SlowPeak
Water temperature through the year
Typical surface temperature for this water type in degrees Celsius; today is around 17 °C (estimated, not a reading).
Angler reports
Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. Nothing here is copied from a shop or a charter. The water log below tracks each day automatically.
No angler reports yetBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Esperance today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataThu, Sep 24
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Southern calamari led the card at excellent. High of 19 °C, wind to 19 km/h.
Wed, Sep 23
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Southern calamari led the card at excellent. High of 18 °C, wind to 18 km/h.
Tue, Sep 22
4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. West Australian dhufish led the card at excellent. High of 28 °C, wind to 19 km/h.
Before you go
Licence
Western Australian recreational fishing licences, from A$40.00, the same for residents and visitors. Details and where to buy →
Regulations
Size and bag limits, closed seasons and marine park zones are set by DPIRD WA and change: confirm the current rules on the agency page linked from the Western Australia licence page before you keep anything.
Access
Line fishing from the shore is not among Western Australia’s licensed activities; fishing from a boat needs the boat licence and the abalone and rock lobster fisheries have their own; our Western Australia page has the fees.
About this water
Esperance is a coastal town in Western Australia, Australia, covered from the Western Australia reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Esperance: the full guide
Esperance and its coast
Esperance is the port of Western Australia’s far south coast, facing the islands of the Recherche Archipelago across Esperance Bay, with the tanker jetty and the town beach in front, the granite headlands and white beaches of Cape Le Grand and Twilight Beach either side, and Bandy Creek boat harbour to the east. It is a Southern Ocean town and the fishing follows: salmon on the beaches, herring and whiting from the jetty and the sand, squid over the weed, and the reef species around the islands for the boats when the swell allows. The report on this page is scored for the town’s coordinates.
Species and seasons
Australian salmon are the fish the coast is known for, running the beaches from Twilight to Cape Le Grand in autumn and winter in schools that can be seen from the dunes; herring and skippy are the everyday jetty and beach fish; King George whiting fish the sand-and-weed of the bay and the island lees from spring to autumn; squid work the weed off the jetty and the harbour in spring and autumn; and the reefs and islands give pink snapper, queen snapper, harlequin and the demersal species under the DPIRD rules for the boats. Bream fish Bandy Creek and the estuaries east of the town.
Reading this report here
The swell is the number the wind row stands in for on this coast: a south-westerly brings it into the bay and closes the beaches and the granite, a northerly flattens the bay and makes the jetty and the beaches fishable. Pressure and sky build the score and the planner shows the window; the tide panel is a modelled curve for these coordinates, labelled as a model, with small tides, so it is the direction that helps and the Bureau of Meteorology that has the times. The granite headlands are dangerous in swell.
Licences and access
Line fishing from the shore is not among Western Australia’s licensed activities; fishing from a boat needs the boat licence and the abalone and rock lobster fisheries have their own; our Western Australia page has the fees. The tanker jetty, the town beaches and the national park beaches are public, with ramps at Bandy Creek and the town; the marine park zones of the archipelago and the DPIRD limits are on the pages in the sources.
Common questions
When do the salmon run in Esperance?
Australian salmon run the Esperance beaches in autumn and winter; the species card rates the month and today’s conditions.
Do I need a licence to fish in Esperance?
Not for line fishing from the shore; the boat licence and the species licences apply where they apply.
Is fishing good at Esperance right now?
Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Nearby waters
Where this page's numbers come from
- Tide curve (modelled)
- Open-Meteo Marine, sea level height including tides
- Open-Meteo forecast model
- https://open-meteo.com/
- Moon and solunar windows
- Calculated on this site
- The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on How our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.