Fishing around the Whitsundays

There are a few tours in the Whitsundays that will take you fishing the Great Barrier Reef, guiding you to the best places to catch giant trophies, delicious dinners and legendary reef dwellers.

Teeming full of fish and diverse marine life, the Whitsundays are one of the best places for fishing in Australia. Giant trevallies, coral trout and Spanish mackerel are often on the agenda, and can reach brag-worthy sizes: the giant trevally can grow up to 80kg itself. There is a large variety of edible fish you can catch on a tour - just ask your tour guide to go over the local fish life with you!

Most of the reef is protected but there are places that are designated and great for fishing. It’s always a surprise what you will pull up on your line, and great fun trying to reel in the day’s biggest catch.

You may wonder what you can do with your catch once you reel it in. Whether you’re local or just visiting, there are a lot of quick dishes you can whip up so you can enjoy the day’s spoils!

Fish Tacos
Fish tacos work great with any white fish (snappers, trevallies, mackerel) and can be made almost any way you like. We recommend the following for an easy and fresh dish.

1 mango
¼ red cabbage
¼ cup red onion
3-4 fresh fillets
1 avocado
Capsicum
1-2  lime|
½ lemon
Fresh dill weed
Fresh basil
Salt and Pepper
Full cream (optional)
Small tortilla

For salsa: Chop up 1 mango, ¼ cup red onion, ½ red capicsum and a handful of cabbage and mix together for a rough and colourful salsa. Add lime juice if desired and add salt to taste.

For dressing: Put 1 avocado, 1 tablespoon of dill weed, add fresh basil and salt and pepper to taste in a food processor with juice of one full lime and blend into a thick dressing. Add water to thin or cream to thicken.

For fish: Cut fish fillets into generous strips, and line the bottom of a non-stick pan. Sprinkle with lemon, salt, pepper and dill weed. Pop into the oven at 175c and bake for 20-25 mins or until beginning to crisp and brown.

Warm your tortillas and layers dressing, salsa and fish we desired. Roll up and enjoy!

Stuffed fish

This is the easiest dish you can make with just about any fish you catch on the reef. You can stuff just about any fish with just about anything you can imagine and it will be delicious. For a simple and quick dish, we recommend the following:  

Fresh fish
1 fresh lemon
Salt and pepper
Fresh basil
1 tablespoon of butter
Fresh garlic if desired

Make sure your fish is clean and ready for stuffing before you begin. Rub the inside of your fish with butter, salt and pepper and add a small amount of fresh garlic if desired.

Cut lemon into slices and add 2 inside of small fish, and 4 to a larger fish. Stuff generously with basil and close fish back up. Place one slice of lemon on top for garnish and wrap in foil before placing in the oven. Bake at 175-200c for 30-35 minutes for smaller fish, and 40-45 minutes for larger fish until fish begins to flake and separate easily.

Unwrap and place back into the oven for 5-10 minutes until the edges start to crisp and brown.

Pair with a fresh salad and white wine and enjoy!

To head out to the water or learn more about fishing in the Whitsundays, contact our team of experts today!