Fleurieu gulf coast: Sellicks to Cape Jervis fishing spots

South of Adelaide the gulf coast turns rocky, with small jetties at Myponga, Normanville, Second Valley and Rapid Bay reaching over reef and weed, and the harbour at Cape Jervis facing Backstairs Passage. Tommies, trevally, sweep and salmon trout are the shore staples; the area's famous squid jigging is on hold while calamari are closed in this zone.

Updated 9 Oct 2026

5 spots here, all fished from land. Seasons follow our Gulfs, Fleurieu & KI species list for South Australia. Positions are a guide only, not for navigation.

Under each spot, "Forecast for this spot" opens the app's forecast worked out for that spot: Go, Marginal or No-go for each day of the week ahead, with the best times, wind, waves and tide. Open the forecast.

Spots at a glance

5 spots: Fleurieu gulf coast: Sellicks to Cape Jervis
Spot	Type	Fished from	Water	Marine park
1. Myponga Beach jetty	Jetty	Land-based	Ocean coast	Encounter Marine Park
2. Normanville jetty	Jetty	Land-based	Ocean coast	Encounter Marine Park
3. Second Valley jetty	Jetty	Land-based	Bay, estuary or river	Encounter Marine Park
4. Rapid Bay jetty	Jetty	Land-based	Ocean coast	Encounter Marine Park; no-take zone nearby
5. Cape Jervis harbour	Breakwall	Land-based and boat	Ocean coast	Encounter Marine Park

1. Myponga Beach jetty

Type: Jetty · ocean coast (beach or rocks)
Access: Land-based. Small jetty at Myponga Beach, below the main road.
What's good here: In season in October: yelloweye mullet, Australian salmon, flathead and tommy ruff.
Best tide: Not confirmed for this spot yet.
Best wind: Best in easterlies (offshore); westerlies blow onto it.
Note: Small jetty and beach where mullet, salmon trout and flathead turn up from time to time.
Safety: Jetty decks get slippery when wet.
Zone: Point sits in a habitat protection zone (line fishing allowed); Carrickalinga Cliffs sanctuary zone (Encounter Marine Park) about 2.3 km from this point: no fishing inside it Guide only, not for navigation: check cdn.environment.sa.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -35.37230, 138.38650 · Open in Google Maps (position: Myponga Jetty, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

2. Normanville jetty

Type: Jetty · ocean coast (beach or rocks)
Access: Land-based. Jetty beside the Normanville foreshore caravan park.
What's good here: In season in October: tommy ruff, Australian salmon and yelloweye mullet.
Best tide: Early morning for tommies, with berley.
Best wind: Best in easterlies (offshore); westerlies blow onto it. Faces WNW.
Note: Jetty over sand and weed; tommies bite early with a berley trail on light gear, and salmon trout run in the cooler months.
Safety: Jetty decks get slippery when wet.
Zone: Point sits in a habitat protection zone (line fishing allowed); Carrickalinga Cliffs sanctuary zone (Encounter Marine Park) about 4.0 km from this point: no fishing inside it Guide only, not for navigation: check cdn.environment.sa.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -35.44528, 138.30748 · Open in Google Maps (position: Normanville Jetty, Place names (State Gazetteer), South Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

3. Second Valley jetty

Type: Jetty · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based. Short jetty in a small cove beside the beach.
What's good here: In season in October: tommy ruff, silver trevally and Australian salmon.
Best tide: Not confirmed for this spot yet.
Best wind: Sheltered from south-easterlies; north-westerlies blow into the cove. Faces NNW.
Note: Jetty and rocks in a cliff-lined cove beside reef, popular for line fishing; tommies are the mainstay. Squid were the drawcard but are closed in this zone for now.
Safety: Rocks beside the jetty are slippery. Divers and snorkellers use the cove.
Zone: Point sits in a habitat protection zone (line fishing allowed); Rapid Head sanctuary zone (Encounter Marine Park) about 2.9 km from this point: no fishing inside it Guide only, not for navigation: check cdn.environment.sa.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -35.51054, 138.21673 · Open in Google Maps (position: Second Valley Jetty, Place names (State Gazetteer), South Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

4. Rapid Bay jetty

Type: Jetty · ocean coast (beach or rocks)
Access: Land-based. New 240 m jetty with solar lighting and diver platforms; keep 20 m from the old jetty.
What's good here: Peak in October: snook. Also in season: tommy ruff, Australian salmon and silver trevally.
Best tide: Not confirmed for this spot yet.
Best wind: Sheltered from south-easterlies; north-westerlies blow onto it. Faces N.
Note: Deep jetty beside reef: tommies, schooling salmon, and snook and trevally along the reef edges. Famous for squid, but calamari are closed in this zone for now.
Safety: Old Rapid Bay jetty: no vessels, divers or swimmers within 20 m. Divers under the jetty: cast with care.
Zone: No-take zone nearby. Point is on the shore, outside the zoning polygons; Rapid Head sanctuary zone (Encounter Marine Park) about 1.1 km from this point: no fishing inside it Guide only, not for navigation: check cdn.environment.sa.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -35.52340, 138.18530 · Open in Google Maps (position: Rapid Bay Jetty, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

5. Cape Jervis harbour

Type: Breakwall · ocean coast (beach or rocks)
Access: Land-based and boat. Ferry terminal harbour with a boat ramp; keep clear of ferry operations.
What's good here: In season in October: tommy ruff, Australian salmon and yellowtail kingfish.
Best tide: Not confirmed for this spot yet.
Best wind: Sheltered from easterlies; strong westerlies and big tides make Backstairs Passage rough.
Note: Harbour at the tip of the Fleurieu facing Backstairs Passage; tommies and salmon from shore, kingfish by boat.
Safety: Backstairs Passage has strong tides and steep seas. Ferry movements in the harbour.
Zone: Point sits in a habitat protection zone (line fishing allowed); No marine park sanctuary or restricted access zone within 6 km of this point (DEW zoning layer); Snapper may not be landed at Cape Jervis or Wirrina, even if caught in open waters Guide only, not for navigation: check cdn.environment.sa.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -35.60630, 138.09350 · Open in Google Maps (position: Harbor of Cape Jervis, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

Boat ramps

South Australia's boat ramp layer isn't published under an open licence we could confirm, so we don't list its ramps yet.

What's biting here in October?

In peak season at Fleurieu gulf coast: Sellicks to Cape Jervis in October: snook, mulloway and black bream. Of the 22 species our Gulfs, Fleurieu & KI list has for this part of the coast, 3 peak in October 2026 and 15 more are in season.

Peak in October: snook, mulloway and black bream.

Also in season: tommy ruff, Australian salmon, silver trevally, yelloweye mullet, flathead, yellowtail kingfish, King George whiting, yellowfin whiting, blue swimmer crab, samsonfish, sweep, gummy shark, bronze whaler, blue morwong and bight redfish and nannygai.

In closed season now (no take): snapper (until 30 June 2027); southern garfish (since 1 May 2026, until further notice); southern calamari (since 1 May 2026, until further notice).

Closed now in part of the area: southern calamari in False Bay cephalopod exclusion zone near Whyalla (permanent, all squid, cuttlefish and octopus) (all year); black bream in Lakes and Coorong waters (spawning closure: no take or possession of black bream) (1 August to 31 January); black bream in Onkaparinga River upstream of the Main South Road bridge, Noarlunga (no fishing for bream) (1 September to 30 November).

Out of season in October: southern bluefin tuna (best Mar–May).

Seasons are closure-aware: a species is never listed as in season, for the area or at a spot, while it is closed there; a closure for part of the area says where. Species links go to our South East Queensland species guides, with Queensland's limits: South Australia's own size and bag limits are on the official rules page.

Can you fish here? Rules and safety

No recreational fishing licence or fee in SA (checked 9 Oct 2026). Rock lobster pots must be registered: $94 for 1 pot or $261 for 2 (2026-27, expires 31 May). Licence details. Size and bag limits and closed seasons apply: South Australia's limits (checked 9 Oct 2026).

Rules at Fleurieu gulf coast: Sellicks to Cape Jervis

Gulf St Vincent/KI fishing zone: southern garfish, southern calamari and snapper are closed (no targeting or keeping) and most other bag and boat limits are about halved after the 2025 algal bloom; check the SA Fishing app before each trip.
No snapper may be carried through closed waters or landed at Cape Jervis, Wirrina or Penneshaw.
No fishing within 0.5 nm of Wirrina Cove (Fleurieu Reef) or on the new Wirrina artificial reef (from 25 May 2026 for 12 months).
Carrickalinga Cliffs, Aldinga Reef and Rapid Head are Encounter Marine Park sanctuary zones.

Marine parks and no-take zones

The zone notes here name Encounter Marine Park. A no-take zone starts close to Rapid Bay jetty: its zone note says where. Zones are a guide only, not for navigation: check the official maps before you fish.

Safety at Fleurieu gulf coast: Sellicks to Cape Jervis

Backstairs Passage and the cape have strong tidal currents and steep seas.
Cliff-top tracks to coves are steep and loose.
Sharks are present in the gulf.

South Australia: official links

Read the official forecast and warnings in the Bureau of Meteorology's own words: SA coastal and local waters forecast map and current warnings.

Boating: South Australia boating safety and lifejacket rules. Lifejackets: Motor boats <=4.8m: all wear, underway or at anchor. 4.8-12m: kids 12 and under in open areas; all at heightened risk (alone, night, bar, warnings). From 1 Oct 2026: L100+ when handling cray pots.

Heading out on the water? Log on and off with Volunteer Marine Rescue coastal radio network (SA SES and VMR associations, e.g. Sea Rescue Adelaide, Coast Guard Ardrossan, VMR Tumby Bay, Whyalla Sea Rescue). Contact the relevant Coast Station soon after launching: call sign, departure point, destination, people on board, ETA. Log off when back. Stations' channels and hours vary.

Marine parks and closed areas: SA marine parks - maps and coordinates, PIRSA fishing zones and closures and Australian Marine Parks (South-west network, e.g. Great Australian Bight).

Non-life-threatening marine rescue: SA Police 131 444 for a volunteer marine rescue response. More.
Crayfishing lifejacket rule: From 1 Oct 2026 everyone aboard a recreational vessel in coastal waters must wear Level 100+ when handling, hauling or carrying rock lobster pots. More.

South Australia's official rules: size and bag limits and closed seasons and areas (checked 9 Oct 2026).

Emergency: 000 (112 from mobiles) · VHF channel 16 for distress.

Nearby fishing areas

Victor Harbor and Goolwa (about 42 km east)
Kangaroo Island (about 64 km south-west)
Adelaide metro beaches and jetties (about 69 km north)
Yorke Peninsula (about 118 km north-west)

Distances are between the middle of each area. Every area in South Australia · all fishing spot guides.

Sources and checked dates

Spot and ramp positions: Composite Gazetteer of Australia (Geoscience Australia and the state and territory naming authorities), CC BY 4.0, ABS Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3 (2021) (Australian Bureau of Statistics), CC BY 4.0 and Place names (State Gazetteer), South Australia (Government of South Australia), CC BY 4.0; gazetteer and ABS positions through our place index. Guide only, not for navigation.
Spot research checked 9 Oct 2026 and fact-checked 9 Oct 2026; species seasons and rules checked 9 Oct 2026; safety links checked 9 Oct 2026. Text in our own words.
Research sources: lsa4.geohub.sa.gov.au (DEW State Marine Park Network Zoning layer (Location SA): every spot point-checked against sanctuary and restricted access zones on 9 Oct 2026); marineparks.sa.gov.au (Official marine park zoning maps with coordinates (per park PDFs used as zone.url)); pir.sa.gov.au (Which fishing zone (West Coast, Spencer Gulf, GSV/KI, South East) the area falls in); pir.sa.gov.au (Closures, aquatic reserves, gear restrictions and rock lobster sanctuaries); data.sa.gov.au (SA State Gazetteer jetty points (CC BY 4.0)); lsa4.geohub.sa.gov.au (Location SA Jetties layer: jetty lines (landward end used as the coordinate; seaward bearing used for faces)); lsa4.geohub.sa.gov.au (Location SA Boat Ramps layer (DIT boating facilities): ramp coordinates and record ids); fleurieunews.com.au (Rapid Bay and Second Valley jetty species; Myponga beach mullet and flathead; Cape Jervis); fleurieunews.com.au (Normanville jetty tommies and salmon; early-morning tommies with berley); dit.sa.gov.au (Rapid Bay jetty: new jetty length and old jetty exclusion zone); fishingreminder.com (Rapid Bay jetty: snook and trevally along the reef edges (generic listing, lower confidence)); fleurieunews.com.au (Cape Jervis basin and Morgans Beach); samove.raa.com.au (Second Valley jetty fishing and squidding); pir.sa.gov.au (Snapper landing ban at Cape Jervis, Wirrina and Penneshaw); cdn.environment.sa.gov.au (Encounter Marine Park zoning map).
Every source and licence: Sources and disclaimers.