West Australian dhufish (jewie)

A deep-bodied, silver-white to gray fish with a big head, large eyes, a black stripe through the eye and, in males, a long trailing filament on the soft dorsal fin. Found only in Western Australia.

10–30 lb.

About 4 ft and over 55 lb (26 kg).

Fish, squid, octopus and crabs.

A slow-growing, long-lived reef fish that holds on ledges and lumps; badly hurt by barotrauma when pulled from deep water.

Found from Northern Territory & Western Australia. Limestone reefs and ledges off Western Australia from Shark Bay to the south coast; Perth, Rottnest and Geraldton waters are well known.

Limestone reefs and ledges off Western Australia from Shark Bay to the south coast; Perth, Rottnest and Geraldton waters are well known.

30–650 ft; mostly 60–300 ft.

60–250 ft.

Open months only: the West Coast has seasonal demersal closures for dhufish and pink snapper. Check the current dates.

Daylight hours, especially early morning and late afternoon.

Moving water: the hours around the tide change, when current pushes over the reef edges and bait gets swept along.

Calm to moderate seas; light wind against the current stirs up bait. Watch for storms and cyclone season.

Whole squid, octopus, mulies (pilchards) and fresh fish strips.

Octopus-skirted jigs, slow jigs and big soft plastics.

Medium-heavy jigging or bottom rod (10–24 kg).

5/0–8/0 circle hooks.

40–65 lb braid.

60–80 lb monofilament.

Drift over reef lumps and ledges marked on the sounder and fish baits or jigs near the bottom.

Once you have your dhufish, move to shallower water or stop fishing deep — released fish rarely survive without a release weight.

Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Excellent eating — one of the best-tasting fish in its range.

Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.

Excellent: thick, white, moist fillets; bake, grill or pan-fry.

Sharp dorsal spines and gill covers — hold the fish firmly with a wet hand or towel and use pliers to remove hooks.

Western Australia has very low bag limits for dhufish, a minimum size, seasonal West Coast demersal closures and a required release weight on boats. You need a Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence. Check current rules. Each Australian state sets its own rules: NSW and Victoria require a recreational fishing licence in fresh and salt water, Western Australia needs a licence for boat fishing and freshwater angling, Tasmania for inland waters, and Queensland only for stocked impoundments; the Northern Territory needs none. Bag limits, size limits, closed seasons and marine park zones apply everywhere.

Western Australia's iconic fish was overfished; strict rules are bringing it back. Respect the limits and closures.