Fishing Report for 24th July 2025
🎣🎣Going to AFTA on Saturday on the Gold Coast?🎣🎣
You’ll find the report writer (Tahlia) at the Fisheries stand. Come say hi if you’re keen to get involved, talk fishing, or just have a yarn.
***Seasonal closure for snapper and pearl perch will be in effect from July 15th 25 to August 15th, 2025***
Hervey Bay / Fraser Island
From Indian Head to Waddy Point at Fraser, some good sized tailor from 40cm to 60cm on the surf beaches. Whales have turned up around Rooneys and Watumba. Big 20kg longtail tuna being caught in these areas ; not busting up, but down deeper in the water column. Anglers have been succeeding with live yakkas for these.
Offshore, the weather has not been great, so fewer reports this week. However, deep dropping around 200 to 300m has produced cod and flame tailor.
At the gutters, the snapper have been prolific, the winter closure has prevented the taking of these; but there have been good sized spanish mackerel, and coral trout.
Down the Straights, there have been very good sized flathead in good numbers; winter whiting, grunter and blue salmon are around the Mary River. Good catches of threadfin salmon down the Mary River . At Burrum Heads, flathead have been firing; with heaps of bait and prawns in the river. Good catches of Mud crabs in the river as well have surprised despite the cooler months.
Woodgate area, land based, there have been good numbers of winter whiting.
| Fishos Tackleworld Ph (07) 4128 1022 | www.fishostackleworld.com.au |
Tin Can Bay
With a good run in the tide this weekend, pelagics should be active in the creeks. Keep an eye out for bait schools and you’ll likely find trevally harassing them—small metal jigs, soft plastics, and 50–70mm stickbaits have all been effective.
Muddies are still on the march, with some quality crabs coming from all the local creeks. Fish frames are still proving to be the best bait for pots.
Squid are worth a look around the moored boats between Carlo and the Powerlines. The water’s cleared up and is sitting at around 18–19°C, so it’s game on—fish your jigs deep and close to the bottom for the best chance.
Further up the creeks, bream and cod have been taking strip baits, and there have also been a few jack reports trickling in over the past couple of weeks. Small livies are a good option if you’re chasing them.
Barra are still worth targeting, but the cooler conditions are making bites harder to come by. A slow-rolled 127mm Samaki prawn has been the standout lure for winter sessions.
| The Chandlery Bait & Tackle Ph (07) 5486 4744 | www.tcbchandlery.com.au |
Maroochydore
It’s been pretty quiet in the river this week, with bream and flathead scattered throughout, whiting mainly down in the lower reaches, and the odd trevally still showing up around the Cod Hole.
| Swan Boat Hire Ph 0403 601 452 |www.swanboathire.com.au |
Noosa
Sweetlip, Moses perch, goldband snapper, trag jew, cobia, Spanish mackerel, and tuna have all been coming from the local reefs off Noosa, with the light current and small swell making conditions ideal. The Hards and Barwon Banks are also worth the run, producing big goldband, amberjack, and tuskfish.
| Deep Sea Fishing Co Noosa Ph 0411 222 749 | www.deepseafishingco.com.au |
There were some good catches of cale cale trevally, golden trevally, and flathead in Woods Bay. Bream are widespread throughout the area, and a few whiting have been caught along the water’s edge near the river mouth.
| Noosa River Fishing Safaris Ph 0429 030 823 | www.noosariverfishing.com |
A few coral trout on Sunshine Reef. Large catches of snapper and pearl perch that need to be thrown back with the current closure, but in and amongst these, there have been scarlet sea perch, cobia, Venus tuskfish, gold spot cod.
| Noosa Bluewater Charters Ph (07) 5449 9355 | www.noosabluefishing.com.au |
Up around the river mouth there’s been a good mix of sooty grunter, trevally and whiting on offer. Heading down towards the first lake, catches have included bream and jewfish. One angler mentioned landing five jewfish this week, which was exciting despite the current size regulations making it tough to keep any. There’s been whiting caught around the mouth and some hairtail with their razor-sharp teeth turning up around the Towonton Bend.
| O Boat Hire & Bait Supply Ph (07) 5449 7513 | www.oboathire.com |
Mooloolaba
There’s still the odd late-season Spanish mackerel being caught offshore when conditions allow, especially further north around Noosa. Along the beaches, the gutters have been stirred up, but bream and dart are still coming through. A snub-nosed dart was even caught further south, which has been a nice surprise. Tailor continue to show up in the gutters, and jewfish have been reported, with a couple caught off Kawana Beach during the night. In the rivers, flathead and bream are keeping most anglers busy, while garfish have been running well down in the basin at Mooloolaba.
| Tackleworld Kawana Ph (07) 5444 0714 | www.tackleworldkawanafishingstore.com.au |
Amberjack, tuskfish, and hussar have been coming from the Barwon Banks this week.
| Smithys Fishing Charters Ph 0407 574 868 | www.smithysfishingcharters.com.au |
Caloundra
With the snapper and pearl perch closure in place, effort shifted away from the Barwon Banks towards targeting tuskfish, rosy jobfish, cod and sweetlip. Bottom basher rigs baited with fresh mullet fillet and squid worked well in depths between 40 and 50 metres. While no standout trophies were landed, a solid mixed bag of reef species was brought aboard over the weekend.
| Salty Fishing Charters Ph 0459 636 798 | https://saltyfishingcharters.com.au/ |
Throughout the Passage, bream, tailor, and the occasional impressive flathead have been keeping anglers busy, with a standout fish hitting 92cm (Photo in gallery). The canals are producing trevally and queenfish, while the beaches have been reliable for tailor, plenty of good dart, and even a nice snub-nosed dart caught recently on fresh yabbies. Tailor catches have remained consistent.
Offshore, with the snapper closure now in place, most are targeting grassy sweetlip and tuskfish over the shallow reefs. School mackerel and the odd cobia are starting to show up in the same areas, and it’s worth checking the really shallow ground for the giant squid that have been turning up. Both inshore and offshore, garfish have been thick, with particularly big numbers reported out of the Mooloolah River. Alex Headland saw a dozen wolf herring landed this week as well.
| Caloundra Fishing World Ph (07) 5491 4566 | www.caloundrafishingworld.com.au |
Donnybrook
Plenty of whiting are being caught around Lime Pocket and Husseys Creek. Flathead are turning up along all the sand beds and drop-offs, especially in the deeper areas. Bream are sitting out in the main channel and holding in the deeper holes, with grunter mixed in among them. Tailor are scattered through the main channel but there haven’t been too many big fish at the top end, but some solid fish have been reported down toward the bottom end of Bribie.
Mud crabs are still showing up in the deeper holes up the creeks. Jewfish are being caught around the 112s and at the mouth of Poverty Creek. Flathead are also being found through Glass House Creek, with plenty of fish around that 40 to 50cm size.
| Donnybrook Takeaway, Bait & Tackle Ph (07) 5498 8247 | www.facebook.com/Donnybrook-Takeaway-Bait-Tackle |
Northern Moreton Bay
Starting offshore, it’s been fairly quiet with not many heading out due to the snapper closure. There’s the occasional out-of-season Spanish mackerel, but otherwise not much action reported. Along the beaches, things have been a bit more consistent. While finding good gutters have been tricky, especially around the island, there have been some solid tailor and a few big dart showing up.
In the Bay, places like Harry Atkinson Artificial Reef, Bulwer Ledge, and Curtin are holding some good jewfish. Snapper are also around in decent numbers, though they’re off-limits for now. Pelagic activity has been low, with just a few school mackerel and some big tailor spotted, but not much else to speak of on that front.
The estuaries have been fishing really well. There’s been a solid run of school jew in the Pine and Caboolture Rivers, and a few threadfin are still getting caught in the Brisbane River and mid-sections of the Caboolture. Flathead, bream, and other bread-and-butter species have been around in good numbers, offering plenty of light tackle fun.
Not many crab reports coming through, but it’s definitely still worth dropping a few pots. Last winter saw some great hauls, so there’s every chance they’re still about now.
| Tackleworld Lawnton 
 Ph (07) 3205 7475 | www.facebook.com/tackleworldlawnton |
Sandgate/Shorncliffe Pier
Fishing around Nudgee Beach boat ramp produced a solid mixed bag earlier this week, with tailor, a couple of quality sole, bream, and even a stingray hooked during the session. Windy conditions and a fast-running tide didn’t make things easy, but it still turned out to be a worthwhile trip.
Young anglers have been doing well on the whiting at Shorncliffe Pier. Whiting are showing up in good numbers both off the Pier itself and along the nearby foreshore, making it a great option for a family fish this week.
| Tackle Land
 Ph (07) 3269 5060 | www.tackleland.com.au |
Brisbane River
Jewfish have been around in reasonable numbers through the Brisbane River, especially around the deeper bends. Anglers chasing smaller models have found a few along the rock walls and near the mouth, particularly where there’s good current and structure.
The front hasn’t been too fishable lately with the persistent wind, and that’s kept many away from chasing whiting and mackerel offshore. Once the weather settles, though, things should fire up quickly. The whiting will be worth checking out at the Compass Buoy and along the edges of Fisherman’s Island on the east side. The usual early-season mackerel spots like Hope Banks, the front of Wynnum, Rainbow Channel, and even around the beacons in the northern bay should all start to produce better numbers as conditions improve over the next couple of weeks.
Mud crabs have gone a bit quiet, with reports being patchy overall. The cooler winter weather seems to have slowed them down, and many fishos haven’t had much luck in the usual haunts.
| Mr Bait
 Ph 0431 222 721 | www.facebook.com/Mr-Bait-182344678957765 |
Moreton Bay Offshore
With the snapper and pearl perch closure in place, efforts shifted to the 30m line off Moreton Island, where yellowtail kingfish, amberjack, and plenty of snapper over 50cm were caught (snapper released safely) A few bigger fish managed to win their freedom after some dust-ups and pulled hooks. The standout catch for the trip was a solid 74cm flathead.
| High Calibre Charters Ph 0421 922 713 | https://highcalibrefishingcharters.com.au/ |
It’s been hard to get offshore, but those who managed on Friday found some good fish by hugging in close to Moreton and working the shallow areas of Tempest. Reports included a solid kingfish, Maori cod, spangled emperor, and even a green jobfish.
| Moreton island fishing charters Ph 0413128056 | https://moretonislandfishingcharters.com.au/ |
Redcliffe Peninsula
Report Pending.
| Hornibrook Bait & Tackle Ph 0483 846 966 | www.facebook.com/HornibrookBT |
Nth Stradbroke Island
Some good-sized tailor have been caught along the rock wall and inside Manly Harbour. Whiting have been showing up north of the Darcy back flats, with a few squid getting around as well. School mackerel were in the Rainbow Channel, Rous Channel and One Mile. The end of July and into August, expect them to potentially move over to the western side of the bay.
| Water Tower Bait & Tackle Ph(07) 3396 1833 | https://watertowerbaitandtackle.com.au |
There’ve been some good threadfin salmon and jewfish caught in the Brisbane River. Around Peel Island, jewfish are coming from the western side and the artificial reefs, while parrotfish have been landed near Harry Atkinson’s Artificial. Whiting have gone a little quiet, but a few are still coming from the Rous and the Sand Hills. Flathead are in solid numbers across most of the sandy drop-offs.
| Mossops Tackle Store Cleveland Ph (07) 3821 1240 | www.mossopsfishing.com.au |
Moreton Bay/ Jumpinpin
Moreton Bay is still fishing well, especially over the shallow reefs. With the snapper closure in place, anglers have shifted focus but are still picking up a good mix of reef species around Peel Island, particularly the southern end near Horseshoe Bay and the northern reef edges, which have been fishing well. Peel Artificail is still holding a few jewfish, especially early in the morning when they’re more active. There’ve also been school-sized jewfish reported around Macleay Island and the Saltworks, and while not huge, they’re still good fun on light gear.
Threadfin salmon are still lingering in the southern Bay, though not in the numbers seen a few months ago. However, that area, including around Garden and Lamb Islands has been fishing well for both numbers and quality flathead. Tailor schools are still pushing through too.
Jumpinpin has been fishing particularly well with a lot of bait moving through on the high tides. The system seems to be transitioning from the prawn phase into whitebait, which is drawing in solid numbers of bream still spawning out near the mouths in deeper water. Fishing light weighted plastics in those areas has been productive and fun on the light gear.
Flathead are really starting to fire as well, with the clean water making conditions ideal. On a high tide, areas like Kalinga Bank, the tip of Crusoe Island, the lagoons on South Stradbroke, or anywhere with sand and weed flats are worth a look. The flathead are lying in wait, ambushing bait on the edges. On the low tide, they’ve started moving out from the back reaches around Jacobs Well and Cabbage Tree and are slowly transitioning closer to the mouth, although they’re not fully out there just yet.
| Capn’s Charters Ph 0410 590 049 | Capns Charters – Lure & Soft Plastic Fishing Charter |
Jumpinpin
Some Tailor at Jumpinpin and off South Stradbroke Island. Bream around Crusoe Island and a few flathead caught at Tiger mullet channel and Whalley’s gutter.
| Gem Bait & Tackle Ph (07) 3287 3868 | www.facebook.com/gembait |
Tailor are going wild along the beaches at the moment, with schools of fish around 55cm being common and some larger fish up to 80cm in the mix. Pike, pilchards, and garfish are working well as bait, while stickbaits and metal slugs have been the pick of the lures. Inside the bar, big jewfish around the metre mark have been taking live baits, while whiting are feeding on the banks, favouring live bloodworms. Flathead are still active too, responding well to larger bait presentations.
| Jacobs Well Boat Hire Ph (07) 5546 2608 | www.jacobswellboathire.com.au |
South Stradbroke Island
Some great-sized summer whiting are being caught in Coombabah Creek on yabbies and bloodworms. Flounder are showing up in good numbers along the weed banks around Crab Island. There are plenty of tailor moving through the deeper channels of the Broadwater, especially around the Seaway, and arrow squid have been active in the channels near Sea World. A few decent mud crabs have also been potted, with most a bit light, but the odd full one in the mix.
| Gold Coast Boat Hire
 Ph 0432 710 892 | www.goldcoastboathire.com.au |
Gold Coast Broadwater
A wet weekend ahead with strong winds Saturday. Might be worth hiding out of the wind Saturday up the rivers. Whiting have been caught in the upper reaches of the Nerang from Monaco st bridge up to the freeway bridge. The last of the run in and first part of the run out is fishing best. Flathead have been caught along South Stradbroke, tipplers channel, the western side of the Aldershots and the measured mile towards Jacobs well. Tailor are still in full swing with good numbers from the Broadwater and the beach with the better quality coming from the beaches. Sunday the wind swings westerly and should clean up a dropping swell which will help looking for a decent gutter to fish. Squid haven’t been in the same numbers as last season but as always still worth a look in the usual spots on the incoming tide.
| David McDonald Private Angler | Runaway Bay Marina |
Southport
Fishing’s been great this past week despite the snapper closure, with solid catches of teraglin and a very nice blue spot flathead coming in at 56cm. Some standout longtail tuna have also been landed, along with a surprise winter Spanish mackerel. Tuskfish, Moses perch, and cod have rounded out the mixed reef bags from the 24 and 26 fathom grounds.
| BK’s Gold Coast Fishing Charters Ph 0414 293 034 | https://bksfishing.com.au/ |
Tailor and sea bream have been showing up along the beaches, mainly around South Stradbroke Island. Offshore has been quiet with the rough conditions, though there have been a few reports of tuna holding out wide. A few mud crabs have been potted in the Coomera River, and some quality whiting have been coming from the flats. The recent comp saw some impressive bream caught, with fish pushing 38cm, most coming from around Sovereign Island and up toward the Pin.
| Gold Coast Fishing Tackle Ph (07) 5679 0840 | www.goldcoastfishingtackle.com.au |
Tweed Coast
Good catches of snapper and tuskfish have continued this week on the 24 and 30 fathom grounds east of Kingscliff, with no snapper closure in place for NSW waters.
| Cushy Fishing Charters Ph 0418 631 076 | www.cushyfishingcharters.com.au |
With the water cooling down, tailor numbers are building up on the inside, and there are still plenty of snapper and longtail tuna around. Larger flathead, solid bream, soapy jewfish, and active trevally schools are being caught upriver.
Sharks offshore are causing headaches, with many anglers losing reef fish to them. Whales are also moving through, which might be the reason for all the sharks.
Most reports have been of anglers chasing snapper and pearl perch (NSW), with those heading wider still finding a mix of deeper reef species, including bar cod and flame tail snapper. Along the beaches, there’s been a mix of big dart, tailor, and bream.
| Addict Tackle Ph (07) 5523 3535 | https://www.addicttackle.com.au/ |
Brunswick Heads
Deep sea fishing produced good numbers of snapper, pearl perch and kingfish before the recent swell and wind moved in. On the local reefs, there were reports of snapper, cobia and mackerel. Along the beaches and rock walls, anglers found flathead, dart, bream, blackfish, tailor, whiting and the occasional jewfish. The river has been holding some quality bream, blackfish, flathead, whiting, and jacks, with jewfish reported closer to Mullumbimby. Mud crabs have gone quiet for now.
| Bruns Beach, Bait & Tackle https://www.instagram.com/brunsbeachbaitntackle/ |
Ballina
Report pending.
| Ballina Bait and Tackle Ph 0266862527 | https://www.facebook.com/p/Ballina-Bait-and-Tackle-100063582669959/ |
Evans Head
Try airforce and main beach for bream, tailor and jewfish. Around the rock walls at the mouth there have been bream, tailor and mack tuna. In the Evans River, there are bream, flathead and whiting being caught; and try the upper reaches for mud crabs. Offshore has been a bit rough, but on the close reefs (chaos and the north ground) , there are plenty of snapper and some trag.
| Evans Head Sports & Marine Ph (02) 6682 4536 | www.facebook.com/EvansheadSportsMarine |
Yamba
The river itself is still fishing quite well, with cleaner water now pushing back up towards McLean. Reports of flathead catches have been coming in from upriver, with the flathead fishing currently seeming stronger in those upper sections rather than closer to the mouth. Down this end, bream continue to be caught consistently, and there has been at least one report of a good bag of whiting, though they’ve been less common.
Offshore, snapper and pearl perch have been fishing well, and there are still longtail tuna around. With the swell starting to pick up again, the shallow water fishing could improve, meaning anglers won’t need to head out as wide. The increased swell should also help the jewfish, which have been a bit quiet during the calmer conditions. With the change, better catches from the rocks could start showing up again soon.
| Yamba Bait and Tackle Ph (02) 6646 1514 | https://www.facebook.com/yambabaitandtackle/ |
FRESHWATER FISHING
Moogerah Dam
Moogerah Dam has seen the fish moving around quite a bit. Up on the spit in the shallow water and along the edges, they’re schooling up well. Metal spoons around 20 to 30 grams have been working effectively out on the spit, especially in the clearer water. If you find one, chances are you’ll hook into several more as they’ve been sitting in solid schools. Moving towards the timber and heading up into the creek, chatterbaits, jerkbaits, and crankbaits are worth a go, particularly working them along the edges near the weed. Jerkbaits like Jackall Squirrels in the 67mm size seem to be getting the better results. Out in the main basin, look for schooling fish around the bait balls and slow roll metal spoons or soft plastics through them for the best chance of a bite.
| Charltons Fishing Ph (07) 3818 1677 | www.charltonsfishing.com.au |
Hinze Dam
At Hinze Dam, the fishing continues to be consistent. Good numbers of bass have been caught along the edges of the timber without needing to push too far into the structure. Jerkbaits and small soft plastics slowly worked along the timber are producing. Out in the main basin, metal spoons in the 20 to 30 gram range, slow-rolled through the schools, have been accounting for plenty of fish. There have been a few Saratoga hooked recently too, mainly taking small cicada and insect-style surface presentations, though landing them has been a challenge.
| Charltons Fishing Ph (07) 3818 1677 | www.charltonsfishing.com.au |
At Hinze Dam, the eastern side has produced some nice Saratoga and bass early in the mornings.
| Gold Coast Fishing Tackle Ph (07) 5679 0840 | www.goldcoastfishingtackle.com.au |
Lake Kurwongbah
Bass at Lake Kurwongbah have been coming in from the deeper sections, with metal spoons doing the trick.
| Tackleworld Lawnton 
 Ph (07) 3205 7475 | www.facebook.com/tackleworldlawnton |
Lake Samsonvale
At Lake Samsonvale, bass have been caught along the weed edges, with spinnerbaits, metal spoons, and soft plastics slow-rolled along the edges working well. Saratoga haven’t featured much lately, but as the weather starts to warm, they’re expected to move up onto the edges.
| Charltons Fishing Ph (07) 3818 1677 | www.charltonsfishing.com.au |
Lake Kurwongbah
Lake Kurwongbah, just across the road, has been producing well for kayak anglers. Small metal blades around the weed edges, jerkbaits, and chatterbaits are all producing. Trolling small deep-diving lures around the 15-foot mark has also been successful, with bass showing up right around the dam.
| Charltons Fishing Ph (07) 3818 1677 | www.charltonsfishing.com.au |
Lake Lenthalls – Lake Monduran
Good sized barramundi in good numbers, with smaller plastics the go-to. For anglers using Live scope , it has been noted that the bigger plastics and hardbodies have been spooking the fish on the splash.
| Fishos Tackleworld Ph (07) 4128 1022 | www.fishostackleworld.com.au |
THIS WEEK’S GALLERY
Fishos Tackleworld
Deep Sea Fishing Co
The Chandlery Bait & Tackle
Noosa River Fishing Safaris
O Boat Hire & Bait Supply
Tackleworld Kawana
Caloundra Fishing World
Salty Fishing Charters
Capn’s Charters
High Calibre Charters
Moreton island fishing charters
Tackle Land

Tackleworld Lawnton 

BK’s Gold Coast Fishing Charters
Addict Tackle
Jacobs Well Boat Hire
Smithys Fishing Charters
Cushy Fishing Charters
Charltons Fishing
Evans Head Sports & Marine
Bruns Beach, Bait & Tackle
