Fishing Report for 13 March 2026

Hervey Bay / Fraser Island

Heavy rainfall has kept things generally quiet this week, with limited reports coming in. The main action remains longtail tuna up Fraser Island, with the odd mackerel also appearing, though tuna are dominating the pelagic bite — head for Platypus Bay and keep steering north and you’ll find them. Along the beaches a few grunter are already showing up in the dirty water, making use of the stirred-up conditions. Offshore crews managed a brief window yesterday and today, and while some reef fish were caught, most details are still filtering back.

Floodwaters have pushed a heavy band of brown water through the lower bay, but once past Coongul Creek the water clears to blue, and this cleaner line is where the tuna activity begins. Mud crabs have surged with the fresh, with reports of a genuine “bull run” underway and strong catches expected to continue. Inshore reef species such as cod and sweetlip are still feeding well despite the turbidity, with plenty of baitfish being flushed from the rivers helping keep them active. Conversely, the Urangan pier water is chocolate-brown with little to no bait present.

Fishos Tackleworld Ph (07) 4128 1022 | www.fishostackleworld.com.au

Tin Can Bay

Report pending.

The Chandlery Bait & Tackle Ph (07) 5486 4744 | www.tcbchandlery.com.au

Noosa

There have been plenty of mud crabs in the river following the recent rain, with better numbers and some larger bucks showing up this week. Fishing has been slow overall, though bream, whiting and flathead are still about, particularly in the shallows and around the river mouth where the flathead have been more consistent. A couple of jewfish have also been caught near the mouth as they push down into the saltier water. Catfish are widespread right through the system, moving out of the upper reaches and settling into the deeper holes as the water gets dirty. Despite the rain, there hasn’t been any real flooding—only a small rise of around half a metre each day—so the system remains fishable, just quiet.

O Boat Hire & Bait Supply  Ph (07) 5449 7513 | www.oboathire.com

No report this week.

Noosa River Fishing Safaris Ph 0429 030 823 | www.noosariverfishing.com

With the swell easing right off briefly, a charter earlier today produced pearlies, snapper, amberjack and cobia, from North Reef. The swell is expected to rise sharply again tonight, with another four to five days of poor weather forecast.

The Noosa Bar remains in difficult condition. The water is extremely dirty, making it almost impossible to read the bottom on high tide, and being too shallow for many boats to cross on a low-tide.

Noosa Bluewater Charters Ph (07) 5449 9355 | www.noosabluefishing.com.au

High shark numbers persist, and the average weather has impacted charters, but pearl perch, sweetlip, Moses perch and squire are being taken at North Reef.

Deep Sea Fishing Co Noosa Ph 0411 222 749 | www.deepseafishingco.com.au

Maroochydore

Grunter bream and flathead around Eudlo Creek. Small Mangrove Jack up Petrie Creek and towards Coolum Creek. Mud crabs middle to upper reaches.

Swan Boat Hire  Ph 0403 601 452 | www.swanboathire.com.au

Mooloolaba

Offshore fishing has produced some good results during the brief windows of workable weather. There have been plenty of pearl perch in the 80‑metre grounds, dolphin fish holding at the fads, wahoo taken on the Barwon Banks, and grunter around Currimundi Reef. In the rivers, the mouth of the Mooloolah has been the most reliable area due to the heavy freshwater pushing through. Flathead and a few bream are being caught close to the mouth where the cleaner saltwater pushes back in. Mud crabs have stirred right up in both the Mooloolah and Maroochy Rivers, with the deeper holes the best. Freshwater reports have been minimal, with the dams too dirty after the rain. It will likely take a week or two for conditions to settle before it’s worth targeting bass or Saratoga again.

Tackleworld Kawana  Ph (07) 5444 0714 | www.tackleworldkawanafishingstore.com.au

Caloundra

No report this week.

Salty Fishing Charters Ph 0459 636 798  | https://saltyfishingcharters.com.au/

Inside the river and passage, the water remains heavily discoloured and fishing has been slow. A few grunter and flathead are still being caught through the Pumicestone Passage. Offshore, there have been grassy sweetlip on the shallow reefs during the brief calmer periods, but conditions have limited most efforts. Dredging is still underway at the river mouth, though the bar has deteriorated again, and visibility is poor.

Caloundra Fishing World  Ph (07) 5491 4566 | www.caloundrafishingworld.com.au

Northern Moreton Bay

The creeks and rivers are very dirty after the ongoing rain, with another weekend of strong winds making conditions tough. Anyone fishing will need to stay close to the mouths of the systems, where the cleaner saltwater pushes back in. It’s a good time to put the crab pots out, as the bigger flush should push mud crabs on the move, and the deeper holes are worth checking for prawns. A few flathead are still being caught around the mouths of the Pine and Caboolture, and Scarborough has produced a few good snapper and grunter — typically a good place to fish after the rain, depending on the weather. Night‑time anglers have been finding a few school jewfish around the mouth of the Pine River near the Hornibrook stretch. Freshwater reports have been minimal, with no real movement in the dams this week.

Tackleworld Lawnton    Ph (07) 3205 7475 | www.facebook.com/tackleworldlawnton

Moreton Bay Offshore

Report pending.

High Calibre Charters   Ph 0421 922 713 | https://highcalibrefishingcharters.com.au/

No report this week.

Moreton Island Fishing Charters    Ph 0413 128 056 | https://moretonislandfishingcharters.com.au/

Redcliffe Peninsula

Bream, whiting, flathead and grunter in Hayes Inlet & the Pine River. Mangrove jacks and school jew in the Pine. Snapper off the Eastern beaches, jetties & rocky points. School jew off Woody Point jetty, in Bramble Bay, off the beaches and on the inshore reefs. Mangrove Jack in the canals. Muddies, Jacks and the odd threadfin in the rivers and creeks. Threadfin in Bramble Bay.

Hornibrook Bait & Tackle    Ph 0483 846 966 | www.facebook.com/HornibrookBT

Brisbane River

It has been a very quiet week in the river, with most activity centred on crabbing and prawning with many buying cast nets. If you want to chase mud crabs, there are heaps of spots to try — lower reaches, boat passage and the back of Fisherman’s Island are all worth exploring.

Note — The Boat Passage bottom is a sandy‑mud mix and supports plenty of bait movement, making it a productive area for prawning and crabbing, and generally holds a lot of flathead.

Mr Bait    Ph 0431 222 721 | www.facebook.com/Mr-Bait-182344678957765

School mackerel have been caught wide of Green Island, Hope Banks, and in the deep hole at Rous Channel, with whiting coming off the Chain Banks. Mud crabs are active through the system, particularly around Tingalpa Creek, and the flats out the front of the Creek. Nice bream, flathead, tailor and trevally are biting out the front of Wynnum Manly, offering one of the more consistent options in the bay this week.

Water Tower Bait & Tackle    Ph (07) 3396 1833 | https://watertowerbaitandtackle.com.au

Moreton Bay / Jumpinpin

The crew managed to get out today and did reasonably well. Most of the focus has been in the Southern Bay, from Peel Island south, simply because it offers more protection in these present conditions. Peel Island continues to hold plenty of good‑sized snapper, particularly along the southern side and the western edge. Finding bait on the reef edge has been the key, and lightly weighted plastics on 1/8‑ounce jigheads with 2.5–3 inch soft plastics have been working very effectively when the bait is stacked up.

Further south around Garden Island and Lamb Island, the flathead fishing has been solid, and prawns have started showing in good numbers. Down around the Saltworks, Karagarra and Macleay Island, there have been an abundance of prawns with plenty of prawners doing well. Larger predators haven’t settled onto them yet, but the food is there and it won’t be long before the big schools of jewfish and threadfin turn up. Up around Macleay Island there have been some good tailor as well, again sitting on the reef edges where bait is present, with some fish up around the 40 cm mark.

Jumpinpin

We haven’t fished the main bar region much this week, instead spending more time in the back blocks between Jacobs Well and Cabbage Tree Point. There have been some good quality flathead here—not huge numbers, but a healthy spread of fish in the 50–60 cm range between the two boat ramps. Heading up into the Logan River, the system has been surprisingly clean despite the rain, and it has fished quite well. School jew, flathead, and even the odd threadfin salmon have been caught, largely by anglers spending time on the side‑scan and locating the bait. Once the bait is found, the fish haven’t been far away. The weekend ahead still looks poor, with only brief windows worth attempting. Most anglers will be waiting for this current stretch of weather to break before exploring more widely.

Capn’s Charters Ph 0410 590 049 | Capns Charters – Lure & Soft Plastic Fishing Charter

Jumpinpin

It has been another very quiet week. The one reliable constant has been the banana prawns, which are still on and drawing most of the attention in the area. Crabbing has been patchy: plenty of crabs are around, but legal bucks have been harder to come by. A mid‑week run down the Pimpama produced half a dozen keepers using lifts, with lots of undersized crabs mixed in. The Pimpama itself has been quite dirty after recent rain, similar to the creeks — the low tides have remained quite high, so there has been less of a flush.

Even many of the regular high‑performing anglers have struggled, with whiting catches well down compared to normal — a sign that the whole system has been slow. Strong winds haven’t helped either, with gusty weather reported right along the coast. Overall, prawns are the main bright spot, crabs are present but inconsistent, and general fishing remains slow until conditions stabilise.

Gem Bait & Tackle    Ph (07) 3287 3868 | www.facebook.com/gembait

Report pending.

Jacobs Well Boat Hire  Ph (07) 5546 2608  | www.jacobswellboathire.com.au

South Stradbroke Island

Report pending.

Gold Coast Boat Hire    Ph 0432 710 892 | www.goldcoastboathire.com.au

Gold Coast Broadwater

Strong winds Saturday easing slightly on Sunday with hopefully just the odd shower. Tides are smaller this week with the half moon, which will be good when targeting the deeper tidal areas. The seaway will fish well this weekend with the flush out being just what we needed. We haven’t got too much fresh and it should get fish feeding. Jew are one species that love the conditions and will be caught in the seaway, especially near the end of the north wall. Be careful if you are fishing there as there is a large swell running. Further up at the Jumpinpin Bar is another good spot to chase them. Javelin fish or grunter have been caught after the rain. They can be caught by a variety of methods, from soft plastics to prawns or worms. They do tend to be caught in the same locations, so if you get one, there’s probably more nearby. Whiting have been actively feeding and pushed slightly down the rivers but not much. The best areas are near the mouth of the Coomera and Pimpama rivers. In the Nerang, from the council chambers down to Wavebreak Island. I’m sure Crab Island and South Stradbroke will hold fish as well. Crabs have been on the move and should be in deeper water up the creeks. Prawns have also been thick last week and it will be interesting to see how, if anything, this fresh water will affect them. Perhaps try the deeper areas south of Macleay Island rather than up the Logan River.

David McDonald  Private Angler | Runaway Bay Marina

Southport

Limited trips this week. Young Oscar below got hold of this spotted mackerel on one of the few:

BK’s Gold Coast Fishing Charters Ph 0414 293 034 | https://bksfishing.com.au/

It’s been quiet overall, but offshore anglers are still finding opportunities when the weather allows. Snapper are fishing well on the 36‑fathom line, with cobia and silver jew coming off the 24s. Spotted and school mackerel are being taken off Palm Beach and Mermaid and around the 18‑fathom reef. Beach fishing has been minimal due to the persistent swell.

Around the Seaway, tailor are responding to big poppers thrown into the wash, and the odd kingfish has come from the deeper holes along the walls on live baits. Inside the Broadwater there are still strong numbers of whiting and plenty of garfish. Flathead remain steady, jacks have slowed with the rain, and mud crabs are beginning to move.

Gold Coast Fishing Tackle   Ph (07) 5679 0840 | www.goldcoastfishingtackle.com.au

Tweed Coast

Too rough to fish the Tweed coast this week.

Cushy Fishing Charters    Ph 0418 631 076 | www.cushyfishingcharters.com.au

It has been a very slow week, with the river heavily discoloured and few estuary fish being caught. Trevally are still in the system but no longer showing in the numbers seen earlier; they’re present, but the dirty water has made them difficult to catch. Jacks are also still around but not being taken consistently. Offshore remains the only reliable option, with mackerel still being caught to the south around Black Rock and Lennox/Seven Mile, and boats finding the odd blue marlin out wider. Beyond that, reports have been limited, and the persistent swell continues to keep most anglers off the offshore grounds.

Addict Tackle   Ph (07) 5523 3535 |  https://www.addicttackle.com.au/

Ballina

Report pending.

Ballina Bait and Tackle   Ph (02) 6686 2527 | https://www.facebook.com/p/Ballina-Bait-and-Tackle-100063582669959/

Evans Head

Airforce Beach continues to fish well, with tailor, jewfish showing in the evenings, bream and whiting . Inside the lower reaches of the Evans River there have been bream, flathead and whiting, and the odd trevally; while further upstream a few late‑season mangrove jack are still being caught and mud crabs remain present, though catches are starting to taper off slightly.

Offshore, the spotted and Spanish mackerel are still turning up at North Ground, and around Chaos Reef there have been snapper and trag. One angler reportedly landed an almost 60‑pound barracuda, an unusual catch for Evans Head. Wider offshore around the FADs, there have been yellowtail kingfish, mahi mahi and cobia. Overall, conditions have been mixed but there are still worthwhile options both inshore and offshore depending on the weather and tides.

Evans Head Sports & Marine  Ph (02) 6682 4536 | www.facebook.com/EvansheadSportsMarine

Brunswick Heads

Conditions across the bar have remained tricky, with only the bigger boats and commercial crews managing to poke their noses outside. Those who have made it through have been greeted by strong mackerel activity, with solid fish turning up in impressive numbers whenever the weather allows. Along the beaches, anglers are still pulling bream and whiting, while the rock walls continue to hold a healthy mix of mangrove jack, jewfish, trevally and tailor.

Inside the river, the fishing has been the most consistent option. Mangrove jack and trevally are still biting well, and there are plenty of bream and blackfish working the structures and deeper edges. Mud crabs remain reliable throughout the system, rounding out what has been the steadiest part of the Brunswick fishery in another week of challenging offshore conditions.

Bruns Beach Bait and Tackle Ph 0432 394 869 |

Yamba

The river has been the main focus this week, with flathead and bream coming from the deeper holes around the mouth of the Broadwater and good numbers across the lower system. Bream fishing has been reliable on the weed beds in the Broadwater, particularly on the high tide, with the run‑out producing better results. Offshore remains largely unreported due to the conditions, with a big swell still rolling through and keeping most boats off the reefs.

Crabs are about in surprising numbers. One report from Browns Rocks had crabs crawling everywhere in just one to two feet of water in the daytime, and further up in the Broadwater there have been good numbers caught where trapping is permitted. The small tailor remain thick and continue to cause the usual havoc, consistent with recent weeks. No flooding has been recorded locally, with only minor rainfall and no significant rises in the system.

Yamba Bait and Tackle Ph (02) 6646 1514 | https://www.facebook.com/yambabaitandtackle/

FRESHWATER FISHING

Maroon Dam

Maroon is fishing well, with this week’s rain expected to improve things further heading into the weekend. The fish are working the edges, and a wide range of lures will take them, including skirted jigs, chatterbaits, small crankbaits and soft plastics. Early mornings and late afternoons are the best windows for surface fishing with small poppers and creature‑style topwater lures. As the sun lifts, the fish are dropping slightly deeper, making reaction baits the better choice. Anglers should find good numbers across the edges and points.

Charltons Fishing    Ph (07) 3818 1677 | www.charltonsfishing.com.au

Moogerah Dam

Moogerah is also performing strongly. The bass have shifted slightly from last weekend, moving out of the trees but still heading up the creek arms and sitting off the weed beds toward the back of the dam. Soft plastics, mask vibes and TN60‑style lipless crankbaits have been the most reliable lures this week. Deep‑diving crankbaits in the 3–4 metre range are also worth a run. Fish are holding in predictable spots and not roaming much, making it a matter of targeting the correct depth and structure.

Charltons Fishing    Ph (07) 3818 1677 | www.charltonsfishing.com.au

Hinze Dam

Hinze should fish very well if it received the same rain as nearby areas. Saratoga will be active early, especially in the backs of bays where topwater lures are the best option. As the day wears on, spinnerbaits, crankbaits and chatterbaits worked through the trees will pick up bass, which should be feeding well after the rainfall. In deeper water off the points, 3‑inch paddle tails on half‑ounce jigheads fished with a long cast, a bottom drop and a slow roll will be effective on the deeper schools.

Charltons Fishing    Ph (07) 3818 1677 | www.charltonsfishing.com.au

Early‑morning topwater over the grassy edges is the best approach before shifting to deeper presentations like metal jigs, soft plastics or spinnerbaits as the sun lifts.

Gold Coast Fishing Tackle   Ph (07) 5679 0840 | www.goldcoastfishingtackle.com.au

Bjelke-Petersen Dam

We headed up to Bjelke-Petersen Dam to run the new motor in on the boat and have a quick fish while we were there. Fishing started off a little slow, although there was plenty of bait spread right throughout the dam. The fish are holding in a number of different areas across the system, so it was more about covering water and finding the active ones.

The standout lure for the trip was a TT Vortex 1/2oz spinnerbait, which picked up both bass and yellowbelly. The best technique was slow rolling it through the trees and letting it bounce off the timber to trigger that reaction bite.

Conditions could change a bit up there now with the rain that moved in Saturday afternoon and continued pretty steadily through the night and into Sunday morning as we were leaving. With the rain around the local southeast dams, water quality will likely dirty up, so vibration-style lures would be my go to in these conditions.

Stay safe out there, happy fishing and tight lines.

Private Angler — Shaun Clark