Fishing Report for 8 January 2025

Fishing Report Thu 08 Jan 2026

Hervey Bay / Fraser Island

Plenty of bait in the Bay, with herring schools thick but small. Pencil squid are active both day and night. Queenfish are in great numbers and solid size—up to 110 cm. Mackerel remain patchy, with just the odd school of broad-barred mackerel. A handful of big Spanish mackerel have shown up while targeting sharks and GTs, though GT numbers are low.

Off the Urangan Pier and beaches between Point Vernon and the pier, expect grunter, whiting, and the odd flathead—some flatties are running bigger right now. A few threadfin salmon are about in the Mary River system; numbers are down but the fish are quality. Crabbing is excellent: muddies thick in the Mary River and sand crabs through the straits. In the Burrum River, whiting, flathead and bream around the mouth.

Prawns have started to show in the Gregory River. Offshore, including the gutters and over the bar, there are big numbers of trevally and grassy sweetlip, plus red emperor. School mackerel are also turning up on the smaller tides.

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

Tin Can Bay

No report this week.

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

Noosa

North Reef producing heaps of cobia, the odd Spanish mackerel, tusk fish, peal perch. At the Barwon Banks: snapper and mahi mahi; amberjack and pearl perch.

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

A tough week’s fishing in the River with the superman. A few flathead and queenfish in woods. Lots of javelin at Lake Coroibah, undersize Moses perch, but otherwise pretty difficult. Things should improve.

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

Longer trips to Double Island Point yielded good results, with snapper, tuskfish, pearl perch in numbers, mahi mahi, and Moses perch being landed. Around Noosa, quality cobia among the bait schools plus sweetlip and more snapper in close.

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

Afternoons have been better on the run-out, with the big tides. Good catches of bream and flathead in lower reaches, in the Noosaville stretch. A couple of trevally in Woods Bay. Grunter bream and whiting in Lake Coroibah. Optimistic with tides settling back to 1.7.

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

Maroochydore

A lot of fish around from Chambers Island, up-river. A heap of bream throughout; from Bli Bli and through the upper reaches, there’s mangrove jack; isolated jew fish and some huge hauls of mud crabs. Back down in Petrie Creek, there’s more mangrove jack at the mouth; and in the middle reaches, under the cod hole, there are abundant bream, golden and diamond trevally. The whiting are all but gone in the lower reaches.

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

Mooloolaba

Spanish mackerel at the outer nearings and at Coolum. Dolphin fish at FADS on live bait. Wahoo at the Barwon Banks. Plenty of snapper and pearl perch at the Hards and Caloundra wide. Plenty of Mangrove Jack at Mooloolaba system, especially at pontoons and the bridges. Nice flathead at the mouth of the Mooloolah River. Nice flathead and whiting at the mouth of the Maroochy River.

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

Caloundra

A mix of inshore and offshore charters the last week. Bagged out on pearl perch; some light mixed species and dolphin fish thrown in. Primary method has been bottom bashing with cut fresh mullet and half pillies – fishing in 60 to 70m.

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

Spanish Mackerel on 3, 5 and 12 mile. Snapper and sweetlip off Currimundi and Caloundra Wide. Whiting and flathead at Golden Beach, and mouth of Bells Creek. Mangrove Jack and trevally in Pelican Waters canals.

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

Northern Moreton Bay

A few mangrove jack in the Pine & Caboolture Rivers and through the Pumicestone Passage. Good reports of mud crabs including 1.4 to 1.6kg specimens being taken, simply soaking pots overnight. Plenty of bream, grassy sweetlip, small snapper & jewfish being caught off Scarborough. Southern Bay lots of bream; and snapper around the Bay Islands. Mouth of Brisbane River slow, but producing threadfin on the lower tides. Reports of school mackerel showing up in the Northern Bay and around the four beacons. Nudgee Creek, Brighton and Sandgate foreshore are yielding whiting.

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

Redcliffe Peninsula

Snapper are doing their thing, with land based fishing really firing — good specimens over 70cm. Plenty of big grunter. No word yet on prawns. Good yields of bread and butter species: bream, flathead and whiting. Still waiting on the baitfish to push in for the school mackerel.

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

Brisbane River

Report pending.

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

Nth Stradbroke Island

Snapper around Green Island; school mackerel around Hope Banks and Rous Channel. Whiting at Amity and Chain Banks, Fisherman’s Gutter, and at the Eastern end of the Rous at the south side of the banks, near the red buoy.

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

Moreton Bay / Jumpinpin

Moreton Bay fishing well on the bigger tides. Finding plenty of reef fish such as spangled emperor and squire / snapper to 50 -60cm mark, all around Peel Island (northern Peel fishing well out of the wind on the reef edges). Four to five metre drop-off mark outside Wellington & Cleveland Points has been fishing well if you find some rubble on sounder — plenty of squire and sweetlip. In the southern bay a few trevally around Macleay Islands. Decent schools of jewfish and threadfin salmon. The prawns have been turning up. At the mouth of the Logan River prawns have been sited 5 to 6 meters thick for 200 to 300m stretch, yielding plenty of flathead; if you can find them, the fish generally are not too far away. Jumpinpin fishing quite well, with jewfish around the bar, around Crusoe Island and Short Island — the deeper holes around the mouth. Flathead have moved back up the river, towards Jacobs Well channel, the Logan River mouth, and Cabbage Tree Point have been good on high and low tides, finding cleaner water and finding bait. Plenty of trevally around Neverfail Island — finding bait has been crucial but they have been there in good numbers. Tailor coming through the ‘Pin bar, around the 30 to 40cm mark, in big numbers — chasing whitebait and well worth having a go at.

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

Jumpinpin

Whiting, mud crabs, bull sharks are running rampant. Lots of really good catches of good sized whiting, predominately on blood worms — specimens over 40cm. Lots of crabbing going on with mud crabs everywhere . A lot of bull sharks around also, especially up the Logan River. Some good flathead replacing the threadfin salmon as a bi-catch.

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

Great catches coming in this week of whiting, flathead, jacks and crabs. This weekend looks ok with Sunday morning the pick. Morning low tide will be a good time to chase a few flathead. After a couple of slow weeks, most people got some good numbers. Admittedly there were quite a few small ones but definitely worth chasing. The Aldershots, Rat island, the southern rock wall of Wavebreak and Crab island all holding fish. Crab island has been fishing particularly well last week for flathead and whiting. With the tides this week slowing the whiting will fire up the rivers. Try the Nerang from the Sundale bridge to around Monaco st bridge. In the Coomera, from the mouth up to sanctuary cove and in the Pimpama River from the mouth to Mick’s house. In the afternoon on the run in tide will be best. Jacks have been caught on the recent big tides right up in the shallows in the mangroves on the western side of the Aldershots. The beaches too have had a few fish with bream, dart and whiting being caught.

David McDonald
Private Angler | Runaway Bay Marina

Southport

The snapper have surprised, with a very good (out of season) bite around the full moon and multiple specimens between 60-80cm as well as a great feed of pan sized, as well as teraglin. The snapper didn’t stay hungry all that long, but striped tuna have kept things active on the 36s, together with mahi mahi and Marlin showing up on the 24-26 fathom reefs. They were the first pelagics landed on charter for the season but hopeful it will heat up from here.

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

Plenty of wahoo, dolphin fish and a few black marlin trolling on the 85m line. Lots of big snapper in close — well worth targeting, at the 18s, 24s and 36s — many coming in over 90cm, which is unseasonal and unusual. Mackerel have been slow — the odd spotted or Spanish mackerel at Palm Beach Reef and Mermaid and at the front of the Gold Coast Seaway. The Beaches have seen good summer whiting and flathead on the low-tide gutters. Plenty of whiting on the banks in the Broadwater with sand worm or live tabbies. Plenty of fatties, bream and tarwhine with sand crabs picking up also. In the rivers — Nerang, Pimpama and Coomera — there’s been good whiting and mangrove jack on bridges and pontoons; and lots of trevally in the coastal lakes.

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

Tweed Coast

Snapper, tuskfish, pearl perch and Moses perch — and bonito off the bottom. A big red emperor caught going 6kg. Try skipping for jacks on lures.

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

River has been producing flathead and a lot of trevally. Whiting have come on the chew, try pumping yabbies and topwater lures. Mangrove Jacks are being heavily targeted on rock walls and bridges, with pylons holding pretty in the Tweed River. Bass fishing very strong out from Murwillumbah and the fresh upper reaches. Offshore the Spanish Mackerel have turned up in numbers around 9 mile and the mud hole. Reef species still around with snapper still being taken. Black Marlin turning up a bit further out at the 36 fathoms in some numbers. FADS are producing dollies. Kingfish are still on offshore. Off the beach, the occasional jew being caught all the way to Hastings Point, and tailor are still showing up at Kingscliffe and Hastings Point. Definitely stick a pot in, because the mud crabs are plentiful and running very well through the river system.

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

Brunswick Heads

Report pending.

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 along Airforce Beach and Main Beach, for bream and tailor. Around the walls at the river mouth there have been good jew and flathead. In the Evans River, bream, flathead and whiting have been consistent, while the upper reaches are producing mud crabs and mangrove jack. Offshore fishing was solid before the weather came, with plenty of snapper, trag and jewfish.

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

Yamba

Up river there have been plenty of flathead around McLean, and flathead and bream plentiful in the Broadwater. Lake Wooloweya has been fishing very well for flathead. South Evans reef divers have reported big Spanish Mackerel and a couple of spotted mackerel in Shark Bay, north of Woody Heads. Snapper down south around Shelley, Redcliffe, Tombago. School jewels scattered right through Clarence River — also plenty of bull sharks taking catch if you don’t get them up quick. Tailor in the river, and big flathead at the bottom end in the shallows with live bait and bigger plastics. No problem getting bag limits for flathead and as many bream as you need in the river.

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

FRESHWATER FISHING

Maroon Dam

Most fish getting caught towards back of dam in timber sections and at the rock wall. Chatterbaits the best lure this time of year. Spinner baits doing well, and will also get them on plastics.

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

Moogerah Dam

Chatterbaits working best in the morning to early afternoon, where the fish are normally higher up in the water column and can be targeted in the timbre section. They push a little deeper in the afternoon, schooling up outside the ski huts and on the spit — infant of the boat ramp. Cranks and chatter baits are doing well in timbered section towards back of dam.

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

Hinze Dam

Report pending.

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

Good numbers of bass, early morning being the pick fishing top water lures or fly. The odd saratoga in the western arm.

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

Lake Wivenhoe

Schooling at front of Billy’s Bay towards platypus cliffs and schooling on the flats towards ‘dunny point’, heading towards dam wall. You can’t get close to the dam wall, but will still get them passing through as the day goes on. Best lure are metal spoons 20-30gram range and metal vibration blades; or a jackal TM60.

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

Somerset Dam

Chatterbaits in the warmer weather are finding fish everywhere. Try out the front of the spit boat ramp, towards Pelican Point throughout the day; “Queen Street” through the middle of the dam. A lot of saratoga in the timbered section — chase them on lighter spinner baits, shallow divers, and top water lures.

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

North Pine Dam / Kurwongbah dam

Good reports of Saratoga at Kurwongbah, although keeping hooks in can be a problem; good bass in North Pine and Kurwongbah, schooled up off the point.

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

Lake Samsonvale

On the north side of town, Lake Samsonvale has been fishing well, even for land-based anglers. Bass have been caught consistently along the banks, with spinnerbaits and metal spoons working well from the edges. Lures with vibration, including Chatterbaits and skirted jigs, have been particularly effective, especially when worked slowly along the shoreline.

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

Lake Kurwongbah

Lake Kurwongbah has been producing fish along the weed edges, with Bass sitting where the weed drops into deeper water. Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits have been working well in these areas. Early morning and late afternoon sessions have also been worth focusing on the backs of the bays, where Saratoga have been holding. Small surface lures during these low-light periods have been the best option, with Saratoga cruising and waiting to ambush passing bait.

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