Fishing Report for 6th February 2025

Fishing Report Thu 06 Feb 2025

Queensland east coast: Spanish mackerel closed seasons dates: 1st of February to 21st February. Please see https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries/closures/tidal/seasons

New lifejacket laws came into effect on December 1, visit MSQ website for details.

Hervey Bay/ Fraser Island

There’s been plenty of action at Fraser, with good catches of dart, whiting, and flathead along the beach from Happy Valley down to the Cathedrals. Offshore, deep-dropping in the 200–300m range has produced flame-tail snapper, pearl perch, ruby snapper, and big bar cod. With sharks causing trouble in shallower waters, many anglers are opting for deeper grounds.

In the bay, fishing remains steady. Surprisingly good numbers of tiger and pencil squid have shown up near Big Woody, Kingfisher Bay, and River Heads, earlier than usual for the season. Inshore, grassy sweetlip, cod, coral trout, and solid grunter have been caught around Big Woody and further down the straits, with the Burrum system also holding plenty of grunter.

Pelagic action has been quiet, though school mackerel, flathead, and smaller jewfish are still being caught, with plenty of activity off the big pier. With barramundi season now open, some good-sized fish have been landed, and as the water clears, the bite should improve further. Mangrove jack are being caught in good numbers, while mud crabs are on the move from Burrum Heads to River Heads, helped along by the recent freshwater influx.

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

Tin Can Bay

Mangrove jack are being caught consistently, with creeks fishing well despite the dirty water, rain, and wind. Those who can get out and place their lure in the right spot—or drop bait on the right rock bar or snag—are finding fish. TeeBar Creek, Kauri Creek, Carlo Point, and the upper reaches of the straights have all been producing. One standout catch this week was a 92cm barramundi, showing the bite is still on. Raw prawns and Simarki shrimp, paired with the right leader setup, have been working well.

Crabbing has been excellent, with mud crabs running strong and blue swimmers being caught in deeper water, particularly in the channels around Norman Point. Extending crab pot ropes to around 25 meters in depths of 12 to 14 meters has been effective. Tailor are still around, with some surprisingly large fish being caught, though not in huge numbers. TeeBar Creek and Bird Rock have seen reports of blue salmon, giant trevally, and queenfish appearing around the river mouths on the run-out tide.

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

Noosa

Due to plenty of bad weather this week, fishing was limited. However, when conditions allowed, sweetlip, pearl perch, moses perch, and gold band were caught, along with several Spanish mackerel which were released safely and healthy off Noosa.

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

Flathead and trevally are active in the woods, with plenty of flathead at the mouth. Whiting are being caught in the frying pan.

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

Trevally are being caught around Tooowonton and in the marina. At Makepeace Island, anglers are finding bream, flathead, and grunter. Mud crabs are active in front of the Yacht Club at Gympie Terrace. Over in the Noosa Sound, the back of the canals is producing bream, flathead, trevally, and tailor.

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

Maroochydore

Mangrove jack are active from the middle reaches up towards Dunethin Rock. Bream, grunter bream, and a few cod have been caught around the motorway bridge. Whiting are showing up near the river mouth, with fish being caught on both the Cotton Tree and North Shore sides.

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

Mooloolaba

There’s been a good showing of dolphin fish on the FADs, and wahoo at the Barwon Banks. Offshore from Caloundra, snapper and pearl perch are being caught at Caloundra wide. In the rivers, there have been solid flathead catches at the Maroochy River mouth, along with some nice trevally around the Parrearra Weir. Mud crabs are also active, particularly in the deeper holes of the Maroochy River.

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

Black marlin and wahoo are being caught at the Hards, while tuskfish and hussar are showing up on the Barwon Banks.

Smithys Fishing Charters
Ph 0407 574 868 | www.smithysfishingcharters.com.au

Caloundra

Fishing activity is steady with school mackerel found on the 5 Mile, while sweetlip are coming from the coffee rock. There have also been a few good-sized cobia around the shipping channel, and the passage has been producing good catches of grunter. At the mouth of Bells Creek, there are reports of school jewfish, and whiting are being caught around the mouth of Coochin Creek. Flathead are near the bar mouth, and mud crabs are active in the creeks. Mangrove jacks and trevally are showing up in the Pelican Waters canal as well.

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

Bribie Island

The recent rain has washed out baitfish into the ocean, and Cape Moreton has seen a 1.5m blue marlin (Photo below). Flathead are being caught at Ballara, while sand crabs are still around the passage, though mud crabs have been quiet this week. Spotties are being caught at the Birdcage, and whiting are biting at Red Beach.

Gateway Bribie Adventures
Ph (07) 5497 5253 | https://www.facebook.com/gatewaybaitandtackle/

Northern Moreton Bay

Offshore, wahoo and dolphinfish are still being caught around the Hutchies and FADs north of Moreton Bay. Snapper are around Hutchies Reef and other Bay reefs like Turner Artificial Reef and Harries in the southern part of the bay. School mackerel are around the 4 beacons in the Bay, with longtail tuna also spotted in the northern part of the Bay.

Mud crabs are abundant in the Pine and Caboolture rivers, and up through the creeks in Pumicestone Passage. Flathead can be found at the mouths of these areas, especially on the outgoing tide. Prawns have been quieter, but with the full moon, it’s expected to improve, particularly on the bottom of the tides in the Pine and Caboolture.

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

Sandgate

There are still plenty of fish being caught around the area, with flathead hot on the bite. Anglers fishing under the Hornibrook Bridge have been landing good flathead on both bait and soft plastics. Reports of good prawns are coming in, with the Pine, Caboolture, and Cabbage Tree Creek producing a solid feed. With great weather ahead, offshore action is looking promising.

Tackle Land 
Ph (07) 3269 5060 | www.tackleland.com.au

Moreton Bay Offshore

Reef fishing is excellent in close, with snapper, tuskfish, and moses perch being caught out of the main current.

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

Redcliffe Peninsula

No report this week

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

Redland Bay

Sweetlip have been active around the artificial reefs and both Green and Mud Islands. Mackerel, including spotties and schoolies, are mostly concentrated in the northern bay, with fewer found in the southern areas. There are still some good fish holding in the region. Snapper are also being caught around their usual haunts.

Whiting are fishing well on the sandbanks and in the Rous Channel, with plenty of reports coming in. Over the past couple of weeks, there have been a few black marlin and wahoo.

As for mud crabs, there have been some good reports from the mouth of Tingalpa and Hilliards Creeks, with notable catches near Ormiston. Interestingly, crabs have been more active off Ormiston rather than in the creeks themselves.

Mossops Tackle Store Cleveland
Ph (07) 3821 1240 | www.mossopsfishing.com.au

Brisbane River – Northern Moreton Bay

Jewfish and snapper have been caught consistently from Hamilton to the river mouth, with a few flathead and threadfin in the same areas. Prawns have been hit and miss but seem better on the southern side of the bay, with reports also coming from Tingalpa Creek and out front of Nudgee. For mud crabs, the mangroves from Wynnum Creek to the back of Fisherman’s Island are worth a try.

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

Moreton Bay/ Jumpinpin

The water around Jumpinpin is still fairly dirty, especially on the outgoing tide. Around the mouth, there’s a fair bit of bait holding on the Kalinga Bank, and the sandbanks in the middle of the channel opposite Kalinga Bank. It’s worth focusing on those areas, particularly on the high tide when the water is clearer.
Good numbers of school jewfish have been reported around the Five Ways and Tiger Mullet Channel. Bream have been quite active, especially in the Jacobs Well area, where fishing shallow on the mud banks with small soft plastics has been productive. On the run-out tide, casting right up into the shallows with a light setup has been yielding some quality bream, with flathead also being caught as bycatch. On the lower tides, targeting drop-offs remains a good option. The lagoons on the northern end of South Stradbroke are always worth a look—finding clean water and bait is key. Any drain, runoff, or mud bank that’s holding bait has been fishing well.

As for Moreton Bay, the report is similar to last week. There are still no big numbers of mackerel, and longtail tuna haven’t really shown up yet. Mud Island continues to fish well, particularly along the reef edges. On high tide, fishing on top of the reef works, while on low tide, sitting off the edge and casting toward it has been productive. Good numbers of squire, snapper, sweetlip, and even the odd tuskfish have been showing up.
In the southern bay, around Goat Island, Peel Island, and Dunwich, finding bait on the sounder is key, as those areas are holding fish. However, there haven’t been many reports of pelagics over the past week.

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

Nth Stradbroke Island

Mackerel are being caught around Hope Banks, with squire at Green Island. Whiting are biting at Chain Banks and Amity Banks

Water Tower Bait & Tackle
Ph(07) 3396 1833

Jumpinpin

Good numbers of flathead are being caught around Kalinga Bank, the deeper water off Swan Bay, the Stockyards, and Pandanus Island. Whiting have been fishing well in Fisherman’s Channel and the Pig Styes, while bream are on the chew at Tabby Tabby Island and Kalinga Bank.

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

Notable catches around Jumpinpin this week include some nice threadfin salmon starting to come through. These fish are best targeted with whole dead prawns, live mullet, paddle-tail soft plastics, and vibes, especially around prawn schools. Along with the threadfin, good mixed bags of grunter and whiting are being landed on live worms.

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

South Stradbroke Island

No report this week

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

Gold Coast Broadwater

Good weather and light winds are forecasted for the weekend. Smaller tides so those deeper spots will be able to be fished for longer across the changes. The week before the full moon is a prime time to target Jew at the Seaway and Jumpinpin. For the lure fisher try big plastics, vibes, jigs or even deep diving hard bodied lures around the wash near the rocks. For bait fishers a large live mullet or pike rigged on a pair of 8/0 hooks should see you in with a chance. Sand crabs have been caught around Crab island, up towards Sovereign island and further north along the Aldershots and Tipplers channel. Don’t put your pots in the middle of the channel but use your sounder to look for those banks dropping off into deeper areas and just where it starts to level out place your pots there. Whiting are being caught in the usual places but with the smaller tides target areas closer to the Seaway. The western channel from the Sundale bridge to the caravan park has produced a few fish over the last few days.

David McDonald
Private Angler | Runaway Bay Marina

Southport

Mahi mahi are taking live baits at the 36s FADs. The mackerel grounds were quiet for spotties yesterday, but two Spanish mackerel were caught and released healthy, due to the current closed season.

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

Report Pending

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

Tweed Coast

Mud crabs are still going strong, and mangrove jacks are being caught in good numbers. Offshore, spotties are still around, with some small black marlin also being reported. The odd snapper is being landed, and tailor continue to be caught off the headlands

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

Brunswick Heads

Offshore, a few good kingfish and snapper have been caught, mainly off Byron. The inside reefs are holding a handful of mackerel along with a mix of reef species. Beach and rock wall fishing has picked up, with good catches of tailor, bream, trevally, dart, mangrove jack, and jewfish. In the river, mangrove jack, bream, whiting, blackfish, flathead, and trevally are still being caught. Mud crabs are around, but there are plenty of undersized ones to sort through before landing a keeper.

Bruns Beach, Bait & Tackle
https://www.instagram.com/brunsbeachbaitntackle/

Ballina

Small tides this week will slow the fishing in the river. The better numbers of flathead have been in North Creek and the main river, extending up to Pimlico Island. Cooler days have seen flathead caught in 1–3 meters of water. A mix of baits, including prawns, pilchards, and mullet, has been effective. The better numbers of bream are still between the ferry and Broadwater, with small diving hard-body lures and baits such as mullet, prawns, and squid producing fish this week. School-sized mulloway have been hitting live baits in the lower reaches of the river during tide changes. The small tides have significantly slowed the mud crabs, with only a few caught in North Creek.

The beaches have been challenging with the wind and swell, though the occasional bream, dart, and whiting have been taken on worms and pippies. Offshore fishing has been limited until late this week. A few mackerel have been caught on the close reefs, but their presence has been inconsistent. There is still plenty of current out wider, with good numbers of mahi mahi around the FAD, along with some snapper, flathead, and trag on the 32- and 42-fathom lines.

Ballina Bait and Tackle
Ph 0266862527 | https://www.facebook.com/p/Ballina-Bait-and-Tackle-100063582669959/

Evans Head

Airforce Beach has seen some jewfish, dart, and tailor, along with bream, flathead, and the occasional whiting. Both the north and south walls have been producing bream, flathead, and jewfish as well. Upstream, mangrove jack are active around the black hole. The mud crabs are also still around but numbers are dropping. Offshore, Chaos Reef has had some snapper and trag catches.

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

Yamba

Anglers are finding good numbers of bread-and-butter species in the river, with surface lures working well for whiting on the flats. Flathead are scattered throughout, including further up the river. Mullet schools have started moving in, bringing some solid jewfish catches this week. Offshore, fishing remains productive. Spotty mackerel are still being caught, and the FAD is holding dolphinfish. One angler fishing about 400 meters offshore landed a bass grouper. Snapper, tailor, and trag have also been caught in good numbers. Further south near Solitary Islands, a rare coral trout was landed. Crabbing has slowed, suggesting the crabs may have moved upriver, as there’s been little activity in the usual spots.

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

FRESHWATER FISHING

Hinze Dam

Hinze Dam has been fishing well, with bass holding around the trees in the back of the bays and the western arm, as well as on deeper points in the main basin. Now’s the time to target them with lipless crankbaits, metal spoons, and spinnerbaits on those deeper areas. If you’re out early, topwater lures like small poppers and insect imitations are worth a try, which should also entice Saratoga. There have been some solid Saratoga catches over the past week.

Moogerah Dam

Moogerah Dam continues to produce well, with fish active in the main basin and moving up the creeks after recent rainfall. Start along the edges and any submerged timber, using TN60 lipless crankbaits, metal spoons, and soft plastics on a heavy jighead. Slow rolling spinnerbaits has also been effective. Chatterbaits remain a top choice for targeting bass among the trees.

Wivenhoe Dam

Wivenhoe Dam is fishing well, with bass and yellowbelly found in the main basin and up towards the buoy line, all the way to Ham Cove. Rocky points have been productive, with lipless crankbaits, crankbaits, chatterbaits, and 3-inch paddle tail plastics slow-rolled off the edge all proving effective. Metal spoons in the 10-20g range are also worth throwing for deeper fish.

Maroon Dam

Maroon Dam has been fishing well, with plenty of smaller bass showing up, but some quality fish are in the mix. Small blades, paddle tail plastics, lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and chatterbaits are all working. Crankbaits diving in the 2-4m range are a solid option along any visible structure.

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