Lake Macquarie fishing spots

Australia's largest coastal saltwater lake and a recreational fishing haven, joined to the sea by the Swansea Channel. The lake holds flathead, bream, whiting, luderick, squid and blue swimmer crabs, with kingfish and mulloway around the channel and DPIRD's artificial reefs. Outside, the rocks and beaches from Swansea Heads to Catherine Hill Bay add drummer, salmon and tailor. Warmer months are best in the lake.

Updated 9 Oct 2026

8 spots here: 7 fished from land and 1 reached only by boat or kayak, plus 6 public boat ramps. Seasons follow our NSW Mid Coast to Sydney species list for New South Wales. Positions are a guide only, not for navigation.

Under each spot, "Forecast for this spot" opens the app's forecast worked out for that spot: Go, Marginal or No-go for each day of the week ahead, with the best times, wind, waves and tide. Open the forecast.

Spots at a glance

8 spots: Lake Macquarie
Spot	Type	Fished from	Water	Marine park
1. Blacksmiths breakwall (Swansea Channel)	Breakwall	Land-based	Ocean coast	–
2. Swansea Heads (Reids Mistake)	Headland	Land-based	Ocean coast	–
3. Swansea Channel drop-over (Marks Point)	Channel	Land-based, boat and kayak	Bay, estuary or river	–
4. Galgabba Point artificial reef	Lake	Boat and kayak	Bay, estuary or river	–
5. Toronto foreshore	Bay	Land-based and kayak	Bay, estuary or river	–
6. Wangi Wangi Point	Lake	Land-based, boat and kayak	Bay, estuary or river	–
7. Caves Beach	Beach	Land-based	Ocean coast	–
8. Catherine Hill Bay	Bay	Land-based	Ocean coast	–

1. Blacksmiths breakwall (Swansea Channel)

Type: Breakwall · ocean coast (beach or rocks)
Access: Land-based. Parking at Blacksmiths Beach; walk out along the wall.
What's good here: Peak in October: mulloway, dusky flathead and Australian salmon. Also in season: yellowfin bream, luderick, tailor and yellowtail kingfish.
Best tide: Run-in tide for luderick and bream; the run-out and the change for mulloway.
Best wind: Westerly winds; big south-east swell makes the end dangerous. Faces E.
Note: Point is Blacksmiths Point at the base of the wall. Channel side for bream, luderick and flathead; the ocean end and beach corner for tailor and salmon. Salmon often school in the channel in the cooler months.
Safety: Swell surges at the end of the wall: lifejacket advised. Fast tidal flow in the channel.
Zone: Not in a marine park. Lake Macquarie is a recreational fishing haven (no commercial fishing). Guide only, not for navigation: check dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Map: -33.08450, 151.65950 · Open in Google Maps (position: Blacksmiths Point, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

2. Swansea Heads (Reids Mistake)

Type: Headland · ocean coast (beach or rocks)
Access: Land-based. Short walks from Swansea Heads car parks to the platforms.
What's good here: Peak in October: snapper and Australian salmon. Also in season: rock blackfish, luderick, yellowfin bream and tailor.
Best tide: Rising tide in the washes; first light for tailor.
Best wind: Westerly and south-westerly winds; avoid north-east and east swell. Faces ENE.
Note: Rock platforms on the south side of the channel mouth: weed for luderick and drummer, prawn baits for bream, metals for tailor at dawn.
Safety: Lake Macquarie is a declared rock-fishing area: lifejacket compulsory on ocean-exposed rocks. Surges wash the platforms without warning.
Zone: Not in a marine park. Guide only, not for navigation: check dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Map: -33.08760, 151.66500 · Open in Google Maps (position: Reids Mistake Head, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

3. Swansea Channel drop-over (Marks Point)

Type: Channel · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based, boat and kayak. Foreshore reserves around Marks Point and Pelican; ramps at Pelican and Swansea.
What's good here: Peak in October: dusky flathead and sand whiting. Also in season: yellowfin bream, yellowtail kingfish, luderick and school and eastern king prawns.
Best tide: The run-in pushes clean water over the drop-over; fish the edges as the flow slows.
Best wind: Fairly sheltered; strong nor'easters ruffle the shallows.
Note: Where the channel meets the lake the sand shelf drops into deeper water, a noted spot for flathead and kingfish. Prawns run over the flats near the channel on dark summer nights.
Safety: Boat traffic and current in the channel. Only dip or scoop nets for prawns this close to the channel (see rules).
Zone: Not in a marine park. Guide only, not for navigation: check dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Map: -33.05680, 151.63450 · Open in Google Maps (position: Marks Point, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

4. Galgabba Point artificial reef

Type: Lake · bay, estuary or river
Access: Boat and kayak. Launch at Swansea, Pelican or Belmont; the reef modules lie off the point along the 5 m contour.
What's good here: Peak in October: snapper and dusky flathead. Also in season: yellowfin bream, tarwhine, silver trevally and yellowtail kingfish.
Best tide: Dawn and dusk matter more than the tide here; tidal flow is small this far into the lake.
Best wind: Light winds; a strong north-easter or southerly makes small-boat fishing uncomfortable.
Note: Point is Galgabba Point; DPIRD reef modules sit just offshore (GPS marks are in the DPIRD Go Fishing guide). Anchor up-current and berley lightly for bream and snapper.
Safety: Anchors snag on the reef modules: anchor beside them, not on top.
Zone: Not in a marine park. Guide only, not for navigation: check dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Map: -33.09290, 151.62610 · Open in Google Maps (position: Galgabba Point, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

5. Toronto foreshore

Type: Bay · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based and kayak. Foreshore parks and paths around Toronto; ramps at Toronto and Fennell Bay nearby.
What's good here: Peak in October: dusky flathead and sand whiting. Also in season: yellowfin bream, luderick, southern calamari and blue swimmer crab.
Best tide: Evening rising tide; light conditions matter more than tide in the upper lake.
Best wind: Sheltered from westerlies; easterlies blow onto the foreshore.
Note: Weedy foreshore and drop-offs in the lake's north-west: light baits for bream and whiting, squid jigs over the weed at dusk, hoop nets for blue swimmers in summer (traps are banned in the lake).
Safety: Slippery seawalls: take care with children.
Zone: Not in a marine park. Guide only, not for navigation: check dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Map: -33.00950, 151.60110 · Open in Google Maps (position: Toronto Bay, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

6. Wangi Wangi Point

Type: Lake · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based, boat and kayak. Wangi Wangi Point reserve and foreshore; ramps at Wangi Wangi.
What's good here: Peak in October: dusky flathead and snapper. Also in season: yellowfin bream, tailor, luderick and southern calamari.
Best tide: Any tide; dawn and dusk are best.
Best wind: Pick the sheltered side of the point for the day's wind.
Note: A long point with deeper water close by: drift or cast plastics for flathead, work weed edges for squid and bream, troll lures along the drop-off for tailor.
Safety: Boat traffic around the point on weekends.
Zone: Not in a marine park. Guide only, not for navigation: check dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Map: -33.08450, 151.60950 · Open in Google Maps (position: Wangi Wangi Point, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

7. Caves Beach

Type: Beach · ocean coast (beach or rocks)
Access: Land-based. Beach car parks; rock shelves and sea caves at the southern end.
What's good here: Peak in October: sand whiting and Australian salmon. Also in season: yellowfin bream, tailor, rock blackfish and luderick.
Best tide: Rising tide for the gutters and rock edges.
Best wind: Westerly winds; easterly swell closes it out. Faces E.
Note: Beach with reef and rock shelves at each end: gutters for whiting and bream, the rocks for drummer and luderick, metals for salmon and tailor in winter.
Safety: Declared rock-fishing area: lifejacket compulsory on ocean-exposed rocks. The sea caves flood at high tide.
Zone: Not in a marine park. Guide only, not for navigation: check dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Map: -33.10950, 151.64700 · Open in Google Maps (position: Caves Beach, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

8. Catherine Hill Bay

Type: Bay · ocean coast (beach or rocks)
Access: Land-based. Village and beach car parks; rocky ends either side of the bay.
What's good here: Peak in October: sand whiting, Australian salmon and snapper. Also in season: yellowfin bream, tailor and rock blackfish.
Best tide: Rising tide; dawn and dusk for salmon and tailor.
Best wind: Westerly and southerly winds are partly blocked by the southern headland; avoid big easterly swell. Faces E.
Note: Long beach in a southern-headland bay: rock ends for drummer and bream, gutters for salmon and tailor in the cooler months, whiting in summer.
Safety: Declared rock-fishing area: lifejacket compulsory on ocean-exposed rocks. Keep off the old coal jetty unless signs say it is open.
Zone: Not in a marine park. Guide only, not for navigation: check dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Map: -33.15680, 151.63450 · Open in Google Maps (position: Catherine Hill Bay, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

Boat ramps

6 public boat ramps are listed for Lake Macquarie, with positions from Maritime NSW Boat Ramps. Lanes, parking and tide access are as the data says: check them on the day.

Boat ramps: Lake Macquarie
Ramp	Notes	Position
Thomas Humphries Reserve Boat Ramp	3 lanes, 21-50 car/trailer spaces, water access: all times, toilets, fish-cleaning table (TfNSW record). Swansea, beside the channel: lake and (over the bar) ocean access.	-33.07466, 151.63783 Google Maps
Blacksmiths Boat Harbour	2 lanes, 21-50 car/trailer spaces, water access: all times, pontoon (TfNSW record). Blacksmiths boat harbour near the channel mouth.	-33.08233, 151.64959 Google Maps
Pelican	2 lanes, 21-50 car/trailer spaces, water access: all times, pontoon, toilets, fish-cleaning table (TfNSW record). Swansea Channel at Pelican.	-33.07033, 151.64207 Google Maps
Rathmines Boat Ramp	6 lanes, 21-50 car/trailer spaces, water access: all times, toilets (TfNSW record). Western shore; six lanes.	-33.03871, 151.59535 Google Maps
Speers Point Boat Ramp, Cockle Creek	5 lanes, 21-50 car/trailer spaces, water access: all times, pontoon, toilets, fish-cleaning table (TfNSW record). Northern lake at Cockle Creek; five lanes.	-32.96135, 151.61467 Google Maps
Croudace Bay Boat Ramp	3 lanes, 21-50 car/trailer spaces, water access: all times, toilets, fish-cleaning table (TfNSW record). Eastern shore near Eleebana.	-32.99838, 151.63744 Google Maps

What's biting here in October?

In peak season at Lake Macquarie in October: dusky flathead, sand whiting, snapper, Australian salmon and 4 more. Of the 29 species our NSW Mid Coast to Sydney list has for this part of the coast, 8 peak in October 2026 and 16 more are in season.

Peak in October: dusky flathead, sand whiting, snapper, Australian salmon, mulloway, sand and tiger flathead, Australian bass and estuary perch.

Also in season: yellowfin bream, luderick, tailor, yellowtail kingfish, rock blackfish, southern calamari, tarwhine, silver trevally, blue swimmer crab, school and eastern king prawns, leatherjacket, eastern sea garfish, mud crab, mackerel tuna, Australian bonito and yellowfin tuna.

Out of season in October: mahi mahi (best Dec–Apr); marlin (best Jan–Apr); Spanish mackerel (best Feb–May); cobia (best Feb–May).

Seen now and then, so not rated: mangrove jack.

Seasons are closure-aware: a species is never listed as in season, for the area or at a spot, while it is closed there; a closure for part of the area says where. Species links go to our South East Queensland species guides, with Queensland's limits: New South Wales' own size and bag limits are on the official rules page.

Can you fish here? Rules and safety

NSW Recreational Fishing Fee needed to fish NSW saltwater (incl. spearfishing, hand gathering, bait collecting, prawning): $7 3 days, $14 1 month, $35 1 year, $85 3 years (Oct 2026). Exempt: under 18, Aboriginal people, Pensioner Concession Card and DVA TPI/EDA Gold Card holders (other cases, e.g. some DVA payments or a charter or guide with an exemption certificate, are on the exemptions page). Interstate licences are not an exemption. Licence details. Size and bag limits and closed seasons apply: New South Wales' limits (checked 9 Oct 2026).

Rules at Lake Macquarie

Whole lake: no traps other than bait traps (so no crab traps; use hoop or lift nets) and no digging with a spade or fork.
Entrance up to the Marks Point - Coon Island line: no hand-hauled, push or scissor prawn nets.
Eraring and Vales Point power-station outlet canals (and 100 m around): closed to all fishing 6 pm to 6 am, May to August.
Hoop and lift nets banned in Mannering Bay above the causeway, Lake Petite, Whiteheads Lagoon, Muddy Lake and Lake Eraring, and Duck Hole Lagoon.
Lake Macquarie is a recreational fishing haven: no commercial fishing.

Marine parks and no-take zones

Zones are a guide only, not for navigation: check the official maps before you fish.

Safety at Lake Macquarie

Swansea Channel entrance is a coastal bar with breaking waves and shifting sand: check conditions and Marine Rescue before crossing.
Lake Macquarie LGA is a declared rock-fishing area: lifejackets are compulsory on ocean-exposed rocks.
Afternoon nor'easters build a steep chop across the open lake.

New South Wales: official links

Read the official forecast and warnings in the Bureau of Meteorology's own words: NSW coastal and local waters forecast map and current warnings.

Boating: New South Wales boating safety, crossing coastal bars and lifejacket rules. Lifejackets: Boats <=4.8m: always on open waters and bars (L100+); enclosed waters when alone or at night. >4.8m: all wear L100+ crossing bars. Under-12s: always on <=4.8m; open areas <=8m underway.

Heading out on the water? Log on and off with Marine Rescue NSW. Log On when you head out and Log Off when you return. Call your Marine Rescue NSW base on VHF Channel 16 or use the free Marine Rescue NSW app. If you don't Log Off, volunteers start searching.

Marine parks and closed areas: NSW marine parks (Cape Byron, Solitary Islands, Port Stephens-Great Lakes, Jervis Bay, Batemans, Lord Howe Island), NSW aquatic reserves, Intertidal protected areas (Sydney) and Australian Marine Parks (Temperate East network, Lord Howe).

Rock fishing lifejacket law: Lifejacket required by law when rock fishing in declared areas (Rock Fishing Safety Act 2016): Ballina, Central Coast, Kiama, Lake Macquarie, Northern Beaches, Port Stephens, Randwick, Richmond Valley, Sutherland, Wollongong. $100 fine. More.

New South Wales' official rules: size and bag limits and closed seasons and areas (checked 9 Oct 2026).

Emergency: 000 (112 from mobiles) · VHF channel 16 for distress.

Nearby fishing areas

Newcastle and Stockton (about 22 km north-east)
Central Coast and Tuggerah Lakes (about 38 km south-west)
Port Stephens (about 59 km north-east)
Pittwater, Broken Bay and the Hawkesbury (about 65 km south-west)

Distances are between the middle of each area. Every area in New South Wales · all fishing spot guides.

Sources and checked dates

Spot and ramp positions: Composite Gazetteer of Australia (Geoscience Australia and the state and territory naming authorities), CC BY 4.0, ABS Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3 (2021) (Australian Bureau of Statistics), CC BY 4.0 and Maritime NSW Boat Ramps (Transport for NSW), CC BY 4.0; gazetteer and ABS positions through our place index. Guide only, not for navigation.
Spot research checked 9 Oct 2026 and fact-checked 9 Oct 2026; species seasons and rules checked 9 Oct 2026; safety links checked 9 Oct 2026. Text in our own words.
Research sources: dpird.nsw.gov.au (DPIRD Go Fishing Lake Macquarie guide (2024): channel, Drop Over, Swansea Bridge, Galgabba Point reefs, species and seasons, prawning); dpird.nsw.gov.au (DPIRD Go Fishing Lake Macquarie page); dpird.nsw.gov.au (Lake Macquarie closures (traps, digging, prawn nets, hoop nets, power-station outlets)); dpird.nsw.gov.au (DPIRD Lake Macquarie and Hunter recreational fishing guide); nsw.gov.au (Lake Macquarie declared rock-fishing areas map); nsw.gov.au (NSW Government (Jul 2026): new Belmont boating wharf; Swansea seawall at Belmont Street to be repaired and reopened); nsw.gov.au (Rock fishing lifejacket law and the list of declared LGAs); dpird.nsw.gov.au (NSW bag and size limits, bass and estuary perch catch-and-release period); data.gov.au (Spot coordinates: the site place index built from the Composite Gazetteer of Australia (Geoscience Australia and state naming authorities) and ABS ASGS 2021, CC BY 4.0); data.nsw.gov.au (Boat ramp coordinates, record ids, lanes, parking, water access and facilities (Maritime NSW Boat Ramps, Transport for NSW, Creative Commons Attribution; data updated Oct 2026)); spatial.industry.nsw.gov.au (NSW Marine Protected Areas zone polygons (DPIRD): every spot point was tested against sanctuary, aquatic reserve and special purpose zones).
Every source and licence: Sources and disclaimers.