Tweed Heads and Kingscliff fishing spots

The Tweed is a big subtropical estuary: flathead, whiting and bream on the flats of Terranora Inlet and the Broadwater, jacks and mud crabs up the river, and mulloway, tailor and luderick off the entrance walls. South to Pottsville, creek mouths and rocky heads at Fingal, Kingscliff, Cabarita and Hastings Point add beach and rock fishing. Summer suits jacks and whiting; tailor and luderick peak in the cooler months.

Updated 9 Oct 2026

10 spots here: 9 fished from land and 1 reached only by boat or kayak, plus 6 public boat ramps. Seasons follow our NSW North Coast 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

10 spots: Tweed Heads and Kingscliff
Spot	Type	Fished from	Water	Marine park
1. Tweed River south wall (Duranbah)	Breakwall	Land-based	Ocean coast	–
2. Letitia Spit	Beach	Land-based	Ocean coast	–
3. Fingal Head	Headland	Land-based	Ocean coast	Cook Island Aquatic Reserve; no-take zone nearby
4. Terranora Inlet	Estuary	Land-based, boat and kayak	Bay, estuary or river	–
5. Terranora Broadwater	Estuary	Boat and kayak	Bay, estuary or river	–
6. Tweed River at Chinderah	River	Land-based, boat and kayak	Bay, estuary or river	–
7. Cudgen Creek & Kingscliff headland	Headland	Land-based	Ocean coast	–
8. Norries Head (Cabarita)	Headland	Land-based	Ocean coast	–
9. Hastings Point & Cudgera Creek	Headland	Land-based	Ocean coast	–
10. Pottsville Beach & Mooball Creek	Beach	Land-based	Ocean coast	–

1. Tweed River south wall (Duranbah)

Type: Breakwall · ocean coast (beach or rocks)
Access: Land-based. Parking at Duranbah; walk out along the rock wall (uneven boulders).
What's good here: Peak in October: mulloway. Also in season: tailor, yellowfin bream, luderick, silver trevally and mackerel tuna.
Best tide: Mulloway around the tide changes; bream and luderick on a moving tide along the river side.
Best wind: Light westerlies; a big southerly or easterly swell washes over the wall. Faces NE.
Note: Fish the river side for bream and luderick and the seaward end for tailor and mulloway at dawn and dusk. Keep clear of the sand-bypass jetty. Inside the Tweed reduced-fee area.
Safety: Waves break over the wall in big seas: stay off it then. Boats: the Tweed River entrance is a designated coastal bar. Rock fishing: wear a lifejacket and non-slip footwear, never fish alone, and watch the swell for 15 minutes before you go down.
Zone: Not in a marine park; Cook Island Aquatic Reserve lies about 4 km south-east Guide only, not for navigation: check dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Map: -28.16510, 153.55110 · Open in Google Maps (position: Duranbah Beach, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

2. Letitia Spit

Type: Beach · ocean coast (beach or rocks)
Access: Land-based. Road north from Fingal Head village; short walk over the dunes.
What's good here: Peak in October: sand whiting, dusky flathead and mulloway. Also in season: yellowfin bream and tailor.
Best tide: Rising tide into high for whiting and bream; tailor at first and last light.
Best wind: Light westerly or south-westerly winds; fresh north-easters chop up the gutters. Faces NE.
Note: A 3 km sand spit with the ocean on one side and the Tweed on the other: ocean gutters for whiting, bream and tailor, the calmer river side for flathead and whiting on the flats.
Safety: Unpatrolled beach with strong rips.
Zone: Not in a marine park; Cook Island Aquatic Reserve is about 2 km offshore to the south-east Guide only, not for navigation: check dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Map: -28.17870, 153.55740 · Open in Google Maps (position: Letitia Beach, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

3. Fingal Head

Type: Headland · ocean coast (beach or rocks)
Access: Land-based. Short walk from Fingal Head village to the headland and lighthouse; basalt ledges.
What's good here: In season in October: tailor, yellowfin bream, rock blackfish, luderick and tarwhine.
Best tide: Drummer in the white water on any tide; bream and luderick on the run-in.
Best wind: Light westerlies with a small swell. Faces ENE.
Note: Basalt ledges and washes for drummer, bream and luderick, with tailor at first light. Drummer and luderick are best in the cooler months.
Safety: Rock fishing: wear a lifejacket and non-slip footwear, never fish alone, and watch the swell for 15 minutes before you go down. Ledges wash in any easterly swell.
Zone: No-take zone nearby. Cook Island Aquatic Reserve begins a few hundred metres off the headland: the island is about 600 m out and the reserve reaches 500 m around it. Its inner zone is no-take and only some fishing is allowed in the outer zone Guide only, not for navigation: check dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Map: -28.19840, 153.56770 · Open in Google Maps (position: Fingal Head, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

4. Terranora Inlet

Type: Estuary · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based, boat and kayak. Foreshore parks around Tweed Heads; Kennedy Drive ramp.
What's good here: Peak in October: dusky flathead, sand whiting and mulloway. Also in season: yellowfin bream and mangrove jack.
Best tide: Whiting on the flats late in the run-in; flathead at drop-offs on the last of the run-out.
Best wind: Sheltered; fishable in most winds.
Note: Sand flats, weed beds and channel edges between Tweed Heads and Terranora. Pump yabbies on the flats for whiting bait; soft plastics on the drop-offs for flathead.
Safety: Boat traffic in the channels.
Zone: Not in a marine park Guide only, not for navigation: check dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Map: -28.18170, 153.53440 · Open in Google Maps (position: Terranora Inlet, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

5. Terranora Broadwater

Type: Estuary · bay, estuary or river
Access: Boat and kayak. Launch at Lakes Drive (Tweed Heads West) or Kennedy Drive.
What's good here: Peak in October: dusky flathead and sand whiting. Also in season: yellowfin bream, mud crab and school and eastern king prawns.
Best tide: Rising tide for whiting and crabs; dark-moon nights for prawns.
Best wind: Shallow, so it chops up in strong winds; best in light winds.
Note: Shallow tidal lake off Terranora Creek: drift the weed and sand edges for flathead and whiting, set crab pots along the mangrove fringes.
Safety: Very shallow at low tide: watch the depth.
Zone: Not in a marine park Guide only, not for navigation: check dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Map: -28.21510, 153.50110 · Open in Google Maps (position: Terranora Broadwater, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

6. Tweed River at Chinderah

Type: River · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based, boat and kayak. Chinderah foreshore and the Oxley Park ramp.
What's good here: Peak in October: dusky flathead, mulloway and sand whiting. Also in season: yellowfin bream, mangrove jack and mud crab.
Best tide: Mulloway and jacks around the tide changes; flathead on the run-out.
Best wind: Sheltered river reach.
Note: Rock walls, bridge pylons and snags for bream, jacks and mulloway; sand banks for flathead and whiting. Traps other than bait traps are banned near the entrance but allowed this far upstream.
Safety: Boat traffic; strong flows after heavy rain.
Zone: Not in a marine park Guide only, not for navigation: check dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Map: -28.23170, 153.55110 · Open in Google Maps (position: Tweed River, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

7. Cudgen Creek & Kingscliff headland

Type: Headland · ocean coast (beach or rocks)
Access: Land-based. Kingscliff foreshore parking; walk to the creek mouth walls just north of the headland.
What's good here: Peak in October: sand whiting and dusky flathead. Also in season: yellowfin bream, tailor, silver trevally and mangrove jack.
Best tide: Run-in for whiting on the creek flats; tide changes for jacks around the rock walls.
Best wind: The creek is sheltered; the headland fishes best in light westerlies. Faces E.
Note: Small creek mouth with rock walls beside the Kingscliff headland: whiting and flathead in the clear creek, bream and trevally on the walls, tailor off the headland at dawn. Spearfishing is banned in the lower creek.
Safety: Cudgen Creek entrance is a designated coastal bar with strong run-out currents.
Zone: Not in a marine park Guide only, not for navigation: check dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Map: -28.26510, 153.58440 · Open in Google Maps (position: Cudgen Headland, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

8. Norries Head (Cabarita)

Type: Headland · ocean coast (beach or rocks)
Access: Land-based. Short walk from Cabarita Beach village.
What's good here: In season in October: tailor, yellowfin bream, rock blackfish, luderick and tarwhine.
Best tide: Drummer in the white water on any tide; bream at dawn and dusk.
Best wind: Light westerlies with a small swell. Faces ENE.
Note: Rocky headland between Cabarita Beach and Norries Cove: wash fishing for drummer and bream, metal lures for tailor at first light.
Safety: Rock fishing: wear a lifejacket and non-slip footwear, never fish alone, and watch the swell for 15 minutes before you go down. Ledges wash in easterly swell.
Zone: Not in a marine park Guide only, not for navigation: check dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Map: -28.33170, 153.58440 · Open in Google Maps (position: Norries Head, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

9. Hastings Point & Cudgera Creek

Type: Headland · ocean coast (beach or rocks)
Access: Land-based. Parking at the headland and the creek mouth.
What's good here: Peak in October: sand whiting and dusky flathead. Also in season: yellowfin bream, tailor and luderick.
Best tide: Run-in for whiting and flathead in the creek; dawn for tailor off the point.
Best wind: The creek is sheltered; the point fishes best in light westerlies. Faces ESE.
Note: Rocky point with Cudgera Creek running out beside it: whiting and flathead in the creek, bream and luderick on the rocks. Spearfishing is banned in Cudgera Creek.
Safety: Strong currents in the creek mouth on the run-out. Rock fishing: wear a lifejacket and non-slip footwear, never fish alone, and watch the swell for 15 minutes before you go down.
Zone: Not in a marine park Guide only, not for navigation: check dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Map: -28.36510, 153.58440 · Open in Google Maps (position: Hastings Point, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

10. Pottsville Beach & Mooball Creek

Type: Beach · ocean coast (beach or rocks)
Access: Land-based. Foreshore parking at Pottsville; Phillip Street ramp on Mooball Creek.
What's good here: Peak in October: sand whiting, dusky flathead and mulloway. Also in season: yellowfin bream and tailor.
Best tide: Rising tide for whiting; dawn and dusk for tailor and mulloway.
Best wind: Light westerlies; strong north-easters make the beach messy. Faces E.
Note: Beach gutters either side of the Mooball Creek mouth, plus the creek itself for whiting and flathead. Spearfishing is banned in the lower creek.
Safety: Mooball Creek entrance is a designated coastal bar. Rips on the open beach.
Zone: Not in a marine park Guide only, not for navigation: check dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Map: -28.39650, 153.56660 · Open in Google Maps (position: Pottsville Beach, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

Boat ramps

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

Boat ramps: Tweed Heads and Kingscliff
Ramp	Notes	Position
Kennedy Drive ramp (Ray Pascoe Park), Tweed Heads	Terranora Creek. 2 lanes; about 11-20 trailer parks; usable at all tides; toilets, fish-cleaning table; condition good (TfNSW).	-28.18670, 153.53185 Google Maps
Dry Dock Road ramp, Tweed Heads South	Terranora Creek. 2 lanes with pontoon; usable at all tides; toilets; condition poor (TfNSW).	-28.19268, 153.52635 Google Maps
Fingal Boat Harbour ramp	Tweed River. 2 lanes; about 21-50 trailer parks; usable at all tides; toilets, fish-cleaning table; condition good (TfNSW). Closest ramp to the Tweed entrance.	-28.20007, 153.56431 Google Maps
Chinderah ramp (Oxley Park)	Tweed River. 1 lane; about 0-10 trailer parks; shallow at low tide; toilets, fish-cleaning table; condition poor (TfNSW).	-28.23301, 153.55569 Google Maps
Cudgen Creek ramp, Kingscliff	Cudgen Creek. 2 lanes; usable at all tides; fish-cleaning table; condition good (TfNSW). Cudgen Creek bar is a designated coastal bar.	-28.25836, 153.58216 Google Maps
Phillip Street ramp, Pottsville	Mooball Creek. 1 lane; about 0-10 trailer parks; shallow at low tide; condition good (TfNSW). Mooball Creek bar is a designated coastal bar.	-28.39198, 153.56533 Google Maps

What's biting here in October?

In peak season at Tweed Heads and Kingscliff in October: dusky flathead, sand whiting, mulloway, sand and tiger flathead and 2 more. Of the 29 species our NSW North Coast list has for this part of the coast, 6 peak in October 2026 and 18 more are in season.

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

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

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

Seen now and then, so not rated: Australian salmon and estuary perch.

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 Tweed Heads and Kingscliff

Tweed reduced-fee area: a 50% NSW fishing fee concession covers the tidal Tweed upstream of the breakwaters, the walls, and the rocks and beaches from the Queensland border to Fingal Head lighthouse; buy it from local tackle shops.
Cook Island Aquatic Reserve (500 m around the island): the inner zone is no-take; only some fishing in the outer zone.
All traps except bait traps are banned in the Tweed from the entrance upstream to a line across the river at the northern tip of Ukerebagh Island.
Spearfishing is banned in the lower Tweed (the entrance, boat harbours and Terranora Inlet up to Boyds Bay Bridge and Ukerebagh Island), lower Cudgen Creek, Cudgera Creek, lower Mooball Creek, and on ocean beaches away from the last 20 m at each end.

Marine parks and no-take zones

The zone notes here name Cook Island Aquatic Reserve. A no-take zone starts close to Fingal Head: its zone note says where. Zones are a guide only, not for navigation: check the official maps before you fish.

Safety at Tweed Heads and Kingscliff

The Tweed River entrance and the Cudgen and Mooball creek mouths are designated coastal bars: get local advice, check conditions and wear lifejackets crossing.
Rock fishing at Fingal Head, Norries Head and Hastings Point: lifejacket, cleats, and never fish alone.
Most beaches are unpatrolled away from town and have strong rips.

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

Brunswick Heads and Byron Bay (about 32 km south)
Ballina and the Richmond River (about 69 km south)
Evans Head (about 98 km south)
Yamba, Iluka and the Clarence River (about 131 km south)

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 Tweed Recreational Fishing Guide (July 2024): fee concession area, Cook Island closure, entrance trap closure, spearfishing closures, rock fishing advice); dpird.nsw.gov.au (Cook Island Aquatic Reserve: inner no-take zone, outer zone, 500 m radius, distance offshore from Fingal Head); beachsafe.org.au (Letitia Spit: 3.3 km barrier beach backed by the Tweed; South Head wall a popular fishing spot with the sand-bypass jetty); pressreader.com (Gold Coast Bulletin fishing column (May 2020): whiting in the Tweed as water cools, bream, flathead and mulloway in the river); dpird.nsw.gov.au (DPIRD Coffs Coast Go Fishing guide: mangrove jack around tide changes and structure); nsw.gov.au (Designated NSW coastal bars on the north coast (Transport for NSW)); placenames.gov.au (Spot coordinates: the site place index (public/data/places), built from the Composite Gazetteer of Australia (Geoscience Australia and state naming authorities) and ABS ASGS 2021, CC BY 4.0); opendata.transport.nsw.gov.au (Boat ramp coordinates, lanes, parking, tide access and facilities: Maritime NSW Boat Ramps dataset (Transport for NSW, Creative Commons Attribution), metadata updated 3 Oct 2026); spatial.industry.nsw.gov.au (Zone check of every spot and ramp: NSW Marine Protected Areas zone polygons (DPIRD spatial service), distances computed 9 Oct 2026).
Every source and licence: Sources and disclaimers.