Catch Signal

Fishing spots in Queensland

Where to fish in Queensland, area by area from Karumba to K'gari: 19 area guides with 142 spots and 75 boat ramps. Each guide lists its spots with access, best tide and wind, safety and zone notes, its boat ramps, what is biting in October and the local rules.

Updated

South East Queensland, from Noosa to the Gold Coast, has its own area guides on the fishing spots page; the areas below run from Karumba to K'gari.

Every area guide lists each spot with the same details, so you can compare them: what it is and how you get there, what's good there this month, the best tide and wind we could confirm, safety and marine park notes, and a link to the forecast for that spot.

Gulf of Carpentaria (QLD)

  • Karumba and the Norman River fishing spots

    6 spots, 2 boat ramps: Norman River mouth & Karumba Point, Alligator Point and Elbow Bank and more. Peak in October: king threadfin, javelin / grunter and queenfish.

  • Weipa fishing spots

    7 spots, 2 boat ramps: Evans Landing wharf, Embley River and Mission River and more. Peak in October: golden snapper, mangrove jack and queenfish.

Cairns & Far North

  • Cooktown and the Endeavour River fishing spots

    6 spots, 2 boat ramps: Cooktown wharf, Endeavour River and Cherry Tree Bay and more. Peak in October: queenfish, golden snapper and trevally.

  • Port Douglas and Daintree fishing spots

    9 spots, 5 boat ramps: Flagstaff Hill & Rex Smeal Park, Dickson Inlet & public wharf and Four Mile Beach and more. Peak in October: javelin / grunter, queenfish and trevally.

  • Cairns and Trinity Inlet fishing spots

    9 spots, 6 boat ramps: Trinity Inlet, Admiralty Island creeks and Cairns Esplanade & hospital flats and more. Peak in October: barramundi, queenfish and king threadfin.

  • Mission Beach fishing spots

    8 spots, 5 boat ramps: Clump Point, Bingil Bay and Mission Beach (main beach) and more. Peak in October: queenfish, trevally and grass sweetlip.

Townsville & Hinchinbrook

Mackay & Whitsundays

Gladstone & Capricorn Coast

  • Yeppoon and Keppel Bay fishing spots

    7 spots, 6 boat ramps: Double Head & Statue Bay (Rosslyn Bay), Causeway Lake and Emu Park (Emu Point & Fishermans Beach) and more. Peak in October: mangrove jack, whiting and dusky flathead.

  • Gladstone, Boyne Island and Tannum Sands fishing spots

    8 spots, 5 boat ramps: Auckland Creek (East Shores), Calliope River mouth and The Narrows (Curtis Island) and more. Peak in October: dusky flathead, mangrove jack and barramundi.

Wide Bay & Bundaberg

Rules, licence and safety in Queensland

No licence or fee for recreational fishing in Queensland tidal waters, including the Gulf and Torres Strait (as at 9 Oct 2026). Licence details.

Rules for particular waters

Queensland: official links

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

Boating: Queensland boating safety, crossing coastal bars and lifejacket rules. Lifejackets: Must wear: crossing a designated bar in an open boat or open area (any length); open boat <4.8m underway alone or at night; children 1-11 in open boat/area underway. AS 4758 only.

Heading out on the water? Log on and off with Marine Rescue Queensland (MRQ). Until MRQ is fully operational, log on with your local marine rescue unit by boat radio or by phoning the unit. Channels and hours differ by unit.

Marine parks and closed areas: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (Commonwealth) - GBRMPA zoning maps, GBRMPA - interpreting zones, Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park (State) and all Qld state marine parks, Moreton Bay Marine Park - app and maps, Great Sandy Marine Park - app and maps and Australian Marine Parks (Commonwealth waters, e.g. Coral Sea).

  • Crocodiles: Estuarine crocodile habitat runs from near Gladstone north to Torres Strait, Cape York and the Gulf. Be Crocwise. More.
  • Marine stingers: Box jellyfish and Irukandji are in tropical Qld waters all year; risk is higher Nov-May. If stung call 000 and pour on vinegar. More.
  • Help on the water (non-emergency): MRQ unit pages list 131 MRQ (131 677). More.

Queensland's official rules: size and bag limits, closed seasons and areas and freshwater rules (checked 9 Oct 2026).

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

More fishing spot guides

All fishing spot guides, including South East Queensland's areas. Other states: New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Territory.

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 Built features - Queensland series (Marine infrastructure lines) (State of Queensland), CC BY 4.0. Spot research checked 9 Oct 2026 and fact-checked 9 Oct 2026; rules checked 9 Oct 2026; safety links checked 9 Oct 2026. Every source and licence: Sources and disclaimers.