Catch Signal

What's biting in South East Queensland: October 2026

This is an outlook from our season data, not a catch report. In October 2026, 17 species are usually at their peak in South East Queensland and open all month, including dusky flathead, summer whiting and snapper.

Updated

What's at its peak in October?

These 17 species are in their best months across South East Queensland in October 2026, with no closed season on any day of the month.

From the shore, jetties and estuaries

Mostly by boat

Rules checked : the official rules win.

Species photos are used under Creative Commons or public-domain terms; see photo credits for each photographer and licence.

What else is around?

In season but past or before their best in October, and open all month:

Closed seasons this month and next

Closed seasons that start or end in October or November:

  • Spanner crab: closed 1 November to 15 December 2026 (starts next month).
  • Barramundi: closed 1 November 2026 to 31 January 2027 (starts next month).

Every closure, size and limit is on our fishing rules page, summarised from qld.gov.au and checked : the official rules win.

Where does the season differ by area?

Our season data has local months for some species. In October the season in 9 areas differs from the South East Queensland picture above:

October 2026: local seasons that differ from the SEQ-wide season
AreaSpeciesOctober in this areaSEQ-wide
Noosa Noosa River & Noosa Heads spots Laguna Bay & Noosa offshore spotsLongtail tunaOff seasonIn season
Pumicestone Passage & Bribie Caloundra & Pumicestone Passage spots Bribie Island spotsSpotted mackerelIn seasonOff season
Pumicestone Passage & BribieMud crabPeakIn season
Northern Moreton Bay Tangalooma & central Moreton Bay spotsLongtail tunaOff seasonIn season
Western Moreton Bay Sandgate & Bramble Bay spotsSchool mackerelIn seasonPeak
Western Moreton BayMangrove jackIn seasonPeak
Western Moreton BayEstuary codOff seasonIn season
Western Moreton BayBlue swimmer crabIn seasonPeak
Western Moreton BayMullowayPeakIn season
Western Moreton BayCobiaIn seasonPeak
Southern Moreton Bay Wynnum, Manly & Wellington Point spots Cleveland, Peel Island & Straddie spots Victoria Point & Redland Bay spotsDiver whitingIn seasonOff season
Straddie & Jumpinpin Jumpinpin & Jacobs Well spots Straddie & Moreton ocean side spotsTailorPeakIn season
Gold Coast Gold Coast Broadwater & Seaway spots Burleigh to Point Danger spotsTailorPeakIn season
Offshore Sunshine Coast Mooloolaba & Caloundra offshore spotsGrass sweetlipPeakIn season
Offshore Moreton Cape Moreton & Point Lookout offshore spotsSpanish mackerelPeakOff season

Next month: November 2026

Coming into their peak in November: Grass sweetlip, estuary cod, mud crab, trevally, swallowtail dart and mahi mahi. Past their peak after October: Snapper, flounder, yellowfin tuna and Australian bonito.

How this outlook works

This page comes from the season data behind our species guides: the months each species is usually at its best across South East Queensland, from Noosa through Moreton Bay to the Gold Coast, with local months where an area differs. That data was built from Queensland Government fisheries pages, published research, local fishing columns and weekly fishing reports from Sep 2022 to Oct 2026 (how often a species is mentioned, not catch numbers). A species is never listed as biting during its closed season.

The season is only part of it: the wind, rain, water clarity and tide on the day matter just as much. Check which days this week are worth going and the tide times before you head out, and read how Catch Signal works.