St Helens is arguably Tasmania’s premier saltwater fishing destination.

The town is on Tasmania’s north-east coast, off the Tasman Highway about 160km from Launceston.

This location has an unbeatable combination of sheltered water fishing in Georges Bay, along with offshore deep sea reef and game fishing.

There is also easy landbased fishing for family fishos, with several small jetties near the town.

Fishos can also stalk the flats and sight-cast fish in crystal clear water.

Commercial fishing and recreational netting was banned inside Georges Bay in 2004.

St Helens’ location on the “warm” east coast adds to its allure for Tasmanian holidaymakers.

There is reasonably safe access to the outside grounds for those with suitable boats and seafaring skills.

The main species caught in the bay are black bream, yelloweye mullet, Australian salmon, flathead, leatherjackets, silver and snotty trevally, tailor, jack mackerel, pike, barracouta, luderick, flounder, garfish, pink snapper, bluethroat wrasse and king george whiting.

Yellowtail kingfish show up in warm weather, and large calamari squid are usually reliable.

Landbased spots to try include St Helens wharf, Beauty Bay jetty, Kirwans Beach jetty, Parkside jetty, Talbot Street, Cunninghams Jetty, Stieglitz Jetty, Akaroa, Burns Bay, Maurouard Beach, Dora Point and Binalong Bay.

The flats at Stockyard Bay provide excellent sight fishing for various species.

Dora Point has a rock area suitable for landbased lure casting that produces big trevally and salmon, with the chance of kingfish.

Flats within Georges Bay have yabbies (nippers) which can be pumped and are superb bait.

The public camping area at the entrance to Georges Bay has good landbased fishing nearby when salmon and tailor are running.

The east coast’s small rivers, including St Helens’ Georges River, while not carrying many trout, are renowned black bream fisheries.

There are also plenty of big bream caught on the bay flats, and finesse lure fishing works well for these in the clear water.

St Helens is perhaps best known among fishermen as Tasmania’s gamefishing centre.

Offshore fishing produces bluefin tuna, albacore, swordfish and mako sharks.

When the warm water of the EAC is running down Australia’s east coast and past Tasmania, anything is possible, with mahi mahi caught as far south as Port Arthur in years past.

Deep sea reef fishing off St Helens produces tiger flathead, striped trumpeter, morwong, blue-eye trevalla, grenadier and gemfish.

St Helens fishing seasons

Summer sees baitfish schools running throughout Georges Bay and Australian salmon, jack mackerel, trevally and tailor are rarely far behind.

Bream are feeding across the flats from January to May. silver trevally, pink snapper, king george whiting, yellowtail kingfish and squid are also good at this time of year.

Easter until September is a good time for big garfish. Leatherjackets and yelloweye mullet also bite well in winter.

Spring at St Helens sees a run of sea trout chasing the annual whitebait migration.

A north-easterly afternoon sea breeze blows during summer but often drops away near sunset.

Autumn and winter provides calmer but colder conditions, with ultra-clear water.

Georges Bay itself is a Shark Refuge which means no taking of sharks, skate or rays, other than elephant fish.

St Helens tides
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Tasmanian saltwater fishing seasons
Trout fishing spot access programs
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Seaforth fishing map

Fishing map key
1. Low-tide channels and edges have barramundi in warm weather, also salmon, whiting and flathead. Use shallow lures and a quiet approach. This is the furthest large creek from the Victor Creek ramp and therefore tends to be usually fished least.
2. Hole at junction has grunter, golden snapper (fingermark) and barramundi. Mud crabs, mangrove jacks , bream and grunter in upper reaches.
3. Barramundi and salmon in low-tide channel and on tidal drains proceeding upstream. whiting, flathead and golden trevally over flats.
4. Prawns on flats from December to April. Good fishing around mangroves in calm weather on a large rising tide.
5. Barramundi and salmon along edges on incoming tide, as for 3.
6. Scattered rockbar, fish near low tide, mangrove jacks , cod and barramundi.
7. Deep water trolling along bank produces mixed species, including barramundi. Bait can usually be found just upstream of Victor Creek boat ramp.
8. Most estuary fish and mud crabs found in upper Victor Creek. Fish tidal drains on an outgoing tide in warm weather for barramundi.
9. Queenfish, trevally and salmon around islands. Spotted and doggie mackerel on northern points in season along with mixed reef fish on shallow reefs, especially golden trevally, tuskfish and grass sweetlip (tricky snapper). Reef fish, mackerel, trevally, golden snapper (fingermark) at night and occasional jewfish.
10. Queenfish in tidal rips.
11. Beach fishing around Halliday Bay.
12. Most estuary species inside Seaforth Creek mouth.
13. Mixed fish over shallow reef.

Boat ramps
A. Victor Creek – sealed ramp.
B. Seaforth Creek – sealed ramp.

Seaforth holiday community is adjacent to a large expanse of drying estuary and mangrove-lined tidal creeks.

This area encompasses much of the inshore waters from St Helens south to Cape Hillsborough which were closed to netting in late 2015.

Victor Creek boat ramp is used to access Rabbit and Newry Islands inshore and Goldsmith Islands further out, and the large creek systems immediately to the west.

This area is subject to a significant tidal movement.

Big tides can improve fishing, especially for barramundi and salmon, but some fishos prefer the clearer waters of small neap tides.

Baitfish can usually be found in Victor Creek, and there are yabbie (nipper) beds at low tide near the ramp.

Warm months are best for barramundi, golden snapper (fingermark) and mangrove jacks , with pikey bream and queenfish best in the cool season.

Flathead and whiting are usually available.

Creeks further afield tend to offer slightly better fishing, especially for mangrove jacks and crabs.

Rocky points around the mainland and islands hold some big barramundi during Sept/Oct, with queenfish, trevally and mackerel during the cooler months.

Big golden snapper are caught on local reefs at night in the summer, usually with livebait.

Fishing in this region usually fires up after a big summer wet season, with average fishing in dry years.

Because the estuaries and coastal waters throughout are shallow and subject to large tides, with many areas drying at low tide, launching and navigating is easier and safer towards high tide.

Many boaters launch at high tide, fish the low and early incoming tide, and return to the ramp on the high.

During large tides it becomes rough when wind and tide are opposed, especially around points.

The water clears during neap tides, with the best lure fishing usually happening immediately after neaps.

Some creeks are suited to tidal locked-in fishing using a dinghy or yak. Walk the holes and cast along the edges where the sand is suitably firm, but keep in mind that the incoming tide can move quickly, so don’t walk too far from your boat.

The tidal flats outside the creeks have flathead, whiting, threadfin and blue salmon, barramundi, golden trevally and bream.

Barramundi are best in warm weather, keeping in mind the Queensland annual closed season.

Cod, sweetlip, tuskfish and coral trout are within range of a 4m tinnie in good weather, with shallow reefs around the islands producing fish.

Mackerel, queenfish and trevally are caught on the inshore reefs and off points by trolling and casting lures.

Golden trevally are often prevalent on inshore reefs in this region, and permit are occasionally caught.

This area produces some huge mud crabs. Crabs are found throughout, with numbers varying from year to year.

During big tides crab pots should be well secured or they will wash away, or at the least the floats will go under.

Nonetheless, big tides can produce crabs, with the action on the early push in.

Prawn runs are usually good in summer, especially during wet summers, and yabbies (nippers) can be collected for bait on many flats.

Collecting yabbies is worth the effort for big whiting, with quality fish taken at night.

There are sealed boat ramps at Murray Creek and Victor Creek.

Here is a list of recommended tackle for the north.

Book your fishing stay early at Booking.com

Seaforth tides
Seaforth coastline on Beachsafe
QLD fishing regulations
QLD marine parks
Return to QLD fishing map

Email corrections, additions, pictures or video here.

St Helens fishing map

Fishing spots
1. Troll for trevally and queenfish.
2. Grunter, golden snapper (fingermark), golden trevally and threadfin salmon.
3. Prawns and baitfish in this area.
4. Grunter, flathead, salmon, barramundi, whiting along mangrove edges and channel edges.
5. Barramundi, salmon, grunter on channel edges, whiting over flats.
6. Barramundi in holes on outside bends, mud crabs throughout.
7. golden snapper, barramundi, mangrove jacks , cod on deep bends throughout.
8. Good creek for mud crabs, grunter, barramundi, mangrove jacks .
9. whiting and flathead on the flats.
10. whiting, salmon and flathead along beach at high tide, with chance of golden trevally. Grunter and bream around rocks at end of beach.
11. Holes on bends have most species.
12. Good trolling along deep bank for barramundi, mangrove jacks , cod. Grunter on livebait.
13. Good trolling and bait fishing along deep bank.
14. Deep hole along bend has most species.
15. Flats edges fish well on big tides for flathead, salmon, golden trevally.
16. Troll deep bank, livebait deep bend for barramundi, cod, mangrove jacks – mud crabs throughout.
17. whiting, flathead, grunter, barramundi along flats edges on rising tide.
18. mangrove jacks along mangrove edge.
19. Good fishing on mangroves on large rising tide, mixed species.
20. Livebait deep areas for mixed species.
21. Fish channel edge.

Boat ramps

A. St Helens, mid-upper tide.
B. Murray Creek boat ramp on Little Bogga Rd. Turn off the Bruce Highway at the Mt Pelion turn-off.

St Helens holiday community is adjacent to a large expanse of drying estuary and mangrove-lined tidal creeks.

This region encompasses a large zone that was closed to commercial netting in 2015.

Boaters can fish several productive creeks, along with endless flats, channels, mangrove edges and nearby islands.

Rocky shorelines can be productive, with big barramundi caught in calm warm weather.

Landbased fishing from the community beach near the picnic area produces mainly bread and butter species on bigger tides, with the chance of large threadfin salmon, queenfish or golden trevally showing up.

Fishing usually fires up after a big summer wet season, with average fishing in dry years.

Anecdotal reports suggest fishing has markedly improved since the net closure.

The area is however challenging to fish.

The estuaries, creeks and coastal waters are shallow and subject to huge tides, leaving extensive drying flats at low tide.

Launching and navigating is easier and safer towards high tide.

Many boaters launch at high tide, fish the low and incoming tide, and return to the ramp on the high.

During larger tides it becomes rough when wind and tide are opposed, especially around points.

The water clears during the smaller neap tides. A good time to fish with lures is just after the dead neaps as the tidal cycle begins to pick up, while the water is still clear.

During bigger tides some creeks are suited to tidal lock-in fishing using a dinghy or yak, leaving the boat and walking the holes and casting along the edges where the sand is firm enough to do so.

The tide can come in fast so don’t walk too far from the boat.

The tidal flats have mostly flathead, whiting, threadfin and blue salmon, barramundi, golden trevally and bream.

In the creeks, work the drains on a falling tide, and the mangrove and channel edges on a rising tide.

Barramundi are best in warm weather, keeping in mind the Queensland annual closed season.

Cod, sweetlip, tuskfish and coral trout are within range of a 4m tinnie in good weather, with shallow reefs around the islands producing fish.

Mackerel, queenfish and trevally are caught on the inshore reefs by trolling and casting.

Golden trevally are often prevalent on inshore reefs and sometimes off the beaches, and permit are occasionally caught.

Mud crabs are found throughout the estuaries, with numbers varying from year to year.

During big tides crab pots should be well secured or they will wash away, or at the least the floats will go under.

Nonetheless, big tides can produce crabs, with the action on the early push in.

Prawn runs are usually good in summer, especially during wet summers, and yabbies (nippers) can be collected for bait on many flats.

Collecting yabbies is worth the effort for big whiting, with quality fish taken at night.

There are sealed boat ramps at Murray Creek and Victor Creek.

Here is a list of recommended tackle for the north.

Book your fishing stay early at Booking.com

St Helens tides
St Helens coastline on Beachsafe
QLD fishing regulations
QLD marine parks
Return to QLD fishing map

Email corrections, additions, pictures or video here.