Here’s some of the best landbased spots to try around Brisbane.

Firstly, the public fishing platforms … some have wheelchair-friendly access. See the list of Brisbane public fishing platforms here.

Brisbane City Council has regular fishing workshops for beginners at some locations … see calendar here.

Landbased fishing spots around Brisbane

1. Brisbane River. Pinkenba rock wall is on the northern shore near the river mouth. It’s a fair walk out from the nearest parking area to this crumbling rock wall, but there are plenty of bream and the occasional mangrove jack and threadfin salmon to be caught. A rising tide inundates parts of the wall. Unfortunately this area has become quite littered. Elsewhere in the river, any foreshore might produce bream, but spots near manmade structure such rock walls and pylons are often best. Big threadfin salmon have been caught far up the river, usually on livebaits. Breakfast Creek mouth has easy access and fishes well at times, with some mulloway and threadfin caught. Also fish the base of the columns of Gateway Bridge for bream and mangrove jacks .
2. Brisbane River freshwater. The access points upstream have bass and cod, which are stocked fish. Also consider the superb Wivenhoe and Somerset Dams.
3. Shorncliffe jetty, near Sandgate. Pike, bream, whiting, squid, catfish and stingrays. bream and whiting along the Sandgate foreshore wall at high tide.
4. Nudgee (Schulz) Canal. The lower section has good bankside access, with whiting, bream, flathead and crabs. Nudgee Beach foreshore has whiting at high tide. Late summer usually sees a good run of banana prawns. Go here for more information about this great fishing spot.
5. Redcliffe/Scarborough beaches. Many of these relatively calm beaches have rocky reef within casting range. Quality bream and flathead are common, with small snapper off the rocky points, and occasional cod. See our detailed Redcliffe page.
6. Woody Point and Redcliffe have jetties. Also the long Hornibrook Highway bridge to the peninsula has a jetty on the peninsula side. Many fishos do well at high tide fishing the shore near the Woody Point and Redcliffe jetties. Good run of crabs off Woody Point jetty. See our detailed Redcliffe page.
7. Moreton Island. Great beach fishing on the inside and outside beaches. The sheltered inside beaches have flathead and whiting, while anything can show up in the gutters on the ocean surf side.
8. Redland Bay has a good jetty, with mainly squid, flathead, bream and crabs.
9. The Logan River fishes well and has shore access in places, with whiting, bream and flathead, and ongoing rumours of barramundi captures.
10. Wynnum jetty and Wynnum Creek … bream, whiting and flathead, with a chance of tailor.
11. Wellington Point jetty … … bream, whiting and flathead, with a chance of tailor.
12. Boggy Creek entrance off the Brisbane River … landbased fishing for bream, whiting, flathead, catfish, with occasional mangrove jacks , threadfin salmon and mud crabs.

Further afield

1. Gold Coast canal estate rock walls. From southern Brisbane through to the Gold Coast are numerous canal estates. The canal rock walls are good fishing spots. bream and mangrove jacks are the main target but it is surprising how many different species make their way through these canals, including bull sharks, mulloway, mud crabs, mangrove jacks and trevally.
2. Gold Coast beach rock walls. There are numerous small rock groynes through to Kirra. These have surf species and luderick. The sandpumping jetty at Southport produces regular mulloway and tailor.
3. Tweed Heads to Pottsville. This area is an easy day trip for Brisbane fishos. Excellent surf and rock fishing with access to various beaches and headlands. Look for gutters. tailor, flathead, bream, dart, mulloway and whiting. You’ll find more information about the Tweed region here.
4. The Tweed River has good landbased access near the mouth, with bream, luderick, mangrove jacks and flathead the main catch. There are footpaths along the river in places. You’ll find more information about the Tweed region here.

Here is a list of recommended tackle for SEQ waters.

Book your fishing stay early at Booking.com

Brisbane tides
QLD fishing regulations
QLD marine parks
Return to QLD fishing map

Email updates or corrections to [email protected]

The Gold Coast has a wealth of fishing opportunities.

Landbased fishermen and boaters can enjoy the labyrinth of tidal canals, where the species caught include bream, flathead, whiting, luderick, tailor, mulloway, cod, moses perch, trevally and more.

The Gold Coast has many waterfront parks and reserves on its rivers and canals, and some public parks front surf beaches and beach rock groynes.

These public parks often have amenities such as barbecues, toilets, tables etc, which makes them ideal for easy family fishing, and good fish can be caught.

Week days and night fish best in the rivers and canals as boating traffic drops off, and bigger tides tend to produce better fishing, especially within the canals.

Some parks are located near bridge pylons, which usually hold fish.

For boaters, constrictions in the canals create tidal eddies and rips which tend to hold fish.

See the best parks for landbased fishing here.

Some other regional Gold Coast fishing spots are listed here.

One of the best Gold Coast spots is the Southport seaway, with giant rock walls bordering deep water, and the nearby sand-pumping jetty.

Mulloway are caught here, along with flathead, whiting, bream, tailor, tarwhine, luderick and more, but you will need good gear to land big fish, including a drop gaff on the jetty and long-handled gaff for the sea wall.

The shallow, sandy Southport Broadwater is fished hard but still produces good flathead, whiting and bream.

For bluewater fishing, the reefs off Tweed Heads produce reef and pelagic fish, including seasonal runs of marlin and yellowfin tuna.

Game fish are seasonal, in summer.

The best boating weather tends to be in winter.

The best of the Tweed region reefs have been individually micro-mapped by the Australian FISH FINDER book.

More reefs can be found heading out in deeper water, these reefs travel north-south and produce pearl perch, emperor, pink snapper and more.

Note: You need a New South Wales fishing licence to fish south of the Queensland border.

Here is a list of recommended tackle for SEQ waters.

Book your fishing stay early at Booking.com

Southport Broadwater tides at Southport Pier
Burleigh Heads on Beachsafe
Waterfront parks and reserves
QLD fishing regulations
QLD marine parks
Return to QLD fishing map

Email updates or corrections to [email protected]

The Tweed River, Fingal Head and coastal reefs near Cook Island are the focal points for fishing in this region.

The town of Tweed Heads at the Tweed River mouth marks the NSW/Queensland border.

Let’s start in Queensland at the Gold Coast’s Burleigh Heads and move south.

Tallebudgera and Currumbin Creeks are suitable for casting from a canoe or cartopper. Expect whiting, flathead, bream, mangrove jacks and trevally.

The Kirra and Palm Beach inshore reefs fish well for mackerel and baitfish in season.

The Tweed River is a more serious venue.

The main arm of the river is about 60km long, tidal to a weir 2km upstream of Murwillumbah.

Significant Tweed tributaries are Cobaki Broadwater, Terranora Broadwater, Terranora Creek, Bilambil Creek, Rous River and Bilambil Creek.

The Tweed River mouth rock walls have deep water, with quality bream, tailor, luderick, mulloway, mangrove jacks , flathead and whiting.

Strong currents make fishing tricky, plan to fish hard at the turn of the tide.

Mulloway are best during flooding when baitfish are pushed downriver, but mulloway can show up at any time.

Large flathead appear in the river in spring, as do queenfish.

In summer, spotted mackerel, sweetlip, cod, mangrove jacks , flathead, grunter, whiting and small mulloway are caught.

Squid are about all year.

Within the river, prawns are best in March-April just after the full moon, with mud crabs best in summer.

Winter sees big bream biting hard in the river’s lower reaches, as well as mulloway, luderick, tailor and hairtail.

A similar spot to the Tweed River mouth is the Gold Coast Seaway, 30km to the north, which has rock walls bordering a deep sea entrance.

For rockhoppers, Fingal Head produces good fish, including big mulloway.

Further south Kingscliff, Norries Head (Cabarita), Hastings Point and Pottsville all have good rock and surf fishing.

The small tidal creeks in this region are also worth fishing, mainly for flathead and whiting.

The surf beaches produce tailor, bream, dart, whiting and mulloway, with tailor best from July to February.

Vehicles are not allowed on beaches in the Tweed Shire, but there are nearby access points along the coastal roads.

For boaters fishing out of Tweed Heads, there are three major reefs to explore within 9.25km south-east of the river mouth.

Of these, the Nine Mile Reef, east of Cook Island, is most popular, as well as nearby South Reef.

The Nine Mile is about 7.4km out, with strong currents usually hitting the steep north face.

This reef rises to about 8m but averages 12m to 24m.

The rubble bottom lies at 40m.

Nearby Fido Reef also fishes well at times.

Further south are Windarra Bank and Black Rocks reefs.

Micro charts of these reefs have been made and published in the Australian FISH FINDER book.

Wahoo, cobia, kingfish and dolphin fish are popular targets on these reefs.

Cobia of more than 40kg have been landed.

Mack tuna, longtail and yellowfin tuna are all caught.

Reefs in this area can break, so take care when boating.

The Tweed region has wider grounds called The Canyons, as well as reef areas named after their respective depths.

July is usually the best weather for boating, with light westerly winds, but summer brings the gamefish.

In winter striped marlin and yellowfin tuna are taken on the wide grounds, with reef fish such as pink snapper, teraglin, mulloway, pearl perch and tuskfish closer in.

The best action is usually early morning and late afternoon.

From July-Sept, yellowtail kingfish frequent the Nine Mile, with fish over 14kg common.

September usually brings the biggest kingfish, to 30kg.

Samson fish and amberjacks are generally caught all year.

Trolling and livebaiting around bait schools works well.

Black marlin inhabit the inshore reefs from January to April.

At the Nine Mile, wahoo appear any time from January to September, but March to June is best.

Cobia are all year, but best in spring/summer.

Spanish mackerel are best on the Nine Mile from Feb to May.

Mackerel tuna are thick all year, with occasional striped tuna, and small yellowfin in autumn/winter.

The presence of bait is often associated with heavy rain in the Tweed River.

Access through the Tweed River mouth is usually good in suitable conditions, but as with all bar crossings pick your weather and avoid the runout tide.

Here is a list of recommended tackle for NSW waters.

Book your fishing stay early at Booking.com

Tweed Heads tides
Tweed coastline
Tweed bar crossing web cam
NSW fishing regulations
NSW marine parks

Email updates or corrections to [email protected]