Yeppoon’s nearby reefs and islands provide superb mackerel fishing, and there’s also good fishing in close along the coast.
The island edges, pinnacles and bommies have grey, spotted and spanish mackerel in season, and cobia.
Spanish mackerel to 30kg+ are caught, with ribbonfish (wolf herring) a popular bait with those targeting the big fish.
Even the spotted and grey mackerel are bigger-than-average fish in this region.
Mackerel show up all year, but are best from October to May.
Big red emperor are a drawcard on offshore grounds.
Reef fish caught on inshore grounds around Yeppoon tend to be fairly small.
To consistently catch big reef fish, boaters go 50km to 60km out.
Reef fish such as nannygai and red emperor move in to coastal reefs after rain, presumably to feed on prawns.
Fishing is usually best on big tides.
Daylight reef fishing on inshore reefs produces mostly coral trout, tuskfish and sweetlip.
Fishing around the Keppel Islands can be good, but note the GBRMPA green zones.
One of the more popular spots is around Hannah Rock off the south-east tip of Great Keppel Island. A micro chart of this spot is featured in the North Australian FISH FINDER book.
Reef fish are also caught in an area just n-w of Ross Reef, on the south side of North Keppel Island. This area can produce mackerel all year, along with sweetlip, cod and coral trout. Fish an incoming tide.
Coral bommies can be seen on the sandy bottom in this area.
Another good spots is “40 Acres” on the west side of Great Keppel and Miall Islands.
Plenty of mackerel are caught at the ends of the channel between Barren Island and The Child islands, and off the north-east point of The Child.
Corio Bay, Causeway Lake, Yeppoon Inlet and Cawarral Creek – all an easy drive from Yeppoon – have grunter, bream, flathead and whiting.
Barramundi, blue and threadfin salmon and mud crabs are caught in Cawarral Creek.
In the lead-up to summer, big barra are found on sheltered coastal rocks, but keep in mind the annual Queensland barramundi closed season.
The inner Rosslyn Bay marina near the mangroves has seasonal prawns, and is a good area to collect mullet, herring and gar.
Double Head and Rosslyn Bay marina rock walls are excellent landbased fishing spots.
There are camping-fishing opportunities in Byfield National Park at Corio Bay and Stockyard Point.
Yeppoon is very popular during holiday periods, be sure to book accommodation early.
Yeppoon tides
Yeppoon coastline
Yeppoon accommodation
Byfield National Park
QLD fishing regulations
QLD marine parks
GBRMPA marine parks
QLD stocked waters
QLD dam levels
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