The Best Fishing Spots in New South Wales
New South Wales is a diverse spot for fishing, with productive estuaries, sandy beaches, rocky headlands, inshore reefs, offshore grounds and inland rivers and impoundments for freshwater anglers. In coastal and offshore waters you can target snapper, kingfish, tuna, tailor, whiting, bream, mulloway and plenty of squid and prawns from boats or the shore. Estuaries and river mouths are great for flathead, luderick and bream, while inland rivers and the Murray system produce murray cod and australian bass. Whether you prefer rock, beach, boat or bank fishing, NSW offers year‑round opportunities and a wide range of species to target.
Top Cities For Fishing
Sea Fishing
Ashfield
(12 km to coast)
Bankstown
(14 km to coast)
Campsie
(11 km to coast)
Chatswood
(10 km to coast)
Coffs Harbour
(3 km to coast)
Greenacre
(15 km to coast)
Hornsby
(19 km to coast)
Hurstville
(4 km to coast)
Maroubra
(3 km to coast)
Marrickville
(8 km to coast)
Mosman
(2 km to coast)
Newcastle
(1 km to coast)
Port Macquarie
(1 km to coast)
Randwick
(4 km to coast)
Ryde
(16 km to coast)
Strathfield
(16 km to coast)
Sydney
(4 km to coast)
Sydney Central Business District
(4 km to coast)
Wollongong
(1 km to coast)
Top Saltwater Fishing Spots
Wallis Lake
Gin-clear flats between Forster and Tuncurry are prime for sight-casting whiting on surface lures, plus flathead and bream along channel edges and oyster racks; drift the shallows on a rising tide and switch to deeper holes when the sun is high.
Twofold Bay
A deep natural bay at Eden offering inshore flathead, snapper, and kingfish with seasonal tuna wider; jig reef edges, slow-troll live baits along headlands, and work sand patches for flatties on the drift.
Tweed River
A productive northern estuary known for mangrove jack, flathead, bream, and summer whiting; fish rock walls, bridges, and drains from Tweed Heads upstream with hardbodies at night for jacks and soft vibes on tide turns for flathead.
Sydney Harbour
Australia’s iconic urban waterway offers year-round action for kingfish, flathead, bream, tailor, and seasonal runs of salmon and bonito; work the pylons, ferry lanes, and reefy points from the Harbour Bridge to Middle Harbour , slow-trolling live baits and hopping soft plastics along drop-offs for reliable sessions.
Port Stephens
A premier coastal bay with prolific inshore flathead, bream, and luderick, plus offshore snapper and summer mackerel and marlin; work oyster racks and sand flats inside Nelson Bay and slow-jig reef edges outside the heads on dawn tides.
Richmond River
Centered on Ballina , this river offers mulloway around the walls, plentiful flathead and bream in the channels, and summer tailor; time the tide for the South Wall and work deep plastics or live baits through eddies and drop-offs.
Port Hacking
A clean, tidal estuary producing whiting on topwater over clear flats, quality flathead on vibes along channels, and bream and luderick on structure; focus on the Gunnamatta flats, South West Arm , and the drop-offs near the entrance on run-in tides.
Merimbula Lake
A scenic tidal lake producing flathead, bream, luderick, and summer whiting; drift the main channel, cast surface lures over clear flats, and fish the bridge pylons on moving water around Merimbula for consistent bites.
Lake Macquarie
Australia’s largest coastal lake is a year-round fishery for flathead, bream, whiting, and summer tailor and kingfish; drift expansive sand flats, pepper channel edges, and night-fish bridges around Swansea with surface lures, vibes, and live prawns on tidal movement.
Jervis Bay
Crystal waters host hard-fighting kingfish, snapper, salmon, and bonito with reliable flathead and bream inside; spin headlands like Point Perpendicular , drift sand patches, or live-bait current lines during summer and early autumn for fast action.
Clyde River
A clear South Coast system famous for big flathead, abundant bream, and summer whiting; work oyster racks and weed beds around Bateman’s Bay and Nelligen with crankbaits, prawn imitations, and vibes on neap tides for consistent results.
Wagonga Inlet
The deep, clear estuary at Narooma holds big flathead, schooling salmon in season, and structure-hugging bream; hop vibes along steep drop-offs, work oyster racks with cranks, and troll the channel for pelagics when bait pushes through the bar.
Botany Bay
A vast, sheltered bay famed for flathead, bream, trevally, kingfish, and snapper on the offshore reefs; drift the sand flats, fish the container wall, or run the headlands at La Perouse and Kurnell with vibes, pilchards, and live squid, especially hot from late spring to autumn.
Top Freshwater Fishing Spots
Lake Jindabyne
Snowy Mountains impoundment famed for brown trout, rainbow trout, and Atlantic salmon; troll winged lures at first light, fish mudeyes and plastics around flooded edges in spring, and target deep thermoclines with downriggers during summer.
Lake Eucumbene
NSW’s trout heartland with trophy brown trout and prolific rainbow trout; stalk polaroiding banks in autumn, fish powerbait and worms off points, or slow-troll tassie devils and hardbodies along flooded timber lines across arms near Anglers Reach .
Lake Burrendong
A large western impoundment with strong stocks of golden perch, Murray cod, and redfin; cast hardbodies and swimbaits to rocky points and timber, or vertical-jig blades over bait schools, with peak bites around spring and early summer.
Lake Glenbawn
Renowned bass impoundment producing Australian bass, golden perch, and catfish; fish standing timber and points with spinnerbaits, vibes, and topwater at dawn, and probe deeper schools with soft plastics and blades as the sun climbs.
Top Saltwater & Freshwater Spots
Shoalhaven River
From the brackish lower reaches near Nowra to the entrance at Shoalhaven Heads , this river holds mulloway, flathead, bream, and upstream bass; fish rock bars and deep bends after dark with plastics or live mullet, or surface-walk for bass at dawn in warmer months.
Hawkesbury River
This sprawling system produces trophy mulloway, flathead, bream, and seasonal hairtail in the brackish reaches, with Australian bass upstream; target deep holes, bridges, and rocky points from Brooklyn to Wiseman’s Ferry using live baits at tide changes or big soft plastics after dark.
Clarence River
One of NSW’s largest river systems, spanning Yamba to Grafton , with estuary mulloway, flathead, and bream, plus upstream bass; fish rock walls and deep holes on the lower river and walk-and-stalk topwater for bass at dawn higher up.