The Best Fishing Spots in Queensland

In Queensland, Australia, recreational fishing covers rivers, estuaries, reefs and offshore grounds, giving anglers year‑round options. Key targets inshore include barramundi, mangrove jack, flathead and bream; on reefs you’ll find coral trout, snapper and golden trevally; and offshore the fishery produces strong sport fish like Spanish mackerel, tuna, giant trevally and black marlin. Popular methods range from casting and soft plastics in rivers and estuaries to jigging and trolling on reefs and blue water, so anglers can enjoy boat, beach or charter trips across the state.

Top Cities For Fishing

Sea Fishing

Albany Creek (12 km to coast)
Alexandra Hills (6 km to coast)
Bracken Ridge (4 km to coast)
Brisbane (18 km to coast)
Buderim (7 km to coast)
Bundaberg (15 km to coast)
Caboolture (14 km to coast)
Cairns (2 km to coast)
Capalaba (9 km to coast)
Carindale (12 km to coast)
Coorparoo (16 km to coast)
Deception Bay (1 km to coast)
Eight Mile Plains (19 km to coast)
Gladstone (3 km to coast)
Gold Coast (2 km to coast)
Helensvale (8 km to coast)
Hervey Bay (3 km to coast)
Kallangur (9 km to coast)
Kirwan (12 km to coast)
Labrador (0 km to coast)
Mackay (5 km to coast)
Maroochydore (2 km to coast)
Morayfield (12 km to coast)
Narangba (9 km to coast)
Nerang (8 km to coast)
North Lakes (4 km to coast)
Pacific Pines (10 km to coast)
Palm Beach (2 km to coast)
Robina (6 km to coast)
Rochedale South (19 km to coast)
Southport (1 km to coast)
Sunshine Coast (4 km to coast)
Surfers Paradise (2 km to coast)
Townsville (3 km to coast)
Upper Coomera (15 km to coast)

River Fishing

Fitzroy River
Rockhampton

Top Saltwater Fishing Spots

Trinity Inlet
Cairns’ inshore maze of channels and mangrove creeks produces barramundi, mangrove jack, and golden snapper (fingermark); target rock bars and deep bends near Portsmith and along feeder creeks on the making tide, with pelagics outside toward False Cape.
Keppel Bay
Island-studded waters off Yeppoon with reef edges and shoals producing coral trout, sweetlip, and roaming spanish mackerel; hop between Great Keppel Island bommies and inshore rubble grounds, trolling ledges on the turn of the tide.
Hinchinbrook Channel
Mangrove-lined creeks and flats between Lucinda and Cardwell are prime for barramundi, threadfin salmon, and queenfish; fish drains on a falling tide, work snag-studded banks, and sight-cast the flats on neaps for cruising barra.
Fraser Island
World-renowned surf gutters and headlands turn on migrating tailor in winter, while the gutters also hold whiting, dart, and jewfish; offshore reefs yield coral trout and red emperor when weather allows, with hotspots around Indian Head, Sandy Cape, and the long beaches facing Hervey Bay.
Cleveland Bay
Wide inshore bay off Townsville that fishes well for grunter, fingermark, and seasonal spotted mackerel; work shipping beacons, inshore wrecks, and rubble patches, with barra and jacks in adjacent creeks toward Cape Cleveland.
Hervey Bay
Protected flats and reefs deliver sight-fishing for golden trevally and queenfish, with inshore snapper in the cooler months and summer pelagics like longtail tuna; stalk the flats around Urangan and the reefs toward Point Vernon, or run toward Fraser Island for bait schools and bust-ups.
Moreton Bay
Expansive sheltered waters dotted with reefs and islands produce snapper, grass sweetlip, flathead, and seasonal spotted mackerel; work the ledges, beacons, and rubble grounds off Wellington Point, around Peel Island and Horseshoe Bay, and along the drop-offs toward North Stradbroke Island and Bribie Island, with summer surface bites for longtail tuna and winter runs of tailor on the eastern bay beaches.

Top Freshwater Fishing Spots

Lake Tinaroo
Atherton Tablelands impoundment renowned for giant barramundi and saratoga; work timbered points and weed edges from Tinaroo Falls to Yungaburra, with night sessions around points and bays a prime time for metre-plus fish.
Lake Monduran
Big Bundaberg-region dam producing trophy barramundi; target timbered arms, wind-blown points, and shallow bays near Gin Gin, with warmer months seeing barra push shallow and react to swimbaits, jerkbaits, and plastics.

Top Saltwater & Freshwater Spots

Ross River
Townsville’s local river with upper freshwater reaches and a tidal lower section producing barramundi, mangrove jack, and bream; cast lures at bridge pylons and rock bars near Ross River Dam downstream toward South Townsville.
Proserpine River
Muddy estuary famous for barramundi, king threadfin, and big grunter; work drains and mud flats on the run-out, and deeper bends and rock bars near the mouth across from Wilson Beach in the Whitsundays region.
Noosa River
A clean estuary and lake system producing flathead, bream, and summer mangrove jack, with trevally smashing bait at dawn; work the sand flats and channels from Tewantin to Lake Cooroibah, and the river mouth near Noosa Heads on tide changes for consistent action.
Nerang River
Urban canals and main river reaches give up bream, flathead, and mangrove jack, with night sessions producing jewfish on bridges; fish pontoons and rock walls from Surfers Paradise to Carrara, and the lower reaches near Southport on the run-out.
Fitzroy River
Rockhampton’s big tidal river renowned for trophy barramundi and king threadfin; fish rock bars, deep holes, and pressure edges from Port Alma to Rockhampton, timing the bite around tide turns and bait movement.
Daintree River
Tropical river north of Port Douglas offering barramundi, mangrove jack, and queenfish from snags and eddies, with flats at the mouth holding trevally and blue salmon; fish drains on neap tides and rock bars on the turn.
Brisbane River
A big tidal river famed for threadfin salmon and snapper around bridges, rock bars, and deep bends, with jewfish and bream along the wharves; target current seams and structure near Gateway Bridge, Port of Brisbane, and upriver ledges toward West End.
Maroochy River
Clear tidal waters and upriver snags offer flathead on the flats, whiting on the banks, and summer mangrove jack in the creeks; work the mouth near Cotton Tree, the Cod Hole, and bends toward Maroochydore on moving tides.