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Mooloolaba Fishing Spots

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Mooloolaba

3/5 - (32 votes)
26°41'14.16" S, 153°7'13.3" E

Mooloolaba is a heavily built up area with a large population. Mooloolaba fishing spots are centred around the Mooloolah River and Point Cartwright. Despite the large population the river, headland and beaches continue to produce healthy fish.

When is the best time to go fishing on the Sunshine Coast?

Fishing on the Sunshine Coast is broken into a 3 distinct seasons. Throughout the year angers can expect Bream, Dusky Flathead and Whiting in the creeks. The beaches mainly produce Dart and Tarwhine with the odd Pelagic. Warmer months are the best time fish for Mangrove Jack. Winter to spring is the best time to target Mulloway and Tailor from the Mooloolah River mouth and the beaches of Kawana. Big bream also congregate in Winter for spawning closer to the river mouth.

Further upstream in the fresh water reaches native Australian Bass can be caught from late Spring into Autumn. There are several access points for land based anglers along the Mooloolah River.

Offshore shore there are several reefs and shoals only approximately 10km from the boat ramp. During summer pelagics like Trevally, Queenfish, Mackerel and Tuna are frequent catches. Emperor, Tuskfish, Pearl Perch and Trout are also around. While the cooler months produce good catches of Pink Snapper. Year round Yellowtail Kings and Cobia are frequent catches.

Point Cartwright

Good rock fishing platform and it is a bit more protected from the swell. Check conditions before going fishing here. Deeper waters to the east. Live baiting or using strip mullet baits from winter to late spring can produce Jewfish at night. Tailor have also been caught here. The odd pelagic in summer on metal slugs. Bream is the main catch for most of the year.

Mooloolah River Mouth

Rock walls along side the river mouth, fishes okay for Bream and the odd pelagic fish during summer. The western rock wall and to the south holds the odd jewfish during the cooler months. Bream sometimes spawn close to the rock walls on the inside of the river during winter. Baits work best here however soft plastics and vibes also work well during small tides.

La Balsa Park

A long stretch of river that is fairly deep. The shallow bay to the north has Bream on the incoming tide, best fished with bait. To the south the deeper waters are a good spot to live bait for Jewies in Winter. Turn of the tide is the best time to target the jewieis here. Tailor, Trevally and bream are also caught in the deeper waters. Bait is the best option during tidal movements.

Moorings and Trawler Jettys

Big bream hang out around the jetty pylons, try trolling deep diving hard body minnows or sinking soft plastics down beside a pylon. Good numbers of Trevally also turn up in Spring. Cannot access the jetty’s land based as it is private, however the jetty’s behind the Fish Market have public access and good fishing at times.

Buddina Canals

Fishing the pontoons and structure in deep water early morning and late afternoons is the best way to catch good Bream on lures in the canals. The odd Grunter is caught in the canals also. Mangrove Jack are best targeted around structure in deep waters at night during summer on live baits. First of the run out tide seems to produce the best results.

Minyama Bridge

Good place to fish with baits over summer for Mangrove Jack. Trevally are also around mostly during Spring.

Mooloolaba Wharf

Heavy structure and shade in around 2.5-3m of water, not much current flow here. The heavy structure holds some Big Bream, Cod and the odd Mangrove Jack. Cast slow sinking soft plastics to target Bream. Plastics are also good for Mangrove Jack here as they sink to the bottom beside a pylon.

Mayes Canal Mouth

Deeper water here holds good Flathead on the run out tide. There is also a shallow sand bar behind area near the channel marker that also holds flathead at the start of the run out tide. On an incoming tide there are whiting around the sand bar

Mooloolah Canals

Both the bridges on the entrances into the canals have deeper water that hold flathead. The start of the run out tide is a good time to use soft plastics around the bridges. As the tide picks up it is a bit harder to fish. Whiting in the shallows and Bream around the jetties.

Mooloolah Island Bridge

Best fished from Spring to Summer, live bait for Mangrove Jack early morning and afternoon into the night.

Nicklin Way Bridge

Good deep water here surrounded by lots of rocky structure. Many boat anglers live bait here during the night in Summer for Mangrove Jack. It is also worthwhile casting soft plastics early morning for Grunter, Bream and small Trevally.

Feeder Creek near Nicklin Way Bridge

Fish around the mouth of the creek on the run out tide for Flathead. Red or pink soft plastic lures work well here.

Mountain Creek

Fairly shallow and muddy waters in Mountain Creek. There are good depth changes, feeder creeks and drop offs which makes this a good place to fish for Flathead. Live baiting for Jacks around the bridges during Summer is also popular here when.

Mountain Creek Lakes

These small lakes are known to produce Bream and Tarpon. The odd Mangrove Jacks are also caught here, it is important to release them back for other anglers to enjoy.

Parrearra Channel

The channel offers some good land based fishing. Walking the path and casting soft plastic lures at the jetties is a great way to land some Yellowfin Bream. Over summer Trevally, Mangrove Jack and bigger estuary Cod are also around there waters.

Parrearra Lake

The water levels in the lake are controlled by a weir, once fish are in the lake they are possible there forever. The lake is a good land spot for casting small lures at the jetties for Bream. A finesse approach with lightly weighted soft plastics or small suspending hardbody lures is key the key to success on Bream in here. The odd Flathead, Trevally and Mangrove jack are also caught throughout the lake.

Mid System

All the Mooloolah River creek bends have deeper water and generally have Bream around. Last of the run out and low tide seems to produce good catches in the deeper holes. Flathead are caught on a run out tide, fishing the flats into deeper water with plastics produces results. On the incoming tide the flats also fish well for Bream.

Parrearra Weir South

A drain allows water to flow in and out of the lake back into the Mooloolah River. Many anglers try their luck around the drain with baits. It is a very snaggy area but the odd Mangrove Jack is caught here during Summer.

Upstream Mooloolah River Bass

Australian bass throughout the Mooloolah River freshwater / brackish water reaches. Small hard body and surface lures work very well. Cast around structure and back eddies. 2wd access via Rainforest Drive, there are a few walking tracks along the creek where anglers have fished before, watch out for snakes.

Offshore Mooloolaba Fishing

Mooloolah River has a fairly good entry point into the offshore fishing waters of the Sunshine Coast. The bar is dredged every few years but it is still best crossed on a full tide. Good reef fishing starts only 10minutes away on a good day. The Gneerings Shoals extend east 25nm, anglers can expect good Mackerel and Tuna fishing in Summer. Winter has calmer sea conditions and produces Emperor, Pink Snapper, Codia, Mulloway, Pearl Perch, Yellowtail Kingfish, Tuskfish and Fusiler. Further offshore Dolphin and sailfish are trolled up by game fisho’s.

Mudjimba Island

Mudjimba Island or old woman island has good for Pelagic fishing over summer for Mackerel and Tuna. During winter Mulloway and Snapper can be caught on the reefy patches.

Arkwright Shoal

The shoal has water as shallow as 10m surrounded by deeper water up to 25m. Approximately 14km from Mooloolaba and 2.5km off the coast line. Good Snapper and Mulloway fishing over Winter. During summer the early mornings and late afternoons produce good Mackerel fishing.

Inner Gneerings Shoal

Approximately 6km offshore from Mooloolaba, the Inner Gneerings Shoals range from 5m deep with drop offs into 30m deep waters. There are good bottom fishing spots around here in Winter for Snapper. Throughout the year Cobia, Mulloway, Fusiler, Tuskies and reef fish are all caught. Over summer Pelagics like Mackerel are caught on the troll.

Outer Gneerings Shoal

Approximately 8km offshore, the outer Gneerings Shoals have many options for reef fishing. The waters produce Pink Snapper, Cobia, Emperor, Kingfish and summer pelagics.

Where to go fishing near Mooloolaba?

  • Inner Barwon Reef Approximately 55m deep. The reef bottom of Barwon reef holds red Emperor, Snapper, Jewfish and sweetlip. Trolling is also possible for pelagics like mackerel. Dolphinfish and Marlin are also trolled for along the reef
  • Mooloolaba Marlin Offshore trolling for marlin begins around these areas. Approximatey 55m deep.
  • Twelve Mile Twelve Mile is a fishing spot in about 48-50m of water, known to attract fish.
  • Raper Shoal Raper shoal is a reef shoal in about 6-10m of water. Waves break here in large swells. Snapper in Winter and Mackerel in Summer.
  • Murphys North Murphy's North, reef in about 36m of water.
  • Murphy’s Reef A popular fishing spot amongst offshore anglers. Anglers can expect Moses Perch, Cod, Sweetlip, Mackerel, Cobia and Pink Snapper. Water depth 13 - 15m. 
  • Currimundi Lake Popular amongst kayak and land based anglers, Currimundi Lake is best fished early morning or late afternoon into the night. The water here is generally clearer than that of Lake Kawana. There is also a bit more natural structure and some deeper holes. Bream, Flathead and Whiting are the main catch, however Mangrove Jack and Trevally are also caught mostly in Summer and night. Big Trevally are often found lurking the bridges or working the rocky shorelines for bait fish. The trevally will happily take a surface lure when they are feeding.
  • Lake Currimundi Weir The weir lets water in and out of the lakes. Can be an interesting place to fish when the water is flowing between the lakes. Bream, Mangrove Jack, Flathead and Trevally have all been caught around here. Please release the fish for other anglers to enjoy.
  • Lake Kawana Lake Kawana can be a fun land based fishing area mainly at night. The weir separating the lakes lets water in and out with rain or the tide when the small inlet is open, this can be an interesting spot to fish. The main species in here are Bream, Flathead and Trevally. During the warmer months Trevally can be take on surface lures. The odd Mangrove Jack is also caught using live bait at night around structure.
  • Kawana Beach Fishing Fishing the gutters along the beach on an incoming tide can be productive for Bream, Dart and Tarwhine all year round. From Winter to Spring is a good time to target Tailor and Mulloway early morning, late afternoon and during the night on live or strip mullet baits. The incoming tide is the best time to fish the beaches.
  • 50M deep wreck Wreck in about 50m of water, fishes well for Snapper and Pearl Perch in winter. Big cobia and amberjack throughout the year.
  • USS Pike Wreck off Mooloolaba about 13nm offshore in about 46m of water. Fishes well for Cobia and reef fish.
  • Outer Gneerings Shoal Approximately 8km offshore, the outer Gneerings Shoals have many options for reef fishing. The waters produce Pink Snapper, Cobia, Emperor, Kingfish and summer pelagics.
  • Inner Gneerings Shoal Approximately 6km offshore from Mooloolaba, the Inner Gneerings Shoals range from 5m deep with drop offs into 30m deep waters. There are good bottom fishing spots around here in Winter for Snapper. Throughout the year Cobia, Mulloway, Fusiler, Tuskies and reef fish are all caught. Over summer Pelagics like Mackerel are caught on the troll.
  • Arkwright Shoal The shoal has water as shallow as 10m surrounded by deeper water up to 25m. Approximately 14km from Mooloolaba and 2.5km off the coast line. Good Snapper and Mulloway fishing over Winter. During summer the early mornings and late afternoons produce good Mackerel fishing.
  • Mudjimba Island Mudjimba Island or old woman island has good for Pelagic fishing over summer for Mackerel and Tuna. During winter Mulloway and Snapper can be caught on the reefy patches.
  • Mooloolah River Bass Australian bass throughout the Mooloolah River freshwater / brackish water reaches. Small hard body and surface lures work very well. Cast around structure and back eddies. 2wd access via Rainforest Drive, there are a few walking tracks along the creek where anglers have fished before, watch out for snakes.
  • Parrearra Weir South A drain allows water to flow in and out of the lake back into the Mooloolah River. Many anglers try their luck around the drain with baits. It is a very snaggy area but the odd Mangrove Jack is caught here during Summer.
  • Mid System All the Mooloolah River creek bends have deeper water and generally have Bream around. Last of the run out and low tide seems to produce good catches in the deeper holes. Flathead are caught on a run out tide, fishing the flats into deeper water with plastics produces results. On the incoming tide the flats also fish well for Bream.
  • Parrearra Lake The water levels in the lake are controlled by a weir, once fish are in the lake they are possibly there forever. The lake is a good land spot for casting small lures at the jetties for Bream. A finesse approach with lightly weighted soft plastics or small suspending hardbody lures is the key to success on Bream. The odd Flathead, Trevally and Mangrove jack are also caught throughout the lake.
  • Parrearra Channel The channel offers some good land based fishing. Walking the path and casting soft plastic lures at the jetties is a great way to land some Yellowfin Bream. Over summer Trevally, Mangrove Jack and bigger estuary Cod are also around there waters.
  • Mountain Creek Lakes These small lakes are known to produce Bream and Tarpon. The odd Mangrove Jacks are also caught here, it is important to release them back for other anglers to enjoy.
  • Mountain Creek Fairly shallow and muddy waters in Mountain Creek. There are good depth changes, feeder creeks and drop offs which makes this a good place to fish for Flathead. Live baiting for Jacks around the bridges during Summer is also popular here when.
  • Feeder Creeks Fish around the mouth of the creek on the run out tide for Flathead. Red or pink soft plastic lures work well here. Most of the small feeder creeks and flats run offs on an outgoing tide fish well for Flathead.
  • Nicklin Way Bridge Good deep water here surrounded by lots of rocky structure. Many boat anglers live bait here during the night in Summer for Mangrove Jack. It is also worthwhile casting soft plastics early morning for Grunter, Bream and small Trevally. The shallow waters near the boat ramp are an okay place for fishing with the family.
  • Mooloolah Island Bridge Best fished from Spring to Summer, live bait for Mangrove Jack early morning and afternoon into the night.
  • Mayes Canal Mouth Deeper water here holds good Flathead on the run out tide. There is also a shallow sand bar behind area near the channel marker that also holds flathead at the start of the run out tide. On an incoming tide there are whiting around the sand bar.
  • Mooloolaba Wharf Heavy structure and shade in around 2.5-3m of water, not much current flow here. The heavy structure holds some Big Bream, Cod and the odd Mangrove Jack. Cast slow sinking soft plastics to target Bream. Plastics are also good for Mangrove Jack here as they sink to the bottom beside a pylon.
  • Minyama Bridge Good place to fish with baits over summer for Mangrove Jack. Trevally are also around mostly during Spring.
  • Buddina Canals Fishing the pontoons and structure in deep water early morning and late afternoons is the best way to catch good Bream on lures in the canals. The odd Grunter is caught in the canals also. Mangrove Jack are best targeted around structure in deep waters at night during summer on live baits. First of the run out tide seems to produce the best results.
  • Mooloolah River Mouth Rock walls along side the river mouth, fishes okay for Bream and the odd pelagic fish during summer. The western rock wall and to the south holds the odd jewfish during the cooler months. Bream sometimes spawn close to the rock walls on the inside of the river during winter. Baits work best here however soft plastics and vibes also work well during small tides.
  • Point Cartwright Kawana The southern side of Point Cartwright rocks often has a deep channel running along the rocks. This can be a good spot during the NNE winds during Spring into Summer. Jewfish on strip mullet and live baits at night. Tailor on metal slugs early morning and late afternoon. Bream and dart throughout the year.
  • Point Cartwright Good rock fishing platform and it is a bit more protected from the swell. Check conditions before going fishing here. Deeper waters to the east. Live baiting or using strip mullet baits from winter to late spring can produce Jewfish at night. Tailor have also been caught here. The odd pelagic in summer on metal slugs. Bream is the main catch for most of the year.
  • Kawana Island Lakes Yellowfin bream at night, cast small suspending hard body minnow lures out onto the shallow banks. A long pause is necessary, and very very slow lure retrieval will land you a bream. Further north fish around the jetty's. Bay areas sometimes hold Trevally, best at night.
  • Mooloolah Drain Two small storm drains along the river bank sometimes hold bream and cod, dropping soft plastics to sink down can be effective. Further upstream cast around the jettys for Bream and the occasional cod.
  • La balsa park A long stretch of river that is fairly deep. The shallow bay to the north has Bream on the incoming tide, best fished with bait. To the south the deeper waters are a good spot to live bait for Jewies in Winter. Turn of the tide is the best time to target the jewieis here. Tailor, Trevally and bream are also caught in the deeper waters. Bait is the best option during tidal movements.
  • Mooloolah River Bass Follow google maps trail to get to this access point. Walk along the creek fishing the deep pools with small hard body lures for Australian Bass.
  • Mooloolah River Lake Blocked from the main Mooloolah River, however it does let water in and out. Walk the path cast lightly weight soft plastics at the pontoons for Bream. Also produces Trevally and Flathead, Trevally best targeted early morning or at night, target them on almost anything, poppers work well during the warmer months.
  • Mooloolaba Harbour Big bream hang out around the jetty pylons, try trolling deep diving hard body minnows. Good numbers of Trevally also turn up in Spring. Cannot access the jetty's land based as it is private, however the jetty's behind the Fish Market have public access.
  • Mooloolah River Trawler Jetty’s Bream and the old flathead throughout the year. During Spring some large Trevally turn up - 40-60cm. Land based fisher man walk to the end of the jetty through the gates near the car park.
  • Mooloolah River Rocks Fish along the rock structure and towards the eastern bend. Access the bend by land, best fished in a boat. The odd Mangrove Jack during summer.
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Tide Times Mooloolaba

Mooloolah River - Tuckers Creek Entrance (0.1km)
Tuesday 19 Mar 2024

High - 4:37AM
1.59M
Low - 11:52AM
0.71M
High - 5:09PM
1.13M
Low - 11:01PM
0.64M

Sunshine Coast / Noosa Report October 2021

OFFSHORE: The northerlies dominated the offshore scene again this week. Not unexpected for this time of year though, and not so bad, as they were largely light to moderate most mornings. Best option... Read more

Fish currently being caught in the Sunshine Coast region November, 2021

Cobia Coral Trout Dusky Flathead Jewfish / Mulloway Queenfish Yellowfin Bream
Read the Full Report

Recommended Lures for Mooloolaba

Click here to find the best lures for fishing Mooloolaba. 5 stars mean this lure has been hand picked for Mooloolaba.

Berkley Gulp! Shrimp 2"

Gulp Shrimp 2″

Suited for some Fish Species.
Good for: Black Spotted Rockcod, Dusky Flathead, Grunter, Mangrove Jack, Yellowfin Bream

Squidgies Pro Critter 55mm

$9.99
Suited for some Fish Species.
Good for: Yellowfin Bream

Roosta Popper 160

$15.99
Suited for some Fish Species.
Good for: Giant Trevally, Golden Trevally
Killalure Flatz Ratz 2

Flatz Ratz – Killalure

$12.99
Suited for some Fish Species.
Good for: Black Spotted Rockcod, Gold spotted rockcod, Mangrove Jack
Jackall Squirell 79 hank tuned

Jackall DD Squirrel 79SP Silent ‘Hank Tuned’

Suited for some Fish Species.
Good for: Black Spotted Rockcod, Gold spotted rockcod, Mangrove Jack

Squidgies Pro Flickbait 110mm

$9.99
Suited for some Fish Species.
Good for: Giant Trevally, Golden Trevally

Bream Prawn Vibe

$12.95
Suited for some Fish Species.
Good for: Grunter, Yellowfin Bream

Twisty 70g

Suited for some Fish Species.
Good for: Longtail Tuna

Laser Pro 160

$16.99
Suited for some Fish Species.
Good for: Spanish Mackerel
Storm Fishing Jig for Snapper

GOMOKU SLIM JIG

$10.99
Suited for some Fish Species.
Good for: Giant Trevally, Pink Snapper, Queenfish, School Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel
Squidgies Pro Range Wriggler - 65mm

Pro Wriggler – 65mm

$8.95
Suited for some Fish Species.
Good for: Dusky Flathead, Yellowfin Bream

Zman 9” GrubZ Big Guibz

$10.49
Suited for some Fish Species.
Good for: Black Spotted Rockcod, Gold spotted rockcod

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