Barron River
The Barron River is a medium sized estuary system and is home to the beautiful Barrons Falls which is located approximately 18km upstream. The Barron River provides only a short tidal system, the saltwater turns into fresh water very quickly which isn’t an ideal system for holding large fish, some people have joked the Barron River got it’s name from being “barron” of life. Combined with its close proximity to Cairns and the Northern Beaches suburbs the river is under a lot of fishing pressure and boat traffic. However good fish can be caught here with the right tactics, knowledge and local knowledge.
There are several key spots marked on the map above that should be your first reference to start fishing the Barron River. Towards the mouth of the river are rock walls located on the outside bank of each bend, these rock walls are best fished at low tide with deep diving rattle lures preferably trolled. Classic barra lures are best here and should dive deep enough to almost hit the bottom.
Redden Creek is the first of the larger feeder creeks and is worth lure fishing as the tide is falling, there is often snags around the mouth of the feeder creek washed downstream from the Barron. Soft plastics in white colour work best in the Barron River for fishing rigged with weedless hooks and around 1/6 weight.
Past Machans Beach boat ramp on the northern side of the Barron River is the airport lights, here you will see old pylons. Fishing here at night with live baits can produce good Barramundi and Tarpon although you can expect company. Not much further up on the southern bank is a sewage outlet point so if you want to each your catch head up stream on the out going tide!
Upstream past the Captain Cook Highway bridge there are a series of pylons and a jetty for land based fishing. Here you will catch Bream, Cod, Grunter and maybe a Mangrove Jack.
Further upstream on norther side you will arrive at a large feeder known asThomatis Creek, the mouth has a rocky out crop protruding into the Barron River which can hold Barramundi in the warmer months. Upstream from here the water starts to turn brackish and then into fresh water, the Barron River fresh water can produce some great lure fishing for Sootie Grunter and Jungle Perch.
Lure fishing the Barron River
Fishing the snaggy, mangrove lined Barron River with lures can be a lot of fun. The classic barra lures are always a good safe choice for casting and trawling. If you want to flick soft plastics into the mangroves then rigging up for your soft plastics with weedless hooks is the way to go.
Where to go fishing near Barron River?
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Barron River Mouth
Good spot to set out live mullet for passing Barramundi. Further to the west along the...
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Barron River Mouth
Best in the early hours of the winter months, Trevally, large Queenfish, Whiting, Flathead, and Bream...
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Barron River Bends
Bends near Ivo's Creek hold baitfish.
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Barron River Upstream
Barramundi and Jungle Perch can be found in the upper reaches of the Barron River, especially...
Plus, where, when and how to fish every spot!
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Sign UpFish Species caught at Barron River
Port Douglas Fishing Report for February 2016
As we enter into March the full extent of the wet season is still yet to be determined. Do date it has been a moderate wet season with occasional huge dumpings of... Read more
Fish currently being caught in the Far North Queensland region April, 2016
Barramundi Cobia Coral Trout Emperors Golden Snapper / Fingermark Mackerel Mangrove Jack Red Emperor Spangled Emperor Spanish Mackerel TrevallyRecommended Lures for Barron River
Click here to find the best lures for fishing Barron River. 5 stars mean this lure has been hand picked for Barron River.
mick hicks
says:Hi! are there any land-based spots close to the Barron River mouth?
Fishing Spots
says:Hey Mick! I have marked a spot on the map for fishing the Barron River mouth. Access it via Cinderella Street. About 500m upstream is a rock patch where Barramundi are caught. Live baiting during neap tides with mullet is the go! Good luck mate.
michael
says:Thanks for the quick reply and the information, really appreciated. Collecting the recommended lures for the area[great idea] are they the recommended colours for the lures? Has anyone fished Redbank creek in Cairns? saw it on Google maps. looks too be out of the way and hopefully doesn’t get too much fishing pressure. looking at fishing the boat ramp, hopefully get something. Also is there somewhere you could recommend somewhere to catch livies with a bait-jig? tried the floating pontoon at the Barron River with no luck. Thanks,Mick.
Fishing Spots
says:Hey Mick, have you done much cast netting? There is some mullet around Barr Creek and the small Barron River creek mouth on Marshall street.. Live baiting is the best way to fish here during spring tides. During the neap tides you can use lures more effectively, try using soft vibes bounced along the bottom. Hard bodies around those rocks a bit upstream and around the point of the Barron River mouth – there should be a few current and dirty water lines formed here on the out going tide. A few people might disagree, but for Barramundi the lure colour isn’t too important. As long as the lure has a good contrast, black / dark on top and light on the sides or bottom. When the lure swims the flashing between dark and bright can set off the barra. Here is an example of colour: https://fishingworld.ca/system/images/1518/large/s33925.jpg?1409148790 And more importantly the lure is swimming at the right depth.
Here is a video on getting bait at the creek mouths: http://www.ryanmoodyfishing.com/beach-creek-mouths-for-bait/
Rigging live mullet: http://www.ryanmoodyfishing.com/rigging-live-mullet/
Big barra landbased: http://www.ryanmoodyfishing.com/land-based-lure-competition/
I hope that helps! I would love to hear how you go.
lachlan
says:where is the best place to go fishing in Edmonton.