Brisbane fishing is very diverse. From freshwater native bass, to Pink Snapper in Moreton Bay there is enough fishing too keep keen anglers happy year round.
Brisbane fishing is broken into 2 distinctive seasons, Summer and Winter. Summer is when the pelagics are in Moreton Bay, like Mackeral, Tuna, Trevally, Kingfish and Cobia. The rivers also fish the best in summer, Mangrove Jacks, Bass, Bream, Whiting and Flathead are throughout the River and bay.
Brisbane River also has a healthy population of Threadfin Salmon. They are usually found in the deeper holes towards the front of the Brisbane River. Land based anglers do catch them, but put in the hours. The odd Barramundi has also been caught in the Pine, Brisbane, Logan and Gold Coast rivers.
Winter time provides the better reef fishing for Pink Snapper, Grassy Sweetlip and Tailor are also around in numbers. Winter to Spring also produces some prized catches like Jewfish.
Brisbane fishing spots are limited to boats and kayaks, there are some great land based fishing spots. Learn more about fishing Brisbane land based here.
Fishing the Brisbane River can be surprisingly productive. The river holds the usual suspects, Bream and Flathead, however it also produces Threadfin Salmon, Tuna, Snapper, Sweetlip, Cod, Jewfish, Tailor and Mangrove Jack. Further upstream Bass (some still native) are washed over the Wivenhoe Dam.
There are almost endless fishing spots to explore, plus the tributaries all hold fish at times. The key to success in the Brisbane River is finding where the bait fish are holding at a particular time of the year. A general guide is that after the rains bait can be washed downstream. Summer upstream for Bass and Jacks, winter around the mouth for Spawning Bream, Snapper, Tailor and Jewfish. Note the mullet move out of river early Winter for spawning, this is a dynamite time for Jewfish.
Moreton bay fishing is diverse and it would take years to cover all the fishing spots. It is generally shallow with most structure around the islands, shoreline of the main land and some pebble bottom near contour lines in the bay. There are also many artificial reef installations in the Bay, which do attract fish. Finding rocky/pebble bottom in 2-6m of water is key to catching Snapper, Sweetlip and other species in the bay. Dawn and dusk is also when Snapper feed, so focus efforts around these times. Learn more about catching snapper in Moreton bay shallows here.
June to September is the best time to target Snapper in Moreton Bay
Again, Moreton Bay fishing is broken into 2 distinct seasons, warmer and cooler months. Winter is the best time to target Snapper, Bream, Tailor and diver whiting. While summer is better for pelagic’s like Tuna and Mackerel. Learn more about Moreton Bay fishing.
Basically any river, creek or puddle connected to the ocean will hold bass. Some of the better bass fishing around Brisbane is downsteam of the stocked dams like Wivenhoe, Samsonvale, North Pine, Hinze and Somerset. Catches of up to 20 bass in a session is fairly common over Summer. Even around the areas where public access is easy, down stream from the Mt. Crosby weir is a great place to start. A kayak is an advantage for bass fishing around Brisbane. However fishing land based can be just as successful, just be prepared to bash through the bush!
Here is a list of the all the river and creeks where bass are found:
Targeting bass is best and most exciting on lures. They will take all forms of lures. Spinnerbaits, Hard Bodies, soft plastics and a variety of soft plastics. It’s important to be aware of your surroundings for lure selection. If it has just rained and its an overcast day, surface frog lures can be dynamite! If there is a lot of cicadas making noise, a surface popper or cicada lure cast deep under a tree during low light will produce results!
Some of the bigger rivers will hold schooling bass. These bass are generally from stocked dams. They will school up in the deep sections of the river and stay there. Stark constrast compared to wild bass which will hide out under shade and in deep structure.
Lure technique for bass is generally a slow retrieve with several pauses. Suspending hard body minnow lures work very well. Colour choice doesn’t seem very important for bass.
Plus, where, when and how to fish every spot!
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Ellis Dobson
says:Gday. I fished at jumpinpin bar couple weeks back didn’t have much luck. Do you guys have any tips for targeting flathead and bigger game fish? Thanks
luke
says:Hey mate i find live bait is the best when fishing around Brisbane, gives you the best chance for big flathead.