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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Good place to fish with baits over summer for Mangrove Jack. Trevally are also around mostly during Spring.
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.
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
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.
Best fished from Spring to Summer, live bait for Mangrove Jack early morning and afternoon into the night.
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.
Fish around the mouth of the creek on the run out tide for Flathead. Red or pink soft plastic lures work well here.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Approximately 8km offshore, the outer Gneerings Shoals have many options for reef fishing. The waters produce Pink Snapper, Cobia, Emperor, Kingfish and summer pelagics.
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