MyNoosaHeads
The Noosa River mouth, viewed from the headland — the principal recreational fishing water for the shire.

The Noosa River mouth, viewed from the headland — the principal recreational fishing water for the shire.

Photo: dronepicr / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Recreational fishing · QLD rules apply

Fishing in Noosa

Recreational fishing in Queensland is governed by a size-and-possession-limit framework administered by the Department of Primary Industries. The BOM tide for Tewantin and the sun-moon data on this page help you pick a window. The rest is up to you — and the fish.

A light spin at first light.

Editorial body

What you can take

The QLD recreational fishing rules set out size limits, possession limits, and closed seasons for each species. Common Noosa targets — bream, flathead, whiting, dart, and tailor — are well covered in the tables. Marine crustaceans (mud crabs, sand crabs) have separate rules. The full table is on the QLD site; link in the sidebar.

If you’re heading out for the first time, take a screenshot of the rules table for the species you’re targeting. Infringement notices are issued on the spot; the fine schedule is published by QPS.

The Noosa River at low tide — the principal fishing water for bream, flathead, and whiting.
The Noosa River at low tide — the principal fishing water for bream, flathead, and whiting.Photo: Kgbo / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Where to fish

The Noosa River is the easiest access: flathead and bream along the sand flats, whiting on the grass beds, and the occasional threadfin salmon in the deeper holes. The river mouth is closed to all net fishing; line fishing is fine.

Off the surf beaches: tailor and dart on the gutters during a run-out tide; bream at first light around the rock walls. The rocks at the headland are technical — stay off the wet rocks and keep an eye on the swell.

Long beach panorama from the headland — the gutters on the southern end hold tailor and dart.
Long beach panorama from the headland — the gutters on the southern end hold tailor and dart.Photo: Kgbo / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

When to fish — tides and moon

The old saw is that the change of the tide is the bite. Many Noosa River anglers report that the last two hours of the outgoing tide and the first two hours of the incoming are the productive windows — but treat any tide rule as a tiebreaker, not a guarantee (anecdotal — confirm with the official QLD fisheries forecast and the day's tide tables) [Source: Queensland Department of Primary Industries — Recreational fishing rules and size/possession limits, https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/activities/boating-fishing/rec-fishing; BOM Tewantin tide predictions, https://www.bom.gov.au/australia/tides/#!/qld-tewantin]. The solunar table on this page (sun + moon) is the same data printed in the almanacs; treat it as a tiebreaker, not a guarantee.

Child building a sandcastle at Noosa Main Beach — the weekday rhythm of the lagoon.
Child building a sandcastle at Noosa Main Beach — the weekday rhythm of the lagoon.Photo: Kgbo / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Boat fishing

If you’re fishing outside the bar, check the BOM forecast and the MSQ bar crossing bulletin the morning of. The bar is shallow and shifts. If you don’t know the bar well, go with a local for the first crossing.

Newlyweds on Noosa Main Beach, February 2017 — the bay at its calmest.
Newlyweds on Noosa Main Beach, February 2017 — the bay at its calmest.Photo: Kgbo / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

What this page doesn’t do

We don’t run a live fish-catch feed. Catch data is sometimes available via subscription services; we don’t participate. The point of this page is the rules and the tides — both are public, both are free, and both are easy to get wrong.

The Noosa River at low tide — the principal fishing water for bream, flathead, and whiting.
The Noosa River at low tide — the principal fishing water for bream, flathead, and whiting.Photo: Kgbo / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0