The Pine Rivers system...
Unveiling the Hidden Gems: The Five Best Lure Fishing Spots in Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay, situated along the southeastern coast of Queensland, Australia, is a haven for fishing enthusiasts seeking to experience the thrill of battling a variety of sport and table. Known for its diverse ecosystem and abundant marine life, lure fishing in Moreton Bay offers a plethora of opportunities for anglers of all skill levels. In this article, we delve into the five best fishing spots in Moreton Bay, where anglers can enjoy bountiful catches and create unforgettable memories.
Note that there are a number of green zones in Moreton Bay, so please familiarise yourself before hitting the water.
Five Moreton Bay Fishing Spots
Amity Point, North Stradbroke Island
Amity Point on North Stradbroke Island is a Moreton Bay fishing paradise, drawing land-based and boating anglers from near and far. Renowned for its crystal-clear waters and abundant fish population, this spot is ideal for both seasoned anglers and beginners. Amity Point’s jetty provides easy access to productive fishing grounds, where you can catch a variety of species including bream, whiting, tailor, flathead, and even the occasional spotted mackerel or longtail tuna. The rock walls can produce the same species, plus grass sweetlip and occassional kingfish. Arrow and tiger squid are also a viable target from the jetty and rock walls. The stunning island backdrop adds to the charm of this serene fishing location.
Peel Island
Situated in the southern part of Moreton Bay, Peel Island is easily accessible by small boat from Wellington Point or Raby Bay when conditions are favourable. This does make it a very popular destination and heavy boat traffic on long weekends and holidays can make the fishing a little tough. With its well-preserved marine habitats, rocky outcrops and seagrass beds an array of species such as snapper, cod, sweetlip, and trevally are on offer, with jewfish, spotted mackerel, whiting and even the occassional coral trout showing up in the right places.
Rous Channel
Rous Channel, located between Moreton and North Stradbroke Islands, is a go-to destination for anglers seeking larger game fish. This deep-water passage is frequented by schools of pelagic species like school and spotted mackerel, longtail tuna and cobia. The current rips through this area, but on smaller tides or around the turn it’s a great place to fish for jewfish, snapper and a range of reef species. Moving up onto amity banks and around the weedbeds will reward anglers with whiting and very large tiger squid.
Artificial Reefs
There are eight artificial reef structures specifically designated for fishing in Moreton Bay. These are
easy to find and attract a wide variety of marine life, making them excellent fishing spots for those new to the area. A quick check of the Qld Parks website will provide GPS marks for these structures. They’re often teeming with fish like snapper, sweetlip, and coral trout, with mackerel, kingfish, cobia and longtail tuna often moving through as they follow bait schools. It’s worth doing some research as the currents can be extremely strong on many of these systems, which may dictate when or how you fish them.
Pearl Channel
Situated at the northern end of Moreton Bay, Pearl Channel is a deepwater passage flanked by sand banks and patches of fringing reef. It’s a prime place to target pelagics such as school and spotted mackerel as well as kingfish. Working the tides will also produce demersal species such as snapper and large estuary cod, whilst the banks can produce whiting and bream at times.
Moreton Bay Fishing By Season
Spring
Those fishing in Moreton Bay during spring months might notice water temperatures beginning to rise as the East Australian Current strengthens offshore of the Bay. Early in the season the usual winter species, such as snapper and sweetlip are still on the chew, but as the season progresses the pelagic species start to move in. Captures of spotted mackerel, cobia and longtail tuna increase throughout the bay.
Summer
The summer months are when most of the rain falls in this part of the world, so the western side of the bay is frequently blighted by dirty water as the rivers are in full flow. This pushes the bait to the western side of the bay and the deeper channels, reef structures, ledges and dropoffs. Pelagic species such as yellowtail kingfish, spotted mackerel, longtail and mack tuna, plus cobia come into the bay to feed on the prolific bait at these times and the action can be frantic.
Autumn
The transition from summer to autumn sees many of the pelagics leave the bay system as the water cools in late April or into May. A few cobia will stick around (usually the bigger specimens), but the reef fish such as snapper become more commonplace. Squid, tailor and jewfish will become more prevalent as the winter approaches.
Winter
The winter months usually produce a run of school mackerel, snapper and assorted reef species. The dry, cool weather often results in clear water, which favours a run of tiger squid.
ALF Episodes About Fishing Moreton Bay
Lure Fishing Paradise: Queensland’s Scarborough and Redcliffe Fishing Spots
This article provides a quick rundown on some fishing spots around the Scarborough (Qld) and Redcliffe peninsula areas. Plenty of opportunities for land-based, kayak and boating anglers to target a wide range of species.
Squid Fishing Masterclass: Trolling Squid In Moreton Bay
Usually trolling isn’t the first technique that comes to mind when we talk about catching squid, but for Greg Lamprecht it’s proven to be a deadly technique.
Discover the Best Fishing Spots in Southeast Queensland this Spring
For the boating angler, Southeast Queensland during spring is all about big snapper, quality jewfish, threadfin salmon, flathead and plenty more! Nabeel Issa is a multiple time ALF podcast guest and always has plenty of great info to share. Today he walks us through why spring is his favourite time to fish in SEQ and gives us the rundown on how, when and where.
Make A Splash: Surface Lure Fishing Strategies for Landing Moreton Bay Snapper
Most snapper fishers turn to soft plastic lures, but today’s guest George Mole has Moreton Bay’s snapper population figured out on hard bodies.
Lure Fishing for Bream in Moreton Bay: How to Maximize Your Success
2021 Queensland Open Bream Tournament Champ Blake O’Grady shares his tips for targeting Brisbane’s bream population in todays ALF interview.
Episode 389: Moreton Bay Surface Snapper With Mike Connolly
Moreton Bay is a snapper fisho’s paradise, with quality snapper in very shallow water. Mike Connolly explains.
Episode 339: SE Queensland Giant Herring With Beau Rixon
Giant herring are an awesome sportfishing target and are more available around SE Queensland than most angler realise. Beau Rixon shares his tips for giant herring fishing in Episode 339.
Episode 277: Cape Moreton Kingfish With Jim Potts
Cape Moreton is a great place to target lots of species on metal jigs, but kingfish are definitely a favourite. In Episode 277 Brisbane based jigging addict Jim Potts takes us to the cape in search of Kings.
Lure Fishing Tips and Techniques for Moreton Bay Gold Spot Cod
Gold Spot (Estuary) cod are often caught as by-catch but are not often targeted. Brisbane angler and fishing writer Peter Kaye reckons they’re a top sportfish, and he’s put some serious effort into figuring them out.
Pink Gold: How to Catch Snapper Using Lures in Moreton Bay
When it comes to snapper fishing Moreton Bay has plenty to offer the small boat and kayak angler….. possibly even the land based fisher too, explains Peter Kaye
Moreton Bay Ghosts: Lure Fishing for Jewfish On Brissie’s Doorstep
In this episode Nabeel Issa explains his strategies for finding and catching Moreton Bay jewfish. You’ll be surprised just how prevalent this species is in the bay, and Nabeel will arm you with the knowledge you’ll need to successfully target them.
Speed Demons: Moreton Bay Longtail Tuna On Lures
Sometimes the trick to catching Moreton Bay’s speedster longtail tuna is to slow things down a touch, as Nabeel Issa explains.