Barramundi
Closed today
Reopens 1 Feb 2027. Closed 1 November to 31 January on the east coast, tidal and fresh, except in the stocked dams the Queensland Government lists. No catch and release in the closure.
Airlie Beach Fishing Report
Updated Mon, 9 Nov 2026 from live weather and tide data
The gateway to the Whitsundays: the marinas, Shute Harbour, the mangrove creeks and the island passages with the reef beyond.
3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Next tide
Low 4:21 pm model
Air / High
25 °C / 29 °C
Wind
NE 9 km/h
Sources: modelled tide curve, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Airlie Beach runs hot and bright: the fish feed early, late and deep. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 10 km/h, steady pressure near 1016 hPa and a high of 29 °C. Tides: high 9:55 am and 9:51 pm, low 3:23 am and 4:21 pm: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 29 °C for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:03 PM-1:03 AM and 10:39 AM-12:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.
Spanish mackerel
Closed today
Reopens 28 Nov 2026. East coast waters north of 22°S (just north of Stanage Bay) close to Spanish mackerel for two three-week periods set by the October and November new moons; do not target them then.
Coral trout
Closed today
Reopens 11 Nov 2026. All coral reef fin fish (coral trout, cods and groupers, emperors and the other listed reef species) are closed for two 5-day periods around the October and November new moons, in tidal waters from Cape York south to 24°50′S.
Tie on: Soft plastic, 3 to 5 inch paddle tail · Pilchard on ganged hooks · Metal slug, 20 to 40 g · Surface walker at first light. Prime windows: 11:03 PM-1:03 AM, 10:39 AM-12:39 PM, 4:26 AM-5:26 AM. Similar at 28 °C with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.
Before you go
Queensland has no general fishing licence, but rules and permits apply. Queensland fishing licence: cost, rules and where to buy →
Chasing barramundi here? Check the size and bag limits with Queensland DPI before you keep anything; the Barramundi page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for Airlie Beach today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:19), sunset (18:18), the moon and today's score, with the modelled tide changes in the panel below. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 11:03 PM-1:03 AM and 10:39 AM-12:39 PM; minor 4:26 AM-5:26 AM. New Moon, 0% lit.
Water and weather
A modelled tide curve for these coordinates and the forecast for the day.
Tides (modelled)
Modelled sea level curve from Open-Meteo Marine for these coordinates, datum mean sea level. Fish the moving water either side of each change.
A model, not the official prediction: times can drift by tens of minutes inside bays and estuaries. Check the Bureau of Meteorology tide predictions for the exact times before you rely on them.
Mon
LOW3:23 am-0.79 m
HIGH9:55 am1.90 m
LOW4:21 pm-0.37 m
HIGH9:51 pm1.09 m
Tue
LOW3:52 am-0.64 m
HIGH10:32 am1.83 m
LOW5:05 pm-0.29 m
HIGH10:30 pm0.87 m
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp25 °C
High / Low29 °C / 24 °C
WindNE 9 km/h, gusts 19 km/h
Pressure1015.5 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain22% cloud, 73%
Sunrise / Sunset05:19 / 18:18
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~29 °C est.
Why the tide matters here: tides and fishing in Australia.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Airlie Beach
Today is the pick of the week on Airlie Beach, at 3 out of 5.
Best day this week: today, 9 Nov — fair at 3/5, steady pressure, neither help nor hindrance.
Today, 9 Nov — Fair
Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
- Solunar majors
- 11:03 PM-1:03 AM and 10:39 AM-12:39 PM
- Minor period
- 4:26 AM-5:26 AM
- Sun
- 05:19 to 18:18
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 14 km/h
- Rain chance
- 73%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on Airlie Beach: seasons written for the southern year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
Barramundi
Run-off (March to May) and build-up (October to November) in the north; check the closed season on the Queensland east coast
Closed now Reopens 1 Feb 2027. Closed 1 November to 31 January on the east coast, tidal and fresh, except in the stocked dams the Queensland Government lists. No catch and release in the closure. Rule as read from Queensland Department of Primary Industries on 2026-09-23.
The north's fish. Tidal rivers, run-off creeks, rock bars and the stocked impoundments. Warm water, moving water and a barometer on the way down.
Spanish mackerel
Winter and spring in the north; summer in NSW
Closed now Reopens 28 Nov 2026. East coast waters north of 22°S (just north of Stanage Bay) close to Spanish mackerel for two three-week periods set by the October and November new moons; do not target them then. Rule as read from Queensland Department of Primary Industries on 2026-09-27.
The narrow-barred Spanish mackerel: a speedster of the headlands, reefs and shoals from Queensland around to northern WA, and a summer visitor to NSW.
Coral trout
Year-round on the reef; in Queensland two 5-day closures around the October and November new moons cover all coral reef fin fish
Closed now Reopens 11 Nov 2026. All coral reef fin fish (coral trout, cods and groupers, emperors and the other listed reef species) are closed for two 5-day periods around the October and November new moons, in tidal waters from Cape York south to 24°50′S. Rule as read from Queensland Department of Primary Industries on 2026-09-29.
The main line-caught reef fish of the Great Barrier Reef, holding on coral outcrops and reef edges from a few metres to 100 metres, and gathering to spawn around the new moons of spring and summer. Queensland sets a 38 cm minimum and a combined limit of 7 coral trout, and closes all coral reef fin fish for two 5-day periods in October and November.
When to come: the Airlie Beach calendar
Activity by species and month for the southern year, and how the water warms and cools. Tap any cell.
Species activity by month
1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted. January is midsummer here.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Barramundi
Spanish mackerel
Coral trout
SlowPeak
Water temperature through the year
Typical surface temperature for this water type in degrees Celsius; today is around 29 °C (estimated, not a reading).
Angler reports
Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. Nothing here is copied from a shop or a charter. The water log below tracks each day automatically.
No angler reports yetBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Airlie Beach today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataSun, Nov 8
3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Barramundi led the card at excellent. High of 29 °C, wind to 18 km/h.
Sat, Nov 7
3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Barramundi led the card at excellent. High of 29 °C, wind to 16 km/h.
Fri, Nov 6
4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Barramundi led the card at excellent. High of 30 °C, wind to 16 km/h.
Before you go
Licence
Queensland has no general recreational fishing licence; permits apply on some waters and the limits and closures do. Details and where to buy →
Regulations
Size and bag limits, closed seasons and marine park zones are set by Queensland DPI and change: confirm the current rules on the agency page linked from the Queensland licence page before you keep anything.
Access
Queensland has no general fishing licence; the barramundi, Spanish mackerel and coral reef fin fish closures, the size and bag limits and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park zoning apply, on the pages linked below, and the zoning map shows the green zones to avoid before you fish near an island.
About this water
Airlie Beach is a coastal town in Queensland, Australia, covered from the Queensland reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Airlie Beach: the full guide
Airlie Beach and the islands
Airlie Beach is the resort town of the Whitsunday coast in north Queensland, on Pioneer Bay with the marinas and the boardwalk in front, Shute Harbour and the island ferries to the east, the creeks and mangroves of the bay either side, and the Whitsunday Islands and the reef beyond them. It is a boat town before a shore town: the islands and their passages are the fishery most people mean, but the marinas, the rock walls and the creeks fish from the shore on the tide. The report is scored for Airlie Beach’s coordinates.
Species and seasons
Spanish mackerel run the island passages and the headlands in the cooler months, and north of latitude 22°S they are closed around the new moons of October and November, 8 to 29 October and 6 to 27 November in 2026; queenfish and trevally fish the bay, the marinas and the beaches on the tide; coral trout, nannygai and the reef species fish the island fringing reefs and the outer reef, closed for five days in October and five in November; and barramundi, mangrove jack and grunter fish the creeks on the run-off and the build-up, with barramundi closed from 1 November to 31 January. Mud crabs are potted in the mangrove creeks around the bay.
Reading this report for the Whitsundays
The south-easterly trade wind decides everything on this coast: it makes the passages rough and the outer reef hard to reach through much of the dry season, and the lee sides of the islands and the creeks are the fallback. A dropping barometer in the build-up is the barramundi signal, and the rain row shows the wet arriving. The tide panel is a modelled curve for these coordinates, labelled as a model; the Whitsundays have big tides and the passages run hard, so use the curve for the direction and the Bureau of Meteorology prediction for the minute. Estuarine crocodiles live in the creeks, and marine stingers are a summer hazard in the water.
Rules and access
Queensland has no general fishing licence; the barramundi, Spanish mackerel and coral reef fin fish closures, the size and bag limits and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park zoning apply, on the pages linked below, and the zoning map shows the green zones to avoid before you fish near an island. The boardwalk, the marina walls and the creek mouths are public, and the islands are reached by ferry, charter or private boat.
Common questions
Do I need a fishing licence in Airlie Beach?
No. There is no recreational fishing licence in Queensland; the closures, the limits and the marine park green zones apply.
What can I catch in the Whitsundays?
Spanish mackerel in the passages in the cooler months, queenfish and trevally on the tide, coral trout and the reef species on the reefs, and barramundi and jack in the creeks.
Is fishing good at Airlie Beach right now?
Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Nearby waters
Where this page's numbers come from
- Tide curve (modelled)
- Open-Meteo Marine, sea level height including tides
- Open-Meteo forecast model
- https://open-meteo.com/
- Moon and solunar windows
- Calculated on this site
- Pages checked
- The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on How our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.