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.
Bramston Beach Fishing Report
Updated Mon, 9 Nov 2026 from live weather and tide data
The quiet beach between Innisfail and Cairns: the beach, the Russell and Mulgrave mouths and the creek, with whiting, barra, jacks and the reef off Frankland Islands.
3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Next tide
Low 2:37 pm model
Air / High
25 °C / 31 °C
Wind
NNW 6 km/h
Sources: modelled tide curve, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Bramston Beach runs hot and bright: the fish feed early, late and deep. Today brings a mixed sky, wind NNW around 6 km/h, rising pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 31 °C. Tides: high 8:27 am and 7:50 pm, low 1:48 am and 2:37 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 11:14 PM-1:14 AM and 10:50 AM-12:50 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: 11:14 PM-1:14 AM, 10:50 AM-12:50 PM, 4:42 AM-5:42 AM. Similar at 29 °C with likely rain: fish ahead of the front. 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 Bramston Beach today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:34), sunset (18:25), 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 11:14 PM-1:14 AM and 10:50 AM-12:50 PM; minor 4:42 AM-5:42 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
LOW1:48 am-0.50 m
HIGH8:27 am1.43 m
LOW2:37 pm0.17 m
HIGH7:50 pm0.94 m
Tue
LOW2:10 am-0.43 m
HIGH9:04 am1.41 m
LOW3:19 pm0.30 m
HIGH8:10 pm0.78 m
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp25 °C
High / Low31 °C / 24 °C
WindNNW 6 km/h, gusts 12 km/h
Pressure1014.0 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain33% cloud, 29%
Sunrise / Sunset05:34 / 18:25
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 Bramston Beach
Today is the pick of the week on Bramston Beach, at 3 out of 5.
Best day this week: today, 9 Nov — fair at 3/5, rising pressure behind a front, typically the slowest.
Today, 9 Nov — Fair
Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
- Solunar majors
- 11:14 PM-1:14 AM and 10:50 AM-12:50 PM
- Minor period
- 4:42 AM-5:42 AM
- Sun
- 05:34 to 18:25
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 14 km/h
- Rain chance
- 29%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on Bramston 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 Bramston 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 Bramston 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 30 °C, wind to 14 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 30 °C, wind to 13 km/h.
Fri, Nov 6
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 31 °C, wind to 11 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, at Bramston Beach or anywhere; the barramundi closed season, the coral reef fin fish rules, the size and bag limits, the northern Spanish mackerel closures and the marine park zoning of the Franklands apply, on the pages linked below.
About this water
Bramston Beach is a coastal town in Queensland, Australia, covered from the Queensland reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Bramston Beach: the full guide
Bramston Beach and the river mouths
Bramston Beach is the small village on the coast between Innisfail and Cairns, at the end of a road through the cane from the highway, with the long beach, the mouth of the Russell and Mulgrave rivers at the northern end, a creek behind the village, the rainforest ranges behind that and the Frankland Islands offshore. It is a beach village between two river mouths, and the report on this page is scored for the village’s coordinates. The Russell River and Innisfail have their own pages.
Species and seasons
Whiting and dart fish the beach all year and are the village’s fish; barramundi fish the river mouths and the creek outside the 1 November to 31 January closed season; mangrove jack fish the creek snags in summer; grunter and bream fish the mouths; queenfish and trevally work the mouth on the run-out; Spanish mackerel run the islands in the cooler months; mud crabs work the creek under the pot rules; and the reef off the Franklands gives coral trout for the boats. The mouth of the Russell shifts with the wet season.
Where to fish it
Bramston beach in front of the village is the whiting and dart sand, fished on the rising tide, and the Russell and Mulgrave mouth at the northern end of the beach is the barra, jack and trevally water for small boats on the run-out; The creek behind the village is the crab and bream water. Small boats work from the village, and the Frankland Islands are a short run for the reef fishers.
Reading this report here
The coast faces east and a south-easterly builds the surf and closes the beach while the creek and the mouths stay fishable; the wind row tells you which. The tide panel is a modelled curve for the coordinates of Bramston Beach, labelled as a model, and the mouths run on it. Pressure and sky build the score at Bramston Beach, and the rain row matters because the wet season floods both rivers; the planner shows the day.
Licence, access and rules
Queensland has no general fishing licence, at Bramston Beach or anywhere; the barramundi closed season, the coral reef fin fish rules, the size and bag limits, the northern Spanish mackerel closures and the marine park zoning of the Franklands apply, on the pages linked below. The beach and the creek are public; the crocodile and stinger warnings are the other rules to read.
Common questions
What can I catch at Bramston Beach?
Whiting and dart on the beach, barramundi at the river mouths in the warm season, mangrove jack in the creek in summer, mackerel off the islands in the cooler months.
Do I need a licence at Bramston Beach?
No. Between Innisfail and Cairns the tidal water is licence-free; closed seasons and limits apply.
Is fishing good at Bramston 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.