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.
Cardwell Fishing Report
Updated Mon, 9 Nov 2026 from live weather and tide data
The town on the Hinchinbrook Channel: the jetty, the creeks and the mangroves, with barra, jacks and grunter, and the island across the water.
3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Next tide
Low 2:46 pm model
Air / High
25 °C / 31 °C
Wind
NNE 6 km/h
Sources: modelled tide curve, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Cardwell runs hot and bright: the fish feed early, late and deep. Today brings clear skies, wind NNE around 6 km/h, steady pressure near 1015 hPa and a high of 32 °C. Tides: high 8:20 am and 8:10 pm, low 2:00 am and 2:46 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, 4:40 AM-5:40 AM. Similar at 30 °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 Cardwell today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:33), sunset (18:26), 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 4:40 AM-5:40 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
LOW2:00 am-0.72 m
HIGH8:20 am1.66 m
LOW2:46 pm0.00 m
HIGH8:10 pm1.14 m
Tue
LOW2:32 am-0.58 m
HIGH9:04 am1.62 m
LOW3:28 pm0.17 m
HIGH8:43 pm0.94 m
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp25 °C
High / Low31 °C / 24 °C
WindNNE 6 km/h, gusts 17 km/h
Pressure1014.7 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain23% cloud, 71%
Sunrise / Sunset05:33 / 18:26
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 Cardwell
Today is the pick of the week on Cardwell, 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
- 11:14 PM-1:14 AM and 10:50 AM-12:50 PM
- Minor period
- 4:40 AM-5:40 AM
- Sun
- 05:33 to 18:26
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 10 km/h
- Rain chance
- 71%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on Cardwell: 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 Cardwell 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 Cardwell 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 34 °C, wind to 10 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 33 °C, wind to 8 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 34 °C, wind to 8 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 Cardwell or anywhere; the barramundi closed season, the coral reef fin fish rules, the size and bag limits, the Spanish mackerel closures north of 22°S in October and November and the marine park zoning of the channel apply, on the pages linked below.
About this water
Cardwell is a coastal town in Queensland, Australia, covered from the Queensland reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Cardwell: the full guide
Cardwell and the channel
Cardwell is the highway town on the shore of the Hinchinbrook Channel between Ingham and Tully, with the jetty and the foreshore facing Hinchinbrook Island, the mangrove creeks north and south of the town, the mangroves of the channel and the reef beyond the island. It is a channel town, and the report on this page is scored for the town’s coordinates. Lucinda at the channel’s southern end has its own page.
Species and seasons
Barramundi fish the creeks, the snags and the drains and are the town’s fish, with the east coast closed season shutting them from 1 November to 31 January; mangrove jack fish the snags in summer; grunter and fingermark fish the channel holes and the jetty at night; queenfish and trevally work the jetty; Spanish mackerel run the reef and the island points in the cooler months; mud crabs work the creeks under the pot rules; and the reef gives coral trout and red emperor for the boats. Salmon, both blue and king threadfin, fish the flats.
Where to fish it
Cardwell jetty on the foreshore is the walk-on mark for grunter, fingermark and trevally, fished at night, and the creeks either side of the town are the barra and jack water for small boats on the run-out; the channel’s flats off the town are the threadfin salmon water. Boats launch from the town.
Reading this report here
The island shelters the channel and the creeks fish in most weather; the wind row matters at the jetty and for the reef. The tide panel is a modelled curve for the coordinates of Cardwell, labelled as a model, and the creeks run on it, with the last of the run-out the barra tide. Pressure and sky build the score at Cardwell, and the rain row matters in the wet season; the planner shows the day.
Licence, access and rules
Queensland has no general fishing licence, at Cardwell or anywhere; the barramundi closed season, the coral reef fin fish rules, the size and bag limits, the Spanish mackerel closures north of 22°S in October and November and the marine park zoning of the channel apply, on the pages linked below. The jetty, the foreshore and the creeks are public, with boat launching at the town; the crocodile warnings are the other rule to read.
Common questions
What can I catch at Cardwell?
Barramundi in the creeks in the warm season, mangrove jack in summer, grunter and fingermark at the jetty at night, mackerel off the island in the cooler months, reef fish for the boats.
Do I need a licence at Cardwell?
Not in Queensland: there is no recreational fishing licence for tidal water, only limits and closed seasons.
Is fishing good at Cardwell 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.