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.
Innisfail Fishing Report
Updated Mon, 9 Nov 2026 from live weather and tide data
The wet-tropics river town: the Johnstone River and its north and south branches, Flying Fish Point and Etty Bay, and the barramundi, jack and grunter of the cane country.
2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Next tide
Low 2:40 pm model
Air / High
26 °C / 32 °C
Wind
N 3 km/h
Sources: modelled tide curve, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Innisfail is in full summer mode: early starts, shade at midday, and the evening change. Today brings clear skies, wind N around 3 km/h, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 32 °C. Tides: high 8:25 am and 7:53 pm, low 1:48 am and 2:40 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, 4:41 AM-5:41 AM. Similar at 31 °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 Innisfail 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 4:41 AM-5:41 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-0.52 m
HIGH8:25 am1.45 m
LOW2:40 pm0.15 m
HIGH7:53 pm0.95 m
Tue
LOW2:11 am-0.45 m
HIGH9:04 am1.43 m
LOW3:22 pm0.29 m
HIGH8:12 pm0.79 m
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp26 °C
High / Low32 °C / 23 °C
WindN 3 km/h, gusts 7 km/h
Pressure1013.3 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain13% cloud, 30%
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 Innisfail
The best day on Innisfail this week looks like Tuesday 10 Nov, at 3 out of 5, against 2 today.
Best day this week: Tuesday, 10 Nov — fair at 3/5, rising pressure behind a front, typically the slowest.
Today, 9 Nov — Tough
Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
- Solunar majors
- 11:14 PM-1:14 AM and 10:50 AM-12:50 PM
- Minor period
- 4:41 AM-5:41 AM
- Sun
- 05:34 to 18:25
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 14 km/h
- Rain chance
- 30%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on Innisfail: 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 Innisfail 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 Innisfail 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 31 °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 31 °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 32 °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; the barramundi and Spanish mackerel closures, the size and bag limits, the coral reef fin fish rules and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park zoning apply, on the pages linked below.
About this water
Innisfail is a coastal town in Queensland, Australia, covered from the Queensland reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Innisfail: the full guide
Innisfail and the Johnstone
Innisfail is the sugar town of the wet tropics between Cairns and Townsville, at the junction of the North and South Johnstone rivers, with the town’s wharves and bridges on the river, the tidal Johnstone running out past Flying Fish Point to the Coral Sea, Etty Bay and the beaches to the south, and the rainforest ranges and the cane behind. It is high-rainfall country and the river floods in the wet; it is also a barramundi, jack and grunter river and a beach coast, fished from the wharves, the walls and the beaches and from boats along the river and out to the reef. This page’s report is scored at the town, not out on the reef.
Species and seasons
Barramundi fish the river snags, the walls and the mouth on the run-off and the build-up, closed from 1 November to 31 January; mangrove jack fish the snags and the rock walls through the warm months; grunter, fingermark and queenfish fish the mouth and Flying Fish Point on the tide; and sooty grunter and jungle perch hold in the fresh reaches of the two branches under the freshwater limits. Mud crabs are a pot fishery in the mangroves, Spanish mackerel run the headlands and the reef in the cooler months and close around the October and November new moons, and Etty Bay gives whiting and flathead on the beach.
Reading this report for the Johnstone
Rain decides the river more than anything: a fresh colours it for days and a wet-season flood changes it for weeks, and the rain row is the first thing to read. The tide reaches the town, and the tide panel, a modelled curve for these coordinates labelled as a model, gives its direction, with the Bureau of Meteorology for the times; the trade wind decides whether the reef and the coast are reachable; and barramundi feed hardest, as a rule, on a falling barometer. Estuarine crocodiles live in the river and can appear at the beaches.
Rules and access
Queensland has no general fishing licence; the barramundi and Spanish mackerel closures, the size and bag limits, the coral reef fin fish rules and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park zoning apply, on the pages linked below. The wharves, the walls, Flying Fish Point and Etty Bay are public, and boats launch on the river for both the estuary and the reef.
Common questions
Do I need a fishing licence in Innisfail?
No. Queensland does not license recreational fishing; closed seasons, size and bag limits and the reef zoning are what apply.
What can I catch in the Johnstone River?
Barramundi on the run-off and the build-up, mangrove jack in the warm months, grunter, fingermark and queenfish at the mouth, sooty grunter in the fresh and mud crabs in the mangroves.
Is fishing good at Innisfail right now?
Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
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.