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.
Seaforth Fishing Report
Updated Mon, 9 Nov 2026 from live weather and tide data
The beaches and creeks north of Mackay: Seaforth, Halliday Bay and the Cape Hillsborough coast, with barra, grunter, whiting and mackerel off the islands.
3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Next tide
Low 4:40 pm model
Air / High
25 °C / 30 °C
Wind
NE 5 km/h
Sources: modelled tide curve, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Seaforth is a dawn-and-dusk fishery today, with the middle of the day for moving spots. Today brings cloud cover, wind NE around 5 km/h, steady pressure near 1015 hPa and a high of 31 °C. Tides: high 10:14 am and 10:22 pm, low 4:00 am and 4:40 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 11:03 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, 4:24 AM-5:24 AM. Similar at 30 °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 Seaforth today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:18), 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 4:24 AM-5:24 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
LOW4:00 am-1.63 m
HIGH10:14 am2.72 m
LOW4:40 pm-1.18 m
HIGH10:22 pm1.80 m
Tue
LOW4:32 am-1.34 m
HIGH10:51 am2.65 m
LOW5:19 pm-1.09 m
HIGH11:00 pm1.59 m
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp25 °C
High / Low30 °C / 22 °C
WindNE 5 km/h, gusts 6 km/h
Pressure1015.4 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 82%
Sunrise / Sunset05:18 / 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 Seaforth
Today is the pick of the week on Seaforth, 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
- 4:24 AM-5:24 AM
- Sun
- 05:18 to 18:18
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 14 km/h
- Rain chance
- 82%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on Seaforth: 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 Seaforth 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 Seaforth 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 19 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 18 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 32 °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, at Seaforth or anywhere; the barramundi closed season, the coral reef fin fish rules, the size and bag limits, the crab rules, the northern Spanish mackerel closures and the marine park zoning of the Newry islands apply, on the pages linked below.
About this water
Seaforth is a coastal town in Queensland, Australia, covered from the Queensland reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Seaforth: the full guide
Seaforth and the northern beaches
Seaforth is the beach village on the coast north of Mackay, with the long beach and its ramp, Halliday Bay and Ball Bay to the north, Cape Hillsborough and its national park to the south, mangrove creeks behind the beaches and the islands of the Newry group offshore. It is a beach-and-creek coast facing islands, and the report on this page is scored for the village’s coordinates. Mackay has its own page.
Species and seasons
Barramundi fish the creeks and the drains and are the coast’s fish, outside the east coast closed season of 1 November to 31 January; grunter fish the creek holes and the bays and are the village’s everyday catch; whiting and dart fish the beaches; mangrove jack fish the snags in summer; king threadfin salmon fish the creek mouths; Spanish mackerel run the islands in the cooler months; mud crabs work the creeks under the pot rules; and the reef beyond the islands gives coral trout for the boats. The Newry islands carry marine park green zones.
Where to fish it
Seaforth beach in front of the village is the whiting sand, and the creeks either side of the village are the barra, grunter and crab water for small boats on the run-out; the Newry islands are a short run for the mackerel, and Cape Hillsborough’s beach is the quiet sand. With a range this large, launch and retrieve on the higher half of the tide.
Reading this report here
The coast faces north-east and a northerly roughs the beach while a south-easterly leaves it fishable in the lee of the cape; the wind row tells you which. The tide panel is a modelled curve for the coordinates of Seaforth, labelled as a model, and the range is large, so the creeks empty and the ramp dries at low water. Pressure and sky build the score at Seaforth; the planner shows the day.
Licence, access and rules
Queensland has no general fishing licence, at Seaforth or anywhere; the barramundi closed season, the coral reef fin fish rules, the size and bag limits, the crab rules, the northern Spanish mackerel closures and the marine park zoning of the Newry islands apply, on the pages linked below. The beach, the creeks and the boat ramps are public; the Cape Hillsborough National Park rules are in the sources.
Common questions
What can I catch at Seaforth?
Barramundi in the creeks in the warm season, grunter in the holes and the bays, whiting and dart on the beach, mackerel off the islands in the cooler months, mud crabs in the creeks.
Do I need a licence at Seaforth?
Queensland asks for no licence on the coast north of Mackay, but its limits and closed seasons still bind every angler.
Is fishing good at Seaforth 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.