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.
Townsville Fishing Report
Updated Mon, 9 Nov 2026 from live weather and tide data
Cleveland Bay, the Strand, the Ross River and Magnetic Island: the dry-tropics city with the reef offshore and barramundi in the creeks.
3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Next tide
Low 3:12 pm model
Air / High
28 °C / 31 °C
Wind
NE 13 km/h
Sources: modelled tide curve, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Townsville runs hot and bright: the fish feed early, late and deep. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 13 km/h, steady pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 31 °C. Tides: high 8:18 am and 7:47 pm, low 2:08 am and 3:12 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 11:11 PM-1:11 AM and 10:47 AM-12:47 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: 11:11 PM-1:11 AM, 10:47 AM-12:47 PM, 4:35 AM-5:35 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 Townsville today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:28), sunset (18:24), 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 11:11 PM-1:11 AM and 10:47 AM-12:47 PM; minor 4:35 AM-5:35 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
LOW2:08 am-0.62 m
HIGH8:18 am1.59 m
LOW3:12 pm0.01 m
HIGH7:47 pm1.08 m
Tue
LOW2:16 am-0.51 m
HIGH8:55 am1.54 m
LOW3:54 pm0.17 m
HIGH8:08 pm0.92 m
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp28 °C
High / Low31 °C / 27 °C
WindNE 13 km/h, gusts 26 km/h
Pressure1013.8 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain19% cloud, 43%
Sunrise / Sunset05:28 / 18:24
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 Townsville
Today is the pick of the week on Townsville, 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
- 11:11 PM-1:11 AM and 10:47 AM-12:47 PM
- Minor period
- 4:35 AM-5:35 AM
- Sun
- 05:28 to 18:24
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 16 km/h
- Rain chance
- 43%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on Townsville: 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 Townsville 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 Townsville 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 16 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 16 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 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 marine park zoning apply, on the pages linked below.
About this water
Townsville is a coastal town in Queensland, Australia, covered from the Queensland reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Townsville: the full guide
Townsville and its water
Townsville sits on Cleveland Bay in the dry tropics of north Queensland, with Magnetic Island across the bay, the Ross River running through the city, the creeks and mangroves of the bay’s shores and the Great Barrier Reef offshore. The fishing is the Strand and the rock walls of the port, the Ross River and its weirs, the creeks toward the Haughton and the Burdekin, the beaches and headlands of the island, and the reef and the shoals for the boats. The dry tropics still have a wet season, and it sets the calendar here as it does further north.
Species by season
Barramundi fish the creeks, the river and the bay foreshores, closed on the east coast from 1 November to 31 January, with the run-off at the end of the wet the classic time; Aplins, Gleeson’s and Black weirs on the Ross River are stocked impoundments on the Queensland Government’s list, stocked with barramundi. Mangrove jack and grunter fish the creeks and the rocks, queenfish and trevally the bay and the island on the tide, and Spanish mackerel run the shoals and the headlands in the cooler months, with two northern closures in October and November set to the new moons. The reef gives coral trout, nannygai and the reef species under the coral reef fin fish rules, and mud crabs are a pot fishery in the creeks.
Reading this report here
The south-easterly trade wind is the row to read through the dry season: it decides whether the bay and the reef are reachable and pushes the fishing into the river and the creeks. Pressure matters for barramundi, with a falling barometer in the build-up the classic bite, and the rain row shows the wet. The tide panel is a modelled curve for these coordinates, labelled as a model; the creeks run on big tides, so use the curve for direction and the Bureau of Meteorology prediction for the minute. Estuarine crocodiles live in Townsville’s creeks and the river, so keep back from the water’s edge.
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 marine park zoning apply, on the pages linked below. The three Ross River weirs are inside the Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme, which our Queensland licence page explains. The Strand, the rock walls, the river and the beaches are public, and the state facility list has the Townsville Recreational Boating Park ramps and the Ross Creek ramps on Sir Leslie Thiess Drive.
Common questions
Do I need a permit to fish the Ross River weirs?
Aplins, Gleeson’s and Black weirs are in the Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme, which needs a permit from age 18; our Queensland licence page has the prices. Elsewhere, no licence applies.
When is barramundi season in Townsville?
The east coast is closed to barramundi from 1 November to 31 January, as the Queensland Government publishes; the run-off after the wet is the classic time, and the species card rates the month and today’s conditions.
Is fishing good at Townsville 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.