Fishing Trail Map

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1800 811 728 or 1800 214 789 Information and Bookings Fraser Coast Visitor Information Centre

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PROTECTION FROM PREVAILING WINDS AND ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST SEAGRASS BEDS CREATE A NURSERY AND FEEDING GROUND FOR A REMARKABLE RANGE OF MARINE SPECIES. NO WONDER THE FRASER COAST IS KNOWN AS AUSTRALIA’S HOME OF FISHING.

Fishing the region BLESSED WITH THE GREAT SANDY STRAIT, FRASER ISLAND AND THE MARY RIVER, THE FRASER COAST IS THE FISHING CAPITAL OF AUSTRALIA. RIVERS, CREEKS, FORESHORES AND ROCK GROYNES, ONLY MINUTES AWAY FROM BOAT RAMPS ACROSS THE REGION, MAKE THE FRASER COAST A MUST-VISIT DESTINATION FOR ANY KEEN ANGLER.

The Fraser Coast has one of the few marine areas where the warm northern currents and the cooler southern ocean currents meet, providing a one-stop location where an incredible variety of top angling fish can be caught. The ecological uniqueness and diversity of the region’s waterways provide anglers with double the number of fish species than can be found anywhere else in the country.

Marlin, sailfish, barramundi, bass, long tail tuna and the golden trevally are just some of the iconic sport fish species that live within the Fraser Coast.

Stunning locations Fish offshore, on the beach, in the Mary River or in the maze of estuaries that form part of the stunning Great Sandy Marine Park.

visitfrasercoast.com Snagged a good one? Why not boast and use #fishingfrasercoast

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Locations and Conditions

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Where to launch your boat

TIME OF YEAR FOR KEY SPECIES Barramundi

Bass Black Marlin Blue Marlin and Sailfish Bream

Barramundi are present all year round. However there is a closed season that applies to barramundi between the 1st November and the 1st February of each year All year round October through to early January October through to April All year round; more active June to August

Burrum River, Lake Lenthall, River Heads, Tiaro, Mary River Lake Lenthall, Tinana Creek, Tiaro Platypus Bay and offshore Fraser Island

Great Sandy Strait, River Heads, Susan River Flathead All year round; more active August to November Great Sandy Strait, Fraser Island, River Heads, Mary River, Urangan Pier Golden Trevally All year round; more active August to April Great Sandy Strait, Fraser Island Longtail Tuna Larger specimens of longtail tuna can be caught all year round. Smaller longtail tuna are present in Hervey Bay waters in strong numbers Hervey Bay, Platypus Bay between March and May of each year and will often be seen chasing small bait fish on the water’s surface Reef fish All year round Big Woody, Urangan Pier, 6 Mile Reef and Outer Banks, Southern and Northern Gutters, all reefs in Platypus Bay Snapper Snapper are a winter species and can be caught Toogoom, Roy Rufus Artificial Reef, in abundance between May and September of Southern and Northern Gutters, all each year reefs in Platypus Bay Spanish All year round Burrum Heads, Great Sandy Strait, Mackerel Platypus Bay, Urangan Pier Tailor July to September Fraser Island Whiting All year round Tuan, Boonooroo, Maaroom, Susan River, Mary River, Great Sandy Strait, Platypus Bay, Fraser Island, Hervey Bay (beach and boat)

BOAT RAMPS

operated by Fraser Coast Regional Council

hervey bay

Urangan Boat Harbour Point Vernon: Gatakers Bay, The Gables Scarness: Esplanade Torquay: Esplanade Toogoom: Toogoom Road Beelbi Creek, Moreton Street

When rigging soft plastics, make sure they are rigged straight on the hook for the best swimming action.

maryborough

Granville: Raglan Street Lamington Bridge Aquatic Area: South Street Beaver Rock: Approx 17km from Maryborough along Beaver Rock Road Mary River Parklands: Near the end of March Street coastal areas

Burrum Heads: Caravan Park, Burrum Heads Road, Ross Street Howard: Burrum Barge, Wal’s Camp, Powerhouse Road Tuan: Big Tuan Creek Maaroom: Maaroom Creek Boonooroo: Adjacent to Bates Street Poona: Owen Cox Street adjacent to the caravan park Tinnanbar: Boat Ramp Drive River Heads: Barge Ramp, North Ramp, South Ramp tiaro

Petrie Park: Vandoorn Road woocoo

Yengarie: Pleasant View Road

The ideal time to chase sand whiting is on a . run in tide on the western side of Fraser Island

Say hello to th

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Burrum Out Paddle Heads for Easter Whales Hervey Bay Fishing Classic Whale Festival

Rooney Point

The International Paddle Out for Whales features hundreds VMR Hervey Bay Familyof paddlers all manner of flotation FishingonCompetition devices taking to the water for whale conservation. This event is part of Coast Guard Sandy Straits IFAW’s National Whale Day.

Grab a catch!

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River Heads

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Tinana Creek

Hook Point

Tinnanbar

Inskip Point

Rainbow Beach Tin Can Bay

Double Island Point

ROONEY POINT

THE GREAT SANDY STRAIT

Rooney Point near the northern point of Fraser Island provides the perfect fishing destination for flats and fly fishermen. Anglers can easily spot their targets in crystal clear waters of only 6 feet in depth, which adds to the excitement when experiencing the power of a strong strike on the surface.

The Great Sandy Strait offers a maze of sandbanks, estuaries, and reefs providing a huge variety of fish species to target, some of which are found in both freshwater and salt water.

Rooney Point is accessible all year round, with sheltered conditions generally being favourable.

It also provides one of the few places in the world where black marlin can be caught while sight casting on the fly.

Fly fisherman flock to the Fraser Coast during the juvenile black marlin run between October and December each year to experience the thrill of catching one of the world’s most recognisable and coveted sports fish.

Sheltered by Fraser Island and the mainland of Hervey Bay, Poona, Boonooroo, Tin Can Bay and Rainbow Beach, the Great Sandy Strait provides near-perfect fishing conditions all year round and is suitable for vessels ranging from the humble tinny through to more upmarket houseboating options.

The Great Sandy Strait is home to a wide variety of reef and pelagic fish species but anglers can also encounter flathead, threadfin salmon and the legendary barramundi, particularly around the mouth of the Mary River that spills into the Strait.

HERVEY BAY’S ARTIFICIAL REEFS Hervey Bay is blessed with a number of artificial reefs very close to the Urangan Boat Harbour where they can be accessed by boats of all shapes and sizes. The closest artificial reef is a convenient 5-10 minutes boat ride away from the harbour, in the sheltered waters between Fraser Island and Big Woody Island.

Hervey Bay has also recently become the home of Australia’s largest artificial reef, with a number of high tech purposely constructed artificial reef pieces being installed in several locations close to the Urangan Boat Harbour in 2015.

The artificial reefs provide a good location to catch a huge number of fish species all year round, ranging from large giant trevally, through to mackerel, snapper, coral trout, parrot fish and other popular reef fish species.

VISITFRASERCOAST.COM/FISHING

TOOGOOM

Easy access in local creeks

Toogoom and the surrounding waters are a haven for many species including flathead, bream, snapper, tailor, summer and winter whiting, mangrove jacks and queen fish.

Go up Beelbi Creek for crabbing.

BURRUM HEADS The calm blue waters of this popular seaside village provide an excellent place to fish from the beach, a boat or from the foreshore. Catch mackerel out from the mouth of the Burrum River.

©2015 Fraser Coast Opportunities

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DISCLAIMER: This map is for illustrative purposes only and is not to scale

Yengarie

F1 on water returns for final round call itself the official home of the action! The sound, speed and power Australian Fishing Championships! of these machines are unmatched in The AFC series, now approaching ocean racing and the champion will be its 13th competitive year, is a madecrowned in Hervey Bay. for-TV competition featuring the very best anglers from Australia and Sunday in the Park such as international destinations Live music, entertainment andthe stalls Japan, China, Singapore and USA! from 10.00am - 3.00pm the first Sunday of every month.

Pelagic species such as long tail tuna, mac tuna, mackerel and queen fish are found in strong numbers throughout the year. Others such as snapper, golden trevally, giant trevally, kingfish, cobia and wahoo can also be caught, as well as the iconic sport fish, the black marlin.

Wanggoolba Creek

MARYBOROUGH

Australian Superboat Championships The Fraser Coast can proudly

The best conditions are generally between April and July of each year, whereas some stronger wind conditions can be experienced between October and December.

Kingfisher Bay

Great

Champions!

Platypus Bay is located on the northwestern coast of Fraser Island, and is a prime fishing location offering a huge variety of reef and pelagic fish species for 12 months of the year.

FRASER ISLAND

Big Woody Island

Mary River

Hervey Bay lights up with the locals’ favourite parade and rock out for the whales at this concert for conservation.

PLATYPUS BAY

WORLD HERITAGE AREA

Moon Point

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Lake Lenthall

Tournament Whale Parade & Concert Hervey Bay Whale Festival

Be it fishing off 75 Mile Beach on the eastern side of Fraser Island, at Sandy Cape, Orchid Beach or off the western side jetty, Fraser Island offers a diverse range of fish species that are available all year. Whiting, dart, tailor and jewfish are all common catches off the beaches and jetties.

The iconic Urangan Pier located in Hervey Bay has become an immensely popular fishing location over the years, with the hotspot producing a large number of catches throughout the year for young novice anglers and seasoned pros alike.

Susan River

only seafood festival presented by those who catchBay it. Game Fishing Hervey

World Heritage-listed Fraser Island offers some of the best beach fishing experiences in the world and provides options for young novice anglers and seasoned fishing professionals.

Outer Banks

HERVEY BAY

THE URANGAN PIER

Great Sandy National Park

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Shimano Hervey Bay 200 Hervey Bay Seafood Festival Fraser Island Park TailorUrangan Season Fisherman’s Seafood lovers will revel in Australia’s Weigh-In

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Burrum River

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FRASER ISLAND

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Blessing of the Competition Fleet Poona Fishing Hervey Bay Whale Festival In an age old tradition, the fleet is Fraser Lions Pier Festival blessed and the skies light up to and Fishing Competition commemorate the famous whale

Beach fishing on Fraser Island

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Family Fishing Competition

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Sandy Cape

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Events

The pier stretches almost a kilometre out to sea, providing anglers with excellent access to fishing in slightly deeper waters without the need for a boat. The end of the Urangan Pier is in close proximity to a series of gutters, which are a popular gathering spot amongst fish species who feed in the gutters on the change of the tide.

Catches include longtail tuna, giant and golden trevally, mackerel, cod and other reef and pelagic fish species.

A kilometre-long fishing hotspot

THE MARY RIVER The Mary River offers anglers a sheltered and completely different fishing experience with a diverse range of fish species available all year round.

Flowing north from Crystal Waters, west of Landsborough in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, this beautiful river runs through the towns of Kenilworth, Gympie, Tiaro and Maryborough before dispersing into the Great Sandy Strait at River Heads.

There are 19 creeks and rivers flowing into the Mary River along its way with the largest being Susan River, Tinana Creek, Munna Creek, Yabba Creek, Obi Obi Creek and Kandanga Creek.

From Beaver Rock right through to the mouth of the Mary River at River Heads, the Mary River provides good numbers of bream, threadfin salmon, bass, cod and barramundi. In fact, the Mary River is the southern-most barramundi fishery in Australia.

LAKE LENTHALL Built in 1984, Lake Lenthall was named after a pioneering family in the district and is situated half-way between Maryborough and Torbanlea along the Bruce Highway.

Lake Lenthall offers a superb location for anglers with smaller vessels, and is also proving to be a popular fishing location for fly-fishing anglers chasing a variety of popular freshwater species.

The lake is stocked with bass, yellowbelly, silver perch, spangled perch and barramundi there have also been reports of the elusive saratoga being caught in Lake Lenthall!

PLEASE NOTE Barramundi has a closed season 1st November to 1st February

Charters, guided fishing and boat hire are all available at visitfrasercoast.com/fishing