Fishing is always a fun way to spend a day. It can also be a very frustrating one. That’s why friendly people (like us) put together handy guides to get you started.
We’ve found the best fishing spots that anyone can get to. If you have a tinny, a kayak or just want to walk down the beach with a rod there’s a place for you on the Gold Coast.
TALLEBUDGERA CREEK
Breaking out the tinny? Don’t have a boat? Maybe you have a kayak? It doesn’t matter. Tallebudgera Creek has you covered. Cruise near the mouth of the creek with your tinny to snag a few flathead and then make your way towards the bridges for a chance at some really big fish. Bridges have a tendency to make deep holes, which in fishing terms, is equal to a gold mine.
Don’t have a tinny but you do have a comfy folding chair? You’re in luck. Most of Tallebudgera creek is accessible and parking is everywhere especially further upstream. This is where you can set up a chair, cast your bait into the water and wait for a big bream to swallow it up and jump right onto the BBQ.
BOND UNIVERSITY
School is out and it’s time to fish! Head to Robina and find Bond University for a master class in easy fishing. This location seems a bit odd. We were sceptical as well but once you go there yourself and see the silver flashes of big fish constantly feeding near the tidal gates you’ll enrol in the Uni just so you can fish here more often. They do degrees in baiting a hook, right?
One thing to note here is that Bond University is private property but the good news is the bridge that crosses the lake is on public land! Yay! Access it from Lake Orr Drive and thank us later. Fishing in this urban environment makes you feel like you have a PhD in awesome fishing spots. No boat needed.
GOLD COAST SEAWAY
To fish every metre of good fishing spots on the Gold Coast Seaway would take a lifetime. Not to mention the sand pumping jetty, or any of the other places you can cast a hook in.There are mangrove jacks (the fish equivalent to an angry bull) near the rock walls, bream everywhere and some great spots for flathead under the jetty and in some of the big gutters. Cast a line out and try to keep it close because nothing is worse than having a jet-ski fly by to take your bait for a ride.
The sand pumping jetty costs money to go out and fish on, but the few dollars are worth it when you think of the massive fish you can catch to feed you, your family and all your uncles and aunties as well (if you’re lucky).
JACOBS WELL AND JUMPINPIN
Driving to Jacobs Well is a treat in itself. Weave through beautiful fields and farms and end up at the fishing capital to end all fishing capitals. This town is one giant boat ramp and it’s the gateway to the land of the monster flathead. Jumpinpin. Jacobs Well also leads to the Pimpama River and endless channels, creeks, rivers and gutters that spread as far as your little tinny can take you. This is good because this place isn’t exactly a secret. The parking lot is always full of utes and trailers which means there are fish here and they’re always biting. Rule of thumb in Jumpinpin is; the bigger the bait, the bigger the fish.
SNAPPER ROCKS
Southbound or Northbound you can’t really miss if you start out at Snapper Rocks. Head North towards the Kirra end of things and you’ll find a large gutter. If you fish in here you have a chance at dart, flathead, tailor (in winter) and even the odd jewfish will make an appearance to get your reel screaming.
Head South towards Tweed Heads and you’ll find more gutters and the rock wall along the edge of the Tweed River. This can hide a large number of pelagic fish. Just be careful of the swell because this is Snapper Rocks after all. Surfers don’t flock here by the thousands because of the calm conditions.
Grab the family and make a day of it at Snapper because if the fish aren’t biting at least you’re near one of the most iconic surf breaks in Australia and that should provide enough entertainment for everyone. Not to mention Coolangatta has a few ice-cream shops worth poking your nose into.
So there you have it – a taste of what the Gold Coast can offer a keen fisherman with a free day.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
Destination Gold Coast acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we are situated, the Kombumerri families of the Yugambeh Language Region.
We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, and recognise their continuing connections to the lands, waters and their extended communities throughout Southeast Queensland.