Fishing tips Moreton Bay July 2025

There are still lots of options for anglers this month.

Inshore reefs and bay waters

The diver whiting are in full swing and are a great species for the whole family to target. They are commonly called winter whiting (trumpeter whiting in NSW) but are found in Moreton Bay all year round. They are though more abundant on the western side of Moreton Bay during winter.

Diver whiting have always been a popular species for small boat fishers in Deception and Bramble Bay. The Cockle Banks out from Scarborough is a productive spot for them, while directly out the front of the Peninsula itself will also produce. Popular baits are bloodworms or strips of squid, and a good simple method is to drift until you find them and then keep working around that depth counter when you do. There is an in-possession limit of 50 fish per person but no minimum legal size.

For those targeting the inshore reefs around Redcliffe there will be some snapper. The extra autumn rain fired them up and they have persisted inshore. The water will be clear most of the month and nighttime will be the best time to catch them. Fish as light as you. Lightly weighted soft plastic lures are also a good option during the day.

Pelagic fish

Pelagic fish continue to be present and are also a great option this month. Exactly where they will be is dependent on where the bait fish are. If you are fishing for diver whiting, a well-presented diver whiting fillet or whole pilchard floated behind the boat can produce school mackerel. Alternatively, you can target them specifically trolling lures on paravane rigs.

Longtail tuna and Mac tuna will be busting up and look for the birds working on top of them. Throwing metal slugs at these schools will be productive but they can often spook easily, so make sure you pay attention to boat position. Mac tuna have also continued to be caught at land-based locations including Woody Point Jetty and Shorncliffe Pier. It has certainly been a bumper year for them so far.

Estuary and land based

Flathead, tailor and bream are the main target species for estuary and land-based anglers. The Pine River, Hays Inlet and the Ted Smout Memorial Bridge fishing platform will be the pick of the spots for flathead. They can be targeted on live baits such as herring and soft or hard bodied lures, but you will also get them on dead baits such as pilchards.

Bream will be widespread along the foreshores and are best targeted at night on the big high tides with lightly weighted or unweighted baits. Mullet strips are a great bait for this, while many anglers also like to use raw chicken strips marinated in tuna oil. Tailor have been active around Redcliffe with plenty of good quality fish caught. Yellowtail pike will be schooled up around the local jetties and these can make great bait, either whole or as fillets, for larger tailor.

If you are land-based fishing, make sure you pack some squid jigs, particularly if you are fishing at night. This is one of the best months for chasing tiger squid around Redcliffe. As anglers know, squid can change colour – both in the water and after you have caught them. In the water they change their colour to blend in with their background and can also use colour changes as a means of communicating with other squid of the same species. They achieve this by using their chromatophores on their skin. These are pigment sacs which the squid can open and close individually.

Surf beaches

Bream, tarwhine and swallowtail dart should be your target species on the surf beaches of Moreton Island. For swallowtail dart, yabbies are the number one bait, although eugaries (pippies), beach worms, blood worms or peeled prawns will produce some fish as well. The right sinker size is critical for surf fishing. For swallowtail dart a good cast is often required to get your bait to the larger fish.

If you are not catching fish, going up or down a sinker size can make a big difference. Preferentially look for deeper gutters with plenty of white water as that is often where they are. Swallowtail dart are an underrated table fish when fresh. Bleed them and ice them immediately on capture.

Tailor are also present on surf beaches as their northerly spawning migration is well underway. Tailor spawn all year around at many locations but their main spawning location and time is K’gari in Spring. Tailor are a fast-growing species, reaching approximately 27cm fork length in their first year and mature in their second year. They are relatively short lived on the Australian east coast, only reaching about seven years of age. While you can catch plenty of fish on pilchards and metal lures during the day, most of the larger fish will be caught at night on baits such as bonito fillets or garfish. The stretch of beach south of White (Camel) Rock) is likely to be the more productive.

For surf fishing, the Alvey reel is still king!

Offshore

A closed season on snapper and pearl perch applies throughout Queensland tidal waters from July 15 to August 15. The closure aims to protect snapper and pearl perch during their spawning season, allowing them to reproduce and replenish their numbers. Offshore anglers should look for other options during this period. Other reef fish alternatives include teraglin, gold spot wrasse, silver trevally, venus tuskfish, and yellowtail kingfish.

Tight lines and rug up this month.

Daryl McPhee is an associate professor of environmental science at Bond University.