Winter fishing tips Moreton Bay, June 2025

While there was plenty of unseasonal rain, May was an exceptional month for local fishing. It was highlighted by plenty of pelagic predators for inshore and land-based anglers, attracted by large schools of baitfish (mostly hardiheads). June is shaping up to be another fantastic month.

Pelagics

The pelagic action should continue through June. While they are always hit and miss due to their habits, mac tuna, cobia and school mackerel will be feeding at places like Shorncliffe Pier and Woody Point. Mornings are the best time to target these fish. Don’t expect to have these locations to yourself as the number of anglers out and about chasing fish has been phenomenal. Live baits such as herring, metal slugs in the 30-50g range or stick baits are three options for targeting these speedsters. If you are releasing fish such as undersized school mackerel, make sure you do so carefully to maximise their chances of survival. School mackerel, mac tuna, bonito and longtail tuna will also be available for boat-based anglers at a range of locations. Look for the bait and, more often than not, you will find the fish.

Estuary and Land Based

As well as the larger pelagic species, there are plenty of other options for land-based anglers and the estuaries will be on fire too. Yellowtail pike will be available around the jetties. Bait jigs will be a common method for getting them along with very small lures, but the old low-tech approach of a simple piece of red wool on a small, long shank hook jigged through the water is still used and is highly effective.

Tailor will be one my favourite species to target this month on the big night tides. I prefer the clearer waters during calm conditions or light westerly winds. They are a great sportfish, but you don’t need to fish with heavy gear to catch them. When I target the larger models, I use light surf rods on trusty Alvey reels with 10-12lb monofilament line and small sinkers or no sinker at all depending on the conditions and exactly where I am fishing.

Bream will be moving out of the estuaries for spawning and the fish will be in good condition. The mouth of the Pine River and along the Redcliffe foreshore will be the main locations to catch them. While they can be caught day and night, night is preferred. Flesh baits like fresh mullet strips will account for most of the better sized fish. Speaking of mullet, this is the time of the year that the commercial mullet netters are active along the Redcliffe beaches. Commercial mullet fishing is a time-honoured tradition so keep an eye out for them as they ply their trade.

Estuary anglers should also expect to encounter dusky flathead, flounder and small mulloway on lures and bait. Hays Inlet and the Pine River are my go-to spots for dusky flathead this time of the year. While they have always been present, flounder are a species that seem to be more and more common in catches. They are fantastic on the grill. Remember, the legal size of mulloway in Queensland is 75cm and the in-possession limit is two fish.

Tasty tiger squid will be heavily targeted this month wherever there is lots of lights and this includes the jetties, parts of the foreshore and in Scarborough Harbour. There is an endless variety of squid jigs on the market. It is always good to have several different colours and sizes with you when you are fishing for them. If you are seeing squid but not catching them, make sure you keep changing your jigs to tempt them.

Squid have eyes that are superficially like that of vertebrate animals such as mammals, however they differ in terms of how they focus and their ability to see polarised light. If you want to see how your squid jig looks to a squid, have a look at it while you are wearing a pair of polarised sunglasses. The light environment that squid best respond to differs between species. Our local squid species prefers a level of underwater light illuminance between 2.5-10.0 lux. 10 lux is approximately the brightness of a candle at 30cm. The colour of the light is substantially less important.

Anyone who catches squid must deal with the ink. Squid eject the ink to distract predators. Its main function is it to create a cloud in the water that buys the squid a little bit more time to escape from a potential predator. The main chemical compound in squid ink is melanin which is also found in human skin. Squid ink is used in art, painting and cosmetics but is most used in Mediterranean and Japanese cooking. There is some medical interest in squid ink because of its anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Inshore Reefs and Bay Waters

For dedicated anglers who put in the hours, this can be a good month for catching some big snapper around Scarborough Reef. There is always something special about catching a trophy fish so close to home! Smaller squire and grassy sweetlip will be mixed in, along with the possibility of some solid barred javelin fish which seem to be getting more and more common.

For those looking for an easy feed, the waters of Deception Bay, Bramble Bay and out the front of Redcliffe will yield diver whiting. They are still colloquially called winter whiting but are available in Moreton Bay all year round. They do though increase in abundance in the open waters of western Moreton Bay in winter. They are a great fish for the casual angler and for getting the kids hooked on fishing as the action can be non-stop. Live worms or squid strips are the time-honoured local baits for them.

Beach Fishing

Surf fishing is a great way to really test your angling prowess. With the onset of winter conditions, the surf beach of Moreton Island will be a productive area. Although the beaches have copped a hammering with the weather conditions over the last few months, there are some good formations present. The stretch of surf beach from White (Camel) Rock south is one example. The location will fish best in calm conditions or offshore winds. Bream, tarwhine and swallowtail dart should be your target species. 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. If you are not catching fish, going up or down a sinker size can make a big difference.

Tailor will start to show up in the surf this month too and nighttime will be the best time to fish for them. Baits to use will be pilchards, garfish, yellowtail pike or bonito strips.

Offshore

Offshore, you should expect to catch pearl perch, teraglin, silver trevally, snapper and Venus tuskfish this month on the reefs around Cape Moreton. Float lining the shallow reefs in the shadow of Cape Moreton will reliably produce the better sized snapper. Pearl perch and teraglin will be out in the deeper waters. Teraglin reach a maximum size of about a metre and a weight of 20 kgs, but most fish caught are in the range of 1-2.5kg.

Prawning and Crabbing

This month will probably see the end of the run of banana prawns for the season, although with the amount of autumn rain, you never know! If you are chasing a feed and want to put in the hours with your cast net, then you should be rewarded. It is not the best month for crabbing, but blue swimmer crabs and a few mud crabs will still be available for those that want to chase them.

Tight lines for this month!