General News
29 October, 2026
Be wary of Reef fish closures
FISHERS advised to check QLD Fishing 2.0 App to get all the up-to-date information.
Freshwater
THE freshwater fishing continues to improve with the warmer waters.
Topwater lures are the go-to this time of year, although micro swim baiting with BFS (finesse baitcast) gear has become increasingly popular and extremely effective. The Molix 70 glide and the Fishcraft Dr. Glide 76 have been the stand outs.
We have a great range of finesse swim baits in store so come in and check out the new technique that’s taking the freshwater fishing by storm.
Estuary
THE annual Cardwell Barra Bonza fishing competition was held last weekend and was a great success.
This was a fantastic competition with some awesome prizes with the kicker being a Quintrex Busta 440 with a 60ph Yamaha.
Plenty of fish were caught over the weekend, 309 barramundi, 183 mangrove jacks and 97 grunters.
The biggest barra was a whopping 104cm caught by Makayla Eves winning her the biggest barra category.
With over $80,000 in prizes there was plenty to be won and overall, a great event.
The competition is getting bigger and better each year. This is an event you don’t want to miss out on next year.
Don’t forget the barra closure starts on 1 November, so I’d recommend get in and make the most of the last few days left in the season.
Offshore
WE have had some decent weather since the last fishing report. Just be mindful of the afternoon northerlies winds and the storms we tend to get this time of year.
The Reef fisherman have had some great success with the usual Reef species being caught. Plenty of nice coral trout and red throat emperor were caught up in the shallows. In the deeper waters the large mouth nannygai were on the chew, particularly during the night and early morning with a few red emperors mixed in.
There are a few Spanish mackerel and reef fin fish closures coming up so make sure you check the QLD Fishing 2.0 App to get all your up-to-date information.
– Ryan Sanger, Tackle World Tully
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