Mackay's secret fishing hot spots revealed

Feature

By Danielle Reckless

If you’re an avid angler, you’d already know that Mackay is one of the best spots in Queensland to throw a line in. From inland fishing where you won’t need a boat, creeks flowing with barramundi and salmon, and reef fishing around Keswick Island – there’s plenty of opportunity to catch the biggest dinner you’ve ever seen.

But there’s a Mackay fishing hotspot you might not have heard about. If you drive a little north and take the turnoff to Seaforth, it certainly won’t be for the last time.

Why Seaforth?

Seaforth has it all: creeks, headlands, inshore islands and sandflats. And because of the Net Free Zone (NFZ) which was established between Cape Hillsborough and St Helens in 2015, this stretch of coastline is thriving with fish. And it’s catching more and more anglers that would usually drive past.

In fact, just six months after the Net Free Zones were created, anglers and local operators reported catching twice as many legal-sized fish. Five years on, the area and its fishing population is as vibrant as ever.

So while Cape Hillsborough may be best known for sunrise wallaby encounters, it’s teeming with great catch, too.

What's biting?

Red Cliff Islands Seaforth | Mackay fishing hotspots — Photo by @markingoffthemap

Species thriving in the zone include bream, whiting, flathead and grunter, as well as iconic northern Australian fish such as king and threadfin salmon, fingermark and barramundi. Add some quality inshore island fishing for queenfish and great trevally and the reasons to go anywhere else on your fishing holiday begin to diminish rapidly.

Tackle stores are always a great source of information about what’s biting, and the creeks in the NFZ are yielding great catches of king salmon; a species which has been virtually non-existent for years in the Mackay area.

A spot in the area that’s particularly rewarding is Constants Creek, one of the best fishing destinations in Mackay. The waters here are well-known for dishing up barramundi, mangrove jack and fingermark. If you’re lucky, you may even snag salmon near the deeper bends at the mouth of the creek.

Mackay fishing tips

Bring the gear you use for bream, whiting and flathead at home; it’ll work just fine in North Queensland.
Drop in to a local tackle store in Mackay on your way through. They have all the local information on what’s biting.
Remember tides are big in the Mackay area. Check the charts to ensure that launch and retrieval of your boat is easy.
No boat? No worries. There are plenty of shore-based options in the Net Free Zone.

Looking for more Queensland spots to reel them in? Visit our dedicated fishing page here.