Fishing around Bribie

Tides, spots and the rules for the Passage and the surf side, with the official sources behind them.

Check the rules in Qld Fishing 2.0 before you keep a fish.

Last checked 22 July 2026. Rules and closures change — check the official sources below before you go.

Today

Now, 3:18 pm

Falling to low tide at 8:40 pm

StormsNow

Run-out6:40 to 8:05 pm

Run-in9:15 to 10:40 pm

N 35 km/h (19 kn)Gusts 43 km/h (23 kn)

Until 9 pmStorms possible

6:15 pmSunset

Bellara tides and the hourly forecast. Updated 3:15 pm.

Now, 3:18 pm

Falling to low tide at 7:17 pm

StormsNow

Run-in and run-out times are for the Passage side.

N 35 km/h (19 kn)Gusts 43 km/h (23 kn)

Until 9 pmStorms possible

6:15 pmSunset

Woorim tides and the hourly forecast. Updated 3:15 pm.

Where to fish

Spots on the Passage and the surf side

Through the year

Snapper, Closed 15 Jul to 15 Aug

Spanish mackerel, Closed 1 to 21 Feb and 1 to 21 Mar

A closed fish goes back at once, unharmed.

Closed seasons

Good to know

Tap a heading to open it

Know before you go

Licences, zones, crab pots and shellfish

No licenceYou don't need a licence to fish Queensland tidal waters.
Measure itFish snout to tail tip, no stretching. Mud crabs across the widest part of the shell; blue swimmer crabs notch to notch. Anything undersize, oversize or closed goes back at once.
The freezer countsA possession limit is the most you can hold at once, including what's in the freezer at home. Anything not listed has a limit of 20.
Green zones are no-takeNo fishing, crabbing, bait gathering or collecting of any kind in a green zone. Stow your gear while you pass through. Check the zone map or the Marine Parks app first.
Yellow zoneMost of the Passage is yellow (conservation park). There you can use up to 2 rods or handlines and 2 hooks in total per person.
Dark blue zoneIn the dark blue zone (habitat protection) you can use up to 3 rods or lines per person and 6 hooks or lures.
Light blue zoneIn the light blue zone (general use) you can use up to 3 rods or lines per person and 6 hooks or lures.
Crab pots and dilliesUp to 4 per person, each tagged with your surname and address and on a light-coloured float, at least 15 cm, marked with your surname. Leave other people's pots alone.
Female crabs go backFemale mud crabs and female blue swimmer crabs are no-take.
ShellfishPipis are the only shellfish you can take. Everything else is no-take in the marine park and the waters flowing into it: no whelks, cockles or mud arks.
Bait digging: hand pump onlyIn a fish habitat area the only digging tool you can use is a hand pump. The Pumicestone Channel fish habitat area covers most of the Passage and much of Bribie's ocean shore.
SpearfishingNo spearfishing in the marked Passage sections (between the Elimbah Creek–Gallagher Point line and the Ningi Creek–Dux Creek line, north of Bells Creek) or within 100 m of any public jetty. No scuba or hookah.
Get Qld Fishing 2.0The free Queensland Government app for fishing rules. (opens in a new tab)
Marine Parks appShows which zone you're in, offline. (opens in a new tab)

What you can keep

Size and possession limits for what people catch here

A possession limit counts everything you hold, including the freezer. Anything not listed has a limit of 20.

WhitingSize: 23 cm minimumLimit: 30 combinedSand, goldenline and northern whiting. Trumpeter whiting: no size limit, 50.
FlatheadSize: 30 cm minimumLimit: 5 combinedDusky flathead: 40 to 75 cm.
Bream and tarwhineSize: 25 cm minimumLimit: 30 combined
TailorSize: 35 cm minimumLimit: 20
SnapperSize: 35 cm minimumLimit: 4, only 1 over 70 cm; boat limit 8Closed 15 Jul to 15 Aug.
Mangrove jackSize: 35 cm minimumLimit: 5
TrevallySize: No size limitLimit: 20 combinedGiant queenfish: 50 cm minimum, 5.
Swallowtail dartSize: 30 cm minimumLimit: 30
MullowaySize: 75 cm minimumLimit: 2Keep whole on a boat.
LuderickSize: 30 cm minimumLimit: 10
Sea mulletSize: 30 cm minimumLimit: 20Other mullet: no size limit, 50.
GarfishSize: No size limitLimit: 50 combined
Spanish mackerelSize: 75 cm minimumLimit: 1; boat limit 4 with more than 4 aboardClosed 1 to 21 Feb and 1 to 21 Mar.
Estuary codSize: 38 to 120 cmLimit: 5 cod combined
Spotted grunter (barred javelin)Size: 40 cm minimumLimit: 10
Sharks and raysSize: 150 cm maximumLimit: 1; boat limit 2Several species are no-take.
Squid and cuttlefishSize: No size limitLimit: 50Tiger squid: 20.
Mud crabSize: 15 cm minimumLimit: 7; boat limit 14Females are no-take.
Blue swimmer crabSize: 11.5 cm minimumLimit: 20Females are no-take.
PrawnsSize: No size limitLimit: 10 L; boat limit 20 LHeads on unless you're eating them now.
Beach wormsSize: No size limitLimit: 30
PipisSize: No size limitLimit: 30All other shellfish in Moreton Bay are no-take.
Moreton Bay bugSize: 7.5 cm minimumLimit: 20Keep whole.

Limits can change with little notice, so check the official table before you keep a fish. Last checked 29 Sept 2026.

On the water

Lifejackets, speed limits and go-slow areas

When to wear a lifejacketIn an open boat under 4.8 m that's underway, wear one if you're alone or only with children under 12, and between sunset and sunrise. Children aged 1 to under 12 wear one in any open boat. Penalties apply.
Carry one for everyoneOne lifejacket per person aboard, to the AS 4758 standard. The Passage allows Level 50S; the bay needs Level 50 or better.
Lifejackets on over the barThe Bribie Island Bar and the Caloundra Bar are both designated bars: everyone wears a lifejacket and you log on with marine rescue. Check Notices to Mariners before you cross. (opens in a new tab)
6 knots near peopleWithin 30 m of a person in the water, a boat at anchor or moored, or a jetty, wharf, boat ramp or pontoon. On-the-spot fines apply.
Go-slow areas in the PassageWestaways Creek (GSN01) and Tripcony Bight to Long Island (GSN02): stay off the plane, and no water-skiing or wakeboarding. The navigation channel through GSN02 is excluded.
Passage speed zones6 knots along the northern shore band, Caloundra to Lamerough Canal, and 20 knots in the northern reach to Golden Beach. The schedule has the boundaries. (opens in a new tab)
Marine licenceYou need a marine licence to drive a boat with an engine over 4.5 kW.
Registering a boatAny boat with an engine of 3 kW or more must be registered, jet skis included. (opens in a new tab)
Under 0.05 at the helmThe skipper's limit is 0.05, and drug testing applies.
Northern Passage chartsCharts of the northern Passage predate the Bribie Island emergency works, so check Notices to Mariners for the waters you plan to cross. (opens in a new tab)

Help and contacts

Marine Rescue, Fishwatch and injured wildlife

Sources

The official pages behind this page