Fishing Coffs Harbour & Coffs Coast
General fishing in Coffs Harbour & Coffs Coast is heavily influenced by the warm East Australian Current bringing seasonal pelagics close to the coast. The local estuaries and beaches experience peak bite times when the water temperature hovers around twenty-four degrees. Anglers can expect year-round action from both reef species and estuary targets depending on the tide.
Land-based anglers have an incredible array of options ranging from the deep gutters of Boambee Beach to the iconic Coffs Harbour breakwalls. Estuary fishers can wade the shallow sand flats of Coffs Creek casting lightly weighted baits for whiting and flathead. Rock fishing is highly productive along Corambirra Point, provided you wear appropriate footwear and check the swell.
Offshore and boat fishing around Coffs Harbour requires heavier tackle to handle the huge variety of sought-after pelagic and reef species. The deep reefs hold excellent populations of large snapper, pearl perch, and tusk fish throughout the cooler months. Game species such as black marlin, wahoo, and mahi mahi are regular catches for those trolling the surface near the FADs.
Top 10 Species
Landbased
- Coffs Harbour Jetty: Coffs Harbour Jetty offers a variety of species and fishing styles right in the heart of town. Fish from the lower decks during a rising tide using lightly weighted prawns to target bream and trevally. A medium spin outfit is ideal here to handle the occasional surprise kingfish or mulloway.
- North Wall Breakwater: North Wall Breakwater is a highly popular spot for casting metal slugs into the washes for tailor. Early mornings with an offshore wind provide the safest and most productive conditions for this ledge. Use a ten foot surf rod and thirty pound braid to muscle fish away from the treacherous boulders.
- Boambee Beach: Boambee Beach features deep sandy gutters that are easily accessible for those with a four wheel drive vehicle. The first two hours of the run-in tide are perfect for targeting large mulloway using fresh mullet strips. A standard beach rod paired with a paternoster rig will keep your baits secure in the crashing surf.
- Park Beach: Park Beach provides excellent family-friendly shore fishing just a short walk from the main tourist strip. Target the shallow sandbanks with yabbies or beach worms on a light estuary combo to catch sand whiting. South-easterly winds can push bait into the shoreline here, significantly increasing your chances of a good feed.
- Coffs Creek: Coffs Creek is a brilliant light-tackle location where stealth and finesse are required to succeed. Wade the broken weed beds on an outgoing tide while casting small soft plastics for dusky flathead. Keep your jighead weight to an absolute minimum to avoid snagging on the shallow seagrass patches.
Offshore
- South Solitary Island: South Solitary Island provides deep water drop-offs that are famous for holding massive yellowtail kingfish. Anglers should utilize heavy overhead gear and live slimy mackerel to stop these brutal fish from reaching the reef. A calm westerly wind makes the boat ride out comfortable and the drift highly manageable.
- Coffs Harbour FAD: The Coffs Harbour FAD is the ultimate summer destination for those chasing acrobatic mahi mahi. Troll small skirted lures past the buoy at first light before the boat traffic puts the fish down. Alternatively, casting unweighted pilchards on medium spin gear is a fantastic way to hook a trophy bull.
- Whitmore Shoal: Whitmore Shoal offers accessible reef fishing just a short run from the main harbour entrance. Anchor up and establish a steady berley trail on a run-out tide to attract large winter snapper. Float lightly weighted squid strips down the trail using twenty pound fluorocarbon leader for the best results.
- Diggers Ledge: Diggers Ledge requires a sturdy boat and a keen eye on the sounder to locate the bait schools. Drop knife jigs into the deep water during the turn of the tide to target amberjack and pearl perch. Strong ocean currents often dictate the use of heavy braided line to keep your presentation in the strike zone.
- Campbells Beach Reef: Campbells Beach Reef sits only three hundred metres from shore and is perfect for small tinnies. Drift across the scattered structure with soft plastics to entice aggressive strikes from schooling snapper. A light northerly breeze allows for a slow and methodical drift directly over the prime feeding zones.
Hot Spots
- Gallows Beach Corner: This rocky enclave is a fantastic place to cast unweighted baits into the wash for large drummer.
- Muttonbird Island Wash: Anglers spinning metal lures off the eastern face often encounter migrating schools of Spanish mackerel.
- Bonville Creek Mouth: The shallow entrance channel is a prime location to wade for flathead on a falling tide.
- Corambirra Point: This exposed headland offers thrilling land-based game fishing for longtail tuna during the autumn months.
- Macaulays Headland: Casting soft plastics from this rocky platform on a rising tide yields impressive winter snapper.
Local Bait Tips
- Beach Worms: Beach worms can be harvested from local beaches using a piece of aged meat inside a mesh bag. You must hold a valid NSW recreational fishing fee receipt and observe the strict bag limit of twenty worms per person.
- Saltwater Nippers: Saltwater nippers are easily collected by pumping nippers using a hand-operated suction pump on intertidal flats in Coffs Creek during low tide. Anglers are restricted to a bag limit of one hundred nippers and all undersized bycatch must be safely returned.
- Poddy Mullet: Poddy mullet are targeted by using ultra-light handlines or rods baited with bread dough under a small float for mullet in the shallow creek channels. The possession limit is twenty mullet and they must be kept alive if used as live bait.
Boat Ramps
- Coffs Harbour Regional Boat Ramp, Coffs Harbour:
Coffs Harbour Regional Boat Ramp: Located on Jordan Esplanade on the southern side of Jetty Beach within a protected basin in Coffs Harbour, this facility features a widened, six-lane concrete configuration. The launching lanes are supported by landside drive-through de-rigging bays aligned precisely to the lanes to streamline high-volume traffic. Marine-side boarding and staging are assisted by three distinct pontoons, which include a 15-metre extension of the main staging pontoon alongside two southern pontoons measuring up to 40 metres in length, all secured by driven piles. Operationally, the basin is highly vulnerable to severe water-level surges, north-easterly swells entering the harbour, and seiching—a phenomenon where standing waves oscillate back and forth, historically causing severe damage and washing vessels onto adjacent entrance rocks. Continuous sand migration into the basin and channel results in rapid shoaling, necessitating an extensive ten-year maintenance dredging programme to maintain a navigable channel depth of -2.5 metres AHD.
Bait and Tackle
- MO Tackle & Outdoors: 144 Pacific Hwy, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450 | Phone: (02) 6652 4611
- BCF Coffs Harbour: 180 Orlando St, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450 | Phone: (02) 6651 8666
- Anaconda Coffs Harbour: 21 Old Great North Rd, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450 | Phone: (02) 6648 7600
- Liberty Service Station Coffs Harbour: 388 Pacific Hwy, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450 | Phone: (02) 6652 1951
Basecamp & Accom
- NRMA Coffs Harbour Holiday Park: 111 Park Beach Rd, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450 | Phone: (02) 6652 1694
- Park Beach Holiday Park: 1 Ocean Parade, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450 | Phone: (02) 6648 4888
- White Albatross Caravan Park: 52 Wellington Dr, Nambucca Heads NSW 2448 | Phone: (02) 6568 6468
- Riverside Holiday Resort: 80 Riverside Dr, Urunga NSW 2455 | Phone: (02) 6655 3915
Emergency & Safety
- Emergency: 000 | Marine Rescue Coffs Harbour: 1 Marina Drive, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450 | Radio: VHF Channel 16 | Phone: (02) 6652 3200
