Fishing Lake Monduran
Anglers fishing Lake Monduran must hold a valid Queensland Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme (SIPS) permit. **Barramundi can be legally targeted YEAR-ROUND in Lake Monduran**, even during the East Coast Barramundi closure! Personal possession limits permit 1 Barramundi per fisher (no maximum size limit in Lake Monduran). Adhering to boating safety rules ensures clean impoundment waters remain protected.
Land-based anglers enjoy productive casting along the Lake Monduran Holiday Park foreshore, day-use parkland, and dam wall embankment. Casting 13cm to 15cm floating hardbody minnows or heavy soft plastic paddletails off the holiday park point at dusk yields explosive strikes from giant Barramundi. Shaded clay margins near fallen timber produce heavy catches of Australian Bass and Golden Perch on soft plastics.
Boating fishers launching from the single-lane Lake Monduran ramp cover wide open basin waters and flooded timber arms. Slow-trolling deep-diving minnow lures or casting weedless soft plastic paddletails through drowned timber pockets in the Kolan arm accounts for trophy Barramundi exceeding 120cm. Electric trolling motors allow silent boat navigation through flooded tree lines.
Landbased
- THE EAGLE'S NEST POINT: Famous wind-driven point near the holiday park, offering world-class land-based casting into deep water when afternoon breezes push warm surface water into the bay. Cast 13cm suspended minnows along timber edges with long 5-second pauses.
- HOLIDAY PARK POINT FORESHORE: Paved parkland foreshore on Lake Monduran, offering world-class land-based casting into deep water. Cast 13cm floating hardbody minnows or topwater stickbaits into shallow weed clearings during early evening hours.
- DAM WALL EMBANKMENT: Elevated earthen dam wall structure offering deep-water casting into the impoundment. Cast heavy soft plastic paddletails or swimbaits into deep water drop-offs at dusk. Early morning calm periods yield active surface feeding strikes.
- RAINFOREST ARM SHORELINE: Shaded forest bay along Rainforest Arm, famous for big Barra at sunset. Fan-cast shallow-running minnows or surface frogs along flooded grass edges.
- KOLAN RIVER INFLOW MOUTH: Freshwater stream inlet entering the upper impoundment, providing prime Barramundi and Australian Bass habitat during spring runoff. Work small floating hardbody minnows through moving water pockets.
Offshore
- THE EAGLE'S NEST BAY: Wind-exposed bay holding massive aggregations of 1m+ Barramundi when wind pushes warm water onto the point. Cast 130mm suspended minnows along standing timber edges with long pauses.
- KOLAN ARM DROWNED TIMBER: Vast flooded forest arm in Lake Monduran, holding Australia's highest density of meter-plus Barramundi. Cast weedless soft plastic paddletails directly into timber pockets and slow-roll past drowned stumps.
- BIRD BAY WEED LINES: Expansive shallow bay featuring dense hydrilla weed beds in 2 to 6 metres depth. Premier topwater casting territory for trophy Barramundi and Australian Bass.
- CENTRAL DEEP BASIN: Open water basin averaging 15 to 30 metres depth, ideal for trolling deep-diving minnow lures for trophy Barramundi. Slow-troll 15cm hardbody lures 30 metres behind boats at 2 knots along submerged creek channels.
- REDCLAW TIMBER COVES: Sheltered shallow coves with flooded timber roots, ideal for setting opera-house traps for Redclaw Crayfish. Bait traps with wet cat food or vegetable pellets set along timber margins overnight.
Hot Spots
- THE EAGLE'S NEST: World-famous wind-driven point delivering giant meter-plus Barramundi on suspended minnows.
- KOLAN ARM DROWNED TIMBER: Drowned forest arm world-renowned for producing giant meter-plus Barramundi.
- HOLIDAY PARK POINT: Premier paved foreshore platform delivering trophy land-based Barramundi.
- BIRD BAY WEED LINES: Prolific shallow bay offering top-tier topwater Barramundi casting.
- REDCLAW TIMBER BAYS: Sheltered coves delivering high-volume Redclaw Crayfish trapping.
Local Bait Tips
- GIN GIN EARTHWORMS: Dug from moist soil around Gin Gin citrus orchards after rain. Threaded onto fine-wire hooks, they produce non-stop Golden Perch and Australian Bass bites around Monduran dam wall rocks.
- MONDURAN CHERABINS: Trapped in opera-house pots baited with dry dog food set in the shallow paperbark bays of Bird Bay. Live cherabins are prime bait for big Monduran Barra.
- REDCLAW PELLETS: Boiled potatoes or dog biscuits packed into mesh bags inside opera-house traps set along flooded timber roots overnight.
Boat Ramps
- Lake Monduran Boat Ramp (Gin Gin):
Located at Claude Wharton Drive on the Lake Monduran foreshore, Gin Gin QLD 4671. Managed by TMR QLD and Bundaberg Regional Council. Features a single-lane concrete boat launch ramp (with a secondary dirt/gravel 4WD launch area during high capacity). Positioned in deep water, providing launching into Lake Monduran for all vessel sizes targeting trophy Barramundi. Facilities feature a bitumen car-and-trailer carpark, public restrooms, stainless-steel fish cleaning station, vessel wash-down bay, shade sails, and Lake Monduran Holiday Park amenities. Free public access; SIPS permit required.
Bait and Tackle
- TACKLE WORLD BUNDABERG: 22 Quay Street, Bundaberg Central QLD 4670 | Phone: (07) 4153 4747
- BURRUM BAIT AND TACKLE: 4 Burrum St, Burrum Heads QLD 4659 | Phone: 0407 542 505
Basecamp & Accom
- Lake Monduran Holiday Park: Claude Wharton Dr, Gin Gin QLD 4671 - Ph: (07) 4157 3881
- Gin Gin Hotel Motel: 30 Mulgrave St, Gin Gin QLD 4671 - Ph: (07) 4157 2111
- Gin Gin Country Motel: 1 Bruce Hwy, Gin Gin QLD 4671 - Ph: (07) 4157 2200
Emergency & Safety
- State Emergency Service Gin Gin (SES): Mulgrave St, Gin Gin QLD 4671 - Ph: 132 500 / Emergency 000 - UHF Ch 40 / Local SES 132 500
