Fishing Lake Teemburra & Lake Kinchant
Anglers fishing Lake Teemburra or Lake Kinchant must hold a valid Queensland Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme (SIPS) permit. **Barramundi can be legally targeted YEAR-ROUND in both impoundments**, even during the East Coast Barramundi closure! Personal possession limits permit 1 Barramundi per fisher (no maximum size limit in SIPS dams). Adhering to boating safety rules ensures clean impoundment waters remain protected.
Land-based anglers enjoy productive casting along the Lake Kinchant dam wall foreshore, Teemburra day-use parkland, and Kinchant water sports park. Casting 12cm to 15cm floating hardbody minnows or topwater stickbaits off the Kinchant dam wall at dusk yields explosive strikes from trophy Barramundi. Shaded lily margins near Teemburra wall produce heavy catches of Sooty Grunter on small soft plastics.
Boating fishers launching from Teemburra Dam ramp or Kinchant Dam ramp cover wide open basin waters and dense flooded lily arms. Slow-trolling deep-diving minnow lures or casting weedless soft plastic paddletails through drowned timber pockets in Teemburra accounts for trophy Barramundi exceeding 110cm. Electric trolling motors allow silent boat navigation through shallow lily bays.
Top 10 Species
Landbased
- KINCHANT QUARRY WALL: Elevated rock wall section on Lake Kinchant, offering world-class land-based casting for trophy Barramundi. Cast 13cm floating hardbody minnows or topwater stickbaits into shallow weed clearings during early evening hours. Retrieve lures with a slow twitch-and-pause action.
- TEEMBURRA DAY-USE PARK FORESHORE: Paved parkland foreshore area on Lake Teemburra, offering comfortable shore casting into deep water. Cast heavy soft plastic paddletails or swimbaits into deep water drop-offs at dusk. Early morning calm periods yield active surface feeding strikes.
- KINCHANT WATER SPORTS FORESHORE: Grassy foreshore area near Kinchant Dam resort, providing easy shore access for casting lures for trophy Barramundi. Cast shallow-running minnows or surface frogs along flooded grass edges at sunset. Stand back from the water's edge on clay banks.
- TEEMBURRA CREEK INFLOW MOUTH: Freshwater stream inlet entering upper Teemburra, providing prime Sooty Grunter and Barramundi habitat during spring runoff. Work small floating hardbody minnows or live Cherabins through moving water pockets.
- KINCHANT WEED MARGIN BANKS: Sheltered shallow bay littered with hydrilla weed beds, holding dense schools of Barramundi. Pitch weedless soft plastic paddletails directly into weed snags. Keep extra terminal tackle handy.
Offshore
- KINCHANT WEED RING: Expansive circular hydrilla weed bed encircling Lake Kinchant, world-famous for topwater Barramundi casting. Position the boat 20m off the weed wall and cast hollow-body frogs or 140mm soft paddletails directly into open pockets inside the hydrilla.
- TEEMBURRA CREEK TIMBER: Drowned forest arm in Lake Teemburra featuring standing timber in 12m depth, holding dense aggregations of 1m+ Barramundi. Slow-pitch 30g metal vibration blades or soft plastics down the timber trunks.
- KINCHANT QUARRY DROP-OFF: Deep rock wall channel off the old quarry in Lake Kinchant, holding large Barramundi during cooler winter months. Vertical jigging soft vibration blades along channel drop-offs produces consistent quality strikes.
- TEEMBURRA CENTRAL DEEP BASIN: Open water basin averaging 12 to 22 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 in both dams with flooded timber roots, ideal for setting opera-house traps for Redclaw Crayfish. Bait traps with wet cat food or vegetable pellets and set along timber margins overnight.
Hot Spots
- KINCHANT WEED RING: Iconic hydrilla weed wall delivering world-class topwater Barramundi strikes.
- TEEMBURRA CREEK TIMBER: Drowned forest arms world-renowned for producing trophy meter-plus Barramundi.
- KINCHANT QUARRY: Deep rock wall platform delivering giant land-based Barramundi on swimbaits.
- TEEMBURRA CENTRAL BASIN: Open water trolling zone producing giant Barramundi on deep-running hardbody lures.
- REDCLAW TIMBER BAYS: Sheltered coves delivering high-volume Redclaw Crayfish trapping.
Local Bait Tips
- MARIAN CANAL CHERABINS: Trapped in opera-house pots baited with dry cat kibble set in the irrigation supply channels feeding Lake Kinchant. Live cherabins are prime bait for big Kinchant Barra.
- MACKAY HINTERLAND EARTHWORMS: Collected from moist soil around sugarcane irrigation banks near Marian. Excellent bait for Sooty Grunter around Teemburra day-use rocks.
- REDCLAW PELLETS: Boiled potatoes or dog biscuits packed into mesh bags inside opera-house traps set along Kinchant's weed margins overnight.
Boat Ramps
- Lake Teemburra Boat Ramp (Mackay Hinterland):
Located off Teemburra Dam Road at Lake Teemburra, Pinnacle / Mackay Hinterland QLD 4741. Managed by TMR QLD and Mackay Regional Council. Features a single-lane concrete boat launch ramp equipped with a central floating boarding pontoon jetty. Positioned in deep water, providing safe launching into Lake Teemburra for bass boats, tinnies, and kayaks. Facilities include sealed car-trailer parking, public restrooms, shaded day-use picnic shelters, and barbecue amenities. Free public access; SIPS permit required.
- Lake Kinchant Boat Ramp (Mackay Hinterland):
Located off Kinchant Dam Road at Lake Kinchant, Kinchant Dam QLD 4741. Managed by TMR QLD and Mackay Regional Council. Features a single-lane concrete boat launch ramp equipped with a central floating finger pontoon jetty. Provides smooth launching into Lake Kinchant for sportsboats, ski craft, and bass boats. Facilities include sealed car-trailer parking, public restrooms, fish cleaning bench, Kinchant Dam Resort amenities, and water sports parkland. Free public access; SIPS permit required.
Bait and Tackle
- TACKLE WORLD MACKAY: 318 Shakespeare Street, Mackay QLD 4740 | Phone: (07) 4957 2145
- NASHY'S COMPLEAT ANGLER MACKAY: Cnr Shakespeare & Sydney St, Mackay QLD 4740 | Phone: (07) 4957 2272
Basecamp & Accom
- Kinchant Dam Resort: 6 Barrier St, Kinchant Dam QLD 4741 - Ph: (07) 4954 1453
- Mackay Transit Motel: 1 Nebo Rd, Mackay QLD 4740 - Ph: (07) 4951 3222
- Marian Caravan Park: 1 Anzac Ave, Marian QLD 4753 - Ph: (07) 4954 3111
Emergency & Safety
- State Emergency Service Marian / Mackay (SES): Anzac Ave, Marian QLD 4753 - Ph: 132 500 / Emergency 000 - UHF Ch 40 / Local SES 132 500
