Saltwater fisheries offer
both family-friendly and
high-adrenalin sports fishing

From large creek systems like Rocky Dam Creek in the south (near Koumala) to the beautiful bluewater Pioneer River in the centre of town and north to the Mackay Net Free Zone, the Mackay region is blessed with an abundance of pristine fisheries.

With the exception of the Pioneer River, most of the Mackay region’s estuary systems are wild ecosystems, with mangrove-lined banks and scattered rock and sand bars. In the majority, most systems are fairly shallow, especially over larger tidal cycles, and only the larger systems can be easily accessed from the mouth at dead low tide. While this means anglers need to have their wits about them when traveling, it also means that fish, like barra, mangrove jack and fingermark, can be actively targeted over the low parts of the tide when they congregate in deep holes, bends and along banks where fallen timber is submerged. 

For those new to the area, a study of Google satellite imagery can help locate deep banks and holes and also provide an indication of channel locations. 

The Mackay Net Free Zone is quickly becoming the jewel in the crown for anglers looking to target species like barramundi, grunter, mangrove jack, salmon, and assorted bread and butter species in the cooler months. Extending from Cape Hillsborough to the northern end of St Helens Bay, it encompasses fifteen creek systems as well as countless smaller inlets, headlands, beaches, and mangrove flats.

Anglers can access the area from all-tide boat ramps at Victor Creek, Seaforth, and Murray Creek, Mt Pelion. A sheltered half-tide ramp also existed to the north of St Helens Beach.

Other popular creek systems in the area which hold barra, grunter, mangrove jack, salmon, flathead, bream, and more include Constant Creek, Reliance Creek, Alligator Creek, Sandy Creek, and Rocky Dam Creek. McCready’s Creek, near Slade Point, is also popular for crabbing and family outings for bream, whiting, and flathead. 

The Pioneer River might wind through Mackay’s City Centre, but it still offers sensational fishing.  While deep waters near the Forgan Bridge and in “The Vee” – a deep hole where Bassett Basin meets the river mouth – regularly produce quality barramundi, the Pioneer’s real appeal lies in its excellent family fishing. Yabbie beds all through Bassett Basin make bait gathering easy, and throughout the cooler months, big whiting, bream and flathead turn up in numbers. Surface feeding queenfish schools are also a regular sight in the river and are well worth having a spin rod and popper rigged up ready for.