Offshore fishing Mackay
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Whether you have a four-metre tinnie, a live-aboard cruiser or something in between, there’s plenty of options available offshore Mackay to stretch your arms and heat up your drags. Inshore coastal islands, reefs and shoals abound and are easily accessed and navigated with small vessels. All of these small islands and reefs hold fish, especially pelagics like trevally, mackerel and queenfish. Shallow water reef species like grass sweetlip, parrot fish and coral trout are also regular catches.
Further offshore, more seaworthy vessels can access the Sir James Smith Group of islands (from Seaforth), the Cumberland Islands (off Mackay) and the Beverley Group (off Sarina). Water depths around these islands vary, but are generally 30-40m, making them ideal for larger reef species and trophy pelagics like big Spanish mackerel and giant trevally. Focus your fishing efforts on pressure points, fringing shoals and drop-offs for coral trout, numbers of grass sweetlip and occasional jewfish and fingermark.
Many anglers use Scawfell Island as a base for more serious reef fishing expeditions. Scawfell has an excellent anchorage in Refuge Bay (except in northerlies) and is about the edge of where the offshore species like large-mouth nannygai and red emperor start to appear in numbers as depths drop to about 50m. Any of the shoals and islands between Scawfell Island and the reef have to potential for trophy red fish as well and Spanish mackerel and coral trout. Mackay’s Shipping Channel area (widely referred to the area between Scawfell and the closer reefs like Stevens Reef and Credlin Reef) is a hot spot for deep water bottom bashing and jigging for species like reds, nannygai, jewfish, fingermark and coral trout.
Once at the Great Barrier Reef, reef edges produce coral trout and red throat emperor in numbers and trolling high-speed spreads produce Spanish mackerel in numbers. Popping and stickbaiting pressure points is popular amongst giant trevally anglers. Square Reef (north), Stevens Reefs (from Mackay) and Chauvel Reefs (from Sarina) are all popular anchorages to use as bases.
