FISHING REPORT

Mid-September to Early October 2026 

Bribie Island & Pumicestone Passage   ·   Land-based, flats and canals 

G’day all, hope your last month of fishing has been a cracker. Having a look around the area and with the reports coming through, here’s my general overall take on how things have been fishing for land-based anglers in the Bribie Island and Pumicestone Passage channels, flats and canal systems from mid-September through to early October. 

Spring is properly underway now. Water temperatures have lifted, the days are longer, and we’ve had a mix of light winds, a couple of blows along with school-holiday traffic on the water. When the wind dropped and the tides lined up, the passage and accessible shore spots have fished better than they did through the cooler months. The canals have been the quieter fallback when the passage has been blown out. 

Overall picture by species 

Whiting.  The standout again and fishing exceptionally well. Good numbers and some quality fish have been coming from the shallower flats, channel edges, Golden Beach, the Sylvan banks and further up the passage. Peeled prawns, worms and pumped yabbies have been hard to beat. The last few hours of the incoming tide are still the most productive window for most anglers. A few have also been picked up at the canal mouths where the drains push bait onto the sand. 

Bream.  Holding well around structure. Better-sized fish are showing around the Bribie Bridge pylons, mangrove edges, Bongaree Jetty and rock walls. Inside the canals — Pacific Harbour, Banksia Beach, Ningi and the smaller estate systems — bream have been the regulars around pontoons, rock walls and drain mouths, with better fish on the first of the run-in and the last of the run-out. Fresh bait and small plastics have both worked, especially around the tide change. 

Flathead.  Very consistent on the flats and shallow channels. Areas around the oyster jetty flats, mainland side south of the bridge, White Patch and the drop-offs have produced good numbers, including some quality fish. Soft plastics fished early morning or late afternoon on the run-out tide have been effective. Prawns at White Patch have also done the job. In the canals they are sitting on the sand patches and drop-offs at the mouths, especially where a drain pushes bait out onto the flats. 

Other action.  Mangrove jack are the change from last month. As the water has warmed, they are becoming more active in the creeks and in the deeper canal bends, under jetties and around rock walls — early season, so not thick, but they are on the move. Dawn, dusk and after dark are the better windows. Small live baits and lightly weighted plastics tight to the structure have been the go. Tailor have eased off from the winter peak, though a few choppers are still turning up around the bridges. A few school jewfish/mulloway reported around Bribie bridge after dark. Squid are still reasonable in the channels in low light. Offshore, before the recent blow, the Caloundra 12 to 14 Mile reefs were producing snapper, pearl perch, cobia and tuskfish when boats could get out. 

Crabbing.  Has picked up. Mud crabs are starting to show in better numbers through the passage, creeks and quieter canal arms, and sand crabs remain an option. 

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Canals.  Worth their own mention this month. When the wind has been up, Pacific Harbour, Banksia Beach, Ningi and the smaller estate systems have been a more consistent option than the open passage. Best results have come on the tide change rather than the full run, and the canal mouths where they meet the passage have out fished the dead-end basins. Bream around the walls and pontoons, flathead on the sand at the mouths, and the odd cod and tarwhine mixed in. Crab pots set in the quieter arms have started picking up mud crabs again as the water lifts. 

General takeaways 

The land-based fishing has been the most reliable it’s been in months, with whiting and flathead doing the heavy lifting on the flats, and the canals filling in when the wind has been up. Best results are still coming on the change of tide in the shallower protected spots. Fresh local baits are hard to beat, but soft plastics have accounted for plenty of flathead. Popular easy-access areas include the Bribie bridge surrounds, mainland flats south of the bridge, Bongaree Jetty, White Patch, Sylvan Beach, the Golden Beach flats, and the canal mouths at Pacific Harbour and Banksia Beach. 

Overall, it’s been a solid early-spring run in the Pumicestone Passage. The whiting have been the headline act, flathead are consistent, the canals have earned their keep, and the warmer-water species are starting to wake up. Tides are building through the week, so the next few days look worth a look if the wind stays kind. 

Tight lines if you’re getting out there — check the tides and weather and stay safe on the water. Let me know how you’ve been going, email me (Design1@islandandsurrounds.com.au) your catches and stories, I’ll make you famous! 

Roger