Fishing guide: Dickson Inlet
What you can catch from a hire boat on Dickson Inlet, when and how to catch it, and the Queensland rules that apply. No fishing licence is needed in tidal waters.
Barramundi season is closed until 1 February 2027. Don’t target barra, and if you hook one, release it straight away. Everything else is open.
What you can catch
Sizes are total length, snout to tail. Limits are how many one person may have, including any already in the esky.
Barramundi (barra)
- When
- October to April, best at dusk
- How
- Live mullet or lures around creek mouths and snags on the run-out tide.
- Size
- 58 to 120 cm
- Limit
- 5 per person, or 10 per boat with 2 or more people
- Eating
- Excellent
Closed season 1 November to 31 January: don’t target barra, and release any you hook straight away.
Mangrove jack (jack, red bream)
- When
- All year, best when the water is warm
- How
- Live or fresh bait right up against snags and the outside of bends, on the run-out tide. Hold on tight.
- Size
- 35 cm minimum
- Limit
- 5
- Eating
- Excellent
Golden snapper (fingermark)
- When
- All year, often better after rain
- How
- Live sardines or prawns in the deeper holes on the bends.
- Size
- 35 cm minimum
- Limit
- 5
- Eating
- Excellent
Barred javelin (grunter)
- When
- All year
- How
- Bait on the flats and at creek mouths on the run-out tide.
- Size
- 40 cm minimum (26 cm skin-on fillet)
- Limit
- 10
- Eating
- Very good
Silver javelin (grunter)
- When
- All year
- How
- As for barred javelin: bait on the flats and creek mouths.
- Size
- 30 cm minimum
- Limit
- 10
- Eating
- Very good
Bream (yellowfin and pikey bream)
- When
- All year, the reliable catch in cooler months
- How
- Small baits along the mangrove edges and snags.
- Size
- 25 cm minimum
- Limit
- 30 (all bream combined)
- Eating
- Good
Estuary cod (blackspotted or goldspotted rockcod)
- When
- All year
- How
- Bait or lures close to snags and rocks.
- Size
- 38 to 120 cm
- Limit
- 5 (all cod and grouper combined)
- Eating
- Good
Dusky flathead
- When
- All year
- How
- Bait or soft plastics on sandy edges and creek mouths on the run-out tide.
- Size
- 40 to 75 cm
- Limit
- 5
- Eating
- Very good
Blue threadfin (blue salmon)
- When
- The wet season
- How
- Bait or small lures around creek mouths.
- Size
- 40 cm minimum
- Limit
- 10
- Eating
- Good
Trevally (giant and golden trevally, GT)
- When
- Winter, on the flats
- How
- Lures worked fast; they hit hard.
- Size
- No size limit
- Limit
- 20 (all trevally combined)
- Eating
- Golden trevally fair; GT best released
Queenfish
- When
- Winter, on the flats
- How
- Small lures, cast and retrieved quickly.
- Size
- 50 cm minimum (giant queenfish)
- Limit
- 5
- Eating
- Fair
Tarpon (ox-eye herring)
- When
- The wet season
- How
- Small lures. Great fun on light gear.
- Size
- No size limit
- Limit
- 20 (general limit)
- Eating
- Poor: release them
Mud crab (muddies)
- When
- All year, better on bigger tides
- How
- A baited pot set along the mangrove edges or a creek, left for a couple of hours.
- Size
- 15 cm across the widest part of the shell
- Limit
- 7 per person, or 14 per boat with 2 or more people
- Eating
- Excellent
Males only: female mud crabs are no-take. No crabs with a damaged shell, and no claws on their own.
Where to fish
- Creek mouths on the run-out tide: grunter, flathead, jacks and barra (in season).
- Snags on the outside of bends: mangrove jack, estuary cod and bream.
- Deeper holes on the bends: fingermark and grunter.
- The flats: trevally and queenfish in the cooler months.
See them on the 3D map in the Inlet Guide, along with the creeks and croc hotspots.
Fishing gear for hire
- Rods $22. Bait, tackle, fish box, bait board and knife included
- Hand Lines $15. Bait, tackle, fish box, bait board and knife included
- Crab Pot $20
- Landing Net $6
The rules
Licence
- You don’t need a fishing licence to fish Queensland’s tidal waters, including Dickson Inlet.
Measuring
- Measure fish from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail, without stretching or squashing.
- Put back undersize, oversize, no-take and closed-season fish straight away, with as little handling as possible.
On our boats
- No trolling: don’t tow a lure or bait behind the boat while it’s moving.
Fishing safely with crocs about
- Keep your arms, legs and head inside the boat. Don’t lean over the side, including to pull up a crab pot.
- If you snag a lure, cut the line. If a croc takes your catch, cut the line and move away.
- Reel fish in quickly, and move if a croc shows interest.
- Stay at least 10 m from any croc you see.
- Never leave fish scraps in the water or at the ramp. Feeding crocs is an offence.
Rules checked on 11 November 2026 against the Queensland Government’s size and possession limits, closed seasons, measuring and Be Crocwise pages. Rules can change, so check them before you go.