Fishing Around Sarina

The area round Sarina, on the Queensland Central Coast is a Mecca for the local or visiting angler providing there is an understanding of the tidal conditions. Over the period of the full and new or black moons, the tides may range over 6 metres and during the neaps the range decreases as low as 1.5 metres. With the bigger tide ranges the run or current is very strong and makes fishing in most creeks difficult, this being the time to wade the shallow banks and beaches, bearing in mind the warnings above. Towards the neap tides, conditions improve and this is the best time to fish the creeks. The period of the big tides is usually good for setting some crab pots for the mighty mud crab just so long as the pots are placed in side gullies out of the current or tied to a fixed object.

This beach is only a short drive from Sarina Township and boasts a long sandy beach which fishes well for whiting and flathead on the full tide. There are ample yabby beds on the tidal flats for pumping these crustaceans for bait and soldier crabs can also be gathered when there is little or no wind. During the summer months prawns are caught by using a bait net or a cast net at low water. Protective clothing (old runners and overalls, mothers old pantyhose or a stinger suit) should be worn when wading here as marine stingers are common in the hotter months. Night fishing with cut baits, live prawn or live mickey mullet will often produce salmon, both Blue and King. The south end of the beach is a favorite launching place for owners of small boats wishing to access the local creeks and close off shore reefs but there are a couple of big rocks on the beach and the sand to the south of them is hard and suitable even for 2 wheel drive vehicles with care, never drive north of the rocks or out on to the mud flat without local knowledge & launch 2.5 hours either side of high water. If the wind comes in from the N.E. to the S.E. at moderate or higher, recovery of a boat is made difficult by small breaking waves. Of course with an ebbing tide, a beached boat will be high and dry in about 10 minutes and easily picked up, even with a 2 wheel drive vehicle.

Sarina Beach has a new all tide boat ramp which faces the west and is usable in all winds and there is an old ramp facing the S.E. which is still used by many boaties & both are accessed from the lower road opposite the service station. As well there is a pebbled beach next to a boat shed facing west which can be used 3 hours either side of high water.

Armstrong Beach has no ramp but boats may be launched from the sand at the southern end of the beach although care is needed & stay south of these big rocks on the beach, never drive out on to the mud flat at the foot of the sand, as it is soft and bogged vehicles are soon claimed by the rising tide. There are channel markers to indicate safe passage through some rocky outcrops. In rough conditions the best way to land on the beach is at full speed! When the tides are in their higher range, an alternative spot to recover a boat, especially in moderate winds, is behind the toilet block, but it is only available over high water with 4.6 metres or higher, based on Mackay tidal datum.

Rocky Dam Creek has a new concrete ramp but it is usually slippery due to mud build up, however 2 wheel drive vehicles are able to use this ramp which is not steep. There is unofficial camping in this area but no facilities. There is a run down caravan park in Koumala which is an ideal place to stay if fishing and crabbing RD.

This creek is south of Armstrong Beach and is accessed either off the beach or from Rocky Dam Creek although great care must be exercised if using the latter as there are shallow sand and mud banks between the mouth of R.D. Creek and Boundary Creek which sometimes break without warning so navigation across these banks is over high water only. Boundary Creek fishes well for most species of fish and there is plenty of live bait available by using a cast net in the side gullies as the tide drops. Yabbies can be pumped at low water. Mud crabs are an alternative and a few pots or dillies put out during a days fishing are well worth the effort. Returning to Armstrong Beach can be rough if the wind is moderate or stronger from the South East through to the North. Landing on the beach in rough conditions is best done on the plane at full speed.

This is a great creek for barra, salmon, grunter, crabs and whiting. The only problem with Dawson Creek is that when the tide goes the creek entrance is barred so one is stuck there until the flood arrives which is about 2 hours after Mackay. Entering is a bit tricky as well. Fishing the banks outside the creek by walking is very good for whiting and sometimes flathead. The mud banks are very soft so take care walking, always stay in the bottom of the channel.. Boat access is from either Armstrong Beach or Sarina Inlet. There is a rough camp site on the south bank.

This little creek runs into the east side of Rocky Dam Creek near the mouth and is a good place for collecting bail using a cast net. Access is denied from about half tide down by sand and mud banks and there is also a patch of rock in the creek awaiting the unwary. Mud crabs are caught in this creek, there are plenty of side gullies in which to hide the pots. The mouth is worth fishing using live bait from high water for an hour or so.

This bay faces Armstrong Beach and is generally shallow with sea grass beds, making it ideal for fishing for most species so long as the breeze is moderate or below. There are recognized spots for salmon and grunter inside the north headland, which is called Freshwater Point. The south part of the bay has shallow sand and mud banks which dry from half tide down and care should be exercised by boaties attempting to enter any of the creeks in that area. Directly opposite Armstrong Beach is Allom Point and once rounded to seawards is Sunken Reef, an inshore reef holding mackerel and other pelagics as well as bottom dwelling reef species but local knowledge is required for the marks or on a good day just follow the other boats. Llewellyn Bay is part of a dugong protection zone.

An alternative to launching from Armstrong Beach is to use a rubble shelf on the north side of the bay, just follow Miran Khan Drive to the end and proceed along the dirt track for a short distance. Camping here or further out on Freshwater Point would go unnoticed for short periods.

Marklands Creek flows into the west side of Rocky Dam Creek downstream of two islands between the landing and the mouth. The Fishing Boundary for commercial netting activities is immediately upstream of Marklands Creek and is marked by two "F ^ B" signs & any nets seen above the boundary should be reported to the Fishwatch hot line on 1800 017 116. Marklands Creek crabs well and there are side gullies and another creek junction a mile or so upstream. The creek fishes for bream, flathead, salmon and grunter & barramundi lurk behind obvious snags and just cannot resist a live prawn or mickey mullet.

Plane Creek flows into Sarina Inlet and is salt up to the township of Sarina, access is from the launching facilities at Sarina Beach and there are yabby beds in the mouth of the creek which is defined as opposite Pumpkin Point, an obvious point on the south side of the creek with a nice sandy beach. This area fishes well for estuary species in particular sand whiting. Care should be exercised when navigating in this creek, as there are rocky outcrops upstream and shallow gravel beds. Fishing is good for most species including barramundi. Fingermark bream, mangrove jack and barramundi are often taken round the rocky outcrops immediately downstream of the island up in the creek. Upstream of the island, a hole beside an obvious high clay bank known as "Redbank" will produce barramundi on live bait. As the tide goes it may not be possible to navigate downstream and one must wait for the flood tide to arrive, which is 3 hours after Mackay LW. Live bait can be gathered round the island using a cast net. Over the years numerous reports of crocodile sightings have been made from the area round this island. There is a flying fox camp to the north of the island and the foxes can be heard fighting all day long.

R.D. was used many years ago as a port for the export of logs, a town called Kelvin was pegged out at the landing, but never built and there is advice in the Queensland Sailing Directions for vessels to enter the creek. The only part of this advice that is correct is:- "use extreme caution"! this is so true as the creek is full of shifting mud and sand banks, pebble shoals, rock outcrops and sunken logs. The tide ebbs for 8 hours and floods for 4 hours. The flood tide can run as fast as 6 knots during the big tides. There are crocodiles in the creek with many sightings made every year. The last count by DNR was 33. Not with standing all the forgoing, R.D. is a very good creek in which to fish with many deep holes at low water and plenty of structures to attract and hold fish. A new all tide concrete ramp is in place, however during construction the contractors had a couple of problems. A croc about 3 metres long paid the area plenty of attention so a portable steel cage had to be built for the workers at the end of the ramp and on another occasion the loader slipped on the mud and ended up in the creek at low tide. It was covered several times before being hauled out.

 A popular spot is the Jew Hole just upstream of two small islands between the landing and the mouth of Marklands Creek, just hold the bluff west bank close and anchor up to fish in 8 metres at low tide. The shallow mouth is good for whiting, flathead, bream, salmon (blue and king), grunter, jewfish and fingermark. Further upstream is barramundi country (Jew Hole), with salmon and bream also ranging the full length of the creek which is navigable for several miles. As the tide drops, bait can be easily gathered using a cast net. Fishing snags in the upper reaches also produces mangrove jack, but has the drawback that the creek becomes un-navigable as the tide goes and one may only be able to move between a couple of holes until the flood tide arrives, which can be as late as 3 hours after Mackay LW. Access to the landing where there is a new concrete ramp, is via the township of Koumala and is signposted at the cane tram crossing just north of the town. The other way to access R.D. is to launch from Armstrong Beach.

Do not dump old fish bait or crab bait in the creek at the landing as this attracts crocodiles and there have been many sightings here over the years. There is a run down caravan park in Koumala which may be an option for camping over.  The creek bank is not a bad place to camp if you can put up with the sandflies and mosquitoes, however there are no facilities but Koumala is only 15 minutes away and boasts a shop (sells fuel), and a pub with giant mud crabs mounted on the wall behind the bar, so if none are caught at least one can go in for a beer and wish!!!!!!

Sandy Creek (also called Sandfly Creek for obvious reasons) is accessed from Armstrong Beach or down Rocky Dam Creek and is good for mud crabs. There is a deep hole in the mouth of the creek behind a sand and shale bank and it fishes well for silver traglin (also called Yankee Whiting), blue salmon, grunter and the odd barramundi. Live bait can be gathered using a cast net along the banks or round the shaley bank.

Sarina Beach is on the north shore of Sarina Inlet and boasts a motel, service station and a surf club. Fishing is good from the beach or into Sarina Inlet. There are boat launching facilities providing access to the inlet and the offshore reefs and islands. Bait can be purchased from the service station and yabbies can be pumped from the banks in the inlet. Access is from Sarina Township. Leeper Reef, in front of Sarina Beach, and the Red Buoy to the S.E. of the headland are good mackerel spots.

Sarina is on the Bruce Highway (Highway one) and is a centre for the sugar cane industry and Queensland Rails coal hauling facilities. There is a sugar milling factory and a power alcohol plant in the town. Queensland Rail has a depot for maintenance and assembling coal trains to service the Bowen Basin coal mines and carry the coal through Sarina to Hay Point and Dalrymple Bay depots for export. These combined ports are the biggest coal export ports in the world. For visitors there are several hotels, motels, caravan parks and a tourist information centre. The turn off to Sarina Beach is on the northern outskirts of the town and at 74 Beach Road is Sarina Bait Supplies run by Barra Bob where fishermen are catered for 7 days a week. A good contact for local knowledge as Bob is a very experienced fisherman.