🎣 GOLD COAST ESTUARY FISHING REPORT by Clint
31 August 2026
The fishing is shaping up nicely as we head into spring, with some excellent action throughout the Broadwater and Nerang River.
FLATHEAD
Flathead fishing has been very productive throughout the Broadwater. S Tackle Fish Tail soft plastics combined with Fish Goop scent continue to be our go to combination and are producing plenty of fish.
Trolling Samaki Redic hardbody lures is also working well and is a great way to cover ground and find active flathead.
Flathead fishing should remain very productive from now right through until December, so the next few months are one of the best times of the year to target them.
SAND WHITING
The sand whiting are starting to fire up, with both numbers and average size improving.
This fishing will continue to build as the weather and water warm up, before the big summer sand whiting really hit their straps from December onwards. Some of the best whiting fishing of the year is still ahead of us.
BROADWATER CHANNELS
There’s also plenty of variety in the deeper channels at the moment.
Winter whiting, flounder and flathead are all responding well to vibe lures. Working vibes close to the bottom is a great way to put together a mixed bag and you never quite know what will eat the lure next. Not many bream which is nice.
LOOKING AHEAD
September through November should see consistently good flathead fishing, while sand whiting will continue to improve before really firing up from December.
🎣 CHARTER AVAILABILITY
Bookings are looking extremely busy and there are now only two dates still available in September:
18 September
30 September
That means the school holidays are nearly fully booked, so if you’re thinking about getting out for a Gold Coast fishing charter, now is the time to lock in a date.
👉 Gold Coast River Charters
Private fishing charters for 1–4 people.
Charter info and bookings:
www.goldcoastrivercharters.com
Enquiries:
SMS Clint 0432 990 302 🎣
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