Winter is the best snapper, bream, mulloway and trout fishing of the year in southern Australia, and the most predictable barra-free dry-season fishing in the north.
The change is in speed, not species. Everything you do should get slower and deeper.
Southern states: snapper, bream and salmon
Snapper move into shallower reef and bay ground as water cools, and big fish become catchable in under 20 m in Port Phillip, Spencer Gulf and along the NSW coast.
Bream school hard in winter, stacking in deep estuary holes and on the ocean rocks for the spawn. Find one and you have found fifty. Australian salmon run the southern beaches in big schools.
Northern states: the dry season
In the Top End and north Queensland, the dry brings clear water and predictable fish. Barra concentrate in permanent holes, and offshore reef fishing gets its calmest, most reliable window of the year.
Mackerel, golden snapper and nannygai fish extremely well through the cooler months on the northern reefs.
Freshwater in winter
Trout fishing peaks in the cold in Tasmania, the Snowy and Victorian highland lakes. Murray cod are closed to fishing during their winter spawning closure in most states — check dates.
Redfin school tightly in cold water and are easy to find with a sounder in impoundments.
How to change your presentation
Slow everything down. A retrieve that works in February is twice too fast in July. Long pauses, small hops and suspending lures earn their keep.
Fish the warmest part of the day, not dawn. In winter the afternoon bite is often better because the shallows have had six hours of sun on them.
Key takeaways
- ▸Winter is peak season for snapper, bream, salmon and trout in the south.
- ▸The northern dry season brings the calmest offshore fishing of the year.
- ▸Slow the retrieve dramatically and add long pauses.
- ▸Fish the afternoon, not dawn, when the water is cold.
This guide is general information only. Fishing regulations differ by state and change regularly — confirm current rules with your fisheries authority before you fish.