Cudgen Creek Walls (Kingscliff)

Cudgen Creek reaches the sea at Kingscliff between two short rock walls: the town-side wall, right beside the car park, and the south wall across the channel, which backs onto the sand spit at South Kingscliff. It is small water — a creek mouth, not a river bar — and that is its appeal: the run-out tide flushes bait out past the stones, and whiting, bream and flathead wait for it. Tailor and the odd jew turn up at the mouth after dark. It is the Tweed Coast's family wall, shallow enough to be forgiving and close enough to the cafes to make an early session easy to sell at home.

Fish the run-out tide, when bait washes out of the creek system and the fish feeding on it hold along the walls and the drop-off at the mouth. Whiting and bream come to small baits — beachworm, bloodworm, yabbies or peeled prawn — on a light running rig cast onto the sand edges inside the walls. Flathead take soft plastics hopped down the channel edge. Tailor and jew are a low-light job at the mouth, on pilchards, metals or a fresh fillet. Fish as light as the snags allow; the creek is clear and the fish see heavy gear.

Sand whiting and bream are the bread and butter, whiting best from spring through autumn (27 cm, bag 20 shared across whiting) and bream year-round (25 cm, bag of 10 shared with tarwhine). Dusky flathead hold on the channel edges, best from September to April (36–70 cm slot, bag 5). Tailor push into the mouth through the cooler months (30 cm, bag 10), with luderick on the wall weed at the same time (27 cm, bag 10). Mulloway are an after-dark possibility year-round (70 cm, bag 1). Mangrove jack live further up the creek and around its bridges in summer rather than at the mouth.

The creek gets a lot of angling pressure for its size, so the first of the run-out at dawn beats the afternoon crowd. Pump your own yabbies on the flats inside the mouth if you know how, or bring worms or prawn — whiting are fussy about stale bait. Kids do well for whiting and bream inside the walls where the water is shallow and the current gentle. Rocky bottom off the south wall eats rigs; keep casts toward the sand. Clean fish at home rather than on the wall.

The town-side wall starts beside the car park, boat ramp and Marine Rescue base at the southern end of Kingscliff town, with toilets close by — it is a few steps from the car to the stones. The south wall across the channel is reached only on foot along the sand spit from South Kingscliff Beach; don't try to wade the mouth to get there. Both walls are uneven rock armour, not suitable for wheelchairs or prams, but the sandy creek banks inside the mouth are a flat, easy alternative for kids and anyone who doesn't want to stand on rock. Kingscliff's shops and cafes are a short walk from the car park.

The mouth faces north-east, so it stays fishable in southerly weather that closes more exposed spots. A north-easterly pushes swell into the entrance and can make the outer end messy. The run-out tide in low light is the window that matters most. Heavy rain turns the creek tannin-brown and moves the bream and flathead toward the mouth, though a big flush can shut the whiting down for a few days.

The wall is short and mostly sheltered, but the stones are uneven and slippery when wet, and a north-east swell can wash the outer end. Keep off the outer stones in any real swell and don't turn your back on the sea at the tip. The creek mouth runs hard on the ebb and the sandbar shifts — don't wade across it, and keep kids out of the channel. Tweed Shire is not one of the ten council areas declared under the Rock Fishing Safety Act 2016, but a lifejacket is strongly recommended for anyone on the outer end of the wall — adults AS 4758 level 50S or greater, under-12s level 100. The mouth is also a popular swimming and paddling spot, so watch your casts.

The two short rock walls at the creek mouth at the southern end of Kingscliff, and the sandy banks just inside them. The town-side wall starts beside the car park and boat ramp; the south wall across the channel is reached on foot along the sand spit from South Kingscliff. Fish the run-out tide, when bait washes out of the creek.

Sand whiting and bream are the mainstays, with dusky flathead on the channel edges from spring to autumn. Tailor and luderick show in the cooler months, and mulloway are a night possibility. Mangrove jack live further up the creek in summer, around its bridges and snags.

Yes — it's one of the gentler spots on the Tweed Coast. The water inside the mouth is shallow and the current is mild away from the entrance, and whiting and bream come to small baits. Keep kids off the outer end of the wall and out of the channel on the ebb tide.

There's no licence as such, but you must pay the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee and carry the receipt to fish anywhere in NSW, salt or fresh. It's $7 for three days, $14 for a month, $35 for a year or $85 for three years. Some people are exempt, including anglers under 18 and certain concession holders.