Fingal Spit

Fingal Spit is the long tongue of sand that runs north-east off Fingal Beach toward Point Stephens and Fingal Island, and it is one of the most respected land-based mulloway marks on the Port Stephens coast. The draw is the deep gutter and the moving water that funnels along the spit as the tide drains either side of the sandbar — bait stacks up, and predators sit in the colour change waiting on it. School mulloway to 10kg are taken off the spit and the adjoining beach, almost all of them after dark, and the same trough that holds jew throws up thumping dusk tailor and salmon. It also fishes light on the day session: flathead on plastics across the run-out flats and beach whiting on the shallow banks. It is a working beach mark, not a tourist photo — the headline catches come to anglers who fish the low light and the bottom of the tide.

Locals fish the gutter that runs along the spit, not the open beach, and they time it to the tide. The big-fish session is night into the change of light: a fresh slab of mullet or tailor, a beach worm, or a live yellowtail or pike pinned on a paternoster and lobbed into the trough, then left to soak while the tide moves. Tailor and salmon come on at dusk and dawn — pilchards on ganged hooks cast into the deeper holes just on dark account for greenbacks to 3kg with salmon mixed in. Through the day the plastics crowd works the run-out flats for flathead on the top of the tide at dawn and dusk, and the whiting anglers fish lightly weighted worm baits on the shallow banks. Read the beach first: find the dark gutter and the where-the-bank-meets-the-deep, and fish that, because the spit shifts after every big sea.

Mulloway are the reason the spit has a name — school jew to 10kg run the gutter and the beach, with the majority taken after dark and the better fish around a bright moon. Tailor are the dusk staple from autumn through winter, with greenbacks to 3kg behind the shore break, and Australian salmon push through the colder months in the same gutters just on dark. Dusky flathead are the day fish, ambushing plastics across the run-out flats from spring into autumn, with the slot encouraging release of the big breeders. Sand whiting school on the shallow banks through the warmer months and love a fresh beach worm. Yellowfin bream are a year-round bycatch close in, happy to take a worm or a peeled prawn fished light.

Fish the spit on the bottom of the tide and the change of light and you will out-catch anyone parked on the open beach. Gather or buy fresh beach worms — the locals rate them above almost everything for both whiting and the bigger jew, and the daily limit is 20 worms a person. Mulloway are 70 cm minimum with a bag of one per person, plus a boat limit of two per boat per day when two or more are aboard, so the session is about one good fish rather than a haul. All of this water sits inside the Port Stephens–Great Lakes Marine Park and the nearest sanctuary zone is only a bit over a kilometre away, so check the marine park zoning map or the FishSmart NSW app before you fish, especially if you cross toward the island. A burley of bread and tuna oil slowly sinking alongside a bait pulls bream and whiting up the gutter. Keep your distance from other rod sets at night; this is a small, productive strip and crowding a jew soak is poor form. Carry a head torch with a red mode so you do not light up the gutter, and check the tide before you walk in — the spit you fished on the way out can be a very different shape on the way back.

Park at the Fingal Beach Surf Life Saving Club car park off Marine Drive, reached via Shoal Bay Road, where there are public toilets and a kiosk in the warmer months. From the car park it is roughly a 2km walk north along the beach over soft sand to reach the spit proper — there is no vehicle access, so everything you fish with you carry, and a beach cart earns its keep. The walk is flat but the soft sand makes it hard going for prams, wheelchairs and anyone with mobility limits. On Fingal Island itself, the Lighthouse Keepers' Cottages ruins are closed to pedestrian access, a NPWS closure current as at September 2026. The lower beach near the SLSC is fine and patrolled for families with young kids, but the spit itself is a long haul and sits in front of a genuinely dangerous crossing, so it is not a casual kid-friendly fishing stroll.

The spit fishes best on a light westerly or a calm morning with a moderate swell putting water and bait into the gutter. A clean, slightly stirred sea is ideal for mulloway and tailor; gin-clear and flat tends to switch the bigger fish off until dark. It blows out on a strong north-easter or a big southerly groundswell, when the gutter fills in, the spit washes over and the crossing becomes lethal. Tide is the key variable — the productive land-based session is the run-out and the bottom of the tide, and the spit toward the island is only walkable around one hour either side of low water. Wind against tide on a big sea makes the spit unfishable and unsafe. Fingal is also a listed commercial haul-netting beach in the Marine Park User Guide, so do not be surprised to find a net crew working the sand at first light.

This is the dangerous part of the entry and it is not optional reading. The Fingal Spit crossing toward Point Stephens and Fingal Island has a long record of drownings — the sandbar is awash on the tide, the current rips across it, and the water rises faster than people expect, cutting off anyone who lingers. Cross or fish the outer spit only around one hour either side of low tide, never when any water is washing over the sand, and never with a big swell running. Heed the warning signs. Port Stephens Council's map marks Fingal Head, Fingal Point, Fingal Island and the Fingal Beach headland as declared high-risk rock fishing locations under the Rock Fishing Safety Act 2016, so a lifejacket is compulsory when you fish with rod, line or handline from naturally occurring rock exposed to ocean swell here, and the duty covers anyone helping you and any child under 12 in your care. Adults need AS 4758 level 50S or greater and under-12s level 100, and a $100 on-the-spot fine applies. The walk out is over open sand, but declared rock is a few steps away the whole way, so put the jacket on at the car park rather than on the ledge. Beyond the crossing itself: night fishing on a remote, unlit spit means going in pairs and telling someone your plan; soft, shifting sand and sudden drop-offs into the gutter; rips and undertow if you wade; and a long 2km walk back in the dark. Wear footwear, carry a torch and a phone, and if the spit is awash, do not cross — fish the lower beach instead. A fish is never worth it here.

Yes — the spit is one of the best land-based mulloway marks in Port Stephens. School jewfish to around 10kg come off the spit and the adjoining Fingal Beach, with almost all of them taken after dark on fresh beach worms, slab baits or live bait fished in the gutter. You will need to walk roughly 2km north along the beach from the Fingal Beach Surf Club car park to reach it. A NSW Recreational Fishing Fee is required to fish anywhere in NSW, including here.

Only with great care and only at the right tide. The sandbar to Point Stephens and Fingal Island is awash on the tide and has a long record of drownings — people are regularly cut off by the rising water. Cross only around one hour either side of low tide, never when water is washing over the sand, and never with a big swell running. If in doubt, do not cross and fish the lower beach instead.

Fish the run-out and the bottom of the tide, around dawn, dusk and after dark. Tailor and salmon come on in the deep gutters just on dark, and mulloway fish best at night, often around a bright moon. The outer spit is only safely walkable about an hour either side of low water, so the low-tide window doubles as both the safe access and the productive session.

Mulloway and tailor are the headline fish, with Australian salmon through the colder months, dusky flathead on plastics across the flats, and sand whiting on the shallow banks in the warmer months. Yellowfin bream are a year-round bycatch close in. Remember the NSW size and bag limits — mulloway must be 70cm with a bag of 1 per person, dusky flathead sit in a 36–70cm slot with fish over 70cm released and a bag of 5, sand whiting 27cm, and tailor 30cm with a daily bag of 10 — and that a NSW Recreational Fishing Fee applies.

Park at the Fingal Beach Surf Life Saving Club car park off Marine Drive, reached via Shoal Bay Road. There are public toilets at the car park. From there it is around a 2km walk north over soft sand to the spit — there is no vehicle access onto the beach, so a beach cart is worth bringing for surf gear and bait.