Do you need a lifejacket to rock fish at Norah Head?

Yes. The Central Coast local government area is declared under the Rock Fishing Safety Act 2016, so an approved lifejacket is required by law at the high-risk rock-fishing locations the council has declared, and this swell-exposed ocean platform is exactly what the law is aimed at. The rule applies to anyone fishing, anyone helping, and children in your care. Adults need AS 4758 level 50S or greater and children under 12 need level 100, correctly sized and in good condition, and going without carries a $100 on-the-spot fine. You also need a NSW Recreational Fishing Fee to fish anywhere in NSW.

What fish can you catch off the rocks at Norah Head?

The rock platform below the lighthouse produces tailor and Australian salmon off the wash year-round, bonito and yellowtail kingfish in the warmer months, and a strong winter run of rock blackfish (black drummer) and luderick on the lower ledges. Yellowfin bream, silver trevally and squid round it out. Eastern blue groper live here too, but their bag limit is zero and line fishing for them is prohibited in NSW until 1 March 2028, so they go straight back.

When is the best time to fish Norah Head?

A rising tide into dawn or dusk on a small to moderate swell is the prime window. Tailor and salmon fish best from April through winter, bonito and kingfish from late summer into autumn, and the rock blackfish and luderick run peaks in winter, with midwinter the pick for black drummer.

How do you get to the Norah Head rock platform?

Park on Bush Street or in the public parking outside the Norah Head Lighthouse Reserve, because the parking inside the reserve is for the cottage accommodation guests. From there the lighthouse walk descends to the rock platform and continues down to Lighthouse Beach. The shelf is uneven open-ocean rock and is not suitable for prams or wheelchairs. Families with young kids are better off at the Norah Head rock pool or sheltered Cabbage Tree Bay, both off Bald Street.

Is the bream and luderick limit different in NSW?

In NSW, yellowfin bream have a 25cm minimum and a bag limit of 10 shared with tarwhine, luderick a 27cm minimum and a bag limit of 10, and tailor a 30cm minimum with a daily bag of 10 and 20 in possession. Rock blackfish — black drummer — have a 30cm minimum and a bag of 10; the drummer with no size limit and a zero bag is the blue drummer, which is a different fish and must be released. Check the current NSW rules before you keep fish, and remember a NSW Recreational Fishing Fee is required.

Bite Compass

Bite Forecast

Norah Head

Thu 17 Sep 2026 · Australia/Sydney

Save

←

17 Sep

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Today Tomorrow Sat 19 Sep

📍 Norah Head

waxing crescent · 28%

Weather: Cloudy Wind: S 190° · 24 km/h Swell: 1.9 m @ 9 s S Water: 18.5 °C Pressure: 1031.4 hPa → steady

★★★☆☆

Medium Fish Activity

▸ Why this score?

At the day's peak · 5:30 am

Solunar Between windows

Time of day Dawn

Tide Moving

Wind SW 17 km/h

Moon waxing crescent all day

Water temp 18.5 °C all day

Learn how the score works →

Activity Forecast

Day timeline

Major Minor Tide Twilight

First light 5:26 am Last light 6:10 pm

Low 4:45 am High 11:30 am Low 6:23 pm

Drag or use arrow keys to explore

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

5:00 am → 6:30 am

1h 30m

Good

4:00 pm → 7:00 pm

First light

5:26 am

Last light

6:10 pm

Sunrise

5:50 am

Sunset

5:46 pm

Moonrise

8:57 am

Moonset

11:57 pm

Low tide

4:45 am

High tide

11:30 am

Low tide

6:23 pm

High tide

11:50 pm

Hourly Wind

High Bite Hours Highlighted

12am

☀️

14°

↓︎

201°

20 km/h

1am

☀️

13°

↙︎

208°

19 km/h

2am

🌧️

12°

↙︎

215°

18 km/h

3am

🌧️

11°

↙︎

222°

18 km/h

4am

🌧️

11°

↙︎

229°

18 km/h

5am

☀️

10°

↙︎

237°

17 km/h

6am

☀️

10°

↙︎

246°

16 km/h

7am

☀️

10°

↙︎

246°

16 km/h

8am

☀️

11°

↙︎

228°

17 km/h

9am

☁️

13°

↙︎

208°

21 km/h

10am

☁️

14°

↓︎

198°

25 km/h

11am

☁️

15°

↓︎

193°

25 km/h

12pm

☁️

15°

↓︎

190°

24 km/h

1pm

☁️

16°

↓︎

188°

23 km/h

2pm

☁️

16°

↓︎

186°

23 km/h

3pm

☁️

16°

↓︎

187°

22 km/h

4pm

☁️

16°

↓︎

187°

21 km/h

5pm

☀️

15°

↓︎

188°

18 km/h

6pm

☀️

14°

↓︎

188°

14 km/h

7pm

☀️

13°

↓︎

193°

10 km/h

8pm

☀️

12°

↙︎

206°

8 km/h

9pm

☀️

11°

↙︎

228°

7 km/h

10pm

☀️

11°

←︎

251°

7 km/h

11pm

☀️

10°

←︎

264°

8 km/h

Hourly Swell

Building 1.5 → 1.8 m S

12am

1.5 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

1am

1.5 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

2am

1.7 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Moderate

3am

1.9 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Moderate

4am

2.1 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Solid

5am

2.0 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Moderate

6am

1.8 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Moderate

7am

1.6 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Moderate

8am

1.7 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Moderate

9am

1.7 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Moderate

10am

1.8 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Moderate

11am

1.8 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Moderate

12pm

1.9 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Moderate

1pm

1.9 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Moderate

2pm

2.0 m

@ 9 s

↘︎

Moderate

3pm

2.0 m

@ 9 s

↘︎

Solid

4pm

2.1 m

@ 8 s

↘︎

Solid

5pm

2.1 m

@ 8 s

↘︎

Solid

6pm

2.1 m

@ 8 s

↘︎

Solid

7pm

2.1 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Solid

chop

8pm

2.0 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Solid

chop

9pm

2.0 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Moderate

chop

10pm

1.9 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Moderate

chop

11pm

1.8 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Moderate

chop

Water Temp (°C)

↘ cooling — down 0.4° over the last 3 days

Mon

14 Sep

18.9°

Tue

15 Sep

19.1°

Wed

16 Sep

18.9°

Thu

17 Sep

18.5°

Fri

18 Sep

18.6°

Sat

19 Sep

18.8°

Sun

20 Sep

18.9°

Mon

21 Sep

18.9°

Tue

22 Sep

19.0°

Wed

23 Sep

—

Wind Map

Wind data (text)

Now: 24 km/h S (190°).

Wind map data: ECMWF HRES (operational), updated every 6 hours. Not for navigation.

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

5:00 am → 6:30 am

1h 30m

Good

4:00 pm → 7:00 pm

First light

5:26 am

Last light

6:10 pm

Sunrise

5:50 am

Sunset

5:46 pm

Moonrise

8:57 am

Moonset

11:57 pm

Low tide

4:45 am

High tide

11:30 am

Low tide

6:23 pm

High tide

11:50 pm

Nearby spots

Species at this spot

Tailor
Australian Salmon
Bonito
Yellowtail Kingfish
Rock Blackfish
Luderick
Yellowfin Bream
Silver Trevally