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

Sun 20 Sep 2026 · Australia/Sydney

Save

←

20 Sep

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Today Tomorrow Sat 19 Sep

📍 Norah Head

first quarter · 59%

Weather: Sunny Wind: NW 309° · 12 km/h Swell: 0.5 m @ 9 s S Water: 19.0 °C Pressure: 1018.9 hPa ↓ falling

★★★☆☆

Medium Fish Activity

▸ Why this score?

At the day's peak · 6:30 pm

Solunar Major window

Time of day Dusk

Tide Moving

Wind NW 17 km/h

Moon first quarter all day

Water temp 19.0 °C all day

Learn how the score works →

Activity Forecast

Day timeline

Major Minor Tide Twilight

First light 5:22 am Last light 6:12 pm

High 2:45 am Low 7:54 am High 2:53 pm Low 9:56 pm

Drag or use arrow keys to explore

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

5:30 pm → 8:30 pm

Good

5:00 am → 6:30 am

1h 30m

Good

11:00 am → 12:30 pm

1h 30m

First light

5:22 am

Last light

6:12 pm

Sunrise

5:46 am

Sunset

5:48 pm

Moonrise

11:27 am

Moonset

1:41 am

High tide

2:45 am

Low tide

7:54 am

High tide

2:53 pm

Low tide

9:56 pm

Hourly Wind

High Bite Hours Highlighted

12am

☀️

10°

←︎

275°

7 km/h

1am

☀️

9°

←︎

273°

7 km/h

2am

☀️

9°

←︎

274°

8 km/h

3am

☀️

9°

←︎

276°

8 km/h

4am

☀️

9°

←︎

277°

9 km/h

5am

☀️

11°

←︎

283°

11 km/h

6am

☀️

14°

←︎

290°

10 km/h

7am

☀️

17°

↖︎

300°

9 km/h

8am

☀️

20°

↖︎

309°

9 km/h

9am

☀️

23°

↖︎

318°

9 km/h

10am

☀️

25°

↖︎

320°

10 km/h

11am

☀️

27°

↖︎

316°

10 km/h

12pm

☀️

28°

↖︎

309°

12 km/h

1pm

☀️

29°

↖︎

301°

13 km/h

2pm

☀️

30°

↖︎

295°

15 km/h

3pm

☀️

30°

←︎

290°

16 km/h

4pm

☀️

30°

←︎

289°

17 km/h

5pm

☀️

29°

←︎

291°

17 km/h

6pm

☀️

28°

↖︎

295°

17 km/h

7pm

☀️

26°

↖︎

301°

17 km/h

8pm

☀️

23°

↖︎

306°

16 km/h

9pm

☀️

21°

↖︎

310°

15 km/h

10pm

☀️

20°

↖︎

310°

15 km/h

11pm

☀️

19°

↖︎

305°

13 km/h

Hourly Swell

Steady ~0.4 m S

12am

0.6 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Slight

1am

0.6 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Slight

2am

0.6 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Slight

3am

0.6 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Slight

4am

0.6 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Slight

5am

0.6 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Slight

6am

0.5 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Slight

7am

0.5 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Slight

8am

0.5 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Slight

9am

0.5 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Slight

10am

0.5 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Calm

11am

0.5 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Calm

12pm

0.5 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Calm

1pm

0.4 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Calm

2pm

0.4 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Calm

3pm

0.4 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Calm

4pm

0.4 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Calm

5pm

0.4 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Calm

6pm

0.4 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Calm

7pm

0.4 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Calm

8pm

0.4 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Calm

9pm

0.3 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Calm

10pm

0.3 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Calm

11pm

0.4 m

@ 7 s

↓︎

Calm

chop

Water Temp (°C)

↗ warming — up 0.4° over the last 3 days

Thu

17 Sep

18.6°

Fri

18 Sep

18.7°

Sat

19 Sep

18.8°

Sun

20 Sep

19.0°

Mon

21 Sep

19.1°

Tue

22 Sep

19.1°

Wed

23 Sep

19.1°

Thu

24 Sep

—

Fri

25 Sep

—

Sat

26 Sep

—

Wind Map

Wind data (text)

Now: 12 km/h NW (309°).

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

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

5:30 pm → 8:30 pm

Good

5:00 am → 6:30 am

1h 30m

Good

11:00 am → 12:30 pm

1h 30m

First light

5:22 am

Last light

6:12 pm

Sunrise

5:46 am

Sunset

5:48 pm

Moonrise

11:27 am

Moonset

1:41 am

High tide

2:45 am

Low tide

7:54 am

High tide

2:53 pm

Low tide

9:56 pm

Nearby spots

Species at this spot

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