What can you catch off Shoal Bay Wharf?

In the warmer months it's a standout spot for garfish, bonito and sand whiting, with dusky flathead and bream around as well. As the water cools it turns over to tailor, Australian salmon and luderick (blackfish), and squid hang around the pylons most of the year. The odd kingfish or longtail tuna follows bait into the entrance in summer but they're a bonus, not a sure thing. You'll need a NSW Recreational Fishing Fee to fish here, like everywhere in NSW, and the wharf sits inside the Port Stephens–Great Lakes Marine Park, so check the zoning map before you fish.

Is Shoal Bay Wharf good for fishing with kids?

It's one of the safest land-based spots in Port Stephens for families — the wharf is large, modern and railed, the water is calm and sheltered, and toilets, picnic shelters, BBQs and a beach are right there. Whiting, bream and garfish are all catchable on simple light gear, which keeps younger anglers busy. Just mind the slippery timber and the oyster-covered pylons.

When is the best time to fish Shoal Bay Wharf?

Dawn and dusk on a moving tide are the prime windows, with the run-in and the first of the run-out pushing bait past the wharf. For garfish and whiting the warm months from October to April are best; for tailor, salmon and luderick the cooler half of the year fishes better. A steady berley trail makes a big difference for the surface and sand species.

Do you need a fishing licence to fish at Shoal Bay Wharf?

Yes — a NSW Recreational Fishing Fee is required to fish anywhere in NSW, salt or fresh, including off this wharf, with only limited exemptions. It's a small fee payable for a few days up to a year and the receipt must be carried while fishing. Standard NSW size and bag limits apply too, including the 36–70cm slot for dusky flathead, so release any duskies over 70cm.

Does Shoal Bay Wharf fish well when the coast is blown out?

Often, yes. The bay faces north and sits behind the entrance, so it stays sheltered from southerly swell and southerly-to-westerly winds that close the open beaches and rock ledges. A strong northerly or heavy rain is what slows it down by putting chop and colour through the otherwise clear entrance water.

Bite Compass

Bite Forecast

Shoal Bay Wharf

Thu 22 Oct 2026 · Australia/Sydney

Forecast updated Thu 22 Oct, 11:20pm AEDT

Bite Alert

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22 Oct

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Today Tomorrow Sat 31 Oct

📍 Shoal Bay Wharf

waxing gibbous · 82%

Weather: Cloudy Wind: NE 41° · 13 km/h Swell: 0.9 m @ 5 s E Water: 19.3 °C Pressure: 1022.6 hPa ↓ falling Faces north-east · Offshore: S, SW, W · Onshore: N, NE, E · Forecast wind: onshore

★★★☆☆

Medium Fish Activity

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▸ Why this score?

At the day's peak · 6:00 am

Solunar Between windows

Time of day Dawn

Tide Turning

Wind NE 22 km/h

Moon waxing gibbous all day

Water temp 19.3 °C all day

Learn how the score works →

Activity Forecast

Day Timeline

Major Minor Tide Twilight

First light 5:38 am Last light 7:34 pm

High 6:12 am Low 11:54 am High 6:05 pm

Drag or use arrow keys to explore

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

5:00 am → 7:00 am

Good

6:30 pm → 11:00 pm

4h 30m

Good

9:00 am → 10:30 am

1h 30m

First light

5:38 am

Last light

7:34 pm

Sunrise

6:03 am

Sunset

7:08 pm

Moonrise

3:08 pm

Moonset

3:31 am

High tide

6:12 am

Low tide

11:54 am

High tide

6:05 pm

Hourly Wind

High Bite Hours Highlighted

12am

🌧️

18°

↗︎

63°

18 km/h

1am

🌧️

17°

↗︎

61°

17 km/h

2am

🌧️

17°

→︎

69°

19 km/h

3am

🌧️

18°

↗︎

63°

21 km/h

4am

🌧️

17°

→︎

68°

20 km/h

5am

🌧️

17°

↗︎

67°

22 km/h

6am

🌧️

17°

↗︎

66°

22 km/h

7am

🌧️

18°

↗︎

55°

19 km/h

8am

🌧️

18°

↗︎

59°

18 km/h

9am

🌧️

18°

↗︎

63°

19 km/h

10am

🌧️

19°

↗︎

61°

20 km/h

11am

🌧️

20°

↗︎

56°

20 km/h

12pm

☁️

22°

↗︎

59°

24 km/h

1pm

🌧️

22°

↗︎

62°

25 km/h

2pm

🌧️

20°

↗︎

60°

26 km/h

3pm

🌧️

20°

↗︎

65°

24 km/h

4pm

🌧️

19°

↗︎

58°

22 km/h

5pm

🌧️

19°

↗︎

51°

20 km/h

6pm

☁️

20°

↗︎

45°

19 km/h

7pm

☁️

19°

↗︎

48°

19 km/h

8pm

☁️

19°

↗︎

52°

18 km/h

9pm

☁️

19°

↗︎

52°

18 km/h

10pm

☁️

19°

↗︎

46°

16 km/h

11pm

☁️

18°

↗︎

41°

13 km/h

Hourly Swell

Steady ~0.9 m E

12am

0.7 m

@ 6 s

→︎

Slight

chop

1am

0.6 m

@ 6 s

→︎

Slight

chop

2am

0.6 m

@ 6 s

→︎

Slight

chop

3am

0.6 m

@ 6 s

→︎

Slight

chop

4am

0.6 m

@ 7 s

→︎

Slight

chop

5am

0.5 m

@ 7 s

→︎

Slight

chop

6am

0.6 m

@ 7 s

→︎

Slight

chop

7am

0.7 m

@ 7 s

→︎

Slight

chop

8am

0.8 m

@ 6 s

→︎

Slight

chop

9am

0.8 m

@ 6 s

→︎

Slight

chop

10am

0.8 m

@ 6 s

→︎

Slight

chop

11am

0.8 m

@ 6 s

→︎

Slight

chop

12pm

0.7 m

@ 6 s

→︎

Slight

chop

1pm

0.6 m

@ 6 s

→︎

Slight

chop

2pm

0.4 m

@ 6 s

↘︎

Calm

chop

3pm

0.6 m

@ 6 s

↘︎

Slight

chop

4pm

0.7 m

@ 6 s

→︎

Slight

chop

5pm

0.8 m

@ 6 s

→︎

Slight

chop

6pm

0.8 m

@ 6 s

→︎

Slight

chop

7pm

0.8 m

@ 6 s

→︎

Slight

chop

8pm

0.8 m

@ 6 s

→︎

Slight

chop

9pm

0.9 m

@ 6 s

→︎

Slight

chop

10pm

0.9 m

@ 5 s

→︎

Slight

chop

11pm

0.9 m

@ 5 s

→︎

Slight

chop

Wind Map

Wind data (text)

Now: 13 km/h NE (41°).

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 → 7:00 am

Good

6:30 pm → 11:00 pm

4h 30m

Good

9:00 am → 10:30 am

1h 30m

First light

5:38 am

Last light

7:34 pm

Sunrise

6:03 am

Sunset

7:08 pm

Moonrise

3:08 pm

Moonset

3:31 am

High tide

6:12 am

Low tide

11:54 am

High tide

6:05 pm

Nearby Spots

Species at This Spot

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