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

Sun 13 Sep 2026 · Australia/Sydney

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13 Sep

Today

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Today Tomorrow Sat 19 Sep

📍 Shoal Bay Wharf

new · 2%

Weather: Sunny Wind: E 77° · 18 km/h Swell: 1.5 m @ 11 s S Water: 19.2 °C Pressure: 1023.7 hPa ↓ falling

★★★☆☆

Medium Fish Activity

▸ Why this score?

At the day's peak · 6:00 am

Solunar Minor window

Time of day Dawn

Tide Strong flow

Wind N 10 km/h

Moon new all day

Water temp 19.2 °C all day

Learn how the score works →

Activity Forecast

Now

Day timeline

Major Minor Tide Twilight

First light 5:29 am Last light 6:05 pm

Low 2:37 am High 8:55 am Low 2:58 pm High 9:02 pm

Drag or use arrow keys to explore

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

5:00 am → 7:30 am

2h 30m

Good

12:30 pm → 3:30 pm

Good

5:30 pm → 7:00 pm

1h 30m

Good

2:00 am → 4:00 am

First light

5:29 am

Last light

6:05 pm

Sunrise

5:53 am

Sunset

5:41 pm

Moonrise

6:42 am

Moonset

7:51 pm

Low tide

2:37 am

High tide

8:55 am

Low tide

2:58 pm

High tide

9:02 pm

Hourly Wind

High Bite Hours Highlighted

12am

☀️

14°

↗︎

30°

15 km/h

1am

☀️

14°

↗︎

38°

14 km/h

2am

☀️

13°

↗︎

40°

13 km/h

3am

☀️

13°

↗︎

32°

11 km/h

4am

☀️

12°

↗︎

31°

13 km/h

5am

☀️

12°

↗︎

29°

13 km/h

6am

☀️

11°

↑︎

17°

10 km/h

7am

☀️

13°

↑︎

3°

8 km/h

8am

☀️

16°

↑︎

6°

5 km/h

9am

☀️

19°

↑︎

10°

5 km/h

10am

☀️

21°

↑︎

16°

5 km/h

11am

☀️

23°

↗︎

47°

4 km/h

12pm

☀️

24°

→︎

85°

7 km/h

1pm

☀️

24°

→︎

85°

13 km/h

Now

☀️

23°

→︎

77°

18 km/h

3pm

☀️

22°

↗︎

67°

20 km/h

4pm

☀️

21°

↗︎

57°

19 km/h

5pm

☀️

19°

↗︎

53°

19 km/h

6pm

☀️

17°

↗︎

44°

19 km/h

7pm

☁️

17°

↗︎

37°

20 km/h

8pm

☁️

16°

↗︎

32°

20 km/h

9pm

☁️

16°

↗︎

30°

19 km/h

10pm

☀️

15°

↗︎

30°

18 km/h

11pm

☀️

15°

↗︎

30°

17 km/h

Hourly Swell

Easing 1.8 → 1.2 m S

12am

1.8 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

1am

1.7 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

2am

1.6 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

3am

1.6 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

4am

1.5 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

5am

1.5 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

6am

1.5 m

@ 11 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

7am

1.5 m

@ 11 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

8am

1.5 m

@ 11 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

9am

1.5 m

@ 11 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

10am

1.5 m

@ 11 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

11am

1.5 m

@ 11 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

12pm

1.5 m

@ 11 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

1pm

1.5 m

@ 11 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

Now

1.5 m

@ 11 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

3pm

1.4 m

@ 11 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

4pm

1.4 m

@ 11 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

5pm

1.4 m

@ 11 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

6pm

1.4 m

@ 11 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

7pm

1.3 m

@ 11 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

8pm

1.3 m

@ 11 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

9pm

1.3 m

@ 11 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

10pm

1.2 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

11pm

1.2 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

Water Temp (°C)

→ steady around 19.2°

Thu

10 Sep

19.0°

Fri

11 Sep

19.0°

Sat

12 Sep

19.2°

Sun

13 Sep

19.2°

Mon

14 Sep

19.2°

Tue

15 Sep

19.4°

Wed

16 Sep

19.1°

Thu

17 Sep

18.6°

Fri

18 Sep

18.6°

Sat

19 Sep

18.8°

Wind Map

Wind data (text)

Now: 18 km/h E (77°).

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 → 7:30 am

2h 30m

Good

12:30 pm → 3:30 pm

Good

5:30 pm → 7:00 pm

1h 30m

Good

2:00 am → 4:00 am

First light

5:29 am

Last light

6:05 pm

Sunrise

5:53 am

Sunset

5:41 pm

Moonrise

6:42 am

Moonset

7:51 pm

Low tide

2:37 am

High tide

8:55 am

Low tide

2:58 pm

High tide

9:02 pm

Nearby spots

Species at this spot

Sand Whiting
Garfish
Bonito
Dusky Flathead
Yellowfin Bream
Luderick
Tailor
Australian Salmon