Can you fish from Swansea Bridge?

No. Fishing from the Swansea Bridge deck and footpath is prohibited, there is clear signage at various positions on the bridge and its surrounds, and Lake Macquarie police have run enforcement operations — one issued 42 infringement notices with penalties from $231 to $960. Fish the purpose-built fishing platforms, the channel walls and the rock edges beside the bridge instead, which is where the current and the fish are anyway. You also need a NSW Recreational Fishing Fee to fish anywhere in NSW.

What is the best tide to fish Swansea Bridge for kingfish?

Time it around the tide change. The channel current runs hard on the bigger tides and the kingfish bite best in the hour either side of slack water; dead high and dead low are slow. Live yellowtail or slimy mackerel and surface poppers in the current seam are the standout methods, and kingfish are 65cm minimum with a bag of 5.

What fish can you catch at Swansea Channel?

Yellowtail kingfish are the prize, mostly late spring through summer and into autumn, at 65cm minimum with a bag of 5. Dusky flathead, yellowfin bream, sand whiting, luderick, mulloway after dark and squid are all caught around the channel and the nearby Drop Over at Marks Point year-round, with seasonal peaks. Mulloway are 70cm minimum with a bag of 1 per person. Remember the fishing is from the platforms, walls and banks — not from the bridge.

Do dusky flathead have a slot limit in NSW?

Yes. In NSW dusky flathead have a 36cm minimum and a slot — fish over 70cm must be released to protect the big breeding females — with a bag limit of 5. A NSW Recreational Fishing Fee is required to fish in the state.

Is there parking and toilets at Swansea Bridge?

Yes. The Swansea boat ramp on the Swansea side has a car park, street parking along Channel Street and public toilets, and the sealed shared path beside the bridge is pram and wheelchair friendly. The productive fishing edges, though, are on uneven rock and bank rather than the path.

Bite Compass

Bite Forecast

Swansea Bridge

Thu 29 Oct 2026 · Australia/Sydney

Forecast updated 3:02pm AEDT

Bite Alert

←

29 Oct

Today

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→

Today Tomorrow Sat 31 Oct

📍 Swansea Bridge

waning gibbous · 91%

Weather: Sunny Wind: SE 140° · 18 km/h Swell: 1.2 m @ 8 s S Water: 18.9 °C Pressure: 1021.8 hPa → steady Sheltered water: wind direction matters less here

★★★☆☆

Medium Fish Activity

Email me when a High bite day is coming Free

▸ Why this score?

At the day's peak · 5:30 am

Solunar Between windows

Time of day Dawn

Tide Moving

Wind NW 9 km/h

Moon waning gibbous all day

Water temp 18.9 °C all day

Learn how the score works →

Activity Forecast

Now

Day Timeline

Major Minor Tide Twilight

First light 5:31 am Last light 7:43 pm

Low 4:20 am High 10:56 am Low 5:41 pm

Drag or use arrow keys to explore

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

2:30 am → 7:00 am

4h 30m

Good

5:30 pm → 8:30 pm

Good

11:00 pm → 12:00 am

Good

2:30 pm → 4:00 pm

1h 30m

First light

5:31 am

Last light

7:43 pm

Sunrise

5:57 am

Sunset

7:17 pm

Moonrise

11:06 pm

Moonset

7:43 am

Low tide

4:20 am

High tide

10:56 am

Low tide

5:41 pm

High tide

11:42 pm

Hourly Wind

High Bite Hours Highlighted

12am

☀️

15°

↖︎

319°

4 km/h

1am

☀️

15°

↖︎

323°

5 km/h

2am

☀️

15°

↖︎

311°

6 km/h

3am

☀️

15°

↖︎

307°

6 km/h

4am

☀️

15°

↖︎

309°

7 km/h

5am

☀️

15°

↖︎

317°

9 km/h

6am

☀️

14°

↖︎

316°

8 km/h

7am

☀️

15°

↖︎

320°

10 km/h

8am

☀️

18°

↖︎

315°

6 km/h

9am

☀️

20°

←︎

273°

4 km/h

10am

☀️

21°

↓︎

184°

6 km/h

11am

☀️

21°

↘︎

139°

9 km/h

12pm

☀️

21°

↘︎

124°

13 km/h

1pm

☀️

21°

↘︎

126°

14 km/h

2pm

☀️

20°

↘︎

138°

16 km/h

3pm

☀️

20°

↘︎

140°

18 km/h

Now

☀️

20°

↘︎

134°

19 km/h

5pm

☀️

20°

↘︎

132°

16 km/h

6pm

☀️

20°

↘︎

115°

16 km/h

7pm

☀️

19°

↘︎

123°

13 km/h

8pm

☀️

19°

↘︎

115°

12 km/h

9pm

☀️

19°

→︎

108°

8 km/h

10pm

☀️

18°

→︎

94°

5 km/h

11pm

☀️

18°

→︎

101°

5 km/h

Hourly Swell

Building 0.7 → 1.4 m S

12am

0.7 m

@ 5 s

↓︎

Slight

chop

1am

0.8 m

@ 6 s

↓︎

Slight

chop

2am

0.8 m

@ 6 s

↓︎

Slight

chop

3am

0.8 m

@ 7 s

↓︎

Slight

chop

4am

0.8 m

@ 7 s

↓︎

Slight

chop

5am

0.9 m

@ 7 s

↓︎

Slight

chop

6am

0.9 m

@ 7 s

↓︎

Slight

chop

7am

0.9 m

@ 7 s

↓︎

Slight

chop

8am

1.0 m

@ 7 s

↓︎

Slight

chop

9am

1.0 m

@ 7 s

↓︎

Moderate

chop

10am

1.1 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Moderate

chop

11am

1.1 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Moderate

chop

12pm

1.1 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Moderate

chop

1pm

1.2 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Moderate

chop

2pm

1.2 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Moderate

3pm

1.2 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Moderate

Now

1.2 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Moderate

5pm

1.2 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Moderate

6pm

1.3 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Moderate

7pm

1.3 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Moderate

chop

8pm

1.4 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Moderate

chop

9pm

1.4 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Moderate

chop

10pm

1.4 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Moderate

11pm

1.4 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Moderate

Water Temp (°C)

↗ warming — up 1.1° over the last 3 days

Mon

26 Oct

17.8°

Tue

27 Oct

18.1°

Wed

28 Oct

18.3°

Thu

29 Oct

18.9°

Fri

30 Oct

19.1°

Sat

31 Oct

18.9°

Sun

1 Nov

18.9°

Mon

2 Nov

19.2°

Tue

3 Nov

19.2°

Wed

4 Nov

19.5°

Wind Map

Wind data (text)

Now: 18 km/h SE (140°).

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

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

2:30 am → 7:00 am

4h 30m

Good

5:30 pm → 8:30 pm

Good

11:00 pm → 12:00 am

Good

2:30 pm → 4:00 pm

1h 30m

First light

5:31 am

Last light

7:43 pm

Sunrise

5:57 am

Sunset

7:17 pm

Moonrise

11:06 pm

Moonset

7:43 am

Low tide

4:20 am

High tide

10:56 am

Low tide

5:41 pm

High tide

11:42 pm

Nearby Spots

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