What fish can you catch at The Entrance bridge and channel?

The bridge pylons and the channel edges hold yellowfin bream year-round, dusky flathead on most tides, sand whiting over the warmer months and the occasional mulloway after dark. Work a soft plastic or a baited rig down the current seams from the bank, where the prawns and crabs hold. The bridge is a live road bridge and fishing from the deck is not permitted, so fish from the foreshore, the channel edges and the training walls instead. Most adult anglers need to have paid the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee to fish here — limited exemptions apply, including under-18s and Pensioner Concession Card holders.

Do you need a fishing licence to fish The Entrance Channel?

There is no separate licence, but a NSW Recreational Fishing Fee is required to fish anywhere in NSW saltwater or freshwater. Most adult anglers need to pay it — limited exemptions apply, including under-18s and Pensioner Concession Card holders. It costs $7 for three days, $14 for a month, $35 for a year or $85 for three years, and you must carry proof of payment while fishing — even having a rod beside the water without a receipt is the offence. Pay online through Service NSW, by phone, at a fishing fee agent or at a Service NSW self-serve kiosk.

What is the size limit for flathead at The Entrance?

Dusky flathead in NSW have a 36–70cm slot. You can only keep fish between 36cm and 70cm, and anything over 70cm — usually a big breeding female — must be released. The daily bag limit is 5, with 10 in possession. Check the current NSW rules before you go, as limits change.

When is the best time to fish The Entrance Channel?

Fish the tide change rather than the clock — the last of the run-in into the first of the run-out is the prime window, and current direction matters more than time of day. Dawn and after dark on a weekday avoid the bridge crowds, and the northern side under the bridge lights fishes well near the top of the tide at night.

Is The Entrance Channel good for fishing with kids?

Yes. Memorial Park on Marine Parade has sealed parking, play equipment and flat paths right by the water, and the shallow sand flats are a forgiving place to learn. The daily 3.30pm pelican feed is a bonus and runs every day of the year. Just mind the boat and personal-watercraft traffic in the channel and keep little ones clear of the slippery rock walls at the ocean end.

Bite Compass

Bite Forecast

The Entrance Channel (Tuggerah Lake)

Thu 17 Sep 2026 · Australia/Sydney

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17 Sep

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Today Tomorrow Sat 19 Sep

📍 The Entrance Channel (Tuggerah Lake)

waxing crescent · 28%

Weather: Cloudy Wind: S 193° · 25 km/h Swell: 1.7 m @ 10 s S Water: 18.6 °C Pressure: 1031.4 hPa → steady

★★★☆☆

Medium Fish Activity

▸ Why this score?

At the day's peak · 6:00 pm

Solunar Between windows

Time of day Dusk

Tide Turning

Wind S 14 km/h

Moon waxing crescent all day

Water temp 18.6 °C all day

Learn how the score works →

Activity Forecast

Day timeline

Major Minor Tide Twilight

First light 5:26 am Last light 6:11 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

4:00 pm → 7:00 pm

Good

5:00 am → 6:30 am

1h 30m

First light

5:26 am

Last light

6:11 pm

Sunrise

5:51 am

Sunset

5:46 pm

Moonrise

8:57 am

Moonset

11:58 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

☀️

13°

↓︎

199°

23 km/h

1am

☀️

13°

↙︎

204°

22 km/h

2am

☀️

12°

↙︎

209°

21 km/h

3am

☀️

11°

↙︎

216°

20 km/h

4am

☀️

11°

↙︎

222°

20 km/h

5am

☀️

10°

↙︎

229°

18 km/h

6am

☀️

10°

↙︎

235°

17 km/h

7am

☀️

10°

↙︎

235°

16 km/h

8am

☁️

11°

↙︎

221°

17 km/h

9am

☁️

13°

↙︎

205°

21 km/h

10am

☁️

14°

↓︎

196°

25 km/h

11am

☁️

15°

↓︎

194°

25 km/h

12pm

☁️

15°

↓︎

193°

25 km/h

1pm

☁️

15°

↓︎

193°

24 km/h

2pm

☁️

16°

↓︎

191°

23 km/h

3pm

☁️

16°

↓︎

188°

22 km/h

4pm

☀️

15°

↓︎

186°

20 km/h

5pm

☀️

15°

↓︎

185°

18 km/h

6pm

☀️

14°

↓︎

184°

14 km/h

7pm

☀️

13°

↓︎

186°

11 km/h

8pm

☀️

12°

↓︎

190°

9 km/h

9pm

☀️

12°

↓︎

200°

7 km/h

10pm

☀️

11°

↙︎

217°

6 km/h

11pm

☀️

11°

↙︎

239°

7 km/h

Hourly Swell

Building 1.3 → 2.1 m S

12am

1.3 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

1am

1.4 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

2am

1.7 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

3am

2.0 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Moderate

4am

2.2 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Solid

5am

2.0 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Solid

6am

1.8 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Moderate

7am

1.6 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

8am

1.6 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

9am

1.6 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

10am

1.6 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

11am

1.6 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

12pm

1.7 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

ground

1pm

1.7 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

2pm

1.9 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

3pm

2.1 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Solid

4pm

2.3 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Solid

5pm

2.4 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Solid

6pm

2.4 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Solid

chop

7pm

2.4 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Solid

chop

8pm

2.4 m

@ 7 s

↓︎

Solid

chop

9pm

2.3 m

@ 7 s

↓︎

Solid

chop

10pm

2.2 m

@ 7 s

↓︎

Solid

chop

11pm

2.1 m

@ 7 s

↓︎

Solid

chop

Water Temp (°C)

→ steady around 18.6°

Mon

14 Sep

18.7°

Tue

15 Sep

19.0°

Wed

16 Sep

18.9°

Thu

17 Sep

18.6°

Fri

18 Sep

18.6°

Sat

19 Sep

18.8°

Sun

20 Sep

18.9°

Mon

21 Sep

18.9°

Tue

22 Sep

18.9°

Wed

23 Sep

—

Wind Map

Wind data (text)

Now: 25 km/h S (193°).

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

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

4:00 pm → 7:00 pm

Good

5:00 am → 6:30 am

1h 30m

First light

5:26 am

Last light

6:11 pm

Sunrise

5:51 am

Sunset

5:46 pm

Moonrise

8:57 am

Moonset

11:58 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

Dusky Flathead
Yellowfin Bream
Sand Whiting
Mulloway (Jewfish)
Luderick
Tailor
Silver Trevally