Toukley Bridge (Wallarah Point)

Toukley Bridge carries Main Road over the narrow channel where Tuggerah Lake meets Budgewoi Lake, and that pinch in the water is the whole attraction. Wallarah Point is the park on the Gorokan side, not the bridge — a distinction worth knowing before you follow someone's directions. Two large lake systems flush through one squeezed gap, so baitfish, prawns and the predators that hunt them all funnel past the same set of pylons. Anglers fish it three ways: off the old bridge remnants the current span replaced, from the rocky foreshore at either end, or by drifting plastics through the channel from a kayak. The Tuggerah Lakes are a perched estuary rather than a tidal one — the level normally sits around 0.2 to 0.4m AHD and is set by rainfall and the sand berm at The Entrance rather than by the moon — so the steady current under the bridge and the lights at night do the work an ocean tide would do elsewhere. It is a low-light, light-tackle estuary spot rather than a heavy grind, and it has been a known flathead, bream and tailor stop for decades.

The reliable program here is low light and structure. Flathead sit on the channel edges and the sand drop-offs near the pylons; locals work 80–100mm soft plastics and small vibes along the bottom on a slow hop, or fan baits of live prawn, mullet strip and pilchard across the channel. After dark the bridge lights become the main event — they pull bait into the glow, and flathead and bigger bream hunt the shadow line where lit water meets dark. Bream respond well to baits soaked after dark close to the pylons and the old bridge footings, and to small hardbodies and plastics bounced past the timber for the lure crowd. Luderick anglers float weed or green cabbage under a float through winter, working the current seams. Because the water barely rises and falls, anglers key off wind and light rather than tide charts — first and last hour of daylight, and the few hours either side of dark, are when it switches on.

Dusky flathead are the bread and butter and turn up year-round, with the warmer months from spring into autumn the most consistent and the odd genuine 70cm-plus model holding deeper in the channel — the slot is 36–70cm, the bag is 5 and the possession limit is 10, so those big ones go back. Yellowfin bream are also a year-round target and fish best after dark, the larger models feeding hard once the lights come on, at 25cm inside a bag of 10 shared with tarwhine. Luderick run through the colder months on weed and cabbage under a float, at 27cm and a bag of 10. Chopper tailor and mullet come through in waves — there are evenings when the channel is alive with both — and tailor need 30cm with a daily bag of 10 and 20 in possession. Mulloway are a genuine but patient prospect around the deeper channel water, at a 70cm minimum and a strict one fish per person. Sand whiting show through the warmer half of the year over the sand flats nearby at 27cm inside a 20-fish whiting bag, and silver trevally turn up around the structure at 30cm inside a shared trevally bag of 10.

This is a shared, popular spot, so the old bridge remnants and best foreshore corners fill up at dusk on calm evenings — turn up early to claim a position rather than crowding in beside someone already fishing. The lights are the edge: cast to the shadow line where lit water meets dark rather than dumping a lure straight under the brightest globe, because that seam is where flathead ambush. Fish the remnants and the banks, not the road bridge itself — fishing from the deck of a Transport for NSW bridge is not permitted, so stay on the water's edge and obey any signs posted there. Live prawns are the best bait going here, and a dip or scoop net is the way to gather them. The two Lake Munmorah and Budgewoi Lake closures sit elsewhere on the system — a net closure on Budgewoi Creek between the Traffic Road bridge and the footbridge at the Lake Munmorah entrance, and the winter night closure on the old power station outlet canal — and the Tuggerah Lakes closure is confined to the ocean entrance at The Entrance, so none of them reaches this channel and standard NSW net rules apply here. Wind sets the water level and the bite more than any tide, so a steady breeze pushing water through the channel often fires better than a flat dead calm.

The easiest base is Wallarah Point Peace Park on Wallarah Road at Gorokan, on the western side of the bridge and right on the water, with sealed parking, a playground, seating with tables, free barbecues and a two-lane concrete ramp with car and trailer parking in the park itself. Council does not list toilets here, which is worth knowing before a long session — the nearby Buff Point ramps are the ones that do. The foreshore and the old bridge remnants sit a short, flat walk from the car, and the grassed reserve makes it one of the more comfortable land-based options on the lakes. The rocky foreshore underfoot is uneven, so it is not fully wheelchair-friendly, but plenty can be fished from grass and easier ground near the park. With barbecues, a playground and gentle, near non-tidal water, it is a genuinely workable family spot — kids can fish for bream and the odd flathead while the rest of the day happens around them.

Because the lakes are wind-driven rather than tidal, conditions here are mostly about breeze and light, not swell or surf. A moderate wind pushing water through the channel keeps current moving past the pylons and usually improves the bite; a dead-flat, glassed-off evening can fish slowly. Strong westerlies and big blows chop the open lake and make casting and bait presentation awkward, and prolonged heavy rain can dirty the system and slow things for a few days. The genuine windows are dawn, dusk and after dark, especially on warm, settled summer nights when the lights, the prawns and the predators all line up. Heavy boat traffic through the channel on summer weekends is more of a nuisance than a danger but can put fish down mid-day.

This is a calm estuary spot, so the risks are the small, easily forgotten ones rather than swell off a rock ledge. The rocky foreshore and old bridge remnants are uneven and get slippery when wet, and oyster growth on the rocks and timber will open a hand or a shin, so closed footwear and care getting down are worth it. Stay off the road bridge itself: the traffic is live and fishing from the deck of a Transport for NSW bridge is not permitted. Watch for boat traffic and ski boats running the channel, particularly on summer weekends, and keep an eye on kids near the water's edge. Bluebottles and jellyfish can drift into the lakes after onshore weather, the summer sun is relentless on open foreshore, and night sessions invite mosquitoes — hat, sunscreen and repellent earn their place. The rock-fishing lifejacket law turns on fishing from rock exposed to ocean swell, and this is inland lake foreshore rather than open coast — but standard care near deep, dark channel water at night still applies, and the ocean headlands twenty minutes away are a different proposition entirely.

Dusky flathead, yellowfin bream and tailor are the mainstays, with luderick through winter, sand whiting over the warmer months, silver trevally around the structure and a patient chance at mulloway after dark. It is a classic light-tackle estuary spot best fished in low light. Remember a NSW Recreational Fishing Fee is required to fish anywhere in NSW, including the Tuggerah Lakes.

Barely. The Tuggerah Lakes are a perched estuary rather than a tidal one — the level normally sits around 0.2 to 0.4m AHD and is driven by rainfall and the sand berm at The Entrance rather than by the moon. Instead of timing a tide, locals fish dawn, dusk and after dark, and a steady breeze pushing water through the channel often fires the bite better than a dead-flat evening.

Yes, and it is arguably the best time. The bridge lights pull bait into the glow, and flathead and bigger bream hunt the shadow line where lit water meets dark. Cast to that seam rather than under the brightest globe, soak baits close to the pylons, and bring repellent for the mosquitoes.

The easiest base is Wallarah Point Peace Park on Wallarah Road at Gorokan, right on the water with sealed parking, a playground, free barbecues, seating and a two-lane concrete boat ramp. Council does not list toilets there, so plan for that. The old bridge remnants and rocky foreshore are a short, flat walk from the car, which makes it one of the more family-friendly land-based options on the lakes. Fish the remnants and the banks — fishing from the road bridge deck is not permitted.

In NSW dusky flathead must fall within a 36–70cm slot — anything under 36cm or over 70cm must be released — with a daily bag limit of 5 and a possession limit of 10. The over-70cm fish are big breeding females, so the rule protects them. Carry a measure, and note that a NSW Recreational Fishing Fee is required to fish in NSW and the receipt has to be on you.