One of the most popular fishing spots on the North Queensland coast
Locals and seasoned visitors might call it “Blowin’ Bowen”, but that doesn’t stop this small North Queensland town from being one of the most popular fishing destinations for anglers travelling the Queensland coast.
Located at the top of the Whitsundays and around 1,100kms north of Brisbane, Bowen attracts an influx of southern winter escapees each year. But for many, the dry, mild weather (Bowen bills itself as the Climate Capital of Australia) isn’t the only reason for making the long haul from as far afield as Victoria and South Australia. The other reason for returning year after year to this seaside town is the diverse, easily-accessible fishing on offer. From beach fishing to trolling for pelagics in inshore waters and bottom bouncing the outer edges of the Great Barrier Reef, they’re all available to visiting anglers.
And the wind? Well, the reality is that there are days and even weeks when the sky is cloudless and the sea like glass and it’s simply great being out on the water. If it is a bit breezy a flexible approach and a little patience will usually find somewhere that you can wet a line.
Let’s look at the options.
The Region
It’s fair to say that the countryside around Bowen and the town area itself can be pretty dry, especially towards the end of the dry season. This is definitely not the wet tropics.
But while you won’t find rainforests, you will find reefs – fringing reefs that line a number of the eight glorious bays and beaches which are truly the jewels in Bowen’s crown. These shallow reefs, sandy beaches, protected bays and rocky headlands are popular with swimmers, snorkelers and anglers alike. And for those with a boat there are islands just a few kilometres off the coast which are worth exploring.
With a population of around 9000, Bowen is a small country town, but it does have all the shops and facilities you’ll need for an enjoyable, hassle-free stay. The town has changed much from its drab appearance of decades ago, with 25 murals of historic scenes, colourful gardens and a new water park on the Front Beach at the bottom of the main street, to name just some of the attractions. The town also has a number of historic buildings dating from 1861 when Bowen was the first port to be established in North Queensland.
Other attractions include Mullers Lagoon (a 23.5hectare park featuring a lagoon which attracts a huge amount of birdlife), a number of excellent, shoreline walking tracks and no less than five lookouts, with the one on top of Flagstaff Hill offering 360 degree views of the town, coastline and islands.
The Accommodation
There are eight caravan parks (up to four-and-a-half stars) in Bowen, with five being almost within casting distance of the beach. All parks are just a few minutes drive from the town centre and, in some cases, even closer to boat launching facilities and fishing spots. As well as powered and unpowered sites, all parks also offer accommodation ranging from basic cabins to luxury holiday villas.
During the winter months parks may be booked out, so it pays to phone ahead and make a booking.
For travelling anglers with vessels large enough to run offshore, there is a number of National Park campsites on Gloucester Island, around 10nm from the boat harbour. Bona Bay on the south-western side of the island is the most popular and is often sheltered from the prevailing south-easterly winds during the winter months. Picnic tables and composting toilets are the only facilities. A National Park camping permit is required.
Shore-based Fishing
Shore-based anglers have a number of options to choose from. There are beach, rock, jetty and estuary opportunities scattered around Bowen’s immediate coastline.
The long stretches of Queens and Kings beaches provide anglers with the chance of escaping the crowds, with likely catches being whiting, flathead, bream and trevally. At shallow Front Beach you can fish the tide out and in, casting your baits and lures around the pylons of the town jetty.
At the northern end of Queens Beach is the mouth of the Don River which can be accessed with a stroll along the beach or over the dunes. Other smaller estuaries in the town area worth checking on foot include Sandhills Creek on Kings Beach and Magazine Creek which flows into the small boat harbour.
If you’re happy to do a bit of rock hopping, the rocky headlands at Cape Edgecumbe and around the base of Flagstaff Hill provide easy access to some good fishing spots. In these spots you can expect to catch anything from reef species such as parrot fish and coral trout, to passing pelagics. As a teenager I recall luring parrot and cod from the clear, rock and coral studded waters of Murray Bay on homemade minnows, at a time when lure fishing in Australia was in its infancy.
Shore-based anglers can also fish from the jetty at Front Beach, with likely species being bream, mangrove jack and fingermark (aka golden snapper) from around the pylons, as well as cruising pelagics such as mackerel and trevally. Heavier tackle is advisable here to hold the fish out of the pylons and a cliff or jetty gaff will be necessary to land larger specimens.
The easily-accessible rock walls and the channel leading into the small boat harbour are other spots worth trying, especially after dark. Likely catches include mangrove jack, bream and trevally.
Boat Fishing
Even a small cartopper will open up many more fishing options around Bowen and larger boats can head even further offshore, especially during calm weather.
There is a couple of things about this area which makes boat fishing a breeze.
Firstly it’s the close proximity of the launching facilities and the fishing grounds to town and your accommodation. Some caravan parks are literally only minutes from a ramp and you can be soaking a bait or trolling a lure within 15 minutes of leaving your campsite.
The other major benefit of boating around Bowen is the number of sheltered spots close to shore. It means that no matter what direction the wind is blowing from, you should be able to find a patch of sheltered water to fish. For example, the inshore waters of Port Denison are sheltered from northerly winds while the lee side of Cape Edgecumbe can be smooth and comfortable, even while the south-easterlies are howling. Add to that the variety of sheltered waters around the inshore islands such as Stone and North Head and it’s possible, with a little care, to wet a line in even moderate weather. Locals and long-stay grey nomads will often fish the calmer early morning hours (the most productive time anyway) and be home before the worst of the weather kicks in.
Of course, you’ll need calm weather to access the offshore fishing grounds located in open waters.
Ramp Roundup
Bowen’s main boat ramps are located at Grays Bay and the small boat harbour.
The Grays Bay ramp has two lanes and can provide quick access to the tip of Cape Edgecumbe as well as the mackerel grounds and Abbot Point further to the north. However, this ramp does have a few negatives. It can be slippery or, depending on the prevailing wind direction, sand can build up on the lower sections. It is also open to winds blowing from the north through to the west and can be unusable or dangerous in these conditions. This ramp is best suited to smaller boats. Parking is also limited.
Launching facilities at the small boat harbour are much better and more suited to larger boats. There is a four lane ramp on the western side of the harbour with ample parking and a pontoon near the North Queensland Cruising Yacht Club nearby. These ramps are within the harbour walls and well sheltered from open water wave action.
Bluewater Fishing
Once on the water boat anglers have a choice of handy islands, headlands and shoals to choose from. Of course, safe access to all spots will depend on the prevailing weather conditions. However in good conditions anglers in small tinnies (such as cartoppers) can fish the inshore islands and shoals in safety. Spots such as Stone and North Head islands, Cape Edgecumbe and the inshore shoals off Queens and Kings beaches are all within a few kilometres of shore and shelter.
All these spots can produce a mixture of bottom fish such as coral trout, sweetlip and parrot fish as well as pelagics including most of the mackerel species, trevally, cobia and queenfish. You can even catch flathead, whiting and bream on the sandflats on the lee side of Stone Island.
Larger boats have the choice of ranging further afield to islands such as Thomas, Poole, Middle and Gloucester and Cheybassa Shoals to the south of Stone Island.
There is also a number of very productive fishing spots to the north of Bowen.
Perhaps the best known are the mackerel patches, the nearest being just 4.5kms from the Grays Bay boat ramp and seawards of the mouth of the Don River. The second or outer patch is around 8kms from the ramp. A rubbly bottom and converging currents concentrate baitfish in these areas which in turn attract most species of mackerel. Greys, doggies, spotties and the larger Spanish mackerel can all be taken on these patches at various times of the year.
To find the patches, just head north from Grays Bay and look for the boats. On calm days there is usually a flotilla of vessels casting and trolling lures and baits.
Still further to the north is the coal loading jetty at Abbot Point. This forest of pylons rising from almost 20 metres of water attracts all the pelagic species as well as many of the reef bottom dwellers including nannygai, red emperor and golden snapper. These can be quality fish so take the heavier outfits to hold them out of the pylons and plenty of tackle for when you can’t.
It is important when fishing around the jetty to always ensure you’re well clear of any ship movements or coal loading operations.
Estuary Fishing
Estuary fishing around Bowen is limited thanks to restricted land access to what few estuaries there are. Locked gates and the required permission from landowners make it difficult for visitors to fish the handful of creeks north and south of the town. Usually access from the sea is the only option and that requires calm weather for the smaller boats (up to 4 metres long) which are best suited to fishing these creeks. In many cases shallow sandbars at the creek mouths will even limit access from the sea and once inside skippers will need to keep an eye out for further hazards such as snags and rock bars.
Visitors are advised to seek local up-to-date information at tackle shops and caravan parks before trying to fish these mangrove creeks.
However, the effort can be worthwhile, with species such as whiting, flathead, bream, salmon, grunter, trevally, cod, mangrove jack and barra being available for clued-up anglers.
So, while “Blowin’ Bowen” might be an apt name for this small North Queensland town for some of the time, it is still one of the most popular fishing destinations on the tropical coast. Its dry weather, mild winters and exciting, easily-accessible bluewater fishing make it a favourite with travellers and locals alike.