Fishing Guide

fishing guide – cunnamulla, eulo & wyandra

Experience the tranquillity and excitement of fishing off the banks of an outback river or creek.

Use your skills to catch a “Yellow Belly” or the elusive Murray Cod in the muddy waters that flows throughout our river systems. The Golden Perch, “Yellow Belly”, is the most commonly caught fish but Murray Cod, catfish, and silver and spangled perch are also available in some areas. You may even be lucky enough to find a local that will share his secret spot with you. Check road and weather conditions prior to travelling.

FISH IDENTIFICATION

Golden Perch (Yellow Belly) A common fish caught in our waterways and in Queensland. Adult Perch are moderate to large in size and are bronze, olive green to brownish in colour overall with a yellow ventral surface. The forehead is distinctly concave above the eyes and the lower jaw is protruding. Minimum Size Limit – 30cm, Bag Limit – 10 Fish. Freshwater Catfish

The Catfish may appear to have greenish-brown mottled skin, fading to a white on the belly. This fish also has large eel-like dorsal fins starting about the middle of the body. CAUTION – The catfish has sharp barbs on their fins, although not poisonous they can cause sharp, burning pains if stabbed. Minimum Size Limit – 30cm, Bag Limit – 10 Fish.

Murry Cod The Murray Cod are golden-yellow with green to dark brown mottling. They have soft dorsal, pelvic and caudal fins with thin white margins. The head profile is of a concave nature, with a large mouth, extending back to behind the eye. CLOSED SEASON – 1st September to 30th November Minimum Size Limit – 60cm, Maximum Size Limit – 110cm, Bag Limit – 2 Fish.

GOLDEN PERCH MURRY COD

Silver Perch (Black Bream) This fish may be identified by the small mouth and head in relation to the body size. Colour is usually silvery grey with darker scale margins, a whitish belly and dusky grey to black fins.

PROTECTED SPECIES – Strictly Catch and Release.

European Carp

Carp have large scales, a deeply forked tail, a single dorsal fin and two pairs of fleshy whiskers (or barbels) in the corners of their upper lip.

CARP ARE A NOXIOUS PEST – It is illegal to place or release noxious fish alive or dead into Queensland waterways. Penalties of up to $200,000 apply. Must be disposed of, and not thrown back in. Use as bait or transport out of the area.

Yabby (Blueclaw Crayfish) The Yabby is a crustacean species that burrows or uses the shelter of rocks and timber along shallow waters on river banks. The Yabby can be identified by its bluish brown body. Small yabbies make good bait for fishing and the larger ones can be eaten in much the same way as prawns. Bag Limit – 100 Crayfish. Freshwater Shrimp Shrimp live in the shallow waters around weeds, logs and fallen trees throughout our local river systems. Shrimp are easily identified by their small translucent bodies and sharp barb protruding from the front of their head. Shrimp make fantastic bait for fishing. No Size or Bag Limits apply.

Spangled Perch The fish is blue to gray with a silvery shine, and has reddish spots all over, except on the belly. The juvenile has a dark bar on the lower part of the tail. Common size is 150–200mm, and on rare occasions up to 250mm and 500g. Minimum Size Limit – No Limit, Bag Limit – 20 Fish.

SPANGLED PERCH

CARP FRESHWATER SHRIMP

Bony Bream The Bony Bream is a relatively deep bodied species with a blunt snout and bony toothless lower jaw. The scales along both the midline of the belly and the dorsal margin of the body in front of the dorsal fin, form a sharp serrate ridge. The species is silvery to grey, sometimes with a greenish or reddish tinge dorsally. The species grows to about 32cm in length. Minimum Size Limit – No Limit, Bag Limit – 20 Fish.

BAIT & INFORMATION

For information on where to get bait please feel free to call in and see us at the Cunnamulla Fella Centre or phone us on (07) 4655 8470. For further information on fish identification visit www.fisheries.qld.gov.au or download the Queensland Fisheries App.

Weir – Five kilometres south of town, the Allan Tannock Weir is the perfect place to sit by the water to watch the birds come and go. It was completed in 1991, supplying Cunnamulla with its water for irrigation and urban purposes. When full, it holds a volume of 4,772ML. Sandhills – If ‘sight doing’ is more your thing, then get ready to burn a few calories with some sand-boarding. Climb to the top of the sandhill then feel the rush as you carve up the sand on the way down! Evaporation Ponds – The land types in the Paroo Shire attract diverse species of birds and is a bird watcher’s paradise. Cunnamulla, Eulo, Yowah, Wyandra and surrounds are home to more than 200 species of birds. Trees on the edge of the ponds can be used as hides to view the birds that frequent here at various times of the year.

OLD CHARLEVILLE ROAD