Best time to fish in Fingal Bay
Today, Thursday, October 29, 2026 · local time (GMT+11) · New South Wales, Australia Today, Thu, Oct 29 · GMT+11- High tides
- 11:13 am and 11:58 pm
- Major periods
- 1:49–3:49 am and 2:22–4:22 pm
- Solunar activity
- Medium
- Sun
- 5:56 am–7:15 pm
Today, Thursday, October 29, the best time to fish in Fingal Bay is 4:50 pm to 6:50 pm, with the 5:54 pm low tide, sunset, a light onshore breeze and some swell, though with rising pressure. It's an average day (5/10). The best day this week is Saturday, October 31, at 8/10.
Your day in Fingal Bay at a glance
The strip runs from midnight to midnight, local time. Night in gray, daylight in yellow; the blue curve is the tide; below, the solunar periods and the best windows.
Fishing forecast for the next 7 days
| Day | Rating | Best times | High tides | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 5average day | 4:50–6:50 pm10:10 am–12:10 pm | ▲ 11:13 am ▲ 11:58 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Fri 30 | 7good day | 6:40–7:40 pm5:30–6:30 am | ▲ 12:05 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Sat 31 | 8good day | 5:30–6:30 am7:00–7:40 pm | ▲ 1:01 am ▲ 1:03 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Sun 1 | 6average day | 5:30–7:00 am6:40–7:30 pm | ▲ 2:09 am ▲ 2:07 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Mon 2 | 6average day | 6:40–7:40 pm5:50–6:30 am | ▲ 3:21 am ▲ 3:16 pm | Last quarter |
| Tue 3 | 6average day | 7:10–7:50 pm8:00–11:00 am | ▲ 4:31 am ▲ 4:25 pm | Waning crescent |
| Wed 4 | 5average day | 5:20–6:20 am10:20 am–12:20 pm | ▲ 5:30 am ▲ 5:29 pm | Waning crescent |
Each day's rating comes from the tide, the solunar periods, the light and, when we have the forecast, the weather.
What can you catch in Fingal Bay?
Sport fishing species with the most records within about 19 mi of Fingal Bay: Australasian snapper, John Dory, bluefish, mulloway and yellowtail amberjack. October is one of the months when these are seen most: John Dory.
- Australasian snapper Pagrus auratus · fish · 513 records Photo: Gary Brooks · CC BY 4.0 · GBIF
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- John Dory Zeus faber · fish · 180 records Photo: de:Benutzer:Kleines.Opossum · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix · fish · 95 records Photo: SEFSC Pascagoula Laboratory; Collection of Brandi Noble, NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC. · public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Mulloway Argyrosomus japonicus · fish · 73 records Photo: Show_ryu · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Yellowtail amberjack Seriola lalandi · fish · 41 records Photo: Nholtzha · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Shortfin mako Isurus oxyrinchus · shark · 13 records Photo: Mark Conlin, SWFSC Large Pelagics Program · public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Too few sightings to tell the months
- Striped mullet Mugil cephalus · fish · 11 records Photo: Roberto Pillon · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Too few sightings to tell the months
- Blue shark Prionace glauca · shark · 8 records Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Too few sightings to tell the months
These are sightings and catches recorded since 1970 (reports from divers and anglers, scientific surveys and museum collections), not a promise that you will catch them. The months come from sightings only, adjusted for how many there are each month; hatched months have too few to tell.
Source: GBIF.org, which also gathers OBIS data. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY 4.0, from 1,130 datasets (retrieved October 24, 2026). Where the data comes from
Photos: each species' image on Wikidata (Wikimedia Commons) or, if there isn't one, one from GBIF; only licences that allow this use, each with its author and licence.
Piers, ramps and tackle shops nearby
Map: OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles · © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Jetty 2.7 mi
- Jetty 4.4 mi
- Fingal Bay Boat Ramp Facilities: Shallow at times · 1 lane · up to 10 trailer spaces · restrooms · free 0.1 mi
- Boat ramp 2.1 mi
- Boat ramp 2.7 mi
- Little Beach Boat Ramp Facilities: 2 lanes · 51+ trailer spaces · restrooms · fish-cleaning table · dock · lighting · free 2.7 mi
- Boat Harbour Boat Ramp Facilities: 1 lane · up to 10 trailer spaces · restrooms · free 4.3 mi
- d'Albora Nelson Bay Marina 2.6 mi
- Port Stephens 4.4 mi
- The Saltwater Fly Fishing Shop 2.5 mi
- Duff's Salamander Bait & Tackle 3.8 mi
- D'Albora Marina 2.6 mi
Within 9.3 mi. A spot may be missing or closed. Open the map on OpenStreetMap · Missing one? Add it to OpenStreetMap
Spots: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps. Boat ramp facilities: Transport for NSW (CC BY 4.0).
How we work out the best time
We score every moment of the day, every 10 minutes, with simple rules anglers have used for decades:
- Tide: 2 to 3.5 points in the hour before and the hour after each high and low tide. Spring tides (high coefficient) score more, because the water moves faster.
- Solunar: 2.5 points in the major periods (moon overhead or underfoot) and 1.5 in the minor ones (moonrise and moonset).
- Light: 2 points at dawn and dusk, from first light to the end of the morning golden hour and from the evening golden hour to the end of twilight.
- Weather: falling pressure adds 1 point and rising pressure takes 1 away; wind takes points away from force 4 (about 12 mph), up to 5 points in a gale; waves of 1.6 ft to 4.9 ft add half a point (they stir up the water) and from 8.2 ft they take points away (up to 4).
- Best windows: the stretches of 40 minutes to 3 hours with the most points, at least an hour apart.
- Day's rating out of 10: the best window (up to 5), the moon (up to 2, near new or full moon), the tide coefficient (up to 2) and whether a solunar period lines up with sunrise or sunset (1). Without a tide, we score out of 8 and scale it to 10. Good weather adds up to 1 point and bad weather pulls it down.
Today: best window 2.4 of 5, moon 1 of 2, coefficient 1.5 of 2 and lineup 0 of 1; the weather multiplies the rating by 0.99.
It's a guide, not a guarantee: fish don't read tide tables. Always check the sea conditions and local fishing rules before you go.
Learn more
Fishing rules in Fingal Bay
Licenses, size limits, bag limits and closed seasons are set by the authorities and change often. We don't copy them here: check the official website before you go.
Questions about fishing in Fingal Bay
What's the best time to fish in Fingal Bay today?
4:50 pm to 6:50 pm, with the 5:54 pm low tide, sunset, a light onshore breeze and some swell, though with rising pressure. Also 10:10 am to 12:10 pm and 3:40 am to 5:40 am. Today's rating: 5/10 (average day).
What about tomorrow? When's the best time to fish in Fingal Bay?
Tomorrow, Friday, October 30: 6:40 pm to 7:40 pm, with a rating of 7/10.
Which day this week is best for fishing in Fingal Bay?
Saturday, October 31, at 8/10. Its best window is 5:30 am to 6:30 am.
What can you catch in Fingal Bay?
Sport fishing species with the most records within about 19 mi of Fingal Bay: Australasian snapper, John Dory, bluefish, mulloway and yellowtail amberjack. October is one of the months when these are seen most: John Dory. These are sightings and catches recorded in GBIF and OBIS, not a promise that you will catch them.
When are the solunar periods in Fingal Bay today?
Major: 1:49–3:49 am and 2:22–4:22 pm. Minor: 7:14–8:14 am and 10:31–11:31 pm. Solunar activity today: medium.
Does the tide affect fishing in Fingal Bay?
Yes. Today high tide is at 11:13 am and 11:58 pm and low tide at 4:36 am and 5:54 pm, with a tide coefficient of 88 (average tides). The hours around each tide change tend to fish best, because moving water carries food.
How is the rating worked out?
From the tide, the solunar periods, the light at dawn and dusk, the moon phase and, when we have the forecast, the pressure, the wind and the waves. Each factor gives a fixed number of points and the rating sums them up out of 10.
Does it take the weather into account?
Yes. During today's best window: rising pressure (+0.18 inHg in 24 h), light onshore wind (11 mph) and some swell (4.9 ft waves) to stir the water. Strong wind and big waves lower the rating; falling pressure raises it a little.
What are the fishing rules in Fingal Bay?
Recreational fishing rules in Fingal Bay (licenses, size limits, bag limits and closed seasons) are set by the authorities: NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. They change often: check the official website before you go.
More about Fingal Bay today
Our own calculation: tide from Newcastle (TICON-4), sun and moon with astronomy-engine and, when available, weather and sea from Open-Meteo (ECMWF, NOAA GFS and Copernicus Marine, CC BY 4.0). Slackwater database (https://github.com/openwatersio/slackwater-database). Source: Hart-Davis, M., Dettmering, D., Seitz, F. (2025), TICON-4: TIdal CONstants based on GESLA-4 sea-level records, SEANOE, https://doi.org/10.17882/109129. Licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Modified: see https://github.com/openwatersio/slackwater-database#modifications-to-source-data