Four dams. One seriously good reason to pack the rods.
Barramundi fishing around Mackay Isaac doesn’t have to stop when the east coast tidal closure comes around.
Across the region, four stocked dams give anglers freshwater barra fishing 365 days a year. Kinchant Dam has a long-standing reputation for big fish and sits close enough to Mackay for a day trip. Teemburra Dam spreads out through the Pioneer Valley with plenty of inlets and structure to work. Eungella Dam takes you further into the ranges, where fishing can be combined with a night beside the water. Then there’s Theresa Creek Dam near Clermont, where barra share the water with golden perch, redclaw and a very different inland landscape.
You’ll need a current Stocked Impoundment Permit before fishing these dams, but after that, the main decision is where to go first.
1. Kinchant Dam
Start close to Mackay
Around 40 minutes west of Mackay, Kinchant Dam is one of the best-known barra dams in the region and has built a strong reputation for large fish.
The dam is stocked with barramundi, along with species including sooty grunter and sleepy cod, and there’s a concrete boat ramp for anglers heading out on the water. Fishing from the bank is also possible in suitable areas, although Sunwater prohibits fishing on or near the dam wall, spillway and Abingdon Pump Station, so pay attention to the signed exclusion zones when you arrive. (sunwater.com.au)
Kinchant works particularly well if you want to fit fishing into a shorter Mackay stay. You can leave town early, be on the water around first light and still have most of the day ahead of you. It’s also an easy place to return to for another session if the first one doesn’t go your way.
If you’re planning a couple of mornings or late-afternoon sessions, Kinchant Waters Holiday Park sits beside the dam and has powered and unpowered sites as well as other accommodation. Staying nearby makes early launches easier and means you don’t have to drive back to Mackay after a long day on the water.
Take the boat if you have one, or work accessible sections from the shore. Either way, keep an eye on current dam levels and conditions before heading out, particularly after heavy rain.
2. Teemburra Dam
Give yourself time to explore
Teemburra Dam sits near Pinnacle in the Pioneer Valley, around an hour west of Mackay, and feels very different to Kinchant.
The dam has long arms, timber, flooded structure and plenty of small inlets, so there’s a lot of water to work through.
Boating is permitted, but there is a 25-horsepower limit and water skiing and jet skiing are not allowed. A single-lane concrete boat ramp provides access to the water, and there are toilets, picnic areas and barbecues at the recreation area. Camping isn’t permitted at the dam. (sunwater.com.au)
This is a better option if you want to spend a full day working your way around a dam rather than setting up in one obvious spot. Take food and plenty of water with you, launch early and give yourself time to move between different sections as conditions change.
If you’re staying in the Pioneer Valley, Finch Hatton and Eungella give you accommodation options within the broader area. That also makes Teemburra easy to combine with a few days exploring the Valley rather than treating it as a standalone fishing trip.
3. Eungella Dam
Fish, camp and stay the night
Eungella Dam is the furthest of the three Pioneer Valley dams from Mackay and is the one to choose if you want to turn the fishing into an overnight trip.
The dam sits beyond Eungella and Broken River in higher country, with open water surrounded by forest and grazing land. It’s stocked for recreational fishing, including barramundi and sooty grunter, and boating is permitted. A Stocked Impoundment Permit is required, and fishing is not allowed on or near the dam wall. (sunwater.com.au)
Camping is permitted at the dam, which makes a big difference if you want to fish around dawn or late in the day without driving back down the range afterwards. Bring your own food, drinking water and camping gear, and treat it as a self-sufficient stay rather than expecting caravan-park facilities.
The drive also takes you past some of the best-known places in the Pioneer Valley. Broken River is on the way and is one of the region’s main platypus-viewing areas, while Eungella National Park has walking tracks and lookouts if you want to spend some time off the water.
Eungella Dam is also a good option if you’re fishing with someone who isn’t interested in spending every waking hour with a rod in hand. There’s enough around Eungella to make a couple of days worthwhile without everyone needing to be fishing the whole time.
4. Theresa Creek Dam
Take the barra trip west
The fourth dam takes you away from the Pioneer Valley altogether.
Theresa Creek Dam is about 22 kilometres south-west of Clermont and gives you a freshwater fishing trip in the middle of the Isaac region.
Barramundi are stocked here, but they’re not the only reason anglers visit. The dam also holds golden perch, sleepy cod, eel-tailed catfish, silver perch and other freshwater species, while redclaw are particularly popular. A Stocked Impoundment Permit is required when targeting stocked fish, but not for redclaw. (isaac.qld.gov.au)
There are two boat ramps with bitumen approaches, along with areas for land-based fishing. The campground has toilets, showers, barbecues, shaded picnic tables, a playground, dump point and kiosk, so it’s an easy place to stay for more than one night rather than driving back to Clermont after each session. (isaac.qld.gov.au)
If the barra aren’t cooperating, there’s still plenty to do. Drop pots for redclaw, fish the shoreline for other stocked species or leave the rods at camp for a while and head into Clermont. The town has a strong mining and agricultural history, with plenty to explore beyond in the Peak Range National Park.
Theresa Creek is the one that really shows how varied fishing around Mackay Isaac can be. You can be targeting the same fish you were chasing closer to Mackay, but in a completely different part of the region.
Don’t know where they’re biting?
Local information matters with barra fishing.
Conditions, water levels, recent weather and fish movement can all change what works from one week to the next, so it’s worth checking Hooked on Mackay before you leave.
Hooked on Mackay is Mackay Isaac’s dedicated fishing resource, with information on dam, estuary and offshore fishing, boat ramps, fishing maps, regulations and local fishing stories, as well as seasonal fishing updates.
If you’re deciding between the four dams, it’s a useful place to start before choosing where to spend your time.
Know before you go
The dams aren’t the only places to catch barramundi around Mackay Isaac.
When the east coast barra season is open, the Pioneer River and the region’s estuaries add another group of options. The Pioneer River runs through Mackay and has accessible land-based fishing areas as well as boat access Sandy Creek, Rocky Dam Creek, Carmila Creek, Clairview and St Lawrence also offer estuary fishing locations.
The waters from St Helens to Cape Hillsborough, including the Pioneer River, also sit within Mackay’s Net Free Zone. The area is closed to commercial gill-netting and has become an important recreational fishing area for species including barramundi.
There is one date worth remembering. In Queensland’s east coast tidal waters, barramundi are closed from 1 November to 31 January each year. During that period, anglers must not target barramundi in tidal waters. The stocked impoundments covered above are a different fishery and remain available for barra fishing during that time.
Fishing rules can change, so check the current Queensland recreational fishing rules before every trip rather than relying on an old screenshot or saved guide.
Four dams, plenty of reasons to stay longer
Find more fishing spots, maps and information across Mackay Isaac.