Size Limits Are Not Suggestions

Graeme Lund · 17 July 2026

Queensland's rules are simple, published and enforced. There is no excuse for not knowing them.

Know Them Before You Go

Minimum sizes, possession limits and closed seasons vary by species and they change. What you learned a decade ago is not necessarily current, and the person telling you at the ramp is not an authority.

The current rules are set out by the state at the Queensland government's recreational fishing pages. Read them at the start of the season and again if you have not fished for a while.

Carry a Measure

A brag mat costs very little and removes the argument entirely. Guessing by hand span is how people end up with undersized fish in the bag and a fine they deserve.

Measure it wet, measure it in the net, and if it is borderline it goes back. Borderline is not a category.

Why Anyone Should Care

The passage is a nursery. A large amount of what swims out to the reefs off this coast grew up in shallow water inside Bribie, and taking undersized fish out of it is taking next season out of it.

This is a small system with a lot of pressure on it. It works because most people follow the rules, which only holds for as long as most people do.