Whether you’re casting a line at sunrise or relaxing beside the water, Mary Valley is a freshwater fishing destination where the journey is just as rewarding as the catch. From the tranquil waters of Lake Borumba to the winding Mary River and peaceful creeks, you’ll find plenty of places to slow down and cast a line.
Experience the thrill of hooking an acrobatic Saratoga or the hard-fighting Australian Bass in the tranquil waters of Lake Borumba. Fishing is rewarding throughout the day, with the surrounding mountain ranges providing a stunning backdrop. For the best chance of success, target Saratoga in warm, sunlit areas and cast your lure or fly into the shaded waters where Bass are known to shelter.
There are no vessel restrictions on the dam. Fishing is permitted from the shoreline of the recreation area and on the dam from vessels. Our local experts are waiting to give you advice and provide any last minute fishing supplies.
The fish are plentiful as licenses on the dam ensure fish are regularly re-stocked by the Lake Borumba Fish Stocking Association Inc. The dam is stocked with Ausralian bass, golden perch, Mary River cod and silver perch.In 2017/18, 45,000 Australian bass, 25,000 golden perch, 19,608 silver perch and 1,000 Mary River cod were stocked from SIPS permit sales. A total of 581,340 Australian bass and 565,621 golden perch, 236,009 silver perch and 5,000 Mary River cod have been stocked in Borumba Dam from SIPS. The dam also has a great saratoga fishery from previous stocking that has established a breeding population.
Fishing Lake Borumba
by Peter Morris, Fishing World Magazine
A comprehensive article on Fishing Lake Borumba (AKA Borumba Dam) that covers everything from location, types of fish and stocking programs, to planning you’re when and how to Lure casting and gear selection.
Definitely worth a read.
You can expect to catch everything from bass, saratoga, sooty grunter, cod and even the dreaded catfish in the Mary. Rivers below a stocked impoundment are often full of the same species caught in the dam above. And often the fish share similar behaviours to the ones swimming above. When you connect two major impoundments to a river system – Lake Borumba and Baroon Pocket – and add a high annual rainfall and you get a system full of angry bass.
Bass loves the shade; it’s why they live tight in the snags, deep in the weed beds and down in the depths. The harsh sunlight, however, is hard to escape. The easiest way to fish is simply to hang on the side of the river that offers shade from the sun. The mornings will see bass in greater numbers on the eastern side of the river, hiding from the harsh early sun. Try the shaded west side in the fading afternoon light.
Yabba Creek is just over 81km in length and flows through Lake Borumba (155m) at its headwaters and passes through the township of Imbil, and 8 km later it joins the Mary River.
A favourite area to chase wild bass are the smaller creeks around the Sunshine Coast and hinterland including the upper Mary Rivers and Yabba Creek. These smaller creeks are great for kayak anglers as they often have no real launching facilities for anything larger than a yak. The majority of bass in these smaller creeks average 25-30cm, which on light gear will give you a good fight, but be ready for the odd bigger fish. Early morning is the best time to be on the water because bass prefer to hunt in the low-light periods of dawn and dusk. Anglers say the explosion of a bass hitting your lure right in front of you is like an addiction.
Mary River and adjoining waterways (upstream of its junction with Six Mile Creek at the creek’s northern bank, other than waters up to the full supply level of Baroon Pocket Dam, Borumba Dam and Lake MacDonald.)
This includes tributaries of Mary River such as Kandanga and Yabba Creeks.
A person must not possess or use a fishing line during this period in the above areas.
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