Size and possession limits in fresh waters

Buy a Stocked Impoundment Permit

A Stocked Impoundment Permit allows you to fish using a fishing line in dams and weirs in the Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme (SIPS).

SIPS impoundments are stocked with native fish specifically for recreational fishing. The scheme provides a sustainable fishing option that reduces the fishing pressure on wild fish stocks.

Buy a SIPS permit before you go fishing.

General possession limit

If a freshwater species is not listed on this page, a general possession limit of 20 applies.

How size and possession limits work

In Queensland, size and possession limits are in place to protect the long-term sustainability of our fisheries. Find out more about responsible fishing.

• There are minimum size limits and some maximum size limits for certain freshwater species.
• Make sure you know how to measure your catch correctly.

A possession limit is the total number of fish you can legally take and keep at any single time:

• It is not a daily limit.
• It includes fish you have at home, including those in your freezer.

Queensland also has closed seasons and waters in place.

Catch and release

Return undersized, oversized, no-take, or closed-season species to the water immediately to give them the best chance of survival. Watch our top tips for catch-and-release.

Fishing gear

To prevent overfishing, restrictions apply to the gear you can use. Make sure you're using the correct fishing gear.

Identify your catch

Not sure what species you've caught?

• Download the Qld Fishing 2.0 app
• Use our fish species identification guide

Bait rules

• If you catch a fish to be used as bait, it must comply with all recreational fishing rules (for example, size and possession limits, closed seasons, etc).
• You cannot use no-take species as bait.
• Fish that are not native to an area (non-indigenous and noxious fish) must not be put back in the water, even as bait.
• You cannot use bait from the marine (saltwater) environment in fresh waters unless it has been frozen, cooked or preserved. This is to prevent the spread of disease and parasites in Queensland’s freshwater systems, and to protect native fish populations and the future viability of freshwater fish stocking programs.
• You cannot use freshwater fish and crustaceans as bait (dead or alive) outside their natural environment or range. This is to prevent species from becoming established in foreign habitats and causing environmental damage.
• Freshwater prawns or shrimp (Macrobrachium australiensis) are found throughout Queensland and can be used as bait in all areas of the state.
• Prevent the movement of fish by catching bait where you fish. Don’t put invasive (pest) fish back in the water or use them as bait, even if caught at that location.

Freshwater fish

Australian bass

Species	Size limit	Possession limit
Australian bass (in all dams and weirs under SIPS)	Min: 30cm	Limit: 5
Australian bass (elsewhere in Queensland)	Min: 30cm	Limit: 2

Australian lungfish

Species	Size limit	Possession limit
Australian lungfish	No take	No take

Barramundi

Species	Size limit	Possession limit	Notes
Barramundi	Min: 58cm Max: 120cm 1 fish can be greater than 120cm in waterways exempt from the closed seasons (at all times).	Limit: 5 per person, or 10 per boat (with 2 or more people on board)	Closed seasons apply You cannot target barramundi for catch-and-release during the closed season outside exempt waterways, as the stress of capture may prevent a fish from spawning.
Exception
Barramundi (during the closed season in exempt waterways)	Min: 58cm Max: 120cm 1 fish can be greater than 120cm.	Limit: 1 per person, or 2 per boat (with 2 or more people on board)	Closed seasons apply

Cling goby

Refer to the Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020 for protected goby (search Stiphodon species).

Species	Size limit	Possession limit
Cling goby (subfamily Sicydiinae)	No take	No take

Cod

Species	Size limit	Possession limit	Notes
Bloomfield River cod	No take	No take	-
Mary River cod	No take	No take	-
Murray cod (in the Queensland part of the Murray–Darling Drainage Division)	Min: 60cm	Limit: 2	Closed season applies
Exception
Mary River cod upstream of: Cressbrook Dam Ewan Maddock Dam Hinze Dam Maroon Dam Moogerah Dam North Pine Dam Somerset Dam Wivenhoe Dam Wyaralong Dam Lake Dyer (Bill Gunn Dam) Lake Clarendon Lake Manchester Lake Kurwongbah (Sideling Creek Dam) Caboolture River Weir Enoggera Reservoir Robina Lakes	Min: 60cm	Limit: 1	-

Eels

Species	Size limit	Possession limit
Longfin eel	Min: 30cm	Combined limit: 10 in total of all eel species
Pacific shortfin (South Pacific) eel	Min: 30cm	Combined limit: 10 in total of all eel species
Southern shortfin eel	Min: 30cm	Combined limit: 10 in total of all eel species

Freshwater catfish

Species	Size limit	Possession limit
Freshwater catfish (eel-tailed catfish, Tandanus tandanus)	Min: 35cm	Combined limit: 5 in total of all freshwater catfish species
Other freshwater catfish (genera Anodontiglanis, Neosilurus and Neosiluroides) Examples: Black catfish Cooper Creek catfish Falsespine catfish Short-finned catfish Hyrtl’s tandan	None	Combined limit: 5 in total of all freshwater catfish species

Garfish

Species	Size limit	Possession limit
Snubnose garfish	None	Combined limit: 50 in total of all garfish species
River garfish	None	Combined limit: 50 in total of all garfish species

Hardyhead

Species	Size limit	Possession limit
Edgbaston hardyhead	No take (Thomson River)	No take (Thomson River)
Myross hardyhead	No take (Thomson River)	No take (Thomson River)

Mangrove jack

Species	Size limit	Possession limit
Mangrove jack	Min: 35cm	Limit: 5

Mullet

Species	Size limit	Possession limit
Diamondscale mullet	Min: 30cm	Limit: 20
Freshwater mullet	Min: 30cm	Limit: 20
Sea mullet	Min: 30cm	Limit: 20
Exception
All other mullet (except diamondscale, freshwater or sea)	None	Limit: 50

Perch and grunter

Species	Size limit	Possession limit	Notes
Barcoo grunter	Min: 30cm	Combined limit: 5 in total of silver perch, barcoo grunter, and Welch's grunter (including a maximum of 2 silver perch)	-
Golden perch (yellowbelly)	Min: 30cm	Limit: 10	-
Gulf grunter	Min: 28cm	Combined limit: 10 in total of Gulf, khaki, lake and sooty grunter	-
Jungle perch	Max: 35cm	Combined limit: 1 jungle perch or spotted flagtail	-
Khaki grunter (khaki bream)	None	Combined limit: 10 in total of Gulf, khaki, lake and sooty grunter	-
Lake grunter	None	Combined limit: 10 in total of Gulf, khaki, lake and sooty grunter	-
Silver perch	Min: 30cm	Combined limit: 5 in total of silver perch, barcoo grunter, and Welch's grunter (including a maximum of 2 silver perch)	No-take species in Paroo and Warrego River basins.
Sooty grunter	Min: 28cm	Combined limit: 10 in total of Gulf, khaki, lake and sooty grunter	-
Spotted flagtail (northern jungle perch)	Max: 35cm	Combined limit: 1 jungle perch or spotted flagtail	-
Welch's grunter	Min: 30cm	Combined limit: 5 in total of silver perch, barcoo grunter, and Welch's grunter (including a maximum of 2 silver perch)	-

Rainbowfish

Refer to the Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020 for protected rainbowfish (search Melanotaenia species).

Species	Size limit	Possession limit
Rainbowfish	None	Limit: 20 of each rainbowfish species

River blackfish

Species	Size limit	Possession limit
River blackfish	No take	No take

Saratoga

Species	Size limit	Possession limit
Northern saratoga	Min: 50cm	Combined limit: 1 northern or southern saratoga
Southern saratoga	Min: 50cm	Combined limit: 1 northern or southern saratoga

Crustaceans

Cherabins

Species	Size limit	Possession limit
Cherabins (Macrobrachium lar and M. rosenbergii)	None	Combined limit: 10 in total of Macrobrachium lar and M. rosenbergii species

Redclaw

Natural range:

• Gulf of Carpentaria Drainage Division
• The following river basins in the east coast drainage division:
  • Hann (river basin reference number 1050)
  • Jacky Jacky
  • Lockhart
  • Normanby
  • Olive
  • Pascoe
  • Stewart.

View the redclaw natural range map (PDF, 2MB) for details.

Species	Size limit	Possession limit	Notes
Redclaw (Cherax quadricarinatus)	None	Limit: 40 in natural range No take: Females carrying eggs or young must be returned to the water within their natural range.	Redclaw can only be used as bait in its natural range. It must not be used as bait or returned to water outside its natural range.

Spiny crayfish

Refer to the Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020 for protected spiny crayfish (search Euastacus species).

Species	Size limit	Possession limit
Spiny crayfish	No take	No take

Yabby

Natural range:

• Murray–Darling, Lake Eyre and Bulloo–Bancannia drainage divisions
• Some river basins in the East Coast Drainage Division (Balonne, Barcoo, Belyando, Border Rivers, Bulloo, Condamine, Cooper Creek, Dawson, Diamantina, Georgina, Isaac, Macintyre, Maranoa, Moonie, Mulligan, Nebine, Paroo, Severn, Thomson and Warrego).

Species	Size limit	Possession limit	Notes
Yabby (blueclaw crayfish, Cherax destructor)	None	Limit: 100 No take: Female yabbies carrying eggs or young must be returned to the water within their natural range: Bulloo River basin Lake Eyre and Murray–Darling drainage divisions East coast drainage divisions of Belyando, Dawson and Issac.	Yabbies can only be used as live bait in their natural range.