There are numerous resources available to anglers on the Sunshine Coast to obtain a weather forecast. Forecasts are particularly important for the offshore angler in determining swell, seas and wind, but no one fishing the rivers wants to get wet either. Here are a few of the resources you can use to get your fishing information and weather forecast:

WEB SITES

Bureau of Meteorology: This link below will take you to all Queensland forecasts. Simply scroll down to the marine forecast section and click on “Boating Weather South Coast”. This will give you a summary of different sections of the Queensland South Coast. The Sunshine Coast forecast can be found in the Double Island Point to Coolangatta section.

www.bom.gov.au/weather/qld/forecasts.shtml

Coastwatch: The Coastwatch website has plenty of information covering weather forecasts, fishing reports, surf and beach conditions, and diving for southern Queensland waters.

www.coastwatch.com.au

Buoyweather: There is a global weather site that has become popular in recent times. When you enter click on Australia, followed by North East. This will bring up a map of Queensland and you will see a series of red dots or ‘buoys’. Click on the third one from the border (the one right on the border is the Tweed; the next is Brisbane; followed by the Sunshine Coast). You will then be given a three day forecast and graphs of wind and wave heights for that period.

www.buoyweather.com

Seabreeze: A website that focuses predominantly on wind and wave forecasts for a seven day period. For Queensland it gives a seven day forecast for Brisbane and Cairns only. Well worth a look.

www.seabreeze.com.au

Of course there are more websites that can give you a weather forecast for the coast, but these three can help you put together a reasonable picture of the upcoming weather and fishing conditions.

Local Television News: both Channel 7 and WIN run local weather forecasts each night between 6.00pm and 6.30pm. Of particular note is a dedicated fishing section run on Thursday night’s news on Channel 7 hosted by Swan Boat Hire. It gives a comprehensive run down of the recent captures, what’s on the bite, where they’re biting and what areas are running hot. It gives you some good hints for planning a fishing expedition.

Local Radio: 612 ABC based in Brisbane has a FishTalk section on Saturday mornings that runs from 5am to 6am on Saturday mornings.

Local Print Media: The Sunshine Coast Daily has a complete ‘Fishing, Surfing and Beach’ section each day. The fishing section covers specific topics including offshore, beach and estuary. The beach and estuary fishing sections are covered again by the boys at Swan Boat Hire, while the offshore section is covered by local fishing identity Barry McDade. There is an additional fishing feature in Friday’s Daily called ‘Totally Hooked’ that gives a more comprehensive summary of what’s happening on the fishing scene around the coast and gives some additional fishing tips and hints. Well worth a look.

State-wide Print Media: Both Queensland Fishing Monthly and Bush ‘n’ Beach are monthly publications that have a Sunshine Coast section. Both use local reporters to give a monthly run down of the action that’s going on around coastal waters. Both these magazines can be bought from local newsagents.

Coastguard: Weather forecasts are announced on VHF channel 16 and broadcast on channel 67 by volunteers. During operating hours, Volunteer Rescue stations provide regular weather information for all craft within VHF range.

Telephone Services: The following numbers give up to date weather information.

All of Queensland - 1300 360 426

Marine warnings - 1300 360 427

South East Queensland - 1300 360 428