QLD · REGULATIONS · JUNE 2026

Coral Trout QLD legal size & bag limits.

Coral Trout (also known as Coral Trout, Leopard Coral Grouper) in Queensland. Minimum legal size, daily bag limit, possession limit — verified against the Fisheries Queensland guide, 2026.

In Queensland, the minimum legal size for Coral Trout is 38 cm and the possession limit is 7 (combined total of all coral trout species). Season note: Closed during the annual coral reef fin fish spawning closures — two 5-day periods each year, around the new moon in October and November (in 2026, 8–12 October and 6–10 November; confirm current-year dates with Fisheries Queensland).

The numbers

Minimum size
38cm
Daily bag
7 (combined total of all coral trout species)
Possession
7 (combined total of all coral trout species)
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Closed season

Closed during the annual coral reef fin fish spawning closures — two 5-day periods each year, around the new moon in October and November (in 2026, 8–12 October and 6–10 November; confirm current-year dates with Fisheries Queensland).

Why these rules exist

Coral trout is a "coral reef fin fish", so its catch also counts toward the combined possession limit of 20 for all coral reef fin fish (emperors, cods, tropical snappers, etc.) — the lower 7-trout cap applies first. The blue spotted coral trout (Chinese footballer) has a 50–80 cm slot. New-moon closure dates shift each year.

Source & verification

These limits are pulled from the Fisheries Queensland recreational fishing rules. Last verified June 2026.

Always check the official guide before keeping any fish. Regulations change. Fisheries Queensland (Queensland Department of Primary Industries) updates its guide annually and occasionally mid-year. Fines for over-bag or undersized fish are significant.

Queensland does not require a recreational fishing licence to fish in tidal (salt) waters. A Stocked Impoundment Permit (SIP) is needed only to fish certain stocked freshwater dams.

See related

Written by
Olli-Mikael Vaittinen, founder of Fishare, holding a yellowfin tuna boatside
Olli-Mikael Vaittinen

Olli-Mikael Vaittinen has fished his whole life. Fifteen years of fly fishing, guiding seasons on Norway's Lakselva — his favourite Atlantic salmon river — and a blue marlin landed in Vava'u, Tonga. Founder of Fishare — the app that puts the data behind the decisions every angler makes on the water.

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