Potentially deadly stonefish still at large in popular Surfers Paradise lake

A stonefish. Photo / Smithsonian video

Forget Nemo, there's a different fish which is proving hard to find on the Gold Coast.

Over a month after video emerged of a potentially deadly stonefish at a popular Surfers Paradise lake, the elusive fish remains at large.

Divers and nets were unable to locate the slippery customer, leaving Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate to authorise the draining of Evandale Lake.

The two-week operation will begin tomorrow, with Tate proposing the entire lake be drained.

"I said I would leave no stone unturned especially with the stonefish," Tate said. "We've tried all the low value operations, now the next stage is that we'll be pumping the lake out."

As well as hopefully locating the poisonous fish, Tate said the draining will also give the council a chance to undertake maintenance on the lakebed.

The lake, which was created in the 1970s, hadn't been fully drained for almost two decades, Tate said.

"When it's empty we'll take the opportunity to upgrade the bottom of it, if there's any cracks or anything like that, we'll be fixing all of that. By the time we're finished it's going to be like new again."

- AAP