Bundaberg – weekly report

Inshore/Offshore

Unfortunately last weeks good weather lined up perfectly with the coral reef fin fish closure so we weren’t able to head out chasing those tasty reef fish. A lot of people still hooked into some great action along our coast whilst the pelagic fish are here and feeding. With closure ending last Friday at midnight it will be great to see people head out when the weather permits because our inshore reefs have been fishing great with plenty of coral trout, parrot fish, tusk fish and sweetlip on the chew. Natural structure like the 4mile reef have been where these fish have been caught. Large flesh baits like strips of mullet or yakka have been the ideal baits. Using soft plastics has been deadly to find aggressively feeding fish and some of the larger trout and have loved bright coloured soft plastics hopped close to the reef.  With the cooler weather this week we have continued to see some big late seasoned snapper being caught along our inshore reefs, soft plastics have been a great way to catch these fish however strips of yakka or squid have caught most of the fish. We are still seeing great numbers of mackerel in close with the school mackerel being in big numbers and eating just about anything. Trolling has been the most effective way to target these fish as anglers have managed to find schools of fish quickly. Deep diving hardbody lures trolled out the back of the boat around the Leads at Burnett Heads is a sure way to encounter these fish. Big schools of mac tuna have been feeding on the bait along our inshore reefs, looking for birds working in the sky is an easy way to find where these fish are. Matching the hatch is extremely important when it comes to getting tuna to bite, make sure your lure is similar to what they are feeding on and you will be sure to hook into a few of these pelagic fish in no time.

 

With the offshore fishing being red hot at the moment it is no wonder most keen fisho’s have their eye on the latest weather forecasts. Whilst the report at this stage isn’t looking too flash hot it is still worth keeping a close eye in case the wind drops off. Reefs towards Lady Elliott Island have been fishing really well recently with some huge trout, reds, sweetlip and pelagic action. These fish have been caught all throughout the reefs but the bigger models have come off small isolated pinnacles away from the main section of reef. Whole pilchards and large fillets are the go to baits at the moment for the trout, reds and sweetlip. Rigging large flesh baits on our Buku bait rigs has got some epic results when fishing for those trophy bottom fish. The wrecks have been full of big trevally, queenfish and cobia lately with a lot of anglers jigging soft plastics and jigs for these fish which is a whole lot of fun. Finding big schools of bait is the key for this type of fishing as the big pelagic fish are never far away.

Burnett River

Even with the rainy and overcast conditions the Burnett has fished well this week with those who braved the weather catching a wide variety of species. Fishing around the mouth of the river has been the best way to hook up to most of the common species like big bream, cod, flathead, jack and grunter. The rock walls at the mouth of the river have been the places to be at the moment and using small flesh baits like mullet fillet or whole prawns have been the best bait. The big bream have been in close to the rock walls and have been caught regularly during the incoming tide. Using a heavier sinker and a slightly larger flesh bait has worked best on the cod, flathead and jack whereas the grunter have liked a smaller bait thrown at the base of the rock wall. Some great numbers of prawns are around at the moment, towards the mouth of the river has been where most of them have been found. The mud crabs have been on the move this week so it is definitely worth throwing the pots in whilst some big bucks are being caught.

Elliott River

This week has continued to see some quality whiting being caught in the Elliott, earlier in the week were the best days to target the whiting. Fishing over most shallow sand bars or places with scattered weed beds has been the ideal spot to throw a bait out for these fish. Freshly pumped yabbies or beach worms have been their preferred bait when presented on a running ball sinker rig. If you are chasing a feed of flathead, the Elliott River is the place to be at the moment! Plenty of quality fish have been caught all throughout the river on most types of baits working really well whilst these fish haven’t been too picky. Most of the bigger flathead around 60cm have been caught along bends of the river that have some solid current and structure which in turn holds bait. Motoring up river on the last of the run in tide then fishing your way back towards the mouth as the tide runs out has worked great and allows you to cover a lot of ground. This river system has also had a great week of crabbing with reports of some big bucks coming out of this river. Most stretches of the river seem to be doing well but it is definitely worth travelling up river into places not as many people get to.

Baffle Creek

The Baffle has had a great week of fishing especially earlier in the week with the humid weather firing the jacks up. Pushing up river into some skinny creeks saw anglers catching some good quality mangrove jack and in great numbers. Mixed in between jack bites has been cod, flathead and trevally all coming out of similar spots to the jacks. Finding sections of the river with minimal boat traffic has found more fish being willing to chew, 4 inch soft plastics have been deadly when skipped into the heavy structure. If you are using baits, live poddy mullet or sprat have worked great especially when fished into and during the night. Towards the mouth of the river in the cleaner water has seen a lot of big trevally and queenfish around. Fishing for these fish during the incoming tide has worked best as they follow schools of bait being pushed up river with the tide. There has been some great crabbing this week with some of the bigger crabs getting on the move. Now that the tides are decreasing in size throwing your pots in shallow ‘out of the way’ locations has helped to find a few quality bucks. Definitely have all your crabbing gear ready for the next couple of weeks because the next full moon should see even better numbers of crabs being caught out of this river.

Kolan River

The Kolan this week has had another great week of fishing with anglers catching a wide variety of species. Flathead, bream, grunter, cod, trevally and queenfish were all around this week and feeding most aggressively around the tide changes despite the wet weather conditions. The trevally and queenfish have been in the cleaner water at the mouth of the river. Fishing sections of the river where the current in pushing hard, funneling bait into a certain area has been where these pelagic fish have been caught. The flathead and grunter have been caught through most stretches of the river as long as there is structure and bait. Throwing fresh yabbies or small flesh baits along the edges of drop offs during a run out tide has worked really well for these fish. This week has continued to see some big crabs coming out of this river. Big baits like fish frames seem to be getting better results along with putting your pots in shallower sections of river.

Local Beaches

This weeks cooler weather and change of wind direction has slowed down the hot whiting bite we have been seeing along our beaches. Using a lighter leader and even going down a hook size has managed to trick a few of these delicious fish to bite. Fresh is best when it comes to bait for whiting so pumping some yabbies before heading out for a fish has payed off big time for most anglers. Throwing on some plastic red beads or tubing onto your leader has also worked a treat in these cooler conditions. Some good quality flathead and dart have still been caught in gutters close to the shoreline on fresh yabbies and beach worms. The place to be at the moment has been Woodgate Beach with the most numbers of whiting, flathead and dart being caught here.

Lake Monduran

This weeks unfavorable conditions has definitely made things tricky for those on the water, however we have still seen some quality fish being caught. At the moment, fishing the dam on a day with full sunlight has been the way to go with some people getting into the double digits for a single session. Whilst the weather isn’t playing the game anglers who are able to adjust to the conditions have been coming up trumps. The lures doing the damage have been the Berkley Shimma Pro Rig’s as well as the trusty Jackall Squirrel 79sp in a natural colour. The hardbody lures have been really effective this week when paired with an extra long pause in between twitches whilst the fish have been quite lethargic. Another tip this week has been to make sure to use your electric motor when scanning fish or moving around in bays as this is the best way to avoid spooking the fish. If there happens to be too much noise coming from the boat these big barra will shut down and you will struggle to get a bite. Finding fish that haven’t seen much boat traffic is the way to go and when using lures make sure to be doing a slower retrieve than usual to get the bite.

Lake Gregory

This week’s rainy and overcast weather definitely made things harder for anglers fishing Lake Gregory but plenty of bass have still been caught. A lot of the bass have still been up in the shallows and feeding throughout the day with low light periods like early mornings or late afternoons being best. A lot of the bass have been around 40cm and have been in really good condition which is a great sign as these fish are still feeding and staying healthy. The most effective lures this week have been small hardbody lures when twitched past weed edges and drop offs. Allowing your lure to sit and suspend in the water column in between twitches has got these bass to bite. Fishing with topwater lures either early morning or late afternoon has been working well with some of the more aggressive fish having a crack. ‘Walk the dog’ style topwater lures like the 80mm Daiwa Slippery Dogg have been really effective in low light periods when these bass are more likely to feed off the top. Another renowned topwater lure is the Chasebaits Softshell Ripple Cicada and it has been working great in these overcast conditions being a more subtle presentation.

CATCH OF THE WEEK

 

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From the team at Tackle World Bundaberg
Live the Tackle World LIFE – Local Independent Fishing Experts

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