Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
G’day crew, I trust everyone had a belter of a holiday and got out to smack a few fish over the past month or so.
Can’t say I’ve done too much over the past couple of weeks because the shop has been pumping and I’ve not been able to get out – but hey, that’s retail for you.
Plenty of holiday makers are still piling into Tin Can Bay.
It’s always great to see the town busy, and to meet new people and hear their stories of the one that got away or the ones that came home for dinner.
The fishing of late has not disappointed, that’s for sure!
December and January saw a bounty of mud crabs being caught and hitting the tables for a few fresh crab sandwiches, and no doubt washed down with a few cold beverages.
The big high tides meant the flats were the places to be and the number of crabs being trapped allowed fishos to be picky – from all reports, they took only A-grade crabs.
Up the creeks was still productive, but as I said, the mangrove-lined flats were the choice spots.
Crew in the know reported smashing their bag limits in one tide!
Fresh bait and a good soak are always a great combination, but checking the pots after giving them a few hours was the key.
The creeks have been fishing exceptionally well over the past few weeks and this is sure to continue.
Mangrove jack, cod, bream, grunter, trevally and the occasional barramundi were all being caught. I even had a toadfish hit a surface lure the last time I was out.
I don’t know if that’s a sign of a healthy and productive system, but it was certainly a surprise, plus I got only half my Z-Man Goat back.
If anyone out there has use for green toadfish, let us know – at times, they can be in plague proportions around here and I’m sure there’s an industry for them somewhere.
Jacks haven’t been shy lately, with the average fish being in the high 40cm, and good numbers of 50-54cm fish being caught.
