Snapper on fire in Tin Can Bay

G’day crew, I hope you’ve all been keeping well these last few weeks and making the most of the beautiful winter days. snapper

Despite a week of wind and rain in the middle of the month, most of August was glorious.

It was good to see the rain didn’t murk up our local system for more than a day or two.

From all accounts the water clarity was spot on.

The last few days before writing has seen the daytime temperature climbing up into the mid-20s and there was even a 28C day.

We can expect the water temperature to start climbing as well in the next couple of months.

 

Despite the stunning weather, many people were struggling to find consistent fish throughout August.

I’m not sure why – maybe the water got too cold too quickly, maybe it wasn’t cold enough or maybe it’s time to try a few new spots and freshen things up a little.

I spent the best part of a week in bed with some awful flu-like bug, followed with a nice dose of bronchitis, so I barely fished.

Maybe everyone was just sick in bed!

But there were fish around to be caught by those who put the effort in.

The weather gods must have known that it was the end of the snapper and pearl perch closure on August 15 as the week following was a good one.

 

We received many reports of fish being caught around the area.

Float lining pillies and live bait, along with lightly weighted plastics all proved winners.

We managed to sneak out for a day’s fishing towards the end of the month and had a great time floating lightly weighted 5’’ plastics down to 40-50m.

The only problem we had was getting a snapper to the boat under 700mm, with most fish in the high 700-mid 800mm.

Megan Fah even managed to get a PB for herself and the boat with a snapper of 910mm.

What a weapon of a fish!

 

The standout plastics of the day were the new Crush City 5’’ Jerk, the 5’’ Molix Fork Flex and we also picked up some good ones on the 80 and 100g Palms Slow Blatt R’s.

With all the action going on with every drift I completely forgot to try out the Crush City 4.5’’ Imposter which I’m tipping will be a silent killer sitting in Rodney the Rod Holder.

These lures already have runs on the board and if you want to see the full range, swing into the shop and check them out.

Back inshore, the flathead have been reliably firing for all fishos over the last few months.

As we move into September the fishing should only get better.

Bream have been caught in good numbers on most of the structure in the creeks.

 

Try using strips of fresh mullet or a lightly weighted peeled prawn on a running ball sinker rig fished back into the snags to bag a feed of these prolific fish.

Decent sized summer whiting have been plentiful also.

As always, freshly pumped yabbies and our locally cured beachworms work best on the flood tides.

Large numbers of tailor have been caught over the last couple of months, everywhere from Poverty Point, up the creeks to the newest sink hole.

There have been no real greenbacks but still some nice legal tailor.

Trolling has proven to be a productive way to cover good ground and find them.

 

It’s also great fun for the kids because at this time of year it’s fairly easy fishing once you pick your way through the choppers.

We have been having a lot of success using Samaki Redic SF90s, Fishcraft Dr Stretch 65 and the Atomic Hardz Shiner 60.

Colour doesn’t really matter that much in my opinion, but I do tend to go for the flashier lures.

I like to get the boat moving to a good brisk walking pace of 2-4 knots and tend to have the lures 25-30m behind the boat and just wait for the rods to buckle over.

Off the beach up at The Oaks there were also some good catches of tailor on the tides leading up to the full moon in the middle of the month, with the old faithful pillie working a treat for many anglers.

Some better fish, over 2kg, also took casted slugs and stickbaits.

 

In the spirit of freshening things up, one thing I do religiously every time I’m out on the water is to go somewhere I’ve never fished before.

It might be that place I’ve always driven past but never stopped at, or it might be more of a premeditated plan that involves a bit of Google Earth and looking at charts, or even a spot I’ve never looked at on a high or low tide in the past.

Making a point of exploring and seeking out new waters to fish in your local area will open up new opportunities and make you a better fisho going forward.

Plus, you might see some cool stuff in the process.

Well, that’s enough philosophising from me for another month, get out there crew and explore your local.

Tight lines!

The Chandlery Bait and Tackle for all your fishing and boating needs.