Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
WELL, it’s that time of the month again – where I whinge about the weather and how tough the fishing has been! Yes, the weather has been tough that’s for sure, and from most reports it’s the same up and down the coast.
I find spring is often quite volatile. Heavy from the north as the temperature rises and then moderate to heavy sea breezes from the east, as it tries to stabilise. Not always equating to good weather for boating. Bait ball action
Not good weather for Kgari also, as the winds keep pushing wildfires into fresh fuel every few days. However, the fishing here has started to pick up. Finally, we’ve had a little bait ball action, which has been very nice – with spotted mackerel and tuna carving it up.
Even in shallow water, which makes the action more epic. What we witnessed over the past few days is hopefully a sign of things to come. The prevalence of shallow-dwelling food has predators such as tuna, trevally, queenfish and mackerel prowling in the super clear water, even when they’re not feeding.Bait ball action
This can make for heart-stopping action, particularly with the chance of a 10-20kg tuna very much on the cards. Soft plastics have been the slayers in this domain. All you need is a keen eye, accurate cast and a rod with a decent backbone. They will eat fast retrieves or a variety of twitch-pause style actions too – just figure it out on the day.Bait ball action
I do find twitch actions work better with lures that have a slower sink rate. The great thing about shallow water tuna fishing is they can’t be as stubborn, and the forces they exert on an angler are nowhere near as brutal. I am not going to lie – this isn’t the most productive way to fish.
If you’re after sheer numbers, I would recommend sticking to casting and bait balls. The fish aren’t in large quantities in shallow water, unless a bait ball is present nearby. Plus, they aren’t always in the shallows each and every tide.Bait ball action
You can definitely expect it to change from day to day. You can even assume it won’t happen at all! As for catching the bait ball and surface feeders, try sticking to the basics.Bait ball action
Fast actions in a straight line are my go-to. Plastics track faster without tumbling on the surface. Metal slugs match the hatch but may require a little time to sink – to prevent the lure from hitting the surface and then tumbling. Tumbling on the surface won’t matter if the mackerel and tuna are on!
To book a charter, visit fraserguidedfishing.com.au
