Hi Everyone, hope you have all had a good week, it was great to see everyone back out on the water over the Long Weekend enjoying the new relaxation in the Queensland Government boating rules. Cool and Windy conditions on the Tweed and Gold Coast has made catching a feed hard work. Good news for the weekend and Mother’s Day with some better weather on the way. Let’s see what’s been on the bite.
I recommend before heading out on the water that you make sure you check out the latest news from the Queensland Government, Maritime Safety Queensland or the New South Wales Government if fishing the Tweed region.
With the wind and swell up during the week combined with big tides due to the full moon hitting the protected estuary’s and rivers was the best option. Some great catches of Whiting are still on offer as the water starts to cool down. Some good spots to try are the Logan River, Tweed River, Tallebudgera Creek, Coomera River, Pimpama River and the Nerang River which all offer protection from the wind. Quality bait is the key to success, live worms or yabbies are the best choice when it come to catching a feed of Whiting. Choose an area where you can target both shallow water and deeper water at the same time with your rods until you can work out which depth the majority of the fish are feeding in. Once you can work out a pattern then concentrate your efforts in the most productive depth. Big tides mean good water flow which is important when targeting Whiting, the old saying no run no fun does apply. Make sure you are using a heavy enough sinker to keep your bait in contact with the bottom, I usually use a size 4 ball sinker and even go a 5 ball in the river depending on current flow. If the fish are quiet just keep on moving until you find some life, I usually move if I have not caught a fish in 30 minutes. Light main line and light leader will attract more bites, I normally go for a 6lb fluro carbon leader works best.
Reports of some good early season Bream around Short Island, Tiger Mullet Channel, Logan River, Jacobs Well, Tipplers Passage, The Coomera River, Paradise Point and the Gold Coast Seaway. Mullet Fillet, White Pilchards, Mullet Gut and Yabbies are great bait. A good burly trail is important when chasing Bream, pellet options from Wilson Fishing and Stimulate will do the job. As we step closer to winter, all the early signs for a great Bream season is good news for anglers.
Some nice Tailor have come from the surf gutters along South Stradbroke Island the past week, the early cool Westerly winds combined with lots of bait fish have attracted some quality sized fish. The swell is tipped to drop for the weekend, a beach fishing session would be a good idea.
Brad from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports he has been getting out when he can, the Tweed this time of year fishes well for Flathead, and the Whiting and Bream are still active on surface lures.
As the water cools more the bigger Bream, Mulloway, and Flathead appear and are best targeted in deeper water with vibes and soft plastics.
Clint has been fishing the Gold Coast Broadwater during the settled weather and neap tides. So many good eating fish around at the moment and the fishing was on fire this week. The best fishing coincided with the smallest tides of 0.5-1 metre range, allowing us to fish the open channels more, 6-8 metre depth has been best. We have been catching a lot of good size Tuskfish. These fish are very feisty and hit our Ecogear ZX40 and Samaki Vibelicious 70 lures with venom then tear off on a screaming run, great fun on light tackle. Best ZX colours at the moment are 411, 414, 440, best Samaki soft vibe colours are ghost bait, pearl shrimp, and white bait. Flathead are increasing in numbers and size, as are Founder, Squid, and Winter Whiting. The cold change will bring on Snapper, big Bream, Mulloway, Flathead and Squid. Heaps of great fishing to look forward to!
Gavin from Seaprobe Fishing Charters reports weather permitting on 50 fathoms there is still a good mixed bag of Snapper, Pearlies, Amberjack, Samson fish and Pig fish Out there just using squid, pillies and live bait are the best options. Also try the fads on the 36s and 50s for some Mahi Mahi (Dolphin fish) with pillies and little lures working best and in closer around the pin there is plenty of Mac Tunas and Long Tails in the mix as well to target on soft plastics and metal slugs.
Hope you all have a good week and stay healthy and safe, and Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful Mums out there. If you have any great catches or photos you would like to share, please email us and let us know how you went.
Stay up to date with all fishing regulations in Queensland https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries
Fisho Tackle and Coomera Houseboat Holidays now have Hire Tinnies follow the link to view http://www.coomerahouseboats.com.au/our-fleet-type/hire-tinnies/
Seabreeze is a great website to access a local forecast http://www.seabreeze.com.au/graphs/
If you have any great catches to report or fishing photos please email them to brett@fishotackle.com.au Good luck with the Fishing. Brett
