Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE
Finally it looks like there will be a break in the weather around the Bundaberg area, but always remember to check the updated forecast before heading out. With the small tides, the deep should be fishing awesome! Using big flesh baits with the new Elkat gang hooks will do some damage to some trophy fish. If you’re fishing the shallows make sure you use lightly weighted sinkers because the fish will be picky with the very little run.
BUNDABERG INSHORE
With the water temperature still being so high, the mackerel should still be in good numbers. Using live baits and floating gar will get the job done. Also throwing Halco poppers around is an exciting way to get them to chew. There’s also been some nice squire caught, mostly on 5” Z-Man soft plastics. If you want some line-burners there’s also plenty of tuna being caught. Look for birds working on bait schools and throw small slugs in, then fast retrieve.
THE BURNETT RIVER
The fish of the week for the Burnett is definitely the blue salmon. Plenty of guys are catching more than ten per session. Jigging 20g soft and hard vibes is the way to go to catch them. The numbers of flathead caught per session have been very impressive as well. Not to forget about the cracker sized bream that are being landed as well. Most of them have been caught on shallow rock bars using prawns and mullet gut as bait.
THE ELLIOTT RIVER
The amount of flathead towards the mouth of the Elliott at the moment is crazy! If you’re more into bait fishing, buy or catch some sprat and lightly weight them and do some slow drifts over the shallow sandbars. It’s a deadly technique and super fun for the kids. There’s also plenty of gar getting around. Using very lightly weighted line with a small float attached and a small long shank hook tied to your leader is the way to target them. It will be well worth chasing the whiting and bream as the Elliott River is very healthy at the moment.
THE KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
The Kolan and the Baffle fished well over the weekend, with reports of plenty of whiting, bream and flathead being caught. The whiting have been biting best on fresh yabbies while fishing the incoming tides. They seem to be schooling up in the very shallow water so keep that in mind. The flatties have been smacking brightly coloured 3” Z-Man soft plastics slowly rolled in the shallows. Don’t forget to throw the crab pots in because there’s still some big bucks being caught in both these systems.
LAKE MONDURAN
Lake Monduran is still fishing well. I’ve seen some larger fish being caught in the past week. Fishing the afternoons is definitely the way to go with the water temperatures much higher than the mornings. Remember to fish the bays and points that the wind is blowing into. Jackall Squirrels and 20g Soft Vibes are definitely the lures you want in your boat when heading out there!
