Bush ‘n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
Inshore/Offshore Fishing
How good is the weather forecast looking! This long weekend is shaping up to be the opportunity we have all been waiting for to get out fishing!
This week has again seen our inshore ground hold really good numbers of pelagic fish such as longtail tuna, queenfish, school mackerel and even more numbers of spanish have come in closer as the dirty water recedes. This weekend is going to be a great time to chase these species for all of the smaller boats that don’t get to poke out the front too often.
The longtail have been thick with birds working and fish breaching the surface being an easy tell as to where these schools are. Small metal slugs, soft plastics, stick baits and poppers have all worked well on these fish. As mentioned above the spanish have started to come back in close as the inshore waters start to clear up, securing some live bait and balloon rigging them up high in the water column has got good results. The 2 mile and the outer Leads will be great places to target these spanish.
For the boats heading wide this weekend will no doubt see plenty of fish caught. As we have seen in the previous weather windows the trout and red throat on the shallow reefs at the Bunker Group have been in great numbers. Whole pilchards are the standout bait for this style of fishing, using a ball sinker that is not too heavy for the depth of water you are fishing will usually get you better results.
Up on the shallow reefs is the perfect place for the lure fisho’s to hop soft plastics along the reef and this method more times than not will produce a quality trout or two! The go to lure has to be a Samaki 127mm Live Shrimp in the golden carrot colour rigged on a 1oz to 1.5oz 7/0 BKK Harpax jig head.
The deeper areas off the edges of the reefs have seen great numbers of big cobia around, these fish love big ledges so finding a steep drop off is the perfect place to target these fish. Whole squid, cuttlefish or mullet fillet are the go to baits for cobia however these fish will just about eat anything!
No doubt big grass sweetlip, spangled emperor, cod, venus tusk fish, red emperor and hussar will all be caught in these similar areas. Remember to always fish the pressure edged side of the reefs first as they will usually hold the bait and more predatory fish, however if it isn’t working don’t be afraid to spend some time sounding around to find new ground!
Burnett River
The big tides this week saw the Burnett fish extremely well despite the dirty water. Some monster jacks have been caught along rocky structures all the way from the port right up to Tofts Rocks. Live poddy mullet or mullet fillets have been the go to bait for these jack and the run out tide seems to be when they are chewing.
Some big flathead are also being caught in the deeper water with soft plastics and soft vibes being a killer technique, these lures enable you to cover plenty of ground to eventually find one of these flatties willing to eat. With the recent rains we are also seeing this river produce nice mud crabs so if you want a feed of mud crab for Easter be sure to put the pots in.
Kolan River
This week has seen the Kolan fishing superbly with some cracking jacks caught up river along with fantastic bread and butter fishing on the shallow sand flats. Fishing the sand flats at the mouth of the river during the incoming tide has worked well for flathead, grunter, whiting and even some big bream.
Fresh yabbies have been dynamite however peeled prawns and sprat has also got plenty of bites. If you are into lure fishing small hardbody lures have been working great on these bread and butter species. Remember when casting lures along these sand flats it is important to cover plenty of ground.
Up river around Booyan Bridge and up Yandaran Creek has seen some nice jack caught particularly on live bait, if you can find some nice sized poddy mullet these have been perfect! If you are into lure fishing prawn imitation lures have also worked well. Good numbers of crabs have been on the move with most of these bucks being in really good condition. The majority seem to still be in the deep sections of river and up the creeks along the steeper banks however some anglers have also done well in the shallows.
This system is starting to clear up especially with the incoming tide pushing some nice clear water up river. With this water has seen some solid queenfish, trevally and dart caught around the mouth particularly on small metal jigs, soft plastics and topwater lures.
The sand flats at the mouth have also housed some nice whiting with fresh yabbies and beach worms being a killer bait. Hopping soft plastics or twitching hardbody lures along these flats has picked up the odd flathead with most of these fish being between 35 and 55cm in length. The deeper holes up river has seen some solid cod, grunter and jack caught on whole prawns, sprat and mullet fillet.
The run out tide seems to be when most of the action is happening in these areas with the big tides being a contributing factor as to why these areas have fished well this week. Just like our other systems plenty of mud crab have been on the move so now is the perfect time to put the pots in for a quality Easter feed!
In spite of all the recent rains this system has copped we are actually seeing it fish really well! The big tides this week are definitely a strong contributor as to why we have seen this system rebound quite quickly and some cleaner water has started to push up river during the incoming tide.
For now, fishing around the mouth is still producing the best results however it is a strong sign of things to come once this system starts to clean up more. Fishing the incoming tide has seen whiting and bream around on the shallow flats at the mouth of the river with beach worms or fresh yabbies being the standout baits.
The deeper drop offs and banks at the mouth have also continued to produce quality grunter and flathead particularly for the lure fishos. Soft vibes hopped along the bottom have been the standout lure for these fish. Up around Winfield has seen schools of small GT quite prevalent, small soft plastics and top water lures are the go to lures for these fish.
Reports of some nice jack being caught on live bait around the rock bars in this river should provide some motivation to throw the net in search for some poddy mullet. Sitting on these rock bars during the run out tide should be the prime time to do so. Plenty of mud crab have been on the move as well so if you can it is a great time to get stuck into some crabbing!
Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory has been firing this week with plenty of bass being caught! Despite recent weeks showing better results from those fishing deep the shallows have definitely been where it’s at this week. A lot of the bass including some crackers over 50cm have been caught from super shallow sections in deep weed.
Surface lures have been the most effective technique with frog imitation lures being the standout. Having a weedless topwater lure is perfect for this style of fishing as you can retrieve your lure over the top and through all of the dense weed which is getting the bites! Slow rolling lightly weighted soft plastics along the edges has also proved effective during the middle of the day when these bass have gone a bit deeper.
Lake Monduran
This week has seen Lake Monduran produce some good fishing for those putting in the hours. Plenty of 1m+ barra are being landed throughout the dam on a range of different techniques. For those casting, ensuring your lure spends a lot of time in the strike zone is a great way to increase the amount of bites you will get.
We have continued to see suspending hardbody lures be very effective with the key being making sure the lure actually suspends, not floats or sinks but sits dead still in the water column. If you are fishing into the night slow rolled paddle tail soft plastics and swimbaits have been really effective. The Cast Prodigy 6 inch soft plastics, Sicario DTF’s and Molix 140 Shads are all really good options for this style of fishing.
Focusing around the key bite times, that being the moon rises, sets and above’s as well as the Kolan River tide changes can get a few bites in a short window. For those trolling in the basin there is still the odd fish being caught, low and slow is the aim of the game. Getting your plastics or swimbaits down to about the 15 foot mark has helped to target the less pressured fish and get more consistent bites.
CATCH OF THE WEEK
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From the team at Tackle World Bundaberg
Live the Tackle World L.I.F.E – Local Independent Fishing Experts
