Bundaberg – weekly fishing report

Inshore reef fishing

This week we have finally had a break in the weather and this has meant plenty of boats have headed offshore in chase of some tasty reefies. We have seen great success coming from those who have been bottom fishing the northern and southern gutters with some cracking trout, sweetlip, venus tuskfish and even the odd snapper. Sharks have been an issue in these areas so moving around to find some isolated structure is a good idea. Out further around the Herold patches or reefs north like the Warrigoes have also fished great for trout, redthroat, tuskfish and big red emperor. Whole squid or cuttlefish have been the standout baits however fresh flesh baits can’t be denied either. Lure fishos have had great success by hopping soft plastics along the reef edges and using slow pitch jigs. Bright colours like oranges, yellows, pinks and reds have seemed to work really well this week.

Our inshore reefs are still fishing really well at the moment and with huge schools of baitfish getting along the coast its no wonder we are seeing some insane pelagic action. Topwater lures like stickbaits and poppers have been really effective for targeting trevally, tuna, mackerel and queenfish along our coast this week and definitely is a lot of fun when you get those topwater strikes. If you are chasing a feed of mackerel there is no shortage of school mackerel in close at the moment so a Flasha spoon dropped to the bottom then wound back in as fast as you can is your best bet. Good numbers of grunter and grassy sweetlip are also being caught at most of the common inshore marks on baits like squid and mullet fillet as well as soft plastics and vibes if you are into your lure fishing.

Burnett River

The Burnett River is still fishing red hot! The bream and grunter have absolutely been on the chew over the last week. Most of these fish are being caught around the bridges in town but also along the rocks at Kirby’s Wall and right at the mouth along the northern and southern walls. Floating out whole sprat and prawns have got these fish to bite consistently. Small soft plastics hopped around the structure has also worked great with plenty of by-catch as well which has mainly been small cod and trevally.

Some good sized jacks are also coming on the chew around the rock bars and up the creeks, most of these jack have been caught on live baits however topwater frog lures have been deadly if you are into your skip casting. The crabbing and prawning is also red hot at the moment so definitely make sure to throw the pots in and have a few throws of the cast net when you can!

Kolan River

The Kolan has continued to produce some cracking grunter, flathead and bream this week with the go to technique definitely being fishing the sand flats and drop offs with a mix of mullet fillet and fresh yabbies. These fish have been on the chew all throughout the tide however the start of the incoming has seen more bites especially on the shallow flats and yabbie beds. Small topwater lures worked along the shallows during the incoming tide has got some awesome whiting and bream action as well as the odd flathead having a go as well.

If you are fishing the Kolan be sure to have a look upriver as there is some good barra and jacks getting around up the top. If you can get your hands on some live bait be sure to give that a go especially if you can fish into the night. There has been plenty of river prawns being found up past Booyan Bridge along the mud flats, a draw string cast net has been a game changer for those chasing prawns in super shallow water, otherwise a top pocket in the deeper holes is ideal.

Elliott River

This week has seen some great fishing out of the Elliott with a lot of families taking advantage of some solid weather and heading out for a days fishing. This river has produced some great sized flathead, queenfish, cod and jack. The mouth of the river is where the flathead and queenfish have been caught most, small soft plastics have been deadly on these fish.

Fishing for the queenfish in areas of high current has got the best results and targeting the flathead up in the shallows during an incoming tide and along the drop offs during a run out tide is the go at the moment. Along the rock bars and up river in the creeks has found some cracking cod and mangrove jack being caught especially for those using live baits. Live poddy mullet and live prawns have been the standout baits and have definitely helped most anglers get onto some solid fish.

The prawns have been thick in this river so whilst up the creeks keep an eye on the deep holes for them as it’s definitely worth a few throws if you come across them.

Baffle Creek

Similar to last week we have seen some great bread and butter fishing coming from the Baffle! With the school holidays in full swing we have heard great reports coming from happy families getting into some fish and even just enjoying the better weather we have had this week. The whiting have been on the chew during the incoming tide along the shallow sand flats especially those with yabbie beds. Fresh yabbies is always a whiting’s favourite food so be sure to pump some yabbies at low tide and fish the start of the incoming tide over those same shallow flats. Some cracking flathead have also been caught using this exact same method along with small strips of mullet fillet.

Whilst fishing for these flatties it is well worth flicking some small soft plastics like the Daiwa 3.2inch minnows. The jacks have also been on the chew along the mangrove lined banks and the rock bars, targeting these fish during the run out tide has no doubt been the best time to be targeting these fish. Prawn imitation soft plastics and live baits have been the two go to methods getting these jacks to bite. The crabs have also been in great numbers in middle channel and up the creeks, plenty of smaller crabs are being found however there is definitely some cracking bucks around at the moment as well.

Lake Gregory

Lake Gregory has still fished well considering the water is quite murky after the rain we just had. The fish have been responding to lures quite well, the go to lure in this murky water has to be a hard-body lure like the Rapala Shad Rap Elite! Fishing sections of the dam that have been getting plenty of wind pushed into them has been the go as these areas have slightly warmer water and the majority of the bait.

Twitching hard-body lures along the weed edges has worked really well when mixing in some 5 to 10 second pauses in between twitches. If you are finding schools of bass hanging in slightly deeper water, try using a small paddle tail soft plastic and slowly wind it directly through the school. This technique has worked great on the schooled fish when they are a little more hesitant to bite.

Lake Monduran

This week has again seen plenty of barra caught on the dam, 60-70cm fish are being caught all over the dam up in the shallows. These smaller fish are a result of MASA’s incredible stocking efforts and shows that the survival rate for the last few releases has been high which is great for the future of the dam. These barra have been caught on hardbodies and soft plastics but they key has been to be casting right in the shallows and around any shady areas like lily pads and overhanging bushes.

The bigger barra are scattered at the moment, finding good numbers of them has been a bit trickier this week but there are definitely heaps around. When it comes to getting these big barra to bite a lot of the bigger fish have been caught at night. Slow rolling big soft plastics like the Daiwa Baitjunkie 6.2inch minnow or swimbaits like the Molix Shads has been really effective. Although the water temp has decreased in recent weeks, the sunny days this week has seen the barra up in the shallows and feeding around the bite times.

One of our customers managed to land 7 barra with numerous over the metre mark  in one night session this week so they are definitely on the chew. Time on the water is the biggest key factor to success at the moment and unfortunately there isn’t much of a substitute, those who are putting in the time are getting the results.

 

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

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