Bundaberg – weekly fishing report

Inshore Fishing

In the last week we haven’t had many good opportunities for anglers to poke out the front however there has been the odd weather window in which some angers have taken advantage of. This time of year the early morning and late afternoon Westerly and South Westerly winds can prove to get the inshore reefs fired up!

We have seen some really big grunter and some solid grass sweetlip on all of our common reefs and wrecks but also just cruising along the headland especially around big schools of bait. Whole prawns and strip baits are good options for these fish, if you prefer lure fishing a 20g Samaki Vibelicious is the go to lure for both of these species when targeting them in 5 to 15m of water.

We have also heard of more reports coming from anglers catching some solid 8-12kg spanish mackerel in close. Targeting these mackerel around the leads can be very effective when they are hanging around the bait as they are usually feeding. Trolling whole garfish rigged on a TT lures bait trolling rig is one of the best ways to encounter a big spanish in close! You can also float out a live yakka, slimey or even a dead pilchard whilst fishing the reefs and wrecks.

 

Offshore

When the weather has allowed we have seen some really good results from those fishing the Northern Gutter, 5 Degree, Warregos and the Herolds Patch. Plenty of big coral trout have been on the menu lately, fishing the pressure edged side of the reefs with whole pilchards, whole squid or flesh baits rigged on gang hooks has been the kicker! Rigging these big baits on gang hooks allows the bait to be presented very naturally in the water column and it usually temps those trophy fish to bite.

Plenty of tasty esky fillers have also been on the chew when fishing these reefs such as venus tusk fish, hussar, moses perch, sweetlip and even some cracking large mouth nannygai. Remember to make the most of the tide change, fishing a good patch of fish 1 hour either side of the tide change can change your day for the better!

Having a transducer that is able to get a good reading at speed is a game changer when fishing out wide. What this enables you to do is cruise around at a comfortable speed whilst still sounding the bottom, this will help you find isolated rocks and structure that is rarely fished.

Burnett River

The fishing in the Burnett over the last week has been tough, however it’s certainly not for a lack of fish around. The sounder doesn’t lie and there sure has been plenty of blue salmon schooled up, and a heap of barra starting to show themselves in the town reach area.

These blue salmon have been moving extremely quick which can explain why intercepting these fish with a lure or bait has been quite tricky. Anglers with live scope have been able to follow these fish around and pitch in an accurate cast which has had some awesome results. Watching these fish react to certain lures is very interesting, and at the moment it seems a quieter lure is getting the bites compared to a lure with a rattle. Samaki Vibelicious 20g soft vibes as well as the TT Quake vibes are two really good options for these fish at the moment.

As for the barra, we should see these fish start to be caught more regularly as the water temp starts to rise. For all the die hard anglers targeting these fish now will help you work out a pattern and possibly get stuck into them before the crowds appear.

Kolan River

The Kolan is producing some great fishing at the moment, in particular the mouth of the river has seen big flathead and grunter caught up on the shallow flats during the start of the run in tide. Pumping for yabbies at the bottom of the tide and fishing over the shallow flats has worked very well.

Good numbers of whiting around the 25 to 28cm mark have also been caught in these areas as well. Floating out whole sprat along the flats has been very effective if you can’t get your hands on some fresh yabbies. We have also heard good reports coming from those fishing up river during the last half of the run out tide.

Fishing the deeper holes and along the steep banks during this time of the tide has also seen grunter, blue salmon, cod and some monster flathead caught. A live bait in these areas has been the most effective bait, otherwise a prawn imitation soft plastic or a soft vibe should get the bites. Also, be sure to put the pots in as this system has had some good numbers of crab being caught again.

Elliott River

The Elliott is still producing some quality fish! Most of the species caught have been found in the shallow water during the incoming tide or pushed up along the mangrove fringes and as the tide recedes the fish have moved into the deep holes or hanging tight to structure that is still in the water.

The flathead and grunter that have been caught in the shallows have loved a natural coloured soft plastic slow rolled or slowly hopped with paused in between. A Daiwa 3.2″ Baitjunkie Minnow is a great option for this style of fishing. Throwing some whole sprat or small strips of mullet fillets onto the sand flats or along the drop offs has also picked up these quality fish.

Around the mouth of the Elliott has seen the odd school of dart and some good sized tailor caught. Again, small soft plastics has worked very well on these fish. The deeper holes up the river have seen good numbers of fish schooled up with grunter, trevally, cod and some blue salmon being caught. Small soft vibes hopped through the holes has got the bites. Plenty of good sized crabs are also on the move in this system, placing the pots in for an overnight soak has got the best results but even a few hours whilst you are fishing has been working great for a lot of anglers chasing a feed.

Baffle Creek

Well the Baffle sure is producing some solid fish if you know where to look depending on the tide. Those doing best in this system have been fishing the run out tide as it is usually easier to locate good numbers of fish in close proximity.

Fishing the deep holes in this system or the deep rock bars up creeks has found cod, grunter, flathead and even the occasional mangrove jack caught in the last half of the run out tide. Whole prawns and sprat as well as a live bait has worked very well in these area.

Of course if you are into lure fishing these areas certainly warrant a slow sinking prawn presentation. If you are fishing the incoming tide the shallow sand flats and sand bars are well worth a look. Some big flathead and good numbers of whiting around the 25 to 30cm mark are being caught in these areas. Like always, pumping yabbies at the bottom of the tide and fishing this exact area as the tide pushes in is a really good way to get into the fish that push up with the tide.

Lake Gregory

The fish in Lake Gregory have certainly been very healthy, proving how well fed these fish have been throughout winter. The fishing is tougher than it has been however there has sure been plenty of quality fish well over the 40cm mark being caught.

There is still good numbers of fish schooled up in the deep, changing lures quickly has helped to get bites when fishing these schools. Slow rolling soft plastics, hopping soft or hard vibes, and slow winding spoons are all great options to try in the deep. We are closing in on a transitional period on the lake, which is where a lot of the bass move to the edges.

As the water temp starts to rise we will see this become more evident, however at the present there has started to be an increase in numbers being caught on the edges. Using suspending hardbody lures that swim just above the weed is deadly at the moment, slow rolling soft plastics is also a good option for fishing these edges.

Lake Monduran

If you are a keen Lake Monduran angler you should know Sam from Mondy Man Fishing Charters and new addition to Lake Monduran Jake from Impoundment Barra Sports Fishing. These two have cracked the code over the last few months and have managed ridiculous numbers of fish over the magic metre mark.

It just goes to show that these fish will still bite even with the water temperature dropping below 17 degrees during the night. The lads are using the latest in Garmin Live Scope technology to target individual fish and pitch accurate casts to not spook these fish. Without live scope getting these fish to bite is certainly tougher, however water temps should increase from now so we look forward to even better fishing.

Targeting fish in the shallows especially on wind blown points should help to find more active fish that are seeking the warm water. Samaki Redic DS80’s are a killer lure this time of year when being in the strike zone for as long as possible is the key.

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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