Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
Inshore fishing
Our Inshore fishing at the moment has sure been red hot! This time of the year due to the Northerly winds we generally see a lot of bait being pushed in close and this brings in the pelagic fish. Queenfish, trevally, tuna and mackerel have been the main species being targeted and caught at the moment.
When chasing these fish no matter where you are, finding the bait is key, be sure to spend the time finding the bait and then catching them is the easy part. Dropping Flasha spoons to the bottom and vertically winding them back up to the boat as fast as you can has been the standout technique getting the queenfish, trevally and mackerel to bite. Trolling whole gar or hardbody lures whilst you are trying to find the bait has also worked very well.
The tuna that have been in close have mainly been mac tuna however a few big longtail’s have been starting to pop up more regularly. By far the most important thing when chasing these tuna is to match the hatch, having a few different sized metal lures ready to throw at them is crucial. Those chasing bottom fish lately have found some really good results in close with big cod, stripeys and tusk fish being the standout fish on the chew. Whole squid has been the bait getting the bites, once again finding the bait is really important as these fish won’t be far away.
Offshore fishing
The Offshore fishing has definitely been turning it on in the short weather windows we have had! Plenty of reefies have been chewing in the Gutters, Herolds and the Warrego’s on whole pilchards and squid.
The key has been to be fishing the pressure edged side of the reef, so whatever face is getting hit with the current. This is because a lot of the bait will be in this area meaning the feeding predatory fish won’t be far away. Hopping soft plastics along the reef edges has picked up some great quality trout, red throat and sweetlip with the usual cod as well.
The nannygai and reds that people have been catching have come from around 40m of water and have been found on isolated structure, these fish have taken big flesh baits like mullet fillet or fresh fish fillets like a slab of hussar. Rigging these big flesh baits on a bait rig like a Buku Snapbait Hybrid Jig has seen great results for converting these big reds. Remember to fish the tide changes, the hour either side of the tide can be a great time to capitalise on a short bite window and land some cracking fish.
Burnett River
The mouth of the Burnett is producing some great quality fish this week. A heap of pelagic fish have been feeding on bait around the North Wall and at the Lighthouse. A few solid grey mackerel as well as plenty of school mackerel have also been getting around the mouth and these have been caught on trolled hardbody lures and metal spoons.
For the trevally and queenfish that have been around flicking small soft plastics along the rocks has been really effective. A lot of people have also had some great quality by-catch being grunter, cod and even some good sized jack which have all been caught along the rocks.
For the bait fishos whole sprat and mullet fillet has been the go to baits when fishing the North Wall and any of the rocky structures at the mouth of the river at the moment. With the amount of rain the crabbing in the Burnett and Skyringville has been on fire. The go to baits has been fish and chicken frames. Heavy Duty pots have definitely been a great investment lately as with the big tides we had last weekend a few of the light pots were either lost or had moved with the tide.
Kolan River
The Kolan River is definitely fishing great, the standout fish has been the jacks and grunter around the mouth of the river. These fish have been up the creeks at the mouth of the river and around the fallen trees. Fishing for these jack and grunter with live baits or strips of mullet fillet has worked well, soft plastics skipped into the mangroves and underneath overhanging trees has also got a good number of the jack to chew.
Some big flathead have been on the move with the big tides getting these fish up onto the shallows during the run in tide and along the drop offs and in the deep holes around the low tide. Soft vibes like the new TT Quake vibes have been slaying the fish in the deeper water with jack and cod also taking these lures when worked along the rock bars.
The crabbing in this river has been red hot with the recent rain we have had, the majority of the crabs have been found in the main sections of the river. Using a strong smelling bait like chicken frames and mullet fillets has helped to attract more crabs to your pots especially if there are a lot of other pots close by.
Elliott River
Like most of our local rivers at the moment the fishing and crabbing in the Elliott has been really good! Heading up this river system with the incoming tide and fishing back out with the run out tide has worked great for a lot of people this week. Great numbers of cod and jack have been caught as well as bread and butter species like bream, whiting and flathead.
If you are chasing jack, cod and even grunter the rocky structures and deep holes during the run out tide have held most of the fish. Fishing these areas with live baits, whole prawns or even prawn soft plastics has worked great. If you are after a feed of bream, whiting or flathead the shallow flats during the incoming tide have been producing good numbers of these fish.
Fresh yabbies or beach worms have been getting the bite from bream and whiting and whole sprat has got plenty of quality flathead to hit the deck. Flicking the sand bars with small soft plastics will also manage a great feed of fish with trevally and queenfish being regular catches at the moment.
Baffle Creek
The Baffle is certainly fishing well at the moment especially during the run out tide. Fishing deep mangrove lined banks with whole sprat and mullet has got some really good fish on the deck. Plenty of grunter and jack have been feeding during this run out tide in the dirty water.
Spending the time getting some fresh bait has worked a treat, and even if you don’t have a live bait tank a simple aerator will keep your bait alive all day. Around the bottom of the tide and the start of the incoming has been a great opportunity to chase whiting, grunter and flathead on the shallow flats and yabbie beds. Pumping fresh yabbies is by far the most effective bait and using a light monofilament leader is the key to getting these finicky whiting to bite.
The crabbing in this river has been really good for those who have pushed up the river system and placed their pots in the main section of river along deep banks. Any deep banks beside a creek entrance have been the hot spots for the big bucks and once again chicken frames, fish frames or whole mullet have worked great.
Lake Gregory
The topwater fishing in Lake Gregory has been really effective again this week. Fishing topwater frogs and hardbody lures in the low light periods and then fishing the deeper drop offs and weed towers during the middle of the day has still been the go to technique.
Slow rolling small paddle tail soft plastics along the drop offs has been getting most of the fish. Hardbody lures twitched along the drop offs have also worked really well to get a reaction bite out of these bass if they aren’t feeding aggressively.
Lake Monduran
The Lake is the definitely still producing some really good fishing for those who are putting in the hours and many, many casts. The bite times on the Lake can be extremely unpredictable and the only way to experience these crazy times is to be on the water as much as you can.
As of late there have been small windows of multiple 1m+ fish hooked up and many lost from breaking split rings, bending trebles and busted leaders. It’s safe to say these Lake Monduran barra are in incredible condition and will test your gear to its limits. Ensuring all parts of your tackle is up to scratch is paramount in landing these fish of a lifetime. In terms of where to find these fish Bird Bay and the South arm of B Bay have held a lot of fish.
Casting hardbody lures along the shallow, windblown points and working them back to the boat with long pauses and erratic twitches has got the bites. Plenty of smaller 70 to 80cm fish have been around as well, these fish are great fun and can sometimes play up even more than the 1m+ models. A few big barra are still in the main basin, using your sounder to locate these fish then either trolling or casting big swimbaits past them has got the best 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
