Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
Inshore/Offshore fishing
The inshore reefs have been producing some very tasty feeds! The squid and winter whiting have turned up in good numbers! The squid have been caught on most of our coastline from Burnett Heads to Elliot Heads. Jigging squid jigs in the shallows will get you into the action, drifting with the tide or using your electric motor is the best way to cover a good amount of ground.
Most of the winter whiting have been caught in front of the lighthouse off the Burnett, using worms and squid is the go to bait to get them! The spanish mackerel, snapper and grunter have been cruising around as well so be sure to have a go for them. Whole prawns for the big grunter and snapper has worked a treat.
The offshore reefs have really turned it on over the past couple of weeks! This time of year off Bundy is usually red hot fishing because of all the bait that is stacked on all of our reefs. The number of red emperor caught last weekend was impressive with the biggest one we heard coming in at 16kg! Big flesh baits and live baits were the standout baits for these reds.
Some ripper trout and grassy sweetlip were caught as well, most of these two species were caught on pilchards and prawn imitation lures. Remember to always make the most out of the tide changes, fishing your favourite spot one hour either side of the tide surely can get your arms stretched and the esky filled!
Burnett River
The blue salmon are on! We have had some great reports this week of plenty of salmon being found throughout the Burnett. The deep holes in the river are definitely worth a shot, throwing down some soft vibes or curl tail soft plastics have been getting the bite. The rock walls have also been home to some good sized cod and big grunter this week with whole prawns being the go to bait.
Small strips of mullet fillet has also worked really well with some big bream taking a liking to these two offerings as well. With the big tides we have had due to last weekends full moon the crabbing has been on! Plenty of bucks were caught and good numbers are still getting around so try dropping in a few pots over the weekend for a tasty feed of mud crab.
Elliott River
The Elliott has had another week of red hot fishing! The bream, flathead and whiting have been on the chew with yet again fresh yabbies being the bait doing the damage. Fishing the incoming tide over the shallow sand flats has been the best time to be fishing for these species. Anchoring up current of the sand bar and letting your bait drift naturally with the current over the flats and any of the drop offs or ridges in the sand bars has worked great.
Some cracking flatties have been in the slightly deeper water surrounding the flats especially during the run out tide. Flicking some soft plastics around the flats in this deeper water has seen quite a few people having great success. The crabbing has also been red hot, try throwing out a few pots next time you get the chance as some really quality sized bucks are being pulled from this river at the moment!
Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek has yet again had a solid week of fishing, following on from last weeks report we have continued to see good sized whiting, grunter, flathead and bream being caught. The hot spots for these fish has been the sand flats throughout the river. Fresh yabbies and beach worms have definitely been the two standout baits however a strip of mullet fillet or a whole prawn drifted across the flats with the tide has got some good quality fish to bite.
Those who are into their lure fishing should try flicking small curl tail soft plastics along the flats around the high tide. The last of the incoming tide and the start of the run out tide are usually a great time to be fishing the flats as the predatory fish will be up in the shallows whilst they can and they should be feeding quite aggressively. A 100mm or a 120mm Squidgie Wriggler in the bloodworm colour is a lure that has been super effective on these fish.
Kolan River
The Kolan is still fishing really well with plenty of anglers having good sessions on the sand flats throughout this river system. The fish on the chew have been bream, whiting, flathead and grunter! These fish have all been caught on the shallow flats or along the drop offs surrounding these flats. The last of the incoming tide has been the best time to get up onto the shallow flats and flick a few small hardbodies around or throw out a fresh yabbie for these fish.
The run out tide has seen these fish move into the deeper water so try trolling some baits or small hardbodies along the drop offs, this will help you cover a lot of ground and find the feeding fish. The creeks and mangrove lined banks have held good numbers of legal crabs this week, the bigger tides have got them on the move and the deeper banks have produced the best numbers of crab. Good baits to be using in the pots is fish frames or even whole mullet, try putting in a lot of bait especially if there are other pots close to yours.
Lake Gregory
The bass are fired up and feeding throughout most of the lake, these fish are schooling up in plenty of smaller sized schools! Pin pointing exactly where the bass are by using down scan and side scan on a quality sounder then starting to cast will definitely help put more fish in the boat. Small paddle tail soft plastics slow wound through the schools of fish has got the bite.
Some cracking sized fish getting close to 50cm are being caught regularly, using around a 10 or 12lb monofilament leader has been getting the bass to bite. The late afternoons have been providing the best bite times for most anglers so even a short after work session could see a few quality bass landed!
Lake Monduran
More barra have been landed on the dam this week due to the warmer weather getting these barra into slightly shallower water and a bit more active. Still, the bites have been few and far between especially on the bigger models around the 1m mark and above. These barra are definitely hard to tempt a bite from so ensuring your lure and retrieve are on point is crucial to getting one to have a crack.
Jackall Squirrel 79sp’s and Samaki Redic DS80’s have been the two standout lures getting the bite when retrieved with very subtle twitches and long pauses. Getting your lure to barely float or sink when paused is ideal as this will allow the lure to sit in front of the barra’s face presenting itself as an easy meal. Going down to a 60lb leader is risky when fishing the timber but it has definitely helped get more bites when compared to fishing either 80 or 100lb leaders. Focusing most of your attention on wind blown bays and points is a great starting point to find good numbers of fish.
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
