Bundaberg – weekly fishing report

Inshore/Offshore fishing

Needless to say there hasn’t been many boats heading offshore this week with consistent 20-30knot days proving to be set in for quite some time. With the weather the way it is there’s no doubt that it is the perfect time to catch up on maintenance that often times get overlooked. Trailer maintenance, reel servicing, line spooling and rod repairs are all crucial aspects to ensure you make the most of your time on the water.

As we have seen from recent trips out the inshore fishing has been red hot and it should stay this way providing we continue to see large schools of bait along our coast. Golden trevally, school mackerel, long tail tuna and queenfish have been the target species for those chasing our pelagic fish. Watching for birds working in the sky and bust ups on the horizon are dead giveaways that there is a very nervous school of baitfish being hounded from below and above and this definitely warrants a few casts.

Small metal lures fast wound just below the surface are ideal for chasing mac tuna and long tail tuna, whereas sinking a metal spoon lure down underneath the bait until it hits the bottom then winding it back up to the boat is a killer technique for the school mackerel that won’t be far away. For those after queenfish these fish have been found along the coast in areas with bait and a good amount of current hitting structure like a rocky outcrop. Halco poppers have got to be one of the most effective ways to target these fish, a simple pop and pause technique is deadly on the queenfish and even huge trevally.

For the offshore enthusiasts we will no doubt get a weather window shortly as we begin to change seasons. The gutters have held really good fish such as big cobia, trout, sweetlip and venus tusk fish. Whole squid, cuttlefish and pilchards were the standout baits during our last run of good weather. The Warrego’s and the Herolds Patch also fished really well with huge red throat and some cracking trout being caught at these two reefs. Flicking soft plastics along the reef edges proved to be a really good way to find the better quality fish at these spots.

Burnett River

The mouth of the Burnett has continued to produce some really good fish along the rock walls. Although the big tides earlier in the week did make it difficult to fish this section of river some really good quality grunter, flathead and cod were caught by those who persisted and got their baits to sit right alongside the wall. Whole fresh sprat either dead or alive has been by far the best bait to be using. Further up the river in town saw some good fish on the move with the big tides.

Good numbers of barra were found in the town reach area and up river around Tofts Rocks. Getting these fish to bite was tough as they were moving fast. We saw those who got stuck into a bit of crabbing get some really good results with those who did the miles being rewarded with reaching their boat limit.

Kolan River

The Kolan has fished really well again this week, a few anglers have found some big jack using live poddy mullet to tempt a bite. Good sized cod and grunter have been the most common by-catch which for most is a welcomed sight. Fishing the run out tide has been by far the best time to be fishing for these jack, the late afternoon run out tide and fishing the turn of tide into the night over the next few days is going to be a great chance to target these fish.

Allowing plenty of time to catch fresh bait will give you the best chance but if you can’t whole prawns, sprat and poddy mullet will be your best baits if you are buying some. The creeks at the mouth of the river have been crabbing really well and continued to do so over the weekend. Any steeper banks or deep holes up these creeks found great numbers of crabs in them with a few legal bucks as well. The amount of undersized bucks being caught in this river at the moment is a great sign for the future crabbing for this system.

Elliott River

The Elliott River is fishing really well at the moment with plenty of variety on offer. Jack, cod and the odd barra have been caught in the deep holes and along the rock bars on whole prawns, sprat and poddy mullet. Flicking prawn imitation soft plastics rigged weedless are also a great option for those into their lure fishing. The sand bars and yabbie beds in this river are also great places to soak a bait especially during the incoming tide.

Good numbers of flathead are around as well as some quality bream, grunter and whiting. Fishing the incoming tide over the shallow flats with yabbies, beach worms or pippies will give you a great chance at a solid whiting, bream, grunter or even a big flathead.

As the tide runs off these flats flicking the drop offs with soft plastics and hardbody lures will put you in with a great shot at some cracking flathead and grunter as they chase the bait coming off with the tide. This river is also crabbing really well, heading up the river with the incoming tide has been the go as you can get right up the back of this system and into the action!

Baffle Creek

The Baffle is continuing to fish really well especially during the run out tide at the moment. The deep mangrove lined banks towards the mouth of the river have been prime spots to target jack, barra, cod and some big grunter. The grunter and jack have been feeding hard during the last of the run out tide in the late afternoons and fishing the change of tide into the night has been getting these fish fired up if they weren’t already.

Whole sprat and poddy mullet have been the baits working best with some good sized cod making there way onto the deck as well. These tides have also been great for targeting the barra which have been on the move in this system. These fish have been moving from day to day so a good quality sounder to locate the better numbers of fish has been really helpful.

Slow rolling big paddle tail soft plastics or natural coloured prawn lures have got these fish to bite during the last of the run out tide and the turn of the tide has been a great bite window for these fish. Some good places to try and find these barra has been any of the rock bars from pig island down river towards the mouth. With a quality sounder you should be able to find good numbers of fish with a few hours of searching.

Lake Gregory

Lake Gregory is producing great numbers of smaller bass and saratoga this week. Casting hardbody lures and paddle tail soft plastics along the edges of the Lake has found the bass which have been tight in the weed towers and banks. The occasional big bass nudging the 50cm mark is still being caught generally after a few smaller models have been landed.

Good numbers of saratoga are being found on the windblown banks where a lot of the leaf litter and wind currents are. Small topwater insect imitation lures like a topwater cicada lure are good options otherwise small chunks of garfish rigged on a float will work well for these fish.

Lake Monduran

Fishing at the dam this week has been tough due to the overcast and rainy conditions paired with a dropping barometric pressure. Although these conditions aren’t ideal and have certainly slowed the barra bite down we are still seeing some really good sized fish hit the deck with some persistence and patience needed.

Finding good numbers of fish stacked up on points or passing through using sidescan, mega 360 or live scope will get you casting in the right area. Bird Bay, the South arm of B, Hearts and Jacks have all had a heap of barra in them over the last few weeks. These fish aren’t feeding aggressively so 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. Fishing a suspending hardbody lure like a Samaki Redic DS80 or MS90 and a Jackall Squirrel 79SP are great options.

Letting your lure sit in the water column after a few twitches is when the barra will bite. If you are fishing into the night we have seen slow rolled paddle tail soft plastics and swimbaits become really effective. The Cast Prodigy 6inch soft plastics and Molix 140 Shads are two 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 also save the day and get a few bites in a short window.

 

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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