Bush ‘n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
Inshore/Offshore Fishing
This week’s fishing has continued to see our inshore grounds produce some quality fish. The standout’s are the spanish mackerel and long tail tuna that are around in great numbers. Trolling whole garfish or floating out live yakka’s, slimey’s or dead pilchards is a great way to target these spanish.
Good area’s to focus your attention are the dirty water lines out the front of all of our systems from the recent influx of fresh making its way out the front. Spinning metal spoons in these areas has also picked up good sized school mackerel passing through as well.
The tuna have been a bit further out this week but they aren’t hard to find, just keep an eye out on the horizon for birds working or fish feeding and you’re on! Casting small metal slugs or jerk tail soft plastics past the school of fish and winding them back through is a great way to get a feed of long tail tuna.
Burnett River
Unfortunately the large volume of rain we and areas inland of us received last week has made it’s way into the Burnett, resulting in a very fresh and dirty system. In the short term this is obviously not ideal for us however it will set us up for a great year ahead in terms of the fishing quality from the Burnett.
With the fresh running through this system the crabs have been very thick with some absolute crackers in the mix. If you do want to wet a line in the Burnett fishing around the mouth of this system will be your best shot for now.
The rock walls have seen good sized bream and cod along the wall itself, and big grunter and flathead sitting at the base of these walls where the rock meets the sand. Try fishing the incoming tide for best results as some cleaner water enters the river. Mullet fillet, sprat and squid have been good bait options, if you are into lures a soft vibe would be our pick in this dirty water.
Kolan River
The Kolan has also had an influx of fresh water enter this system and it does mean the fishing is going to slow down whilst it clears up. Like the Burnett we have had good reports coming from those who have been crabbing this system, placing your pots in the main channels seems to be rewarding those giving it a crack for now.
Fishing on the Kolan is no doubt going to be tough however the incoming tide along the sand flats at the mouth should still produce a good variety of fish despite the dirty water. Reports of some quality grunter getting around in the dirty water is hopeful of some quality fish still on the cards, mullet fillet has been the go to bait and whole sprat not being too far behind. Nice sized bream are also hanging tight to the structures at the mouth of this system, floating in lightly weighted or completely unweighted baits has got the best results.
Elliott River
The Elliott was not let off lightly despite this system being much smaller it still has had a lot of fresh water run into it. Like our other rivers this is going to slow the fishing down and mean most of your efforts should be focused towards the mouth of this river during the incoming tide.
Some really nice trevally and queenfish are still being caught at the mouth even in the dirtier water as they chase baitfish particularly along the dirty water line getting pushed up river with the incoming tide. Top water lures are very effective on these species however they will eat just about any lure you can throw!
The crabbing in the Elliott has been red hot and it should continue to fire whilst all the fresh water is around. Using plenty of bait in your pots or dilly’s has made a big difference along with working your pots to find where the better quality crabs are sitting.
Baffle Creek
The Baffle has certainly copped a lot of fresh however this system is actually producing some quality fish right at the mouth. Fishing the incoming tide has seen whiting and bream around on the shallow flats. Beach worms or fresh yabbies have got the bite from these fish.
The deeper drop offs and banks at the mouth have produced some solid flathead and grunter particularly for the lure fishos. Soft vibes hopped along the bottom have been deadly. Again, fishing the mouth during the incoming tide has been harvesting best results. Schools of small GT have been prevalent as these fish love the dirty water, small soft plastics and top water lures are the go to baits.
The crabbing in the Baffle has been exceptional with plenty of legal bucks around and they are in really good shape. The deeper channels seem to be producing the best results at the moment however placing your pots right up the back of creeks has also paid off.
Lake Gregory
Despite the heavy rainfall Lake Gregory has been fishing very well with plenty of 30cm to 40cm bass feeding. Like mentioned last week the lake has undergone a transitional period and a lot of these bass are schooled up in the deeper sections of the lake.
Fishing blades, spoons or vibes is the go to technique getting the bites at the moment. Casting out, letting your lure hit the bottom followed by a slow roll and a few pauses during the retrieve to allow your lure to get back to the bottom is a very simple, yet effective technique.
Whilst the water is very dirty we recommend using darker coloured lures to stand out, however when fishing spoons a simple chrome colour throws off a lot of light and creates a strong silhouette in the water.
Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has had a really solid week of fishing with plenty of barra over the magic metre mark hitting the deck. A lot of the anglers with live scope have been getting the best results lately especially those targeting these fish in the late afternoons and into the night.
Night time on the dam has really been on fire recently, hardbody lures have been extremely effective over the last few weeks and the standouts have got to be the Samaki Redic DS80’s and the new Jackall Super Squirrel 79 Flat’s. A lot of the big fish being caught are coming from fishing deep water and targeting fish in the top 4m.
This is where live scope comes into its own as you can track individual fish and get the lure right on their nose. There is still some good numbers of fish shallow, however they are mainly 60-80cm fish as apposed to the metre ones. When fishing the shallow points jerkbaits are the go to lure, make sure to implement plenty of long pauses into your retrieve as this is when the barra will bite!
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
