Bundaberg – weekly fishing report

Inshore reef fishing

Although the weather has definitely not been ideal to head offshore we did see a few boats brave the rain and sneak out to our inshore reefs earlier in the week. The wind was down to about 10knots and at 0.8m of swell off Burnett Heads it was good enough for a few anglers to have a crack. Heaps of school mackerel are still around in places like the 2 Mile, Elliott Heads Artificial, 4 Mile and any other patches of ground that is holding bait.

Metal spoon dropped to the bottom and fast wound back in has been the most effective way to target these fish. Some good grunter and grassy sweetlip have also been reported to be on the chew on patchy and rubbly ground, whole squid or soft plastics have got these fish to bite.

Burnett River

The Burnett has been producing some top quality fish with big bream, grunter and flathead being the standout’s! Whole prawns and sprat rigged with a light ball sinker fished along any of the rock walls has got the bite from the bream and grunter! For the people chasing flathead the hot spots has been any of the sandy drop offs throughout the river as well as the rock walls towards the mouth.

Again, whole sprat and prawns have been the two go to baits for the flatties. A few scattered schools of blue salmon have been found in the town reach area, these fish have been feeding around the low tide. Throwing Samaki soft vibes at these fish an hour either side of the low tide should give you a good chance at getting some to bite. With the rain this week and the big tides the mud crabs and prawns have been on the move. Heading right up the creeks has worked best for the prawns and the crabs have come out of deep holes and steep muddy banks.

Kolan River

Over the last few weeks we have seen the Kolan continually producing for most anglers whether bait fishing, lure fishing or even for those crabbing. Good sized flathead, bream and grunter are being caught on the sand flats towards the mouth of the river. Drifting the drop offs and sand flats with whole prawns, whole sprat or fresh yabbies have all been getting good results.

Small soft plastics like the Daiwa Baitjunkie 3.2 inch minnow has been working really well for the lure fishos. Some good jack and barra are also being found up river, fishing the rocky structures and deep holes with live baits has been the go to method to get these fish to bite. Those who love to do a bit of crabbing should be keen to get a few pots in the water as we have heard good reports this week with the big tides and rain helping to get these crabs on the move!

Elliott River

The sand flats and yabbie beds have been producing some cracking fish in the Elliott again this week, yabbies would have to be one of the best fresh baits that you can get for a large variety of species. One of the stand out species that love yabbies is the the humble whiting and there sure has been plenty around in the Elliott at the moment.

The full moon earlier in the week saw some great whiting action, dusting off the yabbie pump and pumping for yabbies at the low tide is a great way to secure some fresh bait. Beach worms have also worked really well and these are ideal if you can’t make it in time for the low tide as you can just pop into the shop and grab a few packs. Some good jack and barra have also been showing themselves up the creeks of the Elliott, any rocky structures have definitely been holding good numbers of these fish.

Live poddy mullet has worked good on the jack and whole prawns have got the barra to bite. Fishing for these species around the low tide has been when they have been on the chew. Also, don’t forget to throw the pots in. There has been some great sized muddy’s caught this week as the big tides have got them on the move. Those who have been leaving their pots in overnight have got the best results so if you can it is definitely worth leaving them in overnight if you can.

Baffle Creek

Last weekend and earlier this week was a great time to be out on the Baffle with the big tides getting the pelagic fish on the chew and the sandflats were producing some good sized whiting and flathead! Big queenfish and trevally have been found throughout the river smashing bait being pushed around by the tide. Sections of the river being hit hard by this current are the places to be, using whole sprat or small poddy mullet as bait is working well.

The sand flats throughout this river are also fishing well with plenty of flathead and grunter averaging 50cm being caught most of the day. Fresh yabbies and small flesh baits are working best on these fish. Soft plastics like the Daiwa Baitjunkie 3.2inch minnow have been deadly in all of our local systems at the moment and in the Baffle is no different, these lures just catch fish. This weekend’s late afternoon run out tides should be a great time to be fishing the Baffle for these fish, try finding a nice sandflat which drops off into some deeper water and set out a few baits or hop a few plastics along the drop off.

Up river around the various rock bars has seen some cracking jack being caught. Live baits or prawn imitation lures like the Zerek Cherabin have been getting these big jack to bite. The crabbing proved to be on over the weekend too! Plenty of people ended up with a good feed of crab and even though the tides are decreasing it is still worth a shot with all the rain we have had this week!

Lake Gregory

Lake Gregory has fished very well this week, we have been given reports of plenty of bass and even some good sized saratoga being caught!  Sounding up schools of bass hanging in deeper water off the points has worked well. Throwing small soft vibes or small paddle tail soft plastics through these schools of fish has got these bass to bite.

Casting small hardbody lures into the heavy structure and twitching them along the drop off’s or over the top of the weed beds is the go if you are fishing the edges of the dam. The Rapala Shad Rap Elite is the perfect lure for these situations and has been deadly on the Lake Gregory bass. Topwater lures have also been super effective in the low light periods, early mornings or late afternoon topwater sessions have been going off!

With the overcast weather we have seen topwater lures be super effective for most of the day as these bass have been staying in the shallows for longer, but you can’t beat early mornings or late afternoons!

Lake Monduran

Lake Monduran has had a good week of fishing for those who have persisted the conditions and made plenty of casts. Some smaller barra around the 70-80cm mark have kept anglers on their toes whilst chasing that magic metre fish which have been in good numbers. Due to the overcast and rainy conditions paired with a south easterly breeze the water temp on the lake is declining and this has caused anglers to slow their retrieve to get these big fish to bite.

The majority of barra have been caught on hardbody lures and have been biting on a very long pause. The Jackall Squirrel 79sp’s and the Samaki Redic DS80’s have proven to be the barra’s favourite lures. Using a much longer pause than usual has been the difference in getting a bite so ensuring that your lure either floats or sinks super slowly is absolutely key. Most of the feeding fish have come from areas of the dam which have had the majority of the wind blow from previous days.

Using the app ‘Windy’ is a great tool for identifying areas of the dam which should have more bait and slightly warmer water which can be the difference in getting a few fish on board.

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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