Bundaberg – weekly fishing report

Inshore fishing

Unfortunately the weather conditions this week have not been good enough for many people to head out and chase our inshore and offshore species. Fingers crossed that next week will give us a few good days to head out so definitely keep an eye on the latest weather forecasts as the fishing has been red hot!

Our Inshore reefs have been holding a lot of bait which has resulted in great numbers of snapper, big grunter and the odd jewfish caught. These fish have been found on the pressure edged side of the reefs and have ate whole squid rigged on a set of 7/0 gang hooks. For the lure fisho’s 5inch curl tail soft plastics and 20g Samaki soft vibes have been the lures of choice for most.

Plenty of pelagic fish like mac tuna, queenfish, trevally and a few scattered schools of longtail tuna have been right along our coastline harassing the baitfish. Casting lures for these fish has been working well, the most important thing to consider when selecting the right lure is to match it as close as you can to the bait they are feeding on. These pelagic species, especially tuna, can be very fussy and zoned in on one particular type of bait. Having a few sizes of metal slugs is a great idea as you can easily pick which size matches the bait on that particular day.

Offshore fishing

When the weather has been good enough for us to head out wide we have seen the reefs fish really well. The Northern and Southern Gutters, 15mile, Herold Patches and even further north like the Warrigoes and the flat country have all produced some cracking fish. For those fishing the shallower reefs and edges chasing bottom fish in 15-35m whole squid and pilchard rigged on a set of 7/0 gang hooks have worked very well.

For the people fishing deeper water in search for reds big flesh baits or whole cuttlefish has definitely been the standout baits. Fresh fillets of hussar or iodine bream are also very effective on a range of species but big reds absolutely love them too. Although we always say it, fish the one hour either side of the tide change hard! This time can sure be an insane bite time and turn a pretty slow day into a worthwhile trip.

Burnett River

The Burnett is still fishing well even with the big South Easterly wind change which did put a dampener on the hot barra bite we have had. There has still been plenty of barra around however producing a bite out of these fish has not been easy. Being very stealthy when sounding over these schools of fish has helped to not spook them as well as using your electric motor as much as possible instead of your outboard.

The lures seeming to get the bites have been small paddle tail soft plastics or very lightly weighted prawn imitation lures. The light tackle fishing hasn’t been affected at all with great sized grunter, flathead and bream being caught along the rock walls and sandy drop offs throughout the river. Mullet gut and whole sprat has worked well on these fish especially during a run out tide. Be sure to put the pots out this week as the crabs have sure been on the move with the new moon tomorrow night.

Elliott River

With the offshore conditions the way they are we have definitely seen more people fishing the Elliott and we have heard some pretty good reports. This river system has been producing good numbers of flathead all throughout the river during all parts of the tide.

Whole prawns and whole sprat rigged unweighted and fished along the shallow drop offs has worked well and has sure picked up some quality fish. Fishing these same baits in the deeper holes using a running ball sinker rig and a small ball sinker has seen some of the bigger flatties caught as well as cod, grunter and even some small jewfish around the 60cm mark.

Good numbers of summer whiting are also being caught during the run in tide, with the new moon tomorrow night we have seen the size of these whiting getting better and better. Fresh yabbies or beach worms are absolutely the best bait you can get for these fish, although these can be a challenge to find at times they are well worth the effort as the big whiting love them.

Baffle Creek

Baffle Creek Family Fishing Festival starts midday on Monday 18th of September and goes until midday Saturday the 23rd of September. Baffle Creek has been fishing red hot and this comp is always such a great event with heaps of prizes on offer for fish captures and lucky draws! If you haven’t got your tickets yet head to bafflecreekfishing.com to register.

If you want to fish the baffle have a look at fishing the flats around the mouth with lots of flathead being caught on soft plastics and trolled hardbody’s. You can also expect to catch whiting, grunter, queenfish and trevally in these areas as well as the fallen trees around the mouth. If you are chasing jacks and barra have a look at fishing the mangrove lined banks and the rocks bars as these are top spots to catch one of these two iconic Australian species.

These barra and jack have been eating 4-5 inch paddle tail soft plastics, these are fished best with a weed less jig head when fishing heavy structure like fallen trees and mangrove roots. If you prefer bait fishing get out the old cast net and catch some lives for bait as this is a top method for enticing them especially when the fishing is a little slow. A great way to present live bait like sprat, mullet and prawns is a single hook directly through the back of the bait avoiding the spine so they can still move around in the water.

Kolan River

The Kolan has been producing some top quality flathead all through the river over the last few weeks. Good numbers of fish have been caught in the shallows during the incoming tide and the deeper holes in the bottom half of the run out tide. Baits like whole prawns, sprat and small flesh baits like strips of mullet fillet have worked well on these fish.

For the lure fisho’s they have certainly been taking a liking to Daiwa Double Clutch hardbody lures slowly twitched over the sand beds and drop offs. We have also heard of good numbers of jacks being caught in the deeper holes around rocky structures and a lot of barra being sighted on the sounder. Great numbers of barra have actually been found around the mouth of the river system, using your sounders side scan to locate these fish schooled up around structures like fallen trees is a game changer.

Prawn imitation lures like the Pro Lure Clone prawn or the Zerek Cherabin have got the bite from these barra. The Kolan is still producing some quality whiting and big bream with the odd sickle fish thrown in to keep the local whiting fishers on their toes. When it comes to whiting fishing it pays to fish light around 4-6lb and with fresh bait like yabbies. With school holidays upon us it’s always fun to watch the kids try and grab the yabbies and put them in the bucket before the big pincher gets them. If you can’t get any fresh bait try beach worms or peeled prawns as two good alternatives.

Lake Gregory

As the water temp in the lake continues to rise we have seen great numbers of bass caught in the shallows and the weedy drop offs. These fish have been feeding well during the early mornings and late afternoons. Small paddle tail soft plastics have been working well however the go to lure has been small suspending hardbody lures.

Local gun anglers Nelson Philips and Don Patterson have had some great sessions on the lake recently with some solid bass and a few epic saratoga captures. Fishing for these saratoga can be extremely difficult, following the wind currents is a great way to find these fish. Toga love to feed where the wind is blowing leaf litter and insects onto the water.

Small topwater lures work really well for saratoga, any cicada imitation has to be up there with some of the best lures for toga. A simple slow wind back to the boat is a good way to attract these fish with occasional pauses and small twitches especially when you see a fish tailing behind the lure to help convince them to bite.

Lake Monduran

The South Easterly wind change and a few days of overcast conditions earlier this week did make it harder for these bigger barra to bite however there was still good numbers of fish getting caught in the dam. The last few days of sunny and warm weather along with consistent South/South Easterly winds has seen good numbers of fish in areas like Wiggle Bay and the Cattle Yards.

The early mornings have been the best time to be on the dam this week, the Kolan River high tide change in the mornings has been a cracking little bite period. Great numbers of fish around the 60 to 70cm range have been chewing pretty hard this week, although not the magic metre fish these barra are so fun to catch and hit like freight trains!

Ensuring you are on a point which has barra passing through is a perfect way to position yourself for a small bite time like tide changes and moon rises/sets. 5 or 6 inch Shads soft plastics have worked really well when fished with a light jig head. Rolling these plastics back to the boat as slowly as you can has been the key to getting these big barra to continue to bite. Berkley Shimma Pro Rigs in the 5.5inch size have also been really effective this week, these lures are ready to handle big barra straight out of the packet which makes them a great option for all anglers.

 

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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