Bundaberg – weekly report

INSHORE & OFFSHORE Bundaberg fishing

Welcome back to another Bundaberg fishing report and what a report this is going to be. Mackerel and tuna are in full flight, and I mean literally jumping out of the water chasing bait after smashing through bait schools at a great rate of knots. All along the Bundaberg coastline you will see birds working as pelagics hunt from below, with good reports of big queenfish, spanish and spotted mackerel, mack tuna and the occasional longtail tuna all being caught. Whether from casting metal slugs such as the trusty 20g and 50g Flasher lures or the Arma Anchovy in a range of sizes from 18g to 75g to trolling hard-body lures such as Halco Laser Pro 190 or trolling live or dead bait – make sure you have a few different options to match the hatch. Thursday morning will be the best time to head out the front but keep an eye on the weather because you may get a window first thing in the morning. The fishos who went offshore and hit the reefs out wide in the glassed-out weather we had last week were rewarded with good catches of red emperor, tuskfish, trout, mackerel and cobia to name a few. Bundaberg fishing

BURNETT TO ELLIOTT RIVER

With the bigger tides of late, we have seen the salt return to the river systems, though remember that salt is heavier and sits at the bottom. If the water at the top of the river is a bit fresh, it doesn’t mean that the water 3m down will be as fresh – a lot of fish will travel upriver with the heavier saltwater in the bottom half of the water column. The Burnett River has seen good numbers of bream and grunter return, with night fishing on the top of the tide being the best way to secure a feed of fish. Now that the saltwater has returned, so has the bait that were flushed out, and with the bait coming back so will the predators, such as the iconic barramundi and mangrove jack. There have been a few reports of barra being caught in both river systems. With a good sounder, you’ll be able to find where they are and sit on them until they go into hunt mode and then start destroying your lures and live bait. Make sure you upgrade the trebles and split rings on your lures because some of the barra being caught are up around the 1m mark and know how to straighten hooks… and make a grown fisher cry! Don’t forget about the trusty flathead and whiting that are getting about. There is nothing better than seeing them hit a topwater lure. This has to be one of my favourite ways of catching these tasty fish.

THE KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK

The Kolan River would be the pick of these two rivers, with a few big sickle fish getting around. If you have ever caught this fish on light gear, you know how much fun they are to catch. They use that flat round dinner-plate body of theirs in the current to make you fight the whole way until you get them boat side. There have also been quite a few reports of grunter, flathead and bream getting around in these systems, with the occasional jack and barra – if you know where to look. Bundaberg fishing

LAKE MONDURAN

Lake Gregory is often a place that gets overlooked, but if you take the time to work it out, it is a magical little lake surrounded with tall pines and dead trees up the far end that support a healthy bass fishery and pelicans in breeding season. If you’re after some bass, have a look at soft plastics in the 2 1/2” range rigged on a weedless hook to work over the top and along the edges of the weed beds. Monduran Dam will start to cool down now with cooler nights, but barra are still on the chew. You may have to work a bit harder to find where they are and use a few different lures and colour varieties, but they are definitely worth the effort. The Molix Shad is still the stand-out lure, though any of the soft plastics in the 6” range will do the trick – making sure you have a strong hook and 60-80lb leader.

That’s all folks.
Stay safe on the water and be mindful of your fellow fishers.
Josh Mortensen
Tackle World Bundaberg

CATCH OF THE WEEK!

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