Bundaberg – weekly fishing report

Inshore/Offshore fishing

This weekend should see the wind ease up so we can head offshore to target a few reef species and with the build up to full moon they should be hungry. With these cooler mornings we should see a few snapper being caught regardless whether you like throwing some bait out or jigging curly tail soft plastics or other lures like the Mustad mini ink vaders. fishing

We generally see these techniques work really well so hopefully you can go out and get a tasty meal for yourself. Along with the snapper you’ll find that the big grunter are showing up on the inshore reefs and in the rivers. Plenty of other reef species like trout, sweetlip and venus tuskfish are being caught so make sure you drop in and grab all the gear and advice you need.

 

Spanish mackerel have started to show up in great numbers so now is the time to have a crack. Some of the best ways to target them is by throwing out a 50g flasher, letting it sink to the bottom and ripping it back as fast as you can. This method also works for any high speed predator like trevally, queenfish and tuna.

Another great way to target these fish is by floating out a pilchard or trolling a Halco laser or a dead bait. Good spots to target them is around the inshore reefs and wrecks along with the leads that mark the shipping lane at Burnett Heads. Ultimately the most important thing is to find the bait and stick to those areas as the mackerel will not be far away.

 

The weather has not been kind to us over the past 2 weeks but fingers crossed that is behind us now so we can get back out there and do what we love. With the build up to full moon we will see some bigger tides and a fair amount of water movement that’s associated with it. Have a look at your pressure edges to see if there is any bait as the predatory fish will be on the prowl.

You should find a few reefies on the chew this weekend, try jigging a live shrimp by Zerek or a gold carrot by Samaki, these are top ways to get a trout. If you are after those big reds you can’t go past a well presented flesh bait like big fillets of mac tuna, mullet and hussar work really well. For most of the reefies such as trout, sweetlip, tuskies, hussar and red throat a whole pilchard or squid work really well.

Burnett River

The Burnett is fishing well and although the last week and a half of windy conditions has seen less people on the river we have still seen good reports of quality fish being caught. With the unfavorable conditions the crabbing and prawning seem to be the Burnett’s biggest attraction as of late. The crabs have been in good numbers especially up river in the dirtier water and up any creeks.

The prawns have been thick, using your sounder to locate the schools and also having a quality top pocket cast net that you can comfortably throw has been a game changer for most. The smaller river prawns have been along the mud flats, a few throws of the net will soon determine if there are any around that area and if not move on. The bigger banana prawns have been in the deeper holes around Strathdees and the Port.

Elliott River

Similar to the Burnett we have seen the Elliott continuing to produce quality fish despite the windy conditions we have had. Those venturing onto the Elliott River have found a few places to hide out of the wind and throwing down some live baits has worked a treat. Live sprat, mullet and prawns have been the three baits doing the most damage.

Some solid grunter, flathead and cod have been caught in the creeks on these exact baits. Up river has also seen the prawns in good numbers and the crabs have also been on the move. Whole mullet or big flesh baits and frames in the pots has worked best especially when there are a few pots close to yours.

Baffle Creek

Baffle Creek is fishing, crabbing and prawning really well! The jack and cod have been on the chew, heavy structure up the creeks or the rock bars throughout the main stretch of river have been the go to places for these fish. Live baits or even a simple flesh bait like a strip of mullet fillet has got these fish to bite, rigging your baits with plenty of the hook point exposed has worked best as this ensures a good hook up rate.

The sand flats and drop offs around the mouth of the river has seen good sized grunter and queenfish being caught, the grunter have chewed on small soft vibes and the queenfish have liked a small soft plastic hopped erratically through the water column. The crabs have also been on the move so be sure to drop the pots in whilst having a fish!

Kolan River

Although the mouth of the Kolan River has been quite choppy due to the wind as of late, we have seen some good fishing coming from the upper stretches of this river. Heavy structure such as rock bars and fallen trees has seen mangrove jack and cod being caught from the heart of the structure but also queenfish, trevally and tarpon caught on the pressure edges surrounding the structure.

Floating some live baits into the trees or rock bars and flicking some lures around the edges is a good way to see what’s around and to figure out what’s biting. The sand flats around the middle section of the Kolan have seen some good flathead caught on fresh yabbies and live sprat. The crabs have also been in good numbers up river along the mangrove lined banks. Plenty of small river prawns are also up on the shallow mud banks so be sure to have a crack for them whilst you are on the Kolan.

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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