Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
Inshore/Offshore
Our inshore reefs have been fishing well these last few weeks and with the strong winds as of late we have seen a lot of bait pushed in close. Fishing big bommies or ledges that are being hit hard with current has seen some quality pelagic fish like queenfish, tuna and mackerel being caught. Trolling hardbody lures around the pressure edges of the reef has worked really well or using whole pilchards floated out the back of the boat. When fishing for these pelagic’s the key is to find the bait, once you have found the bait the predatorial fish will not be far away. Plenty of mac tuna and the occasional longtail tuna have been caught, the mac tuna have been in big schools making them easy to spot. Seeing birds working in the sky is a dead giveaway of a school of bait and warrants a few casts. Matching the lure you are using to the bait they are feeding on is crucial. The Arma Anchovy range of metal lures have been matching the bait fish perfectly and they are currently 20% off in our Christmas catalogue.
The wind has slowed a little from previous weeks and this Sunday could be a good opportunity to head offshore with winds predicted to be roughly 10 knots for now and coming from true East. These conditions can change drastically in a short period of time so make sure to check the latest weather forecast before heading out and have all your required safety gear.
When we do get a nice weather window, the gutters have fished very well and so has the western warrigoes. The species being caught have been trout, sweetlip, parrot fish and some quality sized hussar in between. Big flesh baits have been getting the bigger fish to bite and whole pilchards have also worked great. Some big reds have been caught in deeper water with bommies or small pinnacles off the bottom holding a lot of the fish, using big flesh baits like fillets or whole squid have worked best. Finding reefs that aren’t commonly known will usually reward you with some great fishing, even finding isolated patches of structure just off from more well known spots is a great start. Around the wrecks has seen some big trevally and cobia being caught, most people have been using soft plastics or jigs to catch these fish and they are incredible fun when caught on the lighter gear.
Burnett River
With last week’s rain causing some freshwater to spill over Ben Anderson Barrage the upper to middle sections of the Burnett are quite fresh and dirty. Although this is the case we have still seen some great fishing coming from places in these sections of river. The key has been to be fishing around heavy structure like fallen trees or rock bars and using a larger and strong smelling bait, mullet fillet has been working a treat. Some big bream have been around in the murky water especially along the rock bars throughout the river. Whole sprat drifted down with no sinker has been getting some quality bream with some nearing 40cm, using a 10lb to a 12lb leader has helped to get the bite. If you are after a feed of fish the place to be has been the mouth of the river where the water is cleaner and there is less fresh in the water.
Bream, cod, mangrove jack, flathead and grunter have been the common catches with a cracking 47cm jack caught this week off the North Wall. Once again, fishing heavy structure has been where most of the bream, cod and jacks have been found. The flathead and grunter have been at the base of rock walls where there is some good current therefore pushing bait straight past them. Another great spot for these fish has been along drop offs during a run out tide. With the fresh water flowing into the river we have seen a great run of crabs especially with the building moon. Strong smelling baits like strips of mullet or fish frames have been the ideal baits in the murky water, the middle to upper stretches of the Burnett has been where most of the big bucks have been caught.
Elliott River
The Elliott has had a great week of fishing especially for the bread and butter fisho’s with flathead, bream and whiting being caught in good numbers. The mouth of the river during the incoming tide seems to be the time and place to be at the moment. The whiting have been caught along shallow sand flats and drop offs, especially ones with patchy weed and yabbie beds scattered along. Using fresh yabbies as bait and rigging them using a very small ball sinker has been the way to go. Drifting with the incoming tide over these sand flats is a very effective technique to cover a lot of ground. Whilst fishing for these whiting we have seen a lot of flathead around 50cm being caught and some bream averaging about 30cm as well.
If you are after some good numbers of flathead, the slightly deeper water with a bit more current and even a decent drop off has been holding more fish. Using prawns or strips of mullet as bait has worked well and for the lure anglers the Daiwa Bait Junkie 4inch curl tail soft plastics have been irresistible. Up river amongst heavy structure has seen some big jacks being caught, live bait or big strips of mullet have been the baits doing the damage for now. Fishing around the top of the tide has worked well with the start of the run out tide seeming to fire these jacks up most. Whilst up river it is definitely a good idea to throw the pots in because we have had some great reports of big bucks being caught in good numbers with the tides increasing. The rumors are that using a big bait and placing your pots in deeper water especially along corners of the river has been working a treat.
Buy 3 get 1 FREE!
Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek has continued to fish really well with a lot of variety throughout most stretches of the river. The mangrove jack have been the fish of the week for this system with the warmer weather following last week’s cold conditions firing these fish up. Pushing up skinny creeks has been where most of these fish have been caught and fishing around the top of the tide has been when these fish have been feeding the most. Using small soft plastics skipped into heavy structure or under overhanging branches has been the most effective technique as these fish have been deep in heavy structure. Running a weed less style hook is a great way to not get snagged up and will allow you to get your lure as deep into the structure as possible. Catching some live poddy mullet has been a great way to catch these fish as well.
Anchoring up on a corner with some deeper water and plenty of structure and throwing the bait in close has managed to get some quality fish nearing 50cm this week. Further down the river at the mouth has seen good numbers of trevally and queenfish entering this system with the run in tide following schools of bait. As well as this, some good sized grunter have been on the shallows hunting for yabbies with the incoming tide so it is definitely worth pumping some fresh yabbies if you are chasing a feed of grunter. With the big tides this week we have seen some awesome crabbing coming out of this river, placing your pots up in main channels especially near the mouth of a small creek has worked really well. Big flesh baits have been the best bait but it is all about location when trying to get a feed of mud crab so don’t be afraid try a few places to help figure out a pattern.
Kolan River
With the upper reaches of the Kolan River still being quite fresh, most anglers have had better success fishing towards the mouth of the river. Plenty of flathead have been caught on most baits and lures with the smaller fish hanging around shallow flats and the larger fish along deep banks and drop offs. Strips of mullet, pilchard or whole sprat have been a great bait for these flathead. On the lure front the Samaki Vibelicious soft vibes have been slaying the flathead when hopped along the bottom. Whilst fishing for these flatties a lot of people have reported some quality grunter being caught, if you want to chase these fish the best bait has been fresh yabbies.
Throwing these onto a yabbie bed during the incoming tide has worked well as these grunter will venture into the shallows with the incoming tide feeding on the yabbies. Along rock bars and in heavy structure like fallen trees has seen some good sized mangrove jacks being caught in this warmer weather. Live baits have worked best, catching some small poddy mullet and rigging them through the nose using anything from a 3/0 to a 5/0 hook depending on mullet size is perfect. The run out tide has worked best for these jacks with plenty of cod being a common by catch as well. This weeks big tides and slight influx of fresh water coming from Lake Monduran has got the crabs firing! Main channels out the front of creeks has been a great place to put your pots, fish frames or whole mullet has been the ideal baits.
Local Beaches
This week has seen anglers continuing to do well when fishing our local beaches. The whiting have been around in good numbers, Woodgate Beach has been the pick of the litter for these whiting but some solid flathead, dart and bream have been caught as well. Fresh yabbies or pippies have been working best when rigged on a running ball sinker rig with a sinker as light as you can go depending on the current.
Throwing 3 to 4 inch soft plastics out into the whitewash has worked well whilst there has been some schools of trevally, queenfish and the odd tailor around. With the school holidays just around the corner, it is going to bring a lot more people along our beaches. Travelling a bit further than most always pays off, Norval Park Beach and Rules Beach are two that definitely don’t get as many people however they both present great fishing. Looking for gutters in close to the shore and fishing them around the top of the tide has been the go.
Lake Monduran
With the weather warming up quickly from last week we have seen some much better fishing out of the dam as these barra enter shallower water in search for bait. Following on from last weeks report we have continued to see the barra prefer hardbody lures retrieved back to the boat with a simple twitch and pause technique. Having a lure that is able to suspend in the water column without floating or sinking too quickly has been the key to getting a bite.
Letting your lure sit after each few twitches for up to 20 seconds has been working really well. Although we say it a lot, the Jackall Squirrel has been the most effective lure and straight out of the packet they are built to handle some series hurt these big barra will no doubt give them. 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. Bays and points close to the main basin have held a lot of warmer water this week so it is worth focusing your attention around these areas.
Lake Gregory
Similar to Monduran this week we have seen the water temp rise in Lake Gregory and the bass have been feeding a lot more aggressively. Due to last weeks rain the dam is a little murky so we have seen most success on lures which are able to give off a nice silhouette in the water with colours like greens, yellows, golds or whites working really well. There has been two main techniques working great this week – either casting at visible structure or finding schools of bass.
For those casting at structure, hardbody lures have been in a league of their own when worked with erratic twitches and long pauses in between. Most of the big bass have fallen victim to a shad style hardbody like the Rapala Shad Rap Elite 75 because this lure gives off a great silhouette. If you are finding schools of bass they have been biting on a very subtle presentation like an Original Slider Grub rigged on a TT Lures 1/6 Demonz jig head slow rolled through the school. The key here is to wind the lure as slow as you possible can with the paddle tail kicking side to side enticing these bass to bite.
CATCH OF THE WEEK
If you would like your catch photos published to be in the running for a $50 gift card every week, email your details and photos of local catches only to accounts@tackleworldbundy.com.au
From the team at Tackle World Bundaberg
Live the Tackle World LIFE – Local Independent Fishing Experts
If you’re thinking Christmas gifts…think Tackle World Bundaberg.
