Bundaberg – weekly fishing report

Inshore/Offshore fishing

Unfortunately with this tropical low or possible cyclone coming down the coast we have not had very favourable conditions for anglers to head out this week. Off the back of these tropical low’s we usually see a small window of good weather and this could possibly be Saturday or Sunday this weekend. Keep an eye on the weather forecast as if we do get a nice weather window the fishing is going to be red hot!

Those that have braved the seas of late have been rewarded with solid catches of grey mackerel, schoolies and the odd spottie. Remember that we are currently in the first of 2 closures for spanish mackerel so please be conscious of this and if you do catch one as by catch put it back. High speed spinning small metal lures has been the trick for the grey, schoolie and spotted mackerel so be sure to give this a crack in our next weather window.

 

Our offshore fishing has been red hot lately during the weather windows we have had! This time of year we usually see plenty of big trout, parrot fish, red emperor, sweetlip and nannygai being caught. One method that is extremely effective is slow pitch jigging and slowly hopping soft plastic’s like a Samaki golden carrot rigged on a Mustad 7/0 jig head.

Doing this as you slowly drift across the reef is a sure way to pick up some trout, parrot and sweetlip. If you are after the big red’s and nannygai large flesh bait’s like mullet fillet, whole squid or even a mac tuna fillet are the go to. If you come across a school of mac tuna feeding on your way out to your mark throwing an 18g Arma Anchovy metal lure into their school and winding it as fast as you can has been getting them to bite.

Burnett River

After last weeks rain we saw some fresh water being pumped into the Burnett making the upper sections of the river quite fresh and dirty especially during a low tide. Plenty of quality fish have been caught in this fresher water with a few big barra coming from the middle to upper sections of the river.

Big soft plastics have been the lures getting these fish to bite. Down river towards the mouth has definitely been the place to be at the moment with small flesh baits or whole prawns catching most of our common species. Some cracking bream have been caught right in close to the rock walls along with heaps of jack and cod.

 

Some big grunter have also been at the base of these rock walls so throwing a few baits along the bottom of the wall is a great idea. Some great numbers of prawns are around at the moment, towards the mouth of the river has been where most of them have been found.

Having a quality sounder to locate these prawns before you go casting the net is a game changer. The mud crabs have also been on the move this week so it is definitely worth throwing the pots in whilst plenty of big bucks are being caught.

Elliott River

Following on from last week the Elliott has continued to fish very well even with the rain we had at the end of last week. Flathead, bream and whiting have all been up in the shallow water during the incoming tide, freshly pumped yabbies have worked best on these fish.

Rigging these yabbies using a running ball sinker rig has been the most effective way to get these fish to bite. Some good sized pelagic fish like trevally and queenfish have headed into the river on the incoming tide and have followed the bait has they get pushed up river.

 

Hopping small soft plastics around the bait balls has worked really as the predators identify this as a fleeing bait fish and it stands out from the rest. Some of the deep holes have also been a great place to be this week with plenty of variety coming out of the deeper water.

A few big grunter are being caught with small sections of mullet fillet being the go to bait. We have continued to see great numbers of crabs caught so it is definitely worth putting the pots in this weekend, leaving them in overnight has been working best.

Baffle Creek

Baffle Creek has had a very good week of fishing with the river producing a lot of variety for all anglers. The mouth of the river has seen some solid queenfish up to the 1m mark being caught along with plenty of small trevally.

These fish have been most active during the last half of the incoming tide and have loved either whole sprat or small soft plastics. Plenty of grunter between the 45cm and 55cm mark are being caught with most sections of the river producing these fish.

 

Sand bars and drop offs around Winfield have been the hotspot for the grunter so these areas are definitely worth a shot. Up the creeks has seen some solid jack being caught as well as the rock bars scattered throughout the river have produced some cracking jacks.

Live baits have been doing the damage so having a quality cast net to catch some fresh bait is ideal. The crabs have also been on the move, big flesh baits or fish frames have been working best, also placing your pots away from other people’s pots and highly populated areas has been the trick.

Kolan River

This week has seen some big flathead coming out of the Kolan with the mouth of the river producing most of the bigger fish. Soft vibes like the Samaki Vibelicious or Zerek Fish Traps have been slaying these big flathead when hopped along the bottom.

Fishing drop offs or deep holes around the last of the incoming and start of the run out tide has been working best. For the bait anglers, using large flesh baits rigged on a running ball sinker rig and placed along the drop offs is the go.

 

Strips of mullet fillet has been the best bait this week with some good sized grunter being caught along these same drop offs and deep holes. Plenty of pelagic fish have been caught around the mouth of the river, queenfish and trevally have been in great numbers chasing the bait especially during the run in tide.

Floating out a whole sprat around some structure getting hit with the tide has worked a treat. With the big tides this river has also been crabbing extremely well, using big fish frames as bait and placing your pots up the creeks will give you a great chance at a feed of mud crabs.

Fishing Local Beaches

Our local beaches have had a great week of fishing once again with the majority of anglers hooking up to some solid whiting, dart, bream and flathead. Fresh is best when it comes to bait for whiting so pumping some yabbies before heading out for a fish has payed off big time for most anglers.

Throwing on some red plastic beads or tubing onto your leader has also worked a treat. Some good quality flathead and dart have still been caught in gutters close to the shoreline. The flathead have been caught on larger baits like strips of mullet or chunks of pilchard, using a running ball sinker rig has also worked a treat.

 

Having a rod or two rigged up with some small metal slugs has been a good idea as some solid queenfish and trevally have been caught around the entry/exit of gutters as well as in the white wash surrounding these gutters. The place to be at the moment has been Woodgate Beach with the most numbers of whiting, flathead and dart being caught here.

Lake Monduran

Lake Monduran has had a good week of fishing with plenty of barra hitting the deck. Most of these fish have been around 60cm in length however they are great fun in between the bigger fish and helps keep you on your toes.

These small barra have been right in close to the lily’s and bushes especially around areas with shade during the middle of the day. The majority of the 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.

Lake Gregory Fishing

The bass are continuing to feed aggressively in Lake Gregory, drifting wind-blown points and banks has worked well and once you find one bass there has been numerous others in close proximity. Using 70 to 80mm hardbody lures twitched along weed edges or along weedy banks has been the most effective technique.

Using very aggressive twitches mixed with long pauses has got these bass to eat even when conditions haven’t been ideal. Ensuring your hardbody lure doesn’t sink or float too quickly is crucial as it needs to stay in the strike zone for as long as possible.

The Rapala Shad Rap Elite 75 has been working great on the bass and perfectly imitates the baitfish that are all throughout the dam. Fishing sections of the dam which have had most of the wind exposure over the last few days or even up to a week is ideal as a lot of the bait and warmer water has been in these areas.

 

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 L.I.F.E – Local Independent Fishing Experts

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