Page 10 - Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine

A great bag of tusk sh to show for a day’s effort.
This pair of mack tuna provided a heap of fun for Justin Hodgson.
Darren nailed these two lovely bay snapper.
Page 10 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2020
Venus tuskfish are more a by-catch species in the bay, but you can target them by using crabs, and Cranka Crab lures often work, even soldier crabs or small rock crabs on a hook get eaten.
While chasing grassies or snapper, you may snag a moses perch, but they are not around in huge numbers.
There have also been a few caught around Coochiemudlo Island and the mouths of Lota and Tingalpa creeks, and the shoreline between Cleveland Point and Lo- ta Creek can be worth a look.
Options for Moreton Bay region
* from P9
The same applies to
– don’t fish up on the shallows but the edge of the drop offs.
Passage and around Boggy Creek, as well as the mud flats off Wyn- num, the eastern side of Green Island and Wel- lington Point.
blackspot tuskfish, with areas like Peel Island, the Rainbow Channel, Bulwer ledge and the edge of the shipping channel off Bribie pro- ducing fish.
Cast your plastic or bait onto the shallows and slowly bring it back over thedropoffforabetter chance of finding them, and when the tide is low move out into deeper water and work the edge of the drop-offs.
Heading north, the Caboolture River and Hayes Inlet, the sand bank off Scarborough, plus Bribie Passage have been producing better numbers.
If targeting big blacks- pot tuskfish, forget the light gear!
While we’re on the sub- ject of shallow fishing, bream are still around in fairly good quantities in the bay, and Mud Island’s eastern side in close (and I mean in close), near the small creek and the northwest corner by the spit are great spots.
You must go up to heavy 50lb braid and 40- 50kg leaders, and even then you could be busted off if you connect to one.
A few spangled em- peror have been caught in the Rainbow Channel north of Myora Light, and along the Welling- ton Point drop-offs and Green Island, but bet- ter quantities have come from the Curtin Arti- ficial Reef up to Bul- wer by those fishing the drop-offs.
For these monsters, there’s no better bait than sand crabs, just make sure your sand crabs are of legal size.
Don’t forget the river itself, as it produces nice bream at times along the rock walls and entrance to Bulimba Creek.
On the whiting side of things, there are plenty of divers around the northern side of Cockle Banks, south of the San- dhills, Fishermans Gut- ter and the weed beds in the Rous Channel.
If you’re after a feed of sand crabs, I’d try the deeper water on the western side of the Pearl Channel and the deeper water around the north- ern side of Mud Island towards the Brisbane Rd beacons, or even north of the Measured Mile marker.
The river near Boggy Creek and the 10-14m drop-off near the ter- minals, Mud Island’s eastern side and down around Goat and Bird islands have been pro- ducing good catches of jewfish.
Most of the good sum- mer whiting are being caught down the Jump- inpin Channel and the Nerang River, but Ba- nana Banks off Wyn- num, around the Cabool- ture River, Hayes Inlet, the Pine River and Scar- borough Reef are turn- ing up good fish as well.
Mud crabs can be found in the river, Boat Passage, the Caboolture River, Nudgee Creek and smaller creeks south of the river.
Live baits or big plas- tics are the only ways to go.
Remember the green zones off Woody Point, Bramble Bay and Beach- mere.
If you catch a muddy and the flap is soft, the crab is usually empty.
Threadfin salmon in the river have gone quiet, but it’s still worth a try around the pipelines, Clara Rocks or further up the river near New- stead.
With the water warm- ing up more grass sweet- lip will start to turn up, and a few have already appeared off Mud Is- land, the northern end of Green Island and the Wellington Point shal- low reefs.
Look for crabs with darker shell or the Mal- tese cross on the under- side of the belly.
Live bait have been producing the nicer- quality fish counts, and Boggy Creek and around the mouth of the Koopa Channel usually hold baitfish.
Grassies are better fished for in summer when humidity is high
There have been a few flathead caught at the southern end of Boat
If by chance you get bitten by one, hit the top of the claw with some- thing hard and they will release, but not before they have caused a bit of pain.
Next month I’ll give you a run down of our expedition off the Fraser Coast! www.bnb shing.com.au