Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
Well, it looks like the anglers in the Bundaberg area might be in with a chance this weekend to send it offshore! There’s plenty of people itching to get out. With the smaller tides, the deep should be fishing awesome. Using big baits on Elkat ganged hooks will get you your trophy fish. Don’t forget to take the pilchards out because the trouts and red throat emperor should be in fine form. Always remember to check the updated forecast before heading out.
BUNDABERG INSHORE
The inshore reefs should be ON this weekend. I’ve always liked chasing snapper a couple days after the full moon, and there should definitely be some action going on. Throwing 20g soft vibes on light spin gear and floating a pilchard out the back will get the snapper, jew and grunter chewing. Early mornings and late afternoons are the hot bite times. There’s also been talk of some winter whiting still being caught in front of the Burnett Heads lighthouse, so it will be well worth having a go for those tasty critters.
LAND-BASED ROCK FISHING
With all the westerlies we’ve been having its been making the conditions perfect for rock fishing, and there’s plenty of rocks to fish from on the shorelines around Bundaberg. The usual captures are generally school mackerel, tuna, mosses perch, grass sweet lip and bream. If you’re confused about where the Green Zones are, pick up a great Sandy Marine Park Visitor Guide which shows where the restricted zones are. Rock fishing can be super exciting!
THE BURNETT RIVER
The Burnett River is still full of blue salmon. The Town Reach around the bridges is definitely the hotspot. Working soft and hard vibes towards the bottom of the tide is definitely the technique to go with. The size of some of the flathead that have been caught as a by-catch has been crazy. Remember to keep your leaders pretty light – I usually wouldn’t use anything over 25lb.
THE KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
There’s been some awesome bream and whiting caught in both the Kolan and the Baffle systems over the past week, with some cracker whiting over the magic 40cm mark being caught. Fishing the incoming tide with fresh yabbies and beach worms is the way to go. It’s also getting to that time of year when a few jew will start turning up in these systems. They are super fun to catch on barra tackle. Don’t forget to throw the crab pots in because there’s still some awesome-sized crabs getting around!
LAKE MONDURAN
Lake Monduran is still producing some awesome fish!! Some of the barra I’ve seen caught up towards the 90cm mark have been total weapons of fish! Again the Jackal Squirrels have been getting the best results. Working these lures with long pauses up in the shallow weed beds and timber will definitely get you into the action. I’d definitely be fishing the afternoons due to the cold mornings that we’ve been experiencing. Remember to fish with confidence!
Till next time
Keep it real
Mitch Beyer
