Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE
Unfortunately, the offshore forecast is looking a little unstable, with the cool westerly change predicted to reach Bundaberg sometime on Friday afternoon. This means that most of the action this weekend will be limited to the close inshore reefs, rivers and impoundments. However, things can change rapidly, so always check the latest forecast before heading out for a fish.
BUNDABERG INSHORE
With a bit luck, areas such as the Cochrane Artificial Reef, the Two Mile and the Four Mile should be accessible with the westerly wind forecast. By all reports quite a few snapper, grunter and the odd jewfish have showed up. It’s always worth floating a live bait out the back as there is still a few Spanish mackerel around.
THE BURNETT RIVER
Even though the Burnett is super-clear at the moment, plenty of nice fish have been caught. Flathead and grunter have been the stand-out catches. A few bream have started to inhabit the major rock walls in the Burnett, such as Kirby’s and the North Wall and they have been responding well to soft plastics and fresh baits. The hard-fighting blue salmon are still in good numbers throughout the Town Reach and can be easily identified by using a quality side-imaging sounder. Samaki 20g Soft Vibes are the perfect lure to fish for these salmon.
THE ELLIOTT RIVER
Some cracking summer whiting have been caught in the Elliott River during the past week. The stand-out bait has been beachworms and fresh yabbies rigged on either a size 4 or 6 long shank hook with just enough sinker to keep in contact with the bottom. A few impressive flathead have also been caught as a by-catch whilst fishing in the shallows.
THE KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
Both the Kolan and the Baffle systems are firing with the bread-and-butter species like bream, flathead and whiting. There have also been plenty of pelagics chopping around the mouths of these rivers. Queenfish, trevally and chopper tailor have been providing plenty of entertainment for the anglers targeting them. Some nice mud crabs have also showed up with the bigger tides last week.
LAKE MONDURAN
Lake Monduran continues to amaze me as to how well it fished right through winter. Barramundi in the mid 80’s have been common and are very challenging to land once hooked. The prime time to fish this awesome impoundment has been from noon till dark. Jackall Squirrels are still one of the most productive lures for barra at Lake Monduran. The action should only improve over the next month as the water temperature slowly starts to rise.
Fish with confidence
Dale Smith
