Squid and flatty on gold coast

If the next few weeks are anything like the past couple have been, we’re all in for a real treat. Both gold coast inshore and offshore fisheries have been out of control, with numerous prized catches coming in from everywhere.

Let’s start with inshore first.

Only 100m from the gold coast boat ramp I launch from, there were squid galore. The area around the Grand Hotel, outside the Runaway Bay canal and up the western side of Crab Island have all been producing for the past few weeks.

This will continue for a while yet, and it’s a great opportunity to go and get dirty. The best time of the tide is the build-up to the high, as the squid are chasing the small summer whiting that are in abundance over the sandbanks, edges and drop-offs.

 

 

They also hide among the seagrass weed and come out to eat a well-presented squid jig. There are a great variety of different jigs on the market and, of course, the prices vary too.
I use the Duel or Diawa models in either a natural colour or an orange brown variation.

They also come in a few different weights but having something around a 3.0-3.5 size will do a good job. A 10lb fluorocarbon leader at about 2-3m will keep them from being spooked by the main line, and you can actually buy Egi rods and reels if you’re serious about catching these tasty creatures.

Remember, squid can be quite dirty, so it’s a good idea to quickly clean up any ink they squirt because it stains quite badly.

 

 

If you drop them in an ice slurry as soon as you catch them, they will be some of the best eating seafood around – that’s if they don’t get used for snapper bait!

Moving on to around the Broadwater and Jumpinpin Channel.

Flathead have been on fire, with captures of big fish reported almost daily.

The areas to try at this time will be the deeper spots between 4-20m depth.

Vertically jigging large soft vibes has turned on the goods, as you drift along with the current in these channels.

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