Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
HI everyone, August at the Gold Coast brings the peak of our winter fishing season. It’s a great time to catch flathead, flounder, squire, squid, tuskfish, winter whiting, tailor, bream, jewfish and school mackerel in the Broadwater and the Nerang River. So far this winter, squid fishing have not disappointed, though the best catches have been during calm weather and run-in tides. squid schoolies
My favourite colour squid jigs include shades of green, orange and white mainly. As for lure fishing, it pays to mix things up to find what’s working on a given day. This month, tailor and school mackerel are worth pursuing during a run-in tide and in the morning. Both toothy speedsters are a heap of fun to catch on tackle and will attack lures aggressively.
Tailor will most probably be encountered from the Seaway to Currigee at South Stradbroke Island. If diving birds give away their presence, slowly approach and cast 20-30g shiny metal lures then crank as fast as you can to get strikes. If you don’t see birds diving and tailor are holding deeper, try slow trolling small hard-body lures which dive to 4m deep, such as the Hurricane Slam 47.squid schoolies
Remember tailor have a minimum size limit of 35cm and a possession limit of 20 in Queensland waters. With most fish, bleeding then icing them after capture greatly improves their edibility. Doggy mackerel school up in big numbers during winter in the Gold Coast Broadwater, from the Seaway to the Sundale Bridge. These crazy fish are one of the most exciting to catch on light tackle – they are ravenous when feeding.
Beware of their teeth when handling them because they are razor sharp. Schoolies have a minimum size limit of 50cm and possession limit of 10 in Queensland. These fish prefer to stay near the bottom in around 6-8m of water, then pounce with incredible speed when schools of baitfish pass overhead.squid schoolies
The best way to catch them is by using 20-30g shiny metal slugs – but instead of casting horizontally, drop them straight to the bottom or slightly away from the boat, then wind as fast as you can vertically. You will get more follows and strikes this way. While drifting, you will often catch them by sinking light-weighted whitebait rigged on small three-ganged hooks to the bottom, then winding up 1m or so and waiting.squid schoolies
They will usually bite from sunrise until about 10am, then they go quiet. After that, it’s a good time to go fishing for squid on jigs and doggy mackerel using blades, vibes and live yabbies. If the current is strong and there’s snot weed fouling your lines when fishing north of the Seaway, try going back to the southern end of the Broadwater.squid schoolies
Be aware though, in that area the mackerel and tailor love biting off expensive lures any time of day! Soft plastics and bait are a cheaper option when the razor gang are around. August is also a good month for big flathead, sand whiting and bream in the Nerang River, particularly leading up to a full and a new moon.
To book on a charter with myself or Brad, or if you have any fishing related questions, SMS 0432 990 302 or email fishingwithclint@gmail.com, or find us on Facebook at Brad Smith Fishing Charters.
