Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
WHEN it rains, it pours.
And pour it did, with some parts of the Gold Coast shaken and stirred, copping 500mm or more. You can’t deny we needed it though, and boy was it good to hear rain on the roof. With all the creeks and estuaries in flood, the systems are receiving a well-overdue flush. The wet can really change things on the fishing front because it provides a raft of opportunities, if you are keen enough.
Hitting the breakwalls at the mouths of estuaries with surface lures is one such opportunity. Jewfish love to mix in with the dirty water and it gives you a chance to maybe tick these fish off your bucket list. The fresh usually gets mud crabs on the move also. As debris is washed into and down the river and the banks erode a bit, the landscape changes and you have to find new snags and learn to fish them.shaken and stirred
With the amount of fresh, you are much better off trying towards the mouths because at least they get a bit of salt in the early stages. Over time as the water clears, the fish will move back upstream and when they do it should be on like Donkey Kong for flathead, bream and whiting.
The fish got really stirred up after the first lot of rain, with the boys catching a mixed bag of estuary species between downpours. Offshore still turned it on for a few days after the rain, with the mackerel surprising everyone by hanging around in the coffee-coloured water. Normally they’d be gone within a day or so.shaken and stirred
With the current ripping in close and the storm swell still about, the boys did very well by drifting and spinning for spotties and the odd blue or spanish mackerel. The spotties were hitting and running hard because plenty of sharks were lurking in the dirty water. My hat goes off to surfers who head out to catch a wave in murky, shaken and stirred conditions. Stuff that!
With the dirty water line drifting further east by the hour, heading wide was the wise choice once the weather settled. Spot X was the place to be, with plenty of marlin on offer and a few mahi mahi and wahoo mixed in. As the water clears, I would expect the fishing to be nothing short of sensational because flooding is exactly what the area needed.shaken and stirred
March is such a great month for fishing because you get the migratory fish heading both north and south stopping off along the Gold Coast. Care needs to be taken on the water because a massive amount of debris is floating down and will continue to float around for several weeks.
Take special care around our coastal bars. Tweed River Bar is still pretty shallow out in front and the bank is catching the swell. Currumbin Creek Bar was shot before the rain but once the water clears we’ll be able to see if a new channel has been cut through. Tallebudgera Creek Bar is much the same. The Seaway is still OK except when big seas are running.
Bent rods to you all.shaken and stirred
