Best Weather Mid-Week Once Again

The weather just got better and better as one work day followed the other this week. It is warming up again now too, courtesy of a renewed burst of northerly-tending winds. A light northerly zephyr greeted those heading out this morning. That breeze will stiffen as the day wears on and could see as much as 20 knots from the north-north-east before nightfall.

Saturday will be totally dominated by a strengthening north or north-westerly wind that will maintain a steady 15-20 knots prior to peaking at 25 knots or more late in the day. The crackle of thunder might be heard in the west that evening, but substantial storm activity isn’t forecast (at this time). A south-east change will blow through in the wee hours of Sunday morning and prevail at 15-20 knots throughout the day.

Expect around 15 knots of south-easterly breeze Monday. An easing trend that evening should see the wind drop right out for a day or two into mid-week. Light and variable winds are possible early, tending to a brief 10 knot sea breeze before sunset. Not a bad forecast if you can avoid working early in the week, yet alas, not so good for the weekend.

Last night’s full moon has begun to wane now, but it still has plenty of ‘pull’ for a couple of days yet. Big tides right now will ease gradually over the coming week and lose some of their appeal to a host of piscatorial species, whilst at the same time creating feeding opportunities for others. Working out what to target, and when and where, is part of the game. Tidal movements and the dominant weather at the time will dictate success for many this week.

Hervey Bay Marlin Proving to be a Challenge

Stories of marlin captures have been out-numbered by tales of woe from those returning from the northern Hervey Bay waters this week. Many rushed for Rooneys last Saturday morning, yet hook-ups to marlin were minimal if at all. Perhaps it was a different matter that afternoon, but during the morning period, those trolling garfish had major issues with mackerel snipping off their baits or part thereof and no contact with billfish.

A bit more breeze Sunday saw less of a crowd up that way, but the neap tides still proved fairly fruitless for a number of hopefuls. Mixed reports from then on were more encouraging, including yarns of multiple strikes for no captures, and the odd solo capture for some crews, which contrasted with the feedback from those that managed a few feisty little marlin from their session. There is every chance that more marlin are being caught than are being reported, as savvy locals in particular are too cunning to tell the world of their success.

The marlin numbers in the bay don’t appear to be high at this time, but at least there are some on offer. The fish caught so far appear smaller than the average of other seasons, but that could change. It is still early days yet, and an optimistic fisho would be putting their faith in a trickle of fish from the north in coming weeks. Those in larger vessels are likely to roam wider in search of the bait schools and lesser pelagics that will attract the baby blacks. No word from the ‘zero mile’ (Sandy Cape) or the ’13 mile’ due to weather constraints of late, so it will be interesting to see how the baby black marlin scene offshore is developing.

Mackerel Dominating the Inshore Pelagic Scene

Issues with mackerel mauling marlin baits up Rooneys way are indicative as to just how widespread the various mackerel species are in the bay right now. It turns out that a few early season spotties have arrived in the northern bay already, and as is usually the case, they are larger than average for bay waters. There is still a month or so to go before the spotty season gets underway, but until then, always have a spin outfit rigged with a slug at the ready, should you be the next one to trip over a random school.

Spanish mackerel have also been roaming our waters and turning up without warning; occasionally where the lesser school mackerel are gathered. You might find a few at the Gutters or over Rooneys reefs. The odd stray has been hunting the channels of the Great Sandy Straits of late too, and at least one large spaniard was caught within cooee of River Heads recently.

Those of you that are fans of school mackerel shouldn’t have too much difficulty picking up a feed. Trollers are doing well enough, wandering the shipping channels, the Fairway grounds or around the 8 Mile off the Burrum. Trolling fast-swimming minnows is a very simple and trouble-free affair, yet that tactic can be out-done by an old hand trolling lures behind a paravane. It is a little extra effort to set up initially, but it’s still a simple process that effectively gets your lures much deeper and to the schools of mackerel that are feeding lower in the water column.

Drift over likely bait-laden reef systems and spin with spoons or other metals if you are feeling energetic enough. Try the Fairway of other beacons while you are at it. Vertical spinning has been a proven technique that works very well on schoolies, spaniards and broadies. The latter have been quite abundant inshore of late and are also active around wider reefs up the island. The average broadie has been quite large this season, and with reduced netting effort over the flats inshore, big broadies could well be a consistent feature of the Hervey Bay fishery in future years.

There is bound to be more golden trevally caught from inshore shipwrecks and other artificial reef structures this week. Some of their cousins are still abundant over yakka-rich reefs of the northern bay (but perhaps not for much longer). Queenfish are spurred-on by the bigger full moon tides and can be found hunting a wide range of terrain quite close inshore. 

Little GTs, little goldies and some quite substantial queenies spend time up on our inshore flats and offer great sight-fishing opportunities on the right day. There has already been a resurgence in numbers of these fish from commonly-fished inshore flats since netting efforts were reduced. Giant herring make for exciting sport for those that find them working current lines and high-flow drop-offs and the like. They are a tremendous sportfish, but they do not handle well, so take your happy snaps quick smart and get them back in the drink and swimming.

Mac tuna are scattered across the bay, and many schools are turning the surface to foam down the straits too. Building tides last week saw mass movements of baitfish through the upper straits, where even large schools of small yakkas rippled across an acre of water surface. The juvenile herring and hardy heads are more attractive to the tuna though, and these baitfish too have been in abundance along deeper stretches of Fraser’s western shoreline. From Kingfisher to Ungowa and beyond, there has been a constant stream of baitfish recently, which will not go unnoticed by mobile predators.

Trolling Our Inshore Reefs is Very Popular

Fans of trolling tactics often swap out their longer-profiled fast-swimming minnows for stouter, deeper-diving shads this time of year. Their target species on the former lures are typically the mackerels, whilst the latter profiles are of more appeal to cod and coral trout (not to mention snapper and other reefies).

It is that time of year when our shallow reefs host a veritable flotilla of keen trollers, all seeking the delectable coral trout. Selecting lures that swim at the perfect depth is easy enough with the info supplied on modern-day packaging. However, guidance from your Fisho’s staffers on what lures work best at a given depth and at what speed can save you the trial and error that others have sorted through in the past.

Losing lures is one of those attritions of fishing, and no-one is ever happy to lose a good one. Ensuring your drag is set strongly enough and your rod is in your hand and not in a holder is paramount if you wish to successfully extract any trout or cod of decent size. These fish leave no quarter when they dash for the reef, and poor reflexes, under-gunned tackle and light leaders can lead to heart ache. Sure enough, small, barely legal trout don’t pack much of a punch, but surely, they aren’t the fish you are after.

Sleeping in and trolling for trout do not combine. Be on the water at dawn and your best fish might even come before the sun breaks the horizon. Roaming wider than others, with lures capable of a little more depth might see you pick up a better class of fish, as you can well imagine just how many lures have tracked over certain stretches of reef these days (particularly off Gatakers Bay, Pt Vernon, Pialba and Woody Island). The primary strike zone falls between 2 and 5 metres, but trout can be caught shallower and certainly deeper.

Deploying super deep divers and wandering the deeper reefs and ferny grounds of the local shipping channels can see you catching a whole different class of fish. Estuary cod will dominate catches and they can range in size from annoying little tackers right through to virtually unstoppable brutes. Cod caught trolling (or otherwise) in the bay or straits would average 2-5 kilos perhaps, and actually make for quite good eating. You won’t enjoy the slime factor of course, but that is easily washed away.

Target these same cod and trout via well-proven lure-casting techniques for a much better result from isolated hangouts. Time such assaults for a tide change for best results. Prawn imitations are the go-to for most of us, but feel free to experiment. Small paddle-tailed plastics have a long history of shallow water coral trout captures and will certainly continue that trend.

A little bait fishing effort could see you feeding the family with fillets of grassy sweetlip and perhaps a squire or two. Any close inshore knobby snapper captures this late in the season will certainly be worth bragging about, due to the rarity of such captures. Shark activity was starting to ramp up at many of our deeper inshore hotspots a few weeks ago, so keeping mobile will be key to limiting the wastage of reef fish over these warmer months.

Clean Water Very Appealing Down the Straits

The big full moon tides can have a localised dirtying effect on many waters of the Great Sandy Straits, especially when combined with a northerly wind. Clean water in the main shipping channels has appealed to hordes of baitfish, as mentioned above, and mac tuna are prolific. This same water quality draws other pelagics such as mackerel, goldies, GTs and queenfish, and the reef fish lurking below also relish the influx of fodder.

There has been a very good run of whiting coming from the usual terrain down the straits. Fish to 40cm have had the whiting fans grinning as they enjoy the latter part of their preferred season. Evening sessions still appeal to the regulars, yet at this time of year, daytime sessions can be highly productive too. Suss out the mangrove-lined points and bays at the back of relatively short flats that skirt the fringes of the straits. Head for the mangrove edges as the tide rises enough, then retreat to the subtle draining gutters as it recedes.

You could enjoy many an hour catching sizeable bream too if you wish. Post-spawn, they have marched back upstream into our creeks and rivers for the most part, however, schools of quality fish still linger on fodder-rich deeper flats and rock bars until those waters get too warm. There is a particularly good class of bream on offer in both the Mary and Burrum systems at present for anyone that wishes to tangle with them. Another sure sign of improved stocks since netting efforts were reduced.

If you enjoy a spot of flathead fishing, then make the most of coming weeks. Once these fish have finalised their spawning, they too will retreat from the ever-warming shallows. For now, though, you can still expect to catch a few from various creeks, flats and drains along the western coastline of Fraser, as well as many mainland systems. The lower Mary and Susan, and large stretches of the Burrum system also offer ample flathead-chasing options at this time.

Grunter fans have plenty to cheer about during the second half of spring. Time spent drifting likely terrain in our larger creek systems and our rivers can see you hooking good numbers of decent grunter regularly. They do like the bigger tides, and mooch up onto flats and right into some backwaters over the ‘makes’, but can still be targeted post-moon as well. Simply hop prawn imitation plastics through deeper holes when the tide is getting low and keep on the move until you find them. Grunter are suckers for a good prawn lure worked well, and will soon let you know if they are there.

Barra, Sambos or Jacks – Your Choice

Why not all three? Is an appropriate retort to the above heading. Choose your estuary well and the big three trifecta can be within your grasp. The Burrum is the most obvious choice in this regard, yet there are creeks and nearby channels of the straits that would rival those waters for such a challenge too. The good old Mary system might contain the numbers and biggest trophies in the barra and salmon departments, but catching jacks from that system is a serious challenge. It can be done. It just isn’t easy, as jacks favour other perennially cleaner waters with a more dominant sandy substrate.

Fraser’s western creeks often come alive with the ‘barks’ of the red dogs over the warmer months. That north-westerly breeze Saturday might make the crossing a bit too questionable for many folks (and rightly so), yet the weather and the diminishing post-moon tides will have the jacks on the chew. The biggest tides enable them access to the mangrove root laden underbelly of the ‘groves and make them very hard to get to when the tide is high and slowing. A few days later though, and they cannot reach that terrain and feed on baitfish and other critters that can no longer seek refuge in the forest.

Bait fishos can work these larger tidal flows more effectively than lure fishos can. In reality, experienced bait fishos always have the edge on their lure fishing buddies when it comes to jacks. As much fun as it might be; hauling tenacious red terrors from nasty cover on bait fishing tackle, it pales in comparison to the surge of adrenalin and panic-stricken scrimmage experienced by those favouring lures. Jacks offer so many options and so many challenges, and repeated success is only one powerful red-hued explosion from gut-wrenching failure. Our jacks grow big in these parts and they deserve your respect!

Our barra grow even bigger of course, and who doesn’t love catching whoppers. This is the time of year to put in some effort as barra will be off the hit list come 1st November. Quality fish can be found within our rivers, and to a lesser extent, even our little creeks. The easiest option is certainly the Burrum or one of its feeder rivers. Schools of fish can be tempted at the right time of tide and there are enough metre-beaters in there to keep even the most experienced barra fishos keen.

Threadfin salmon numbers have been well below par in the Mary system to date. As stated recently, the unseasonal rains in August played havoc with the water quality and fish movements. Large threadies can be found with a little diligent scanning however, and a soft vibe dropped to them at the right time will rarely be ignored. Blues are still quite abundant and easily found with a sounder. You can then decide whether you wish to tangle with them or keep looking for ‘better’ threadies.

Trollers have a real edge at this time, particularly in the Mary system. Their ability to cover water, and at various depths, enables them to extract free-roaming barra and salmon that may not be spotted by scanners racing from hotspot to hotspot. The need to troll deep divers near the bottom is a fallacy. That rule applies to coral trout for sure, but not barra or salmon. Active fish can be very near the surface and highly mobile, so large, longer-profiled shallow divers are primo. Deeper divers still have their place in certain stretches of water where fish are seeking shelter from the current, so deploy such a diver when you approach that sort of terrain.

Water Quality Dictating What’s Biting at the Pier

Several days ago, there were a host of pelagics being caught from Urangan Pier. No big numbers of anything, but quality fish mostly. Large broad-barred mackerel have been the drawcard for the local regulars and a few were caught earlier this week. There were also a few schoolies caught and the odd golden trevally as well. Mac tuna schools also made raids close enough to be caught at times.

Come the full moon tides though, and the combination of exaggerated tidal flow and a slight northerly breeze dirtied the water. Pelagic activity waned and some have shifted their focus to tarpon. There is still plenty of herring sheltering between the pylons, so once the waters clean up, there will be a return of pelagic predators.

In the meantime, a session or two chasing whiting from the first channel or the beach end could be warranted. Schools of whiting have been spotted just recently, and this latest bout of northerlies will once again dirty their favoured shallows and dislodge plenty of morsels on which they can forage. Morning sessions can be productive this time of year, and it is yet to be seen as to whether mornings or evenings will be best this week.

Greenback Tailor Thrilling Fraser Island Fishos

Apparently, there is a string of well-formed, shore-dumping gutters scattered from Eurong to Indian Head at present, and many of these gutters are lousy with baitfish. Such a serios of formations enables predators such as tailor to traverse large lengths of beach without veering too far to seaward. The procession of tailor that have migrated along the island’s surf beaches this season has been extraordinary.

Some crews report bad days amongst brilliant days. It can be a fish-a-cast for as long as you dare when you strike the right gutter at the right time; then the fish can be scarce in that area mere days later. Efforts focussed in the central sector and up around the headlands have been most productive. Few have bothered travelling further north towards or beyond Ngkala as the fishing south of there has been so good.

This is prime greenback tailor time, and by that we mean large tailor. They are referred to as ‘choppers’ when they are small-medium-sized and ‘greenbacks’ when they achieve bragging class in case you didn’t know. Fish bettering the 70cm mark are reasonably common at present, yet most bags consist of a class of fish in the 50s and 60s.

This spring’s run of spanish mackerel from Fraser’s surf has been remarkable. There is a lot of drone fishing and slide-baiting effort over there these days, yet even the tailor fishos are hooking the odd spaniard. Many are losing fish to unseen bities at times too, and whilst sharks may indeed be to blame, the spaniards could also be guilty. Add GTs and an increasing number of jewfish captures and Fraser’s surf scene is one to behold right now.

Evidence of just how alive Fraser’s surf waters are can be seen in the birdlife drawn to the beaches. Flocks of birds dipping into bait schools mirror the numbers resting ashore when satiated. There is apparently a bit of weed starting to appear towards the southern extremity of the island, and small amounts were apparent for brief periods near the headlands this past week. Nothing like the disastrous infestations of some past seasons though luckily, hence the continued excellent fishing.

Prime Weather for Impoundment Barra Fishing

The moon may now be passed, but it is still large and rising early enough to maintain a good barra bite on our impoundments and give some comfort to those not used to fishing after dark on a tree-studded lake. Tales of woe from the long weekend are just history now, as even bigger numbers of hopefuls descend on Lake Monduran for the annual Tackle World Bundaberg Lake Monduran Family Fishing Classic. The event kicks off today and runs through Saturday and Sunday.

If you were frustrated by the ramp chaos and lack of parking recently, best you avoid the lake this weekend. Otherwise, enter the comp and join in the fun and games. The bite was quite reasonable if you found the right fish this past week. The weather is near perfect and the barra will bite if they don’t go into crowd-shock again. There has been an extraordinary number of boats on Mondy all week. The roar of the monster outboards and the constant drone of the remainder is peculiar to these times. Rarely might you enjoy a quiet moment without some form of traffic, day and night.

A large contingent of Hervey Bay fishos are heading to the lake for this fishing comp and we wish them all well. Many members of a local fishing club will be there in droves too and are bound to have a good time. Some are very reliant on trolling tactics, so the north-west wind might play into their hands. It will be very interesting to see just how big the best barra landed in this comp is, as there are some true giants in Mondy these days.

Many will avoid the lake again, for obvious reasons, and some of them might even venture out to little old Lake Lenthalls. It has been fishing quite well, with an increasing number of random visitors catching small barra at will. The regulars do even better of course, and are quite happy catching fish that average in the 55-85cm range. 

There has been a rule change at Lenthalls recently, that may have little bearing on its future popularity, but is worth noting. 2-stroke outboard motors are still prohibited, but the maximum size of 60hp for 4-stroke engines has been removed. The same speed restrictions still apply, so the lake will never gain the appeal of larger less-restricted lakes for adventurous types, yet retains its quiet kayak-friendly appeal and its inherent beautiful setting.

For those considering a trip up the Bruce to Awoonga, the latest word is that there are crews catching good barra and others catching stuff all. The lake’s waters are very clear for this time of year, so night-time has been the right time for best results. The barra in Awoonga are just as big as Mondy’s and there are several times more fish to the acre. Stay tuned for updates on the barra bite as it comes to hand, and don’t be shocked if the barra go crazy up there this storm season.

Good luck out there y’all …… Jase