When is the last time you caught a fish nearly as big as yourself. Ripper amberjack young fella.

Enjoy the Warmth as There is a Cool Change A-coming

The last couple of days have been magnificent examples of primo Qld winter weather. Last weekend’s cold offshore westerly is but a memory now, as we relish the balmy current conditions and make the most of a potentially brief period of warmth and light winds.

Many a crew is headed for the wide blue yonder today, and good luck to them. The wind has eased right back to a slight onshore zephyr from the north-east. You will have to head wide beyond Fraser to find even 10 knots, with the inshore waters barely ruffled. Saturday will be every bit as good too, if not better. Light and variable is the call, so the only waves on the bay are likely to be from passing traffic. Get out there if you get the chance, as Sunday won’t be nearly as inviting.

Expect the offshore south-wester to return with a vengeance Sunday morning. Commenting on the weather thereafter is challenging, as conflicting weather models seem unable to agree on the movement of pressure associated with a stationary low in the Tasman and east-bound high pressure pushing against it from the west. If the systems remain or drift south then we are in for lighter winds beyond Sunday. If they inch slightly northward, then we could be in for a few days of stiff south-west tending southerly winds (which seems more likely). It is sad that predictions only days off cannot be relied upon, so monitor the latest and cross your fingers for a good week.

Regardless of the impending wind strengths, one thing that we can rely on is that next week will be substantially cooler than it is right now. Expect southerlies of some sort, and spend your week targeting winter-loving species. The moon is waning as we approach Sunday’s last quarter phase; the fading light of a half-moon dwindling even more thereafter. There is still plenty of tidal movement over this set of ‘neaps’, so expect plenty of action from a variety of species when you hit the water.

Deano enjoyed the battle extracting this juvy chinaman from an inshore reef. One of Qld's tougher fighting fish.

Baitfish Draw Predators into the Shallows at Urangan Pier

Word is that a large portion of the baitfish sheltering beneath Urangan Pier have migrated closer to shore and are thicker in the first channel than out near the deep end. Indeed, the odd pier regular has even resorted to buying bait, which is rare. Herring and pike are the mainstays in the bait department at this time, and both are prime fodder for all sorts of wintertime predators (if you can catch them).

Catches this week are indicative of the sort of action you might expect. Small tailor are a significant pest, whilst the occasional school mackerel swipes at a spoon or gang-rigged live bait and ends up as someone’s seafood dinner. There has been the odd queenfish patrolling the shallows, making for exciting moments for those that were/are there at the right time. 

Flathead are a prime target species this time of year, and tides such as those in coming days are as good as any. Have an appropriate outfit at the ready, then catch a pike and return it to the water alive with a decent hook in its gob and you just might get to witness a flatty cruise on over and engulf it. Sight-fishing for flatties in clear winter waters from a height is one of the true pleasures of pier fishing in Hervey Bay. If you have read past reports, then you will already know when to target the flatties, and pretty much where.

Other than the above, ensure you have a squid jig handy, just in case, and use that same light gear to see if you can tempt any of the big bream lurking between the pylons. Do so with baits such as herring, or test your skills against the bigger pier bream with lures such as Cranka Crabs, tiny blades or small soft plastics. Avoid those pesky little tailor though, or that caper could get very old very quickly.

Beach fishos wandering the town beaches have found more bream than they have whiting or flathead in recent days. Rocky outcrops such as Torquay Rocks, the groynes and the Urangan Harbour join the rocky shores of Pialba – Point Vernon as potential bream hangouts. Whiting fans won’t have to wait much longer for the local beach season to kick off, but for now they’d best focus their efforts after dark, or head for the creeks or local mudflats.

There’s been a very good class of sand whiting on the chew in our local creeks, with Beelbi Creek at Toogoom being the standout this week. The bigger tides in a week’s time will have them peaking once again, yet right now, you could do worse things than give them a try. Perhaps enjoy a warmer evening in the darkness prior to the late moon rise, whilst the tide starts to flood-in mid-evening.

This young fella struggled to haul his jewie aloft. A fine fish for a young lad, courtesy of Double Island Point Fishing Charters.

Mulletnado and Lessons Learnt

Spawning diamond scaled mullet caused quite the stir last week, when they gathered en-masse in a swirling sub-surface “mulletnado” in the boat channel at Gatakers Bay. One of our regulars was on hand and waded in to cast his net over the churning mass, somewhat agasp at the whirlpool-like effect of this massive mullet melee. He wasn’t quite ready for the immense power of a net full of large diamond scales, yet managed to recover much of his net, full of huge mullet, and haul it ashore. This was much to the enjoyment of many onlookers who quickly accepted the free feed and wandered off to the nearby cleaning tables.

Ol’ mate wasn’t aware of the eating qualities of diamond scales, nor of their power. We are talking giant mullet here that were in the 3-kilo class and in full-on spawn-mode. The story was related to yours truly as we selected a new cast net for him, as his previous model is now a shredded mess. He was off to see if they’d returned, with every intention of keeping a couple for himself after being informed of their first-class eating quality. No photos sadly, but a great yarn nonetheless.

Many of you would have seen diamond scaled mullet throughout our inshore shallows over the years. More often a mere kilo or so, trophy-sized mature fish heighten excitement levels amongst anyone who witnesses them. Being herbivorous, they are notoriously hard to catch on a line. Many have tried, but only a few have succeeded. Having experienced their power and blistering runs personally, I am sure that each and every fisho that has hooked one was duly impressed. 

Before anyone is tempted to go seeking diamond scales via nefarious means; be reminded that jagging is highly illegal, and the use of a cast or drag net from our town beaches or piers is also prohibited (Pt Vernon to Urangan Harbour). Get lucky and discover them in waters open to cast netting and you can have a crack. You might want to ‘just trim the edge’ of a school rather than go for the whole lot if you doubt your net’s capabilities. These big mullet will punch holes in a cast net like no other ‘baitfish’, so be warned.

The annual sea mullet spawning run is under way too right now, with masses of mature ‘bullies’ migrating out of our estuaries and streams intent on spawning close inshore. Mention of predators like jewfish, barra and sharks lying in wait doesn’t need repeating for regular readers, yet the reminder of the opportunity to tangle with some of our largest estuarine predators as they prey on the mullet run seems prudent. Witness the biggest of our barra, jewies, and for that matter, threadies, tearing into 2-kilo bully mullet and you will be scrounging through your arsenal of tackle for the biggest lures you own (and still feel like the size is lacking). You won’t hear bigger boofs in these parts folks!

A large estuary cod caught aboard a recent Hot Reels Fishing Charter.

Straits and Rivers Inviting This Week

Whilst keeping an eye out for major mullet schools and wandering our estuarine systems this week coming, you might enjoy some of the winter’s best fishing. A spike in air temperature in recent days might appeal to barra fans who will likely take to the rivers or the straits this Saturday. The wind might be up and a darn sight colder Sunday, yet the water temp will be the same as it was the day before (initially at least). Not a bad weekend to tick a winter barra off your to-do list perhaps.

Blue salmon are just about a sure thing if you read the water right and focus on baitfish movements. There’s masses of bait in the Mary river system at present, so the predators are moving in to feed. Threadies are also on the cards, and might fall to a variety of techniques. Hopping soft vibes through schools appearing on your sounder is just one; just as drain-bashing at low tide is still a worthy consideration in some creeks. 

Grunter are a crowd pleaser when they cruise into our streams, and going on recent reports, there are some quality fish on offer. The Burrum system is just one waterway that is home to quality grunter that bit well over the recent full moon. They joined whiting, bream, tailor and flathead in the most sought-after stakes, as we haven’t heard of anyone putting in the effort on the jewies. Truth be known, a serious river-bound jewie fisho is a cunning soul that is unlikely to brag inappropriately anyway, so catches on the down-low will rarely be public knowledge.

Try trolling a deep diving lure if that is your thing, and you stand a chance of hooking threadies, big barra or even jewfish. Blues will be hard to avoid if they find your lure, but when they get as large as some swimming our waters these days, the thrill of the fight will make up for the ‘bycatch’ handle these fish get so often. Mooch up into the shallows for a troll with a suitable shallow-diver (or even a jig head-rigged paddle-tailed plastic) and you can almost certainly add flatties to your catch card for the day.

The prime season for flathead fishing in these parts is now. Flatty fans have the next couple of months to look forward to, and they can enjoy all aspects of the sport as they wander our clear winter waters in search of the ultimate ambush predator. The creeks of the Great Sandy Straits; those further up along Fraser’s west coast; and the rivers themselves; all produce flathead at this time of year. Many areas have history of huge catches over the years, and sadly offer less numbers due to their inherent popularity these days (yet still they produce).

Time your flathead fishing efforts for the latter half of the ebb tide and the first of the flood in most suitable locations and you should succeed. Look for drain-offs, where flats (large and small) drain through small rivulets offering prime ambush points for hungry flatties. Venture forth into the clear-watered creek systems early in a flood tide and watch flatties scoot away ahead of your boat. Send a lure in their direction and often enough you can witness the ‘eat’ and the fun begins.

Remember, at all times, that the reason this is ‘flathead season’ is that these fish gather to spawn soon and they are positioning themselves for such activities in the future. Take a feed of appropriately-sized flatties by all means, but enlightened fishos should resist the urge to kill the biggest fish they can. Get good at it and you won’t have any trouble at all bringing home a great feed for the family plus bonus photos of some big girls you let go.

Scotty (Fisho's staffer) proved that big local salties are catchable in miserable winter weather, with this chunky 105 he caught this week.

Time to Get Serious with the Noodle Gear

Much talk, and words written, of the bay’s fantastic bream and whiting fishing should have avid fans of finesse tackle and some of the scrappiest little fighters in the game fully-prepped and into the action right now. Bream fans won’t have trouble finding substantial numbers of prime fish that have gathered for the annual spawn. The natural rocky ramparts that do such a fine job of stabilising our river courses are prime hunting grounds, particularly in the lower reaches or near the heads.

At the same time, the flats beyond, the shallow reef systems, and the rocky shores of the bay islands offer prime bream terrain. Man-made structures such as Kingfisher Jetty join natural features such as those at Ungowa and elsewhere to host hordes of mature, spent bream, hungry to appease their appetites. Your imagination or local knowledge should lead you to many a great spot to prospect for bream, and some of these locations can be as surprising as they are visually appealing.

Own a finesse rod that has a parabolic action? Then you have the perfect tool for delivering tiny hardbodies at hungry bream. Have a super-light, faster-tapered finesse rod in your arsenal? Then you are ready for putting softies on their noses and hauling them out with no fuss. It might be fair to say that rod actions specific to lure types are dictated by the hooks attached to said lures. Trebled lures need that parabolic action to keep the tiny hooks attached, whilst the faster-tapered rods offer the grunt to set the inherently larger jig head hooks attached to your softies. All-rounders exist of course, and guess what – we stock them all. So, if you haven’t geared up for the bream and whiting prime time as yet, then you know where to come.

Bait fishos favour their ultra-light, super-sloppy rods for bait fishing for whiting, often leaving their rod for Rodney to hang onto until the fish is well hooked and peeling away under light drag. That will never change, whilst at the same time, folks favouring their whiting hooked on lures tend towards bream-style rods as mentioned above, or a number of super-finesse alternatives. Whatever your take, if you are a fan of either species, then you will be out and about in coming months and might even lose some sleep when the upcoming new and full moons come around.

Winter whiting fans had an opportunity or two to catch a feed last week. This season hasn’t been memorable for massive catches by all and sundry so far, but it is also far from over. Bag limits are most certainly achievable, even if such catches are occasionally away from the masses. The whiting grounds west of Woody Island will be as popular as anywhere this weekend, whilst those venturing down the straits or off River Heads should be in the zone too. No-one has been bragging about consistent catches from anywhere of late, so the sporadic and nomadic nature of the tasty little morsels is keeping the fleet on the move. If only they were as easy to find as the toadfish, eh?!

A haul of fat whiting from down Rainbow way last week that took a mere 45 minutes to catch.

Reef Fishos Still Need to Avoid Snapper and Pearlies

Time goes slowly when you are a snapper or pearl perch fan during the annual closure. The 15th of August seems such a long way away, yet there are ample alternatives to pit your skills against, and many are every bit as good on a plate. Plenty of crews will be overnighting some distance up the bay or offshore tonight, intent on pulling red emperor, nannygai and other reefies before the potential blow ruins the party Sunday. 

We expect to hear of some big reef jacks from those in the know (or maybe those just lucky enough to trip over them). The abundant reefs east of Breaksea Spit will get a few visitors before Sunday, and they should have plenty to brag about on their return. Heading further north will suit others, yet all are in with a great chance of catching red emperor if catches from recent weeks are indicative of potential. It should be a colourful esky-load of prime reef fish for the more experienced crews, with time spent over shoal country producing everything from tuskies and wrasse to RTEs, other sweetlips and various members of the cod clans.

Avoiding snapper and pearlies will be challenging over some terrain, particularly along the 100-metre line. That line has been that sharky of late that most regulars will avoid it anyway most likely, and head deeper with their deep drop tackle looking for jobfish and bar cod. Releasing prohibited fish from ultra deep water after they have been skull-dragged from the depths doesn’t seem like it will be overly successful, yet the law will demand it regardless. Some skippers will know where to go to target jobbies etc whilst others will learn on the job.

If you want your crew to really get stretched whilst offshore, then dare them to drop a jig (or a live bait) down to those large banana-shaped arches you are pointing at on the sounder screen. Whether the water is 50 metres deep, 100 metres, or even 200 metres+, there is a strong chance those ‘arches’ are large amberjack hovering above your chosen reef. These things grow to immense proportions in these parts, and only those of manageable size ever make it to the boat.

Anyone heading for the Gutters might be in for a tough time with the sharks, though they haven’t been as vicious and all-consuming as they have been in warmer times. Spanish mackerel have featured in catches when the weather has offered access recently, and large cobia are a very real chance any day. The cobes are known to roam right down into the southern bay too, so be prepared for encounters anywhere you might travel. If there is an abundance of baitfish and small predators predating on them, then oversized cobes might not be far away. Seems cobia have more than just their appearance in common with sharks.

Catching nannygai is possible from a smaller number of inshore spots, and plenty of other grounds further up the bay. Numbers of undersized fish are peaking where once there were a few keepers in some cases, so do the future of those fish a favour and move on if you strike small fish consistently. Don’t kid yourselves, nannies do not survive encounters with we fishos if hauled to the surface in 12 metres or more of water. Consider every releasee a dead one, regardless of whether or not they swim off, and you can see the major problem here. Hence the reason our governors are considering scary rule changes for nannies in the future.

How's this young bloke's AJ caught on board a Double Island Point Fishing Charter. Dad had to help out, but he is still claimed the bragging rights.

Pelagics Less Obvious but Still There

Trevally numbers continue to swell as the bay’s baitfish biomass approaches peak level. Expect numbers out at the Gutters, some of Rooneys and hordes throughout Platypus Bay. ‘Many and varied’ would describe the trevally clans and their sizes at this time. Jiggers go wear yourselves out, and family fishos get the kids onto them for some light-hearted fun.

A few schools of large golden trevally have made their way inshore and are once again lurking around prominent made-made artificial reefs and shipwrecks. Easily tempted at times and easily spooked at others; the goldies’ mood will change with a tidal period or a movement of baitfish through an area. Those attempting to catch said goldies inshore will look suspiciously like they are fishing for snapper. If their rod movements are relatively subtle then that suspicion is well-founded. More erratic and quicker rod movements would indicate someone focussed on trevally. Regardless, snapper will be caught and released as accidental bycatch, and hopefully, no-one is out there actively targeting these increasingly precious spawning fish.

There is some fun to be had with big queenfish out in the bay if you can find them. There has been a few off the Burrum coastline, and even a few ripping into the baitfish at the 8 Mile. The big tides of the full moon offered peak times for bay islands queenies to entertain those hanging close inshore, whilst some of the biggest queenies continue to roam the flats and channels of the straits.

Tuna-wise, it seems that longtails are particularly rare at present. It is hard to believe that Hervey Bay would ever be longtail-free though, so surely there are fish still out there, somewhere. As you would expect this time of year, any such tuna will be feeding on larger baitfish well sub-surface, making them as much an incidental capture as a targeted one. Apparently, that goes for the mac tuna at the moment too, with surface action minimised as they too shift their focus to the abundance of yakkas and herring etc deeper in the water column.

Apart from stories of excellent whiting catches from the southern extremity, there’s been no word from Fraser Island surf fishos this week. There is bound to be a few crews over there right now enjoying this magnificent weather. Hopefully, we will get the good oil next week and bring you more from that much-loved piscatorial paradise.

Good luck out there y’all …… Jase

A Hot Reels Charter golden trevally. Trevors of all kinds are amassing in numbers throughout the bay.

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