**CATCH OF THE WEEK **
Zavier Paulsen with his first ever Lake Monduran barra!
Congratulations Zavier, please call into the store to collect your $50 gift card.
Catch of the week winner - Zavier Paulsen
Inshore & Offshore
This week unfortunately has not seen a good enough weather window to get the big boats out, with steady south easterly winds keeping the boats in the shed. When the wind is howling, though, we're lucky to have so many other options in our local area. Both our saltwater estuaries and freshwater lakes are fishing very well as we head into the summer season. Here's a recap of what the last few weeks have produced in the gaps that let us get offshore.
Those making the run up to 1770 have done well on coral trout, red throat emperor and a mix of cod on the shallow reefs. Working soft plastics on the pressure edged side of the reefs has seen the best results. The deeper grounds around the Bunker Group have given up pearl perch, jobfish and the odd red emperor, along with spanish mackerel for those floating pilchards out the back or trolling. Closer to home, the gutters and flat country off Bundy have rewarded anglers who put in the time to find smaller patches of ground away from the crowds. The wrecks have been a real standout too, with some good cobia caught off Bundy in recent weeks.
Inshore, the cobia have also been a highlight around the leads at Burnett Heads, which is a great option for those in smaller boats. The inshore grounds have produced solid grass sweetlip and stripeys, with the odd big grunter in the mix to keep things interesting. The pelagic action at the Artificial Reef off Elliott Heads is still very solid, and there are plenty of school mackerel scattered along the coast. Fingers crossed the wind eases soon and we get some more decent weather to get back out there.
Tanner Rowland with a big cod caught offshore
Leo Casey with a 16kg cobia caught during the Woodgate fishing comp
Burnett River
The Burnett has changed a lot over the last month. The water has warmed steadily and the summer species have really started to feed, so this week we're looking back at what's happened and sharing some tips on the key summer targets.
Barramundi have become a lot more active as the water warms, but they can still be frustrating to get to bite. Focus on the low light periods, and especially on sessions where a tide change lines up with early morning or late afternoon, as that's when these fish are most likely to feed. Lightly weighted prawn imitation soft plastics and soft vibes worked slowly are excellent lure options. If you prefer bait fishing, live poddy mullet or live prawns are hard to beat if you can get your hands on some. Mangrove jack have also really switched on with the warmer water. Rock walls, rock bars and snags with good current running past them are the places to fish, particularly through the bottom half of the run out tide. Live bait fished deep into the structure is the most reliable approach. For lure anglers, slow rolled hard bodies along high current rock bars are great to trigger reaction bites, and skip casting soft plastics tight into cover is a great way to reach fish holding deep in the snags.
There has even be a few whispers of some big threadfin salmon getting around, spend plenty of time on the sounder to locate decent numbers of fish before casting. And we are still seeing some great sized mulloway in the river with most fish being between 80cm and 1 metre in length. If you are keen on presenting a bit in front of these fish, try for a live banana prawn or strips of mullet fillet. The bread and butter fishing has been consistent too, with flathead the standout this month. Bream and grunter have been caught in good numbers along the rock walls, and some solid whiting have come from the shallow sand bars and yabbie beds towards the mouth.
Stefano Deanoz with a ripper fingermark caught in the Burnett
Kolan River
The second week of the school holidays has been much like the first on the Kolan, with plenty of boat traffic on the system. As with any busy period here, the early morning and late afternoon sessions have fished best, while the pressure builds through the middle of the day.
On the shallow sand flats and yabbie beds, flathead, whiting and bream have all been very consistent. Fresh yabbies have been the pick for the whiting and bream, while the bigger flathead have preferred whole sprat, so it pays to carry a few different baits. Grunter have been the highlight of the bread and butter fishing and have been caught right through the system on mullet fillet and whole sprat. Some nice fish have been caught on the shallow flats around Miara near the mouth during the incoming tide. The bigger, better quality grunter have come from the deeper holes and rock bars up river in the last half of the run out tide.
Those same deeper holes and rock bars have also produced consistent mangrove jack and estuary cod as the water keeps warming. Live bait and strips of mullet fillet have worked best in the last few hours of the run out, while there is still good water over the structure. There have also been some encouraging signs of threadfin salmon and barra through the system. They're never easy to target, but anglers who find them on the sounder first and then work soft vibes, prawn imitation soft plastics or live bait around a tide change have had some great results. For those dropping pots overnight in the deeper holes and channels, the crabbing has also produced some quality bucks.
Luca Felesina with a solid flathead caught in the Kolan
Elliott River
The second week of the school holidays has brought more of the same to the Elliott, with plenty of boat traffic on the water. This small system always feels the extra pressure at this time of year, so getting out early or fishing into the late afternoon and evening is the best way to beat the crowds and find more willing fish.
Some nice whiting have been on the shallow sand flats during the incoming tide with fresh yabbies and beach worms being the prime baits for these fish. In these same areas we have seen some monster flathead, particularly in the early morning as these fish warm up in the shallows. Big shallow diving jerk baits and lightly weighted soft plastics worked through the shallows have both worked well. The big grunter have continued their great run, with impressive fish between 60 and 70cm caught regularly on whole sprat and whole prawns in the deeper holes and along the steeper banks throughout the system.
The mangrove jack remain a real highlight as the water keeps warming. Up river, skip cast soft plastics along the mangrove lined edges have produced good numbers of fish averaging around 40cm in the early morning and late afternoon. The deeper areas and rock bars have also produced some cracking jacks on live bait and strips of mullet fillet, so have both approaches covered for wherever you're fishing. Down at the mouth and around Dr Mays Island, GT and queenfish are still taking soft plastics on the incoming tide, with land based anglers fishing off the island getting stuck into the majority of the action.
Blake Hutchison with a 104cm threadfin salmon caught on a topwater lure
Baffle Creek
This year's Baffle Creek Family Fishing Festival has wrapped up, and as always it was a ripper of a comp. The fishing in the river was quite tough, but that didn't dampen many spirits, and the Saturday Family Fun Day was a big hit once again.
There's still plenty of snot weed in the main river channels, which has made those sections hard to fish. The creeks and the very top of the system have produced most of the better quality fish, with minimal weed and warmer water putting the summer species on the chew. Some cracking mangrove jack were caught. It's far from easy going, but in some sections these fish have pushed to the edges, and prawn imitation soft plastics worked deep into the structure have drawn plenty of attention. Most of the jacks have been smaller fish, but a mid 40cm fish is a real possibility for those who put in the time. Better numbers of barra are also starting to show up through the system. Live baits and naturally presented soft plastics, such as prawn imitations, have got a few to bite in the later stages of the run out tide and around the low tide turn.
Grunter were another highlight, with nice fish scattered throughout the whole system. Most were caught on bait, with whole prawns, sprat and strips of mullet fillet all good options. Black bream and yellowfin bream have also been around in solid numbers, again mostly on bait. Very lightly weighted whole sprat or small prawns have worked well.
The snot weed won't hang around much longer. Fingers crossed some northerly winds and warmer days arrive soon, because a rise in water temperature will quickly kill off the weed and should set us up for a really good summer season.
Kanoksil Streeter with a 56cm grunter caught land based
Lake Gregory
It has been a big month on Lake Gregory. The water temperature has kept rising, the bass have pushed up onto the edges, and bait and nutrients have been blown into the wind-blown bays and edges. Those three things together are the key to finding fish right now.
The simplest advice is to follow the wind and fish the edges it has been blowing into. The low light periods have been prime time for topwater, and accurate casts tight to the edges make a real difference. Cover plenty of ground until you find fish. Once you catch one, slow down and spend more time in that area, trying a few different lures until you work out the pattern. If you're fishing through the middle of the day, spinnerbaits and deeper diving hard bodies and soft plastics worked slowly have been getting good results as the fish push deeper. The deep water bite is still there for those who want to target it, but those fish have been hard to get to bite.
Chase Maher with a quality 45cm bass caught at Lake Gregory
Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran is in top shape heading into the summer season, and with a bit of luck we're in for a cracking season on the lake. Plenty of boats have made the trip up to the dam, so boat traffic is starting to build, and for good reason: the barra are getting a lot more active!
As the fish push shallower, wind becomes crucial for finding them. If you're fishing without LiveScope, a basic chartplotter and sounder will still help a lot in finding fish stacked up on points and moving through edges and bays. Start by checking the wind direction from the previous week and working out which bays have had consistent wind. Within those bays, look for the points and edges where the wind has been funnelling in. That pushes warmer water, nutrients and bait into these areas, and the barra are usually not far behind. Low light periods are where you want to spend most of your time. The sunrise bite has been particularly good lately, and the late afternoon and first few hours of the evening have also seen plenty of fish stacking up along the edges. For this style of fishing, traditional jerk baits, slow rolled soft plastics and Wilson Live Mullets are all producing fish. Nothing fancy is needed: a simple twitching retrieve with hard bodies or a slow roll with soft plastics is often all it takes.
For those using LiveScope, the past week has brought an interesting change in fish behaviour. The barra have become noticeably more active and are responding well to a much wider range of presentations, with jerk baits, soft plastic paddle tails, Wilson Live Mullets, swimbaits and glide baits all getting good reactions. The biggest difference is how quickly the fish are committing. Rather than following lures for long periods, a lot of fish are eating almost straight away, as long as you get your presentation and casting angle right. For those fishing the open water, early mornings and the later part of the day are still producing the best results.
If we had to pick one time to fish right now, it would be early morning. The first few hours as the sun comes over the hills, before it gets too high, have been the key bite window whether you're fishing the edges or working fish in open water. The lake is getting a lot busier at this time of year, but the next few weeks are a great chance to fish the dam before the Tackle World Bundaberg Lake Monduran Family Fishing Classic on the 16th of October. If you want to beat the crowds, now is a great time to head up and give it a crack.
Bailey Kuplen with a nice barra caught at the lake recently
From the team at Tackle World Bundaberg
Live the Tackle World L.I.F.E - Local Independent Fishing Experts
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