**CATCH OF THE WEEK **

Andy Gatt with a ripper coral trout caught off Burnett Heads

Congratulations Andy, please call into the store to collect your $50 gift card.

Catch of the week winner - Andy Gatt 

Inshore & Offshore

What a fortnight it has been on the water! After months of strong winds keeping boats on the trailer, we were finally rewarded with not one but two solid weather windows over the last couple of weekends, and with the school holidays in full swing the timing could not have been better. It was great to see so many boats heading out and making the most of it!

For the boats that pushed wide the two weekends could not have been more different, with the varying tide phases changing both the bite times and the most productive locations. With the bigger tides running, fishing the pressure edges of the shallower reefs proved to be the go as the current stacked the bait up and the predatory fish were not far behind. The Bunker Group, Warrego's and Heralds Patch all produced some excellent fishing with coral trout, red throat emperor, cod and spangled emperor the standout catches. Whole pilchards, yakka or squid rigged on gang hooks on either a running ball sinker or single paternoster were the most consistent bait rigs, while hopping a Samaki 127mm Live Shrimp along the bottom was also absolutely red hot and accounted for plenty of quality fish. The flat country was trickier with the bigger tides sending the current roaring through in some areas, meaning the bite really concentrated around the tide turn. Fishing that hour either side of the slack water was the key to filling the esky on these grounds, with big flesh baits and whole squid the standout options.

Cobia have also been in fantastic numbers from our inshore grounds all the way out to the offshore reefs and wrecks, eating just about anything presented to them with soft plastics being a particularly versatile option to have in the arsenal. Just keep an eye out for sharks as these two species tend to keep very close company! For the smaller boats fishing our inshore grounds the Spanish mackerel have been the main attraction with some cracking fish around the 10kg mark already showing up. The bigger 30kg models will come as the water cools further and fingers crossed we are in for another ripper season! Trolling whole garfish on a Reaper Rig or float lining a whole pilchard or yakka on a balloon rig have been the two standout techniques for getting amongst them. The tuna have also been around in good numbers with schools scattered along the coast, and simply cruising the coastline looking for birds working and bust ups is all you need to see to warrant a closer look!

Ricky Wilson with a monster red emperor

Hamish Birch with a solid school mackerel caught off Elliott Heads 

Burnett River

The Burnett has started to clean up nicely and despite the upper reaches still carrying a fair amount of colour the fishing has well and truly kicked back into gear throughout this system. There has been plenty to get excited about this week and the signs continue to point towards a really strong winter season ahead.

The talk of the Burnett this week has been the threadfin salmon, a species we had firmly in our sights from the moment the floodwaters receded as these fish are absolutely renowned for showing up in numbers following a significant flood event. The Town Reach area has been the prime location with anglers equipped with modern sonar technology such as LiveScope and sidescan having a clear advantage in pinpointing exactly where these schools are sitting. Once you find them, live bait has been the most consistent option by a significant margin, while a soft vibe or slowly retrieved prawn imitation soft plastic has also been getting some great bites from these fish. Just like barra, targeting threadfin around a tide turn is always the smart play and timing that with a sunrise or sunset dramatically increases your odds of getting a bite.

The bread and butter fishing around the mouth has also been going strong with bream, grunter, estuary cod and flathead all being caught along the rock walls and sandy banks. Whole sprat and strips of mullet fillet have been the standout baits in the dirty water while lure anglers have done well hopping a soft vibe or 3 to 4 inch paddle tail soft plastic along the base of the rock walls. The bream fishing in particular has been showing some very promising signs, with those fishing small crab, prawn or curl tail soft plastics with ultimate finesse around moored boats, jetties and pylons having some exceptional results. We had an outstanding bream season last year and things are certainly shaping up nicely for another one this winter, fingers crossed we keep seeing those quality fish over 40cm showing up!

Rylan with his first ever cod which he caught in the Burnett River

Kolan River

The Kolan has continued its impressive recovery from the flooding event and has been producing some really quality fishing across a wide range of species. With the school holidays now wrapped up the system will start to quieten down considerably which is great news for those who held off during the busy period, now is a fantastic time to get out and enjoy this river with a lot less boat traffic to contend with.

The barra fishing around the mouth has been one of the real standouts this week with anglers running LiveScope and sidescan technology continuing to do very well on the school sized fish sitting around the 60 to 70cm mark. These fish might not be the biggest in the system but they are absolutely magnificent eating and still put up a fantastic fight on light gear! The mangrove jack have also been firing for those putting in the effort, with live poddy mullet fished on a rock bar being the most reliable approach by a long way. Lure anglers skip casting lightly weighted soft plastics tight into snaggy banks and any structure getting hit with current have also been getting some great results. Further up river and into the creeks the grunter have been having an absolute field day in the dirty water, these fish are built for these conditions and love nothing more than hunting in that tannin coloured water. Whole sprat and strips of mullet fillet have been the go to presentations for getting these fish to bite.

Out on the sand flats the bread and butter fishing has also been consistent with whiting, flathead and grunter all being caught during the incoming tide. Pumping fresh yabbies at low tide has been the key to getting on the whiting while whole sprat, prawns and strips of mullet fillet have been the preferred options for the flathead and grunter. As the tide turns, shifting off the flats and targeting the drop offs and deeper channels is the reliable move as these fish pull back into the deeper water. The pelagic action around the mouth has also been a real highlight with schools of baitfish being harassed by small queenfish and GT, and these fish have even been found up river as far as Booyan Bridge during the right stage of the tide getting into an absolute feeding frenzy. Don't forget the crab pots either as there are still some quality bucks being caught throughout this system.

Oliver Stewart with a cracking mud crab

Elliott River

There are simply no signs of the Elliott slowing down as this system continues to be one of the most exciting and productive rivers right now. From barra, mangrove jack and threadfin salmon through to the bread and butter species like flathead, bream, whiting, grunter and even blue salmon, queenfish and trevally this system genuinely has it all firing at once, which is about as good as estuary fishing gets!

The whiting fishing has been a real talking point this week with the big night tides providing some exceptional opportunities for those willing to stay out after dark. Fishing into the night is one of the most reliable ways to not only catch more whiting but also significantly improve the quality of fish, with the bigger models far more willing to feed confidently once the light drops. Pumping fresh yabbies during the afternoon low tide and then fishing the incoming tide right through into the night has been the winning formula, and with these whiting has come some quality grunter and solid flathead in the 40 to 60cm range as a very welcome by-catch. The pelagic action has also continued to be strong around the mouth with both boat and land based anglers getting amongst the GT and queenfish, the middle section of the incoming tide has been the prime window for these fish so timing your session around this has been a great way to maximize your chances.

Up river the summer species have continued to show up in solid numbers in the deeper holes and rock bars despite the cooling temperatures. Using your sounder to locate schools of barra and threadfin salmon has given anglers a significant edge, and once you find them a lightly weighted live poddy mullet is the single best bait you can use. For the lure anglers a 100mm soft vibe or a 4 to 5 inch prawn imitation soft plastic worked slowly along the bottom has also been accounting for some great bites. The mud crabbing has also been consistently solid for those making the most of the tides, pushing right up the system on the high tide, setting the pots and collecting them the following day has been a very productive approach for those after a fresh feed of crab!

Chace Rasmussen with a ripper blue salmon caught in the Elliott

Baffle Creek

With the school holidays now behind us the Baffle will start to see significantly less boat traffic over the coming weeks and for those who deliberately held off during the busy period, now is a great time to get back out there and enjoy this system with a bit more breathing room. The good news is that the system has continued to improve and is fishing really well around the mouth and lower reaches, with the recent tides doing a brilliant job of flushing things out and pushing bait throughout the system.

The pelagic action has been one of the first things worth talking about this week with GT and queenfish doing serious damage to baitfish schools around the mouth during the incoming tide. Fishing the dirty water line and targeting any areas of strong current has been the most reliable way to find these fish, and keeping a close eye out for bait being busted up on the surface and birds working is your best indicator of where to cast. Small soft plastics and topwater lures worked through these bust ups have produced some absolutely explosive sessions, and Middle Channel in particular has been a hot spot for current driven pelagic action during the incoming tide.

The jack fishing has continued to fire with covering ground being the key for lure anglers working the banks and skip casting into structure, while those bait fishing have been finding the better quality fish pushing close to the 50cm mark on rock bars and large fallen timber. Live poddy mullet and strips of mullet fillet have been the standout baits. The grunter have also remained a real feature in the areas around Winfield and slightly up river where there is still a solid amount of dirty water, with these fish loving nothing more than the slightly dirty water conditions this system is currently offering. The sand flats and drop offs during the incoming tide have been the prime locations, with strips of mullet fillet and whole sprat getting the most consistent results. All in all the Baffle is in great shape right now and with the crowds gone it is the perfect time to get out and enjoy it!

Elroy Richards with a 31cm Bream caught at Baffle Creek

Lake Gregory

There is no question that Lake Gregory is currently going through its annual seasonal transition and for those who know this lake well, this is actually one of the most exciting times of the entire fishing calendar. As the water cools these bass move away from the edges and the dense weed and begin schooling up in open water, and when you find them in numbers like this the sessions can be red hot. The quality of fish coming from these schools has been outstanding with plenty of bass in the 45 to 50cm range being caught, which is exceptional fishing by any standard.

For those running a sounder the advantage right now is significant, locating exactly where a school is sitting and ensuring every cast goes through them makes an enormous difference to your results. Hard vibes, blade lures and metal spoon lures have all been doing well at the moment with a simple slow roll the foundation of the presentation. Adding in a couple of short sharp twitches or hops throughout the retrieve is a great way to trigger a reaction bite from any nearby fish or those following the lure without committing. For those who prefer to fish the edges there are still fish to be caught but it will become increasingly more difficult as the water continues to cool and more bass push out into the deeper water to school up. If you are fishing this way follow the wind and target any banks or points that have been receiving consistent wind pressure, and switch to a shallow to medium diving hard body worked on a twitch and pause or a 3 inch paddle tail soft plastic slow rolled along the edge.

Flynn Barber with a cracking 50cm wild river bass caught off the top

Lake Monduran

Monduran continues to be in absolutely exceptional form and as we have touched on over the last few weeks this lake is shaping up for another cracking winter season. The quality of fish this lake has been producing over the last twelve months has been nothing short of outstanding with multiple fish between 110 and 120cm a very legitimate possibility every time you step foot on the dam, and that level of quality does not change just because the calendar says winter.

Identifying a consistent pattern has been the challenge lately with the fishing feeling a little unpredictable from session to session, but this is exactly where LiveScope sonar proves itself to be in a league entirely of its own. From the very first couple of fish an angler casts at, the sonar tells the full story. Harsh rejections, follows without committing, or simply no fish on the screen at all each give valuable information that allows an angler to quickly determine whether they are in the right area, casting at the right fish or using the right lure. That kind of real time feedback is simply impossible to replicate any other way. Anglers doing the best results have been covering plenty of ground on the open water channels with the South Arm of B, Insane Bay, Hearts Bay, H and even down the bottom of the dam around White Rock and the first cut through all worth a look. Finesse presentations have continued to dominate with strolling lures and a super slow rolled Zerek Live Mullet getting the most consistent bites, while switching to a shallow diving hard body at night has been getting some great results with the extra movement helping fish locate the lure in the lower light.

For those without live scope the edge bite is still very much alive, particularly for anglers willing to push right up the back of bays away from boat traffic during the early morning and late afternoon windows. Minimal disturbance is absolutely critical to the success anglers are having in these areas so take your time getting into position. A Samaki Redic DS80 worked slowly along the edges has been hard to beat for this style of fishing and is well worth having rigged up and ready before heading out!

Tom Martin with a nice barra caught in one of our local estuaries