**CATCH OF THE WEEK **
Mick with a nice 60cm grunter caught in the Elliott River!
Congratulations Mick, please call into the store to collect your $50 gift card.
Catch of the week winner - Mick
Inshore & Offshore
It has been great to see a few weather windows over the last few weeks with both smaller and bigger boats getting out to enjoy what our inshore and offshore grounds have to offer. Those making the run off 1770 have continued to find some great coral trout, red throat emperor and numerous species of cod on the shallow reefs with hopping soft plastics along the pressure edges and reef edges producing the best results, and a whole pilchard on a simple running ball sinker also a very reliable bait approach. The deeper grounds around the Bunker Group in the 40 to 60 metre range have also been giving up some nice pearl perch, jobfish and the odd red emperor with small isolated spots being the key to avoiding the sharks. The spanish mackerel have continued to show up in these wider grounds with fish around the 10 to 15kg mark caught on floated pilchards and trolling during the early morning and late afternoon.
Off Bundy the fishing has been a little hit and miss depending on the ground being fished, with those spending the time to find small isolated bommies and rubble patches in the gutters and flat country consistently coming out on top over those fishing the more heavily pressured main reef. Grass sweetlip, red emperor, cod and large mouth nannygai have all been caught on these smaller more isolated grounds with live bait and fresh slab baits like hussar getting the better quality fish to bite. For the smaller boats the inshore reefs have been producing some nice stripeys, cod and grass sweetlip during the early morning and late afternoon sessions. The mulloway have also been consistent around Burnett Heads with the last hour of the run out and first hour of the incoming tide the prime window, and the pelagic action off Elliott Heads around the Artificial Reef has continued to produce good numbers of trevally and queenfish for those hopping soft plastics and vibes around pressure edges and bait schools. School mackerel are also still scattered along the coast in good numbers with finding concentrations of bait being the key to tracking them down.
Beau Britton with a big hussar
Kobe Martin and his dad with a nice feed of fish from a recent offshore trip
Burnett River
The mangrove jack have well and truly come on the chew in the Burnett as the water temperature continues to rise and this is shaping up to be a really exciting spring season on this system. The rock walls have been the standout location during the bottom half of the run out tide with live bait getting the best results in the deeper areas, and slow rolled hard body lures also working very well particularly in areas of high current where triggering a reaction bite has been the key. The grunter and estuary cod have also been a consistent feature along the rock walls towards the mouth during the run out tide with soft vibes the standout lure and strips of mullet fillet and whole prawns the reliable bait choices.
The barra have been a real talking point in the Town Reach area with some decent numbers being found by those spending plenty of time on the water. Getting these fish to bite has been tough but targeting them around the early morning and late afternoon, particularly when a tide turn, moon rise or moon set lines up at the same time, has given anglers the best chance. Lightly weighted prawn imitation soft plastics have been the standout lure with those running Live Scope having a clear advantage in getting the presentation right on the fish's face. The bream continue to show up in great numbers along the rubble patches and rock walls near the mouth on whole sprat and whole prawns rigged as lightly as possible, and the flathead have been spread right throughout the system from Splitters Creek on the shallow sand flats all the way towards the mouth with timing and location dictating the best approach depending on where you are fishing.
Keeley Nairn with a solid GT caught in the Burnett
Kolan River
The Kolan has seen plenty of boat traffic with the first week of school holidays in full swing and like any busy period on this system, the early morning and late afternoon sessions have been the ones producing the best results as the pressure builds throughout the day. The grunter have been the highlight with fish being caught throughout the system on mullet fillet and whole sprat. Some nice fish have been found up on the shallow flats during the incoming tide around Miara near the mouth, though the bigger and better quality fish have been coming from the deeper holes and rock bars up river during the last half of the run out tide. These same areas have also been producing some really consistent mangrove jack and estuary cod as the water continues to warm, with live bait and strips of mullet fillet the most effective options during the last hours of the run out tide when there is still good structure in the water.
There have also been some encouraging signs of threadfin salmon and barra throughout the system, with these fish never easy to target but those using their sounders to locate them before presenting soft vibes, prawn imitation soft plastics or live bait around a tide turn getting some great results. The flats fishing has also been very consistent with flathead, whiting and bream all being found up on the shallow sand flats and yabbie beds throughout the system. Fresh yabbies have been the standout bait for the whiting and bream while the bigger flathead have shown a preference for whole sprat, so having a few different options ready is always a smart move. The crabbing has also been producing some quality bucks for those placing pots in the deeper holes and channels overnight.
Justin Bain with a quality grunter which measured 66cm
Elliott River
The Elliott has been extremely busy with school holiday boat traffic this week and like we see every year this small system does feel the impact of the increased pressure. Getting on the water early in the morning or staying out into the late afternoon and evening has been the best way to avoid the crowds and find better numbers of fish.
The mangrove jack have been a real highlight as the water temperature continues to rise with some nice fish up to 45cm being caught on skip cast soft plastics during the early morning and late afternoon sessions along the mangrove lined edges up river. Some cracking fish have also been caught in the deeper holes and rock bars on live bait and strips of mullet fillet, so it is worth having both approaches covered depending on where you are fishing. There has been a great run of big grunter recently too with some impressive fish up to 65cm being caught regularly on whole sprat and whole prawns in the deeper holes and steeper banks throughout the system. The GT and queenfish action around the mouth, especially at Dr Mays Island has remained solid on soft plastics during the incoming tide, with land based anglers fishing off the island also getting amongst the action. Some big flathead have also been showing up on the shallow sand flats in the early morning with these fish warming up in the morning sun, and targeting them with big shallow diving jerkbaits or lightly weighted soft plastics up in the shallows has been a productive approach.
Maverick Zaal with a nice flathead caught in the Elliott
Baffle Creek
The Baffle Creek Family Fishing Festival has been in full swing this week bringing plenty of boat traffic to the system, and while the fishing has still been quite tough overall there have been some great fish caught by those putting in plenty of hours on the water. The snot weed situation does appear to be past its worst which is very encouraging, and fingers crossed some rising water temperatures over the coming weeks will help kill off what remains and set this system up for what is shaping up to be a very exciting summer season.
The jack fishing has started to find a bit of a rhythm with better numbers of fish beginning to push back to the shallower edges, which is a great sign of things to come. Topwater lures are firmly on people's minds as these fish continue to push shallower and over the next few weeks as the weed continues to thin out this style of fishing should really start to fire. For now, most of the jack are still being caught along the deeper banks and rock walls during the run out tide, with live bait and strips of mullet fillet both working really well. If you can fish into the night you will also increase your chances at some of the bigger jack which are starting to come on the chew as the water warms. The grunter have been spread throughout the system in scattered numbers with most fish being caught up river on mullet fillet and whole sprat around the deeper rock bars at all stages of the tide. Some cracking whiting have also been caught on fresh yabbies and even a few on topwater lures over the shallow weedy flats during the incoming tide and later stages of the run out tide.
Steve Davidson with a ripper jack caught locally
Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory is firing on all cylinders right now and the last week has seen the topwater bite absolutely come alive, which is very exciting for what lies ahead. The early morning and late afternoon sessions have been exceptional with bass smashing topwater lures on the edges, and as the sun rises switching to slow rolled paddle tail soft plastics or spinnerbaits along the edges has kept the bites coming as these fish push slightly deeper. When the sun is high and the fish have tucked in tighter to the weed, twitching jerkbaits through the weedy pockets and drop offs with a more aggressive presentation has been a great way to draw strikes from fish that are not actively feeding.
The deep water schools are still there for those wanting to target them with sounders however these fish have not been feeding consistently. This time of year is all about the edge bite so if you are heading to the lake we would strongly recommend fishing the edges during the early morning as this is clearly where the most exciting and consistent action is happening right now. It looks like we are in for a really exceptional few weeks on the lake!
Flynn Barber with a cracking bass caught on a topwater frog lure
Kale Osborne with a quality 46cm yellowbelly
Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran is in absolute top shape right now and the next few weeks are shaping up to be one of the most exciting periods of the season at the dam. Plenty of barra have started pushing into the shallow bays, windblown points and weed edges and the great news is that you do not need the latest technology to have a very good chance at landing a fish of a lifetime. Jerkbaits, slow rolled paddle tail soft plastics and swimbaits worked through these areas are all excellent options as these fish move into the shallows to hunt. Keeping a close eye on the wind forecast in the days leading up to your trip is crucial at this time of year, as finding which bays and points have had consistent wind pushing into them will tell you exactly where the warmer water, bait and barra are going to be concentrated. The early morning bite has still been producing the best numbers of fish but the late afternoon and early evening edge bite is heating up quickly and is fast becoming the most exciting session of the day.
For those still fishing the open water on Live Scope the fish remain spooky and presentation approach is still everything. Position the boat correctly so that the cast intercepts the fish on a perpendicular angle, coming right across its face rather than over its back or directly head on. Strolling lures and fly lures continue to get solid results however lures with a bit more action like the Zerek Live Mullet and even glide baits have been doing particularly well in the late afternoon and into the night as these fish become more aggressive. If you have been thinking about making the trip up to the dam, the next few weeks are the time to do it before the boat traffic really builds!
Steve Davidson with a cracking barra caught on a fly rod
From the team at Tackle World Bundaberg
Live the Tackle World L.I.F.E - Local Independent Fishing Experts
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