**CATCH OF THE WEEK **
Kelsea Ford with a ripper 48cm mangrove jack
Congratulations Kelsea, please call into the store to collect your $50 gift card.
Catch of the week winner - Kelsea Ford
Inshore & Offshore
Last weekend absolutely turned it on and it was great to finally see some proper conditions allow boats to get out and make the most of what our inshore and offshore grounds have to offer. Saturday was the pick of the two days but even Sunday proved to be a cracking session for those who headed out inshore.
The bigger boats that made the run to the Bunker Group were well rewarded with coral trout, red throat emperor and a great variety of cod being the standout captures on the shallower reefs. With the neap tides, getting up on top of the reef rather than fishing the edges proved to be the most productive approach. Soft plastics and vibes did plenty of damage for the lure anglers with the Samaki 127mm Live Shrimp and the Nomad 5 inch Jerk Squid the standout plastics and the Nomad 110mm Squidtrex the go to vibe. For those into bait fishing, floating whole pilchards or squid down on a set of gang hooks was very effective in these shallower areas. The wider marks north and east off Burnett Heads also fired up with big sweetlip, bar cheek coral trout, large mouth nannygai, cobia and some impressive venus tusk fish all making an appearance. Big fresh flesh baits rigged on a double or triple gang rig to get them looking as natural as possible were the go to for most of these fish.
The inshore grounds were also not to be outdone with school mackerel, spanish mackerel and big cobia all patrolling the Leads and other grounds with good current and bait around Burnett Heads. Trolling diving hard body lures during the early morning and late afternoon produced some great results along with trolling big baits on a Reaper Rig or TT Bait Trolling Rig. The snapper have finally started to push inshore which is very exciting news, with fish being caught during the low light periods on live bait and whole pilchards. The mulloway action has also continued with some quality fish being caught land based along both the beaches and rocky headlands along our coast. If you can time your session to coincide with a late afternoon or early night incoming tide you are putting yourself in the prime window for one of these fish!
Sheridan with a quality 112cm spanish mackerel
Jack Munn with a nice feed of school mackerel caught off Burnett Heads
Burnett River
To say we have had one of the best weeks of blue salmon fishing we have seen in years on the Burnett is no stretch of the imagination at all, these fish have been absolutely firing! Big schools have been found throughout the Town Reach area and those using sidescan and live scope technology to locate where these fish are actively feeding have been getting the best results. As a pelagic species these salmon move quickly through the system which has made things challenging at times, however finding an area where they are consistently passing through and spanning casts across this area has been a very effective way to intercept them. Soft vibes and metal blades have been the standout lures with two techniques getting the most bites, a traditional lift and pause with the occasional double lift, and a steady fast wind retrieve which has been particularly effective at triggering reaction bites when the fish are not actively feeding.
The bream action has also continued to impress with plenty of fish between 40 and 45cm being caught again this week, and some of these fish have been incredibly fat and in superb condition. Most of the quality fish have been coming from the mouth of the river along the North Wall and the rubble patches in the shipping channel, with lure anglers slow rolling small deep diving hard body lures along the rock walls and fishing curl tail soft plastics across the rubble patches getting the most consistent results. And for something a little different, the tarpon action at Talon Bridge at night has been absolutely off its head this week with literally hundreds of fish schooled up and eating just about any lure thrown at them. Hopping small soft vibes and plastics along the bottom has proved the most effective technique and these fish give some spectacular aerial shots on light gear! There are also still good numbers of prawns in the Burnett for those keen on a fresh feed, with the mid to low tide the best time to be throwing the net.
Nelson Philips with a 76cm grey mackerel caught in the Burnett River
Kolan River
The Kolan has had a cracking week of fishing with some exceptional variety coming out of this system and it is one to keep a very close eye on over the coming weeks if it continues to fish this well. The standout fish without question has been the grunter with some great fish being caught throughout the system on both bait and lures. The key has been being in the right place at the right time, and in this system that is not as difficult as it sounds. The last half of the run out tide has been prime time for fishing the rock bars, deeper channels and drop offs as these fish patrol the deeper water in search of bait retreating off the shallows, while the first half of the incoming tide has seen them push right up onto the shallow sand flats and yabbie beds feeding aggressively. Strips of mullet fillet and whole sprat have been the standout baits in the deeper water while fresh yabbies have dominated on the shallows, and for the lure anglers soft vibes in the deeper areas and curl tail soft plastics or shallow diving hard bodies on the flats have both been producing consistent results.
Some great sized flathead have also been caught throughout the system this week in a very similar fashion to the grunter, with most of the better quality fish coming from the shallower areas particularly on the mid morning incoming tide as these fish push up in search of warmer water. The mangrove jack have also continued to impress with good numbers of fish being caught in the deeper sections on live bait and fresh dead baits, with the rock bars and deep snaggy banks up river and up Yandaran Creek the prime locations particularly during the run out tide. And as a bonus there have been some solid blue salmon showing up in this system too with the deeper banks and holes holding some great fish up to 80cm passing through. The schools are still quite patchy but it is well worth keeping an eye out for them during your next session!
Gary Barton with a ripper mangrove jack which measured 48cm caught in the Kolan River
Elliott River
The Elliott has had another outstanding week of fishing and continues to live up to its reputation as one of the most diverse and reliable systems on the coast during winter. The pelagic action has been a real highlight once again with plenty of small queenfish and GT being caught around the mouth, particularly from land based anglers fishing off Dr Mays Island. Topwater lures and small metals and jigs worked at pace with plenty of erratic action have been the most effective presentations for these fish, and with building tides heading towards the full moon next Tuesday the afternoon incoming tides over the coming week are going to be a prime window to get amongst them.
Up river the jack fishing has continued to produce some great fish from the deeper holes and banks despite the cooling water temperature. Live bait and fresh dead bait have been the most reliable options with those targeting these fish on lures finding it tougher, however downsizing and fishing prawn imitation soft plastics low and slow has still accounted for some quality fish. Plenty of estuary cod and grunter have also been showing up in similar areas to the jack with fresh bait again proving best for both species. Out on the shallows the bread and butter fishing has been another real highlight with flathead, whiting, bream and grunter all coming up onto the flats during the incoming tide and feeding actively on yabbies and small baitfish. With the full moon arriving next Tuesday and the tides building, the late afternoon and early night incoming tide sessions are going to be a fantastic opportunity to get amongst these fish, particularly the whiting which are renowned for going on the chew during the full moon period. Make sure the crab pots go in too as the building tides should see some quality crabs on the move!
Team member Seth Bowden with a nice mulloway caught locally
Baffle Creek
The mangrove jack have been a real talking point in the Baffle this week with some quality fish up to 50cm being landed from the deeper areas of the system. Rock bars and deep snaggy banks have been the prime locations with the last half of the run out tide the standout window, though the first push of the incoming tide has also provided a brief but productive window for those positioned in the right areas. Live bait has been worth its weight in gold at the moment however having some whole sprat or strips of mullet fillet as a backup is always a smart move as these fish can be fussy this time of year and will often prefer a simple dead bait over a live one.
The Baffle is not renowned for producing a lot of blue salmon however this time of year does tend to throw up the occasional big fish and that has certainly been the case this week with some cracking fish well into the 80cm mark being caught in deeper areas around Winfield and Pig Island. Live bait has been the standout approach with a soft vibe hopped along the bottom the go to option for lure anglers chasing these fish. The grunter have also been a consistent feature throughout the system this week with the rock bars producing the best numbers during the run out tide while the shallow flats and yabbie beds have been the place to be on the incoming tide. Both the yellowfin and black bream have also been showing up well with the yellowfin predominantly found on the yabbie beds and around the fallen trees near the mouth, while the black bream have been more prevalent up river along the mangrove lined banks. A lightly weighted whole sprat has been the standout bait for both species and the key is to use as little weight as possible so the bait drifts down slowly and naturally through the water column, which is exactly what these bream love!
Greg Fitzgerald with a cracking bream
Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory has continued to improve over the last week with more fish coming back on the chew as the schools settle into the cooler water after the cold snap a couple of weeks ago. The late afternoon remains the prime window with the last few hours of daylight seeing these fish feed with a lot more aggression and consistency than earlier in the day. Most fish being caught have been sitting around the 35cm mark but with the first full moon of the winter season arriving next Tuesday we are very likely to see a noticeable spike in feeding activity, and fingers crossed that gets some of the better quality fish up to 50cm back on the chew.
Anglers fishing the edges of the lake and up in the timber have also been doing well this week which is a welcome change from the deep water focus of recent weeks. Slow rolling spinnerbaits and working deep diving crank baits through these areas has been getting some really good results and is a great option for those who prefer to fish the edges rather than hunting schools in the deeper open water. For those out in the open water the same techniques continue to produce with slow rolled metal spoons and micro jigs the most consistent performers. Locating the schools on the sounder, making long casts past them and doing a simple slow roll back through with the occasional aggressive twitch mixed in to trigger a reaction bite remains the foundation of the most productive sessions!
Team member Karl Eliason with a nice bass caught locally
Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran continues to fish well for those putting quality time in on the water and the after dark sessions in particular have been the standout window over the last week. Wiggle Bay, the North Arm of B, Insane Bay and Hearts Bay have all been holding solid numbers of fish throughout the night with these barra rising noticeably higher in the water column once the light drops making them significantly easier to both locate and present a lure to. The early morning has also been a great little window that is well worth capitalising on, with very little boat traffic in those first few hours of light.
These fish have remained very spooky over the last few weeks and subtle presentations continue to be the most important factor in getting bites. Interestingly some anglers have had better results by pushing shallower and finding fish cruising weed beds and shallower channels rather than targeting the open water fish, with fish in these areas showing considerably more interest and being much more likely to commit to a bite than their open water counterparts.
In terms of lure selection this time of year is always hard to predict from one day to the next so having a good spread in the tackle box is essential as a lure these fish were eating yesterday is not guaranteed to get a look today. A few essentials worth having covered are the Samaki Redic DS80 and DDS90, Zerek 5.5 inch Live Mullet, Raid Super Fish Roller and if you can source them a fly lure, as these have been some of the most consistent performers on the dam throughout this winter period!
Team member Mason with a very healthy 105cm Lake Monduran barra
From the team at Tackle World Bundaberg
Live the Tackle World L.I.F.E - Local Independent Fishing Experts
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