**CATCH OF THE WEEK **
Ben Kovach with a quality 83cm mulloway caught off the rocks!
Congratulations Ben, please call into the store to collect your $50 gift card.
Catch of the week winner - Ben Kovach
Inshore & Offshore
Last weekend saw the annual MRQ Family Fishing Classic take place and it was a fantastic event with a great atmosphere, plenty of laughs and some very impressive prizes up for grabs. Better yet the fishing gods played ball with Friday producing an absolutely cracking day of offshore weather before a solid Saturday was followed by the wind blowing up on Sunday to wrap things up.
Those who pushed wide found some good shows of fish and bait throughout the weekend however getting bites did prove challenging for some. The key difference between those who filled the esky and those who struggled was bait presentation, with fresh baits rigged on gang hooks proving far superior to other methods. Fresh hussar fillet was a standout across the board with a lot of the better quality fish falling to this bait, and whole squid and cuttlefish also proving to be a very reliable option. Some monster venus tusk fish were caught around the gutters east off Bundy with some great grass sweetlip, hussar and big moses perch mixed in for a very well rounded esky. The cobia are still showing up in big numbers with fish around the 10kg mark being caught consistently at all of our common wrecks, the Barjon in particular being the standout mark. These fish are not fussy at all and will eat just about any lure or bait put in front of them. For those who headed off 1770 the coral trout and red throat emperor action on the shallows continued to impress with hopping soft plastics along the reef the most effective technique, and with cobia, cod, spanish mackerel and spangled emperor all realistic by-catch in these areas it makes for some very entertaining sessions.
The spanish mackerel action has been a little slow this year with numbers and better sized fish harder to come by than previous seasons, with most fish around the 10kg mark. On the other hand the school mackerel action inshore has been absolutely red hot with plenty of bait holding along our coast keeping these fish fired up. They come up a treat in the smoker and when they are here in numbers you can fill the esky quickly, with trolling metal spoon lures on a paravane setup the most efficient way to find the better concentrations of fish. The mulloway action has also continued with local anglers managing some cracking fish from the rocks all along our coast. Timing the tide has been critical with these fish often only feeding for short windows around a tide turn, and prawn soft plastics have been the standout lure while whole squid and cuttlefish are the go to for bait anglers.
Shane Baubly with a stonka 140cm 23kg cobia caught at the Leads
Sheridan with a cracking 128cm cobia
Burnett River
The prawning and crabbing in the Burnett has been nothing short of exceptional lately and is well worth talking about first this week! The prawns have been in great numbers around Strathdees with those throwing the net at the bottom of the tide filling their limits quickly, and the quality of prawns being pulled has been outstanding. The crabbing has also continued to impress with plenty of quality bucks being pulled from the system and Skyringville. The big tides last week no doubt helped get more of these crabs on the move so with the tides building again over the next week it is absolutely worth getting the pots in and making the most of it.
The blue salmon action has fired back up again after a quiet week which is very exciting news for local anglers. Some really good numbers of fish have been found in the Town Reach area by those fishing into the night with soft vibes and metal blades the standout lures. A lift and pause retrieve and a fast steady wind have both been producing bites depending on how aggressively these fish are feeding on any given session. The bream have continued to show up along the rock walls and rubble patches towards the mouth with lure anglers slow rolling small deep diving hard body lures and working curl tail soft plastics along the rubble getting the most consistent results on the better quality fish. Grey mackerel have also remained a feature in the river with these fish showing up around areas of strong current and bait and happily eating trolled hard body lures and soft plastics worked through these areas.
And the humble flathead continue to be caught in really good numbers all throughout this system. This year has definitely seen some of the best flathead fishing in recent years, with great sized fish well up into the 70cm range and beyond being caught regularly. Prawn soft plastics have been the standout with the Barambah Stinger Shrimp being the number 1 lure at the moment!
Nelson Philips with a great quality bream caught in the Burnett
Kolan River
The Kolan has settled into a really consistent winter pattern over the last few weeks and is producing some enjoyable fishing for those getting out and targeting the right species in the right areas. The bread and butter fishing across the sand flats and yabbie beds has remained the backbone of most sessions with bream, whiting, flathead and grunter all being caught consistently. Fresh yabbies have continued to be the standout bait for the bream and whiting on the incoming tide while whole sprat and strips of mullet fillet have been the most reliable options for the flathead and grunter, particularly along the drop offs and deeper channels as the tide runs out.
For the lure anglers the topwater bite over the shallow flats in the early mornings has still been producing some exciting strikes on whiting and even some flathead having a crack too. The mangrove jack have pushed into the deeper structure as the water has cooled but are still being caught by those targeting the right areas with live bait or a well worked soft plastic along the rock bars. A few nice jack have been caught by those fishing into the night, so if your are keen a well presented live bait on a rock bar fished into the night is your best best at the moment. Good numbers of small GT and queenfish have been caught towards the mouth of this system recently, and with the big tides on the way we should see these fish continue to harass schools of bait so be sure to fish any pressure edges and watch for any surface action.
With the new moon early next week, the building tides should see the crabs back on the move. If you can, placing the pots in for an overnight soak should see the best results with the big night time tides.
Tom Bayfield with a cracking 40cm bream caught in the Burnett
Elliott River
The Elliott has fished well this week despite the increase in boat traffic due to the school holidays. Being on the water at first light, or during the late afternoon and night has seen this system at it's best due to the limited boat traffic. The bread and butter species have been the consistent performers with whiting, bream, flathead and grunter all being caught throughout the system depending on where you are fishing and the tide. The night time whiting bite has continued to be a real standout for those willing to stay out after dark, with the quality of fish after dark noticeably better than during the day. Pumping fresh yabbies at the afternoon low tide and fishing the incoming tide right through into the night remains the most productive formula for getting amongst these fish consistently. We have some perfect tides for this style of fishing early to mid next week so be sure to have a crack! The flathead have also been in good numbers up on the shallows, with the early morning low tide seeing these fish warming up in ultra shallow water. A lot of these fish seem to have their eye on the whiting which have been around, so similar to earlier in the year, fishing bigger shallow diving hard bodies and lightly weighted soft plastics has seen some cracking flathead well over the legal size being caught.
The pelagic action around the mouth has also continued to provide some great sport fishing with queenfish and GT showing up regularly in the areas of stronger current during the middle section of the incoming tide. Always have a light rod rigged and ready when fishing around the mouth as these sessions can be very short lived. Further up river the estuary cod and grunter have been caught along the rock bars and deeper holes for those presenting live bait or fresh mullet fillet through these areas, with the odd mangrove jack also keeping anglers on their toes.
Just like our other local systems, the massive tides that are on their way will be a great time to push right up this system and put the pots in, this system has seen some great crabbing recently so it should be well worth the effort. Plenty of small bucks are still around, but those filtering through them have seen some great quality, full crabs find their pots.
Billy Frohloff with a very healthy flathead, just look at the width at the tail!
Baffle Creek
The Baffle has continued to produce some solid fishing over the last few weeks. The bread and butter species across the shallow flats and yabbie beds around Winfield and down towards the mouth have been consistent performers with flathead, bream, whiting and grunter all showing up in good numbers. The incoming tide has been the prime time to be on the shallows while the run out tide is always the cue to shift into the deeper drop offs and channels where the flathead and grunter have been concentrating. If you can secure some fresh yabbies you are in with a great chance of having a cracking little session, especially if you are fishing the shallows around the bottom of the tide. If you are fishing the run out tide, strips of mullet fillet and whole sprat have been much more productive with the larger grunter and flathead patrolling the deeper drop offs. Be sure to position yourself just beside the drop off or in a deeper channel, these fish are often moving along with the current so you want to make sure your bait is in the same area.
The flathead fishing has been exceptional this week, and with the school holidays seeing plenty of kids out on this system, the humble flathead is a great target for those just getting into fishing. Hopping small soft plastics along the sand flats and drop offs is as simple as it gets and the results have been great with quality flathead between 45 and 60cm being caught regularly. Natural colours have worked best, however these flatties aren't very fussy so don't overthink it!
Signs of some great quality jacks still being caught is a welcome surprise for this time of year, but these fish have definitely pushed deeper due to the cool water temperature. Those fishing with flesh baits or live bait have been doing best, with these fish definitely a bit lethargic at the moment making targeting them on lures a struggle.
Linkin Puckering with his first ever jack caught in Baffle Creek
Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory has continued to produce some really enjoyable fishing this week and the sessions have remained consistent for those putting in the time. The full moon last week seems to have got these bass chewing again and set up for another great winter season!
The deeper water schools continue to be the most reliable target for those running sounders with slow rolled metal spoons and micro jigs the standout presentations. Long casts past the schools and a steady roll back through them with the occasional aggressive twitch mixed in to trigger a reaction bite from following fish has been the foundation of the most productive sessions. If these fish are being a bit finicky and unwilling to eat, a small Rapala Crush City Jerk has been dynamite at the moment, with the super finesse presentation proving irresistible. Those fishing the shallower timber country and weed beds have also continued to find fish with slow rolled crank baits and small paddle tail soft plastics both working well in these areas, and it is a great option for those without sounders. The late afternoon has still seen the best results so if you can fish the lake during this window those last few hours of light are prime time.
Ethan Thomas with a nice bass caught at Lake Gregory
Lake Monduran
The early morning continues to be one of the most reliable and rewarding windows to be on Lake Monduran at the moment. With very little boat traffic in those first hours of light and fish sitting high in the water column these sessions have been producing some outstanding results for those willing to set the alarm. As the sun climbs higher these fish have been pushing progressively deeper which makes targeting them considerably more difficult, so concentrating efforts before the sun gets up and those first few hours of light, as well as again in the late afternoon right through into the night has been the game plan producing the most consistent fishing. Wiggle Bay, White Rock and the back of the North Arm have been holding the best numbers of fish over the last week and are well worth spending quality time in during these prime windows.
In terms of what these fish are responding to, lure selection continues to be a critical and somewhat unpredictable factor with these spooky winter barra. Getting the lure to intercept the fish at the right angle and the right pace remains the most important element of the presentation. Slow rolled hard bodies, fly lures and small paddle tail soft plastics have all been very effective when the fish are sitting high in the water column, while a strolling lure or slow rolled Zerek Live Mullet are the go to options as these fish push deeper throughout the day. These fish are very spooky at the moment so if a fish turns away or spooks keep the cast placement and retrieve speed in mind before changing lures entirely, often times it isn't the lure spooking the fish but rather the speed, angle and action imparted from the rod. For those without Live Scope it is still a very worthwhile time to be on the dam with barra warming up in the shallows during the first part of the morning sunlight. Twitching hard body lures and slow rolling paddle tail soft plastics around timber ridden points and weedy bays is a very enjoyable and productive way to fish the lake right now and will no doubt put fish on the deck for those willing to put in the time!
Team member Jordan with a cracking barra going very close to the 120cm mark!
From the team at Tackle World Bundaberg
Live the Tackle World L.I.F.E - Local Independent Fishing Experts
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