Bundaberg Report

22 Quay St, Bundaberg Central | Ph: 1800 822 553

Supplied by Tackle World

15th of February 2024

Inshore
Although we have not had much of a chance to head out with the unfavourable conditions lately the inshore reefs have still been fishing well in the small weather windows we have had. The standout fish have been the pelagic’s, a lot of tuna, mackerel, queenfish and trevally have been around. The school mackerel have been at times hard to get away from there is that many along the coast. When targeting these pelagic fish finding the bait has been key, start by looking at the pressure edged side of the reef, wreck or headland you are fishing as this is where the bait should be. For the mackerel trolling whole garfish or hardbody lures has worked great when you are trying to cover plenty of ground. If you have found where the mackerel are then dropping a Flasha spoon to the bottom and ripping it in as fast as you can will get the bite. The schools of tuna have been feeding on tiny bait so matching the hatch has been very important to get these fish to bite.
Offshore
The Offshore fishing has definitely been producing some really great quality fish in the short weather windows we have had! This time of year it is very important to be watching the weather closely as these weather windows usually don’t last long. Plenty of reefies have been chewing in the Gutters, Herolds and the Warrego’s on whole pilchards and squid. The key has been to be fishing the pressure edged side of the reef, so whatever face is getting hit with the current. Hopping soft plastics along the reef edges has picked up some great quality trout, red throat and sweetlip with the usual cod as well. The nannygai and reds that people have been catching have come from around 40m of water and have been found on isolated structure, these fish have taken big flesh baits like mullet fillet or fresh fish fillets like a slab of hussar. Rigging these big flesh baits on a bait rig like a Buku Snapbait Hybrid Jig has seen great results for converting these big reds. Some monster cobia have also been found out wide passing through in big schools of fish up to 1.5m long! These cobia love big slabs of mullet fillet or whole squid but also are a sucker for soft plastics and jigs presented to them with small twitches and pauses.
Burnett River
The Burnett has bounced back nicely after all the rain, the river is still quite fresh up the top however the huge tides last week definitely got some salt back up river and some good fish are being caught. The mouth of the river along the rock walls is still the go to place to be fishing at the moment with good sized grunter, cod and flathead being caught at the bases of the rock walls. Using whole sprat or prawns as bait has worked well, catching your own live bait is well worth the effort as this has been getting the better quality fish to bite. Up the top of the river system has seen good sized grunter around town reach and plenty of barra have been getting around this area. These barra have been very hard to tempt a bite from, hopefully with the building tides leading into next Saturday’s full moon we will see some of these fish landed.
Kolan River
The Kolan is also clearing up nicely with the big tides really helping to flush the fresh out of this system. Some really good sized barra have been found up river around Booyan Bridge and also up Yandaran Creek. Interestingly due to how murky this river is we have heard of some threadfin salmon being found and they have been caught on live bait and lures. These fish are quite a rare capture for our area so it is great to see some quality fish being caught. Good numbers of grunter and flathead are still being caught at the mouth of the river system in particular on the drop offs during a run out tide. Fresh sprat and prawns have been the ideal bait for these fish, small curl tail soft plastics in a natural bloodworm colour have been very effective lately.
Elliott River
The Elliott is fishing, prawning and crabbing really well with the recent rain that we have had. For those after a good feed of mud crab pushing right up this system during the run in tide to place your pots in the deep holes up river has been working a treat. Good numbers of prawns have also been in a few of the deep holes so make sure to have a good look at your sounder as you pass through any holes. Some ripper mangrove jack and cod have been coming from this system, live bait has for sure been the go to method to catch these big fish. Finding bait hanging around structure is what to look for, drifting a live bait or a whole prawn into the structure with the current and a lightly weighted sinker has been doing the damage. The barra have still been found in the deep holes during the run out tide, these fish have only taken live baits so be sure to allow plenty of time to secure bait. Good areas to look are areas that are getting hit hard with the current, this is where you should be able to find a few good schools of bait. As always there has been plenty of 40 to 50cm flathead being caught along the drop offs and up in the shallows. Try fishing the shallows during the run in tide and the drop offs as the tide runs out, natural coloured soft plastics have definitely been the go to on these flatties.
Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek is still quite dirty and fresh up river however the mouth and sections up river until around Pig Island have cleared up with the big tides and are definitely fishing better each week. Fishing up river during the incoming tide and working your way out to the mouth as the tide runs out will be your best bet at finding some cleaner water. The grunter have been around in huge numbers with fish up to 60cm being caught during the run out tide on whole sprat and prawns. Allowing plenty of time to gather your own fresh bait and even a few livies is well worth the effort at the moment. Fishing the fallen trees at the mouth of the river during the run out tide is where some of the better sized grunter have been caught, mangrove jack and cod are two other species being caught here regularly as well. The crabbing in this system was red hot over the weekend due to the huge tides really getting these muddies on the move. Using chicken or mullet as bait seemed to work best in the dirty water.
Lake Gregory
Last weekend saw the Annual Bill Proctor Memorial fishing comp held at Lake Gregory by the Bundaberg Sports Fishing Club. The lake was certainly tough to get good numbers of fish on board with the increase in boat traffic paired with 20 knot wind certainly not helping. Those who fished hard did get some quality fish with the biggest bass measuring 44.5cm which was caught by Nelson Philips. Targeting the edges of the dam that was getting hit with the wind seemed to be where most of the feeding fish were as the bait was in these areas. Slow rolled soft plastics and aggressively twitched hardbody lures got the bite even during the middle of the day.
Lake Monduran
This week has yet again seen Lake Monduran produce some more 1m+ barra! The key has been to be fishing the dam on days where there isn’t too much cloud cover. Focusing on key bite times those being the Kolan River tide change, Moon rises, sets and moon above has also really helped people to plan their day on the water and be sitting on good numbers of fish during these times in case they trigger a small bite window. Bird Bay has been absolutely loaded with barra, fishing this bay early in the morning or late in the afternoon has been when the majority of bigger fish have been caught. During the middle of the day targeting the shadow lines around the edges of Bird Bay where overhanging branches and lily pads are has seen good numbers of rat barra caught from right up in the shallows. Like we mentioned last week we are seeing good numbers of barra in the main basin again, those trolling big swimbaits like the Berkely Shimma Pro Rigs have managed to get these fish to bite.

8th of February 2024

Inshore
The Inshore reefs are definitely still producing some great fishing! Good sized trout and stripeys have been caught along the coast and at the common marks on squid and pilchards as bait. Big schools of quality sized grunter have also been caught along the coast with squid being the go to bait. Hopping soft vibes around the rocks, reefs and wrecks along our coast is a great way to target these fish. The pelagic action has still been red hot as well, great numbers of huge queenfish have been caught on the pressure edges along the coast and massive numbers of school mackerel have been found around the bait. Flasha spoons are the go to lure for chasing the mackerel at the moment and for the queenfish a Halco popper works really well.
Offshore
Our Offshore fishing has been producing some really good quality fish as of late with the two standout fish being the huge cobia and red emperor we have been seeing a lot of. The big schools of cobia have been at a lot of ground like the Herolds Patch, Northern and Southern Gutters and some of the wrecks. These fish love big slabs of mullet or whole squid but soft plastics and jigs are also a really effective way to target them. Most of the big reds have come from isolated structure with good shows of bait and the best way to target them has been with fresh flesh baits or slow pitched jigs. Plenty of other tasty reef fish like sweetlip, trout, red throat and hussar have been caught in these areas as well.
Burnett River
With the Burnett well and truly flushed full of fresh water the fishing has been tough. The best results have come from structure around the mouth of the river during an incoming tide. Drifting mullet fillet and whole sprat along the North wall has found some great sized bream, grunter, cod, trevally and queenfish. Those targeting jack have done quite well around the mouth with live bait or mullet fillet being the go to. Plenty of good sized barra are being found at the mouth of the Burnett, getting a bite from one of these barra has been challenging, live baits are definitely your best option at the moment.
Kolan River
Similar to the Burnett the Kolan has had a lot of fresh water flow into it however we have seen some great fish come from this river over the last week. Some big barra are definitely schooled up all throughout the river with some really big fish found at the mouth of the river around the fallen trees. These fish have been very finicky with lures so for now drifting live baits or whole sprat into the structure will give you the best chance. Fishing the sand flats and drop offs with soft plastics has got some good sized grunter and flathead to bite especially around the top of the tide. Drifting whole sprat along the flats is also a really effective way to target these fish and this has been working well. The crabbing in this river has been heating up again and with the big tides this weekend it is looking like the perfect opportunity to throw the pots in for a soak.
Elliott River
The Elliott has been the standout river at the moment, due to it being a smaller system it hasn’t been affected as much as the other systems and it is fishing really well. Heading up this river system with the incoming tide and fishing back out with the run out tide has worked great for a lot of people this week. Good quality cod and jack have been caught as well as bread and butter species like bream, flathead and plenty of grunter. If you are chasing jack, cod and even grunter try fishing the rocky structures and deep holes with whole prawns and sprat. Some good numbers of barra have been found up this river in the deep holes and along the snaggy banks. These fish have been very finicky so be sure to be stealthy when sounding for them and live baits have definitely been the baits working best. Flicking the sand bars with small soft plastics will also manage a great feed of fish with trevally and queenfish being regular catches at the moment. The crabbing up the back of this system has been really good as well, leading into the new moon this weekend we should see it continue to get better.
Baffle Creek
The Baffle is definitely still quite dirty up river however the mouth has started to clear up and with the big tides this weekend it will help to get some salt back into the river. Similar to last weeks report the majority of the fishing has been done around the mouth of the river, in particular targeting rock bars and fallen trees in the cleaner water. Doing so with live baits or mullet fillets and whole sprat has got some good cod, grunter, flathead and even a couple of great sized jack over 40cm. Fishing around the top of the tide has been the go to time to be on the water, around 3 hours either side of the high tide is your best shot at the moment. Fishing slightly up river around Winfield, Flat rock and in Middle Channel is where some good sized jack have been caught on livies and even a few barra have been sounded up along the deeper banks. Fingers crossed we don’t get much more rain as this system is definitely going to be one to look out for when it salts back up!
Lake Gregory
Although the water is dirty in the Lake at the moment we have seen it produce some good numbers of bass especially around the edges. The Cast Prodigy soft plastics have been killing it in the Lake, the wide paddle tail pushes a lot of water and creates a great vibration through the water column which has got these bass fired up in the murky water. A hardbody lure also doing the damage has been the new Fishcraft Dr Stretch 65, twitching this lure along the drop offs and between the trees has worked great especially in the middle of the day.
Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has been producing some great fish over the 1m mark however the key has been to be fishing the late afternoons and into the night. Fishing for these big fish during the middle of the day has been very hard with mainly 70cm fish being caught and these big barra neglecting anything you throw at them. Spending the time to locate big numbers of barra has been crucial, sitting on fish leading into the night has definitely got the best results. Big swimbaits like the Berkley Shimma Pro Rigs or 7 to 9inch Sicario soft plastics have got the bites. Some better numbers of barra are in the Main Basin again, trolling hardbodies or swimbaits at around 10-15 feet depending on how deep the barra are sitting has worked really well. Trolling can be a great way to save a trip as often times when nothing else will work this will!

1st of February 2024

Inshore
Our Inshore fishing has been red hot lately with plenty of pelagic fish and tasty reefies on the chew! The one fish which has been everywhere lately has been the school mackerel, these fish have been at all the common reefs and wrecks off the coastline, wherever the bait is these fish will surely be there. Trolling hardbody lures and garfish is one very good way to locate these fish, another method proving to be extremely effective is dropping 50g Flasha spoons to the bottom and winding them back up as fast as you can. Some good sized trout, cod and stripeys have been getting caught on bait and lures as well. Finding structure with bait around it is a really good start when trying to find these bottom fish. Whole squid or cuttlefish has been the best bait to be using as well as fresh flesh baits. If you are into your lure fishing the Samaki 127mm Live Prawns will definitely get the bite as well as a 5 to 7 inch jerk tail soft plastic.
Offshore
Our Offshore grounds have definitely been producing some very good quality fish again this week. We had some really good days of weather earlier in the week and we saw plenty of people head out wide and they surely got onto some cracking fish. Big trout, red throat, cobia and sweetlip were the fish caught most with some lucky people getting onto some huge red emperor once again. Big flesh baits and whole squid or cuttlefish has been the baits getting these reefies to bite. Due to the big tides earlier in the week a size 10 ball sinker was a good option to keep your baits in the strike zone. The most important thing when you are trying to finding the fish out wide is to find the bait, often times the majority of bait will be on the pressure edged side of the reef so these areas are always worth a look to begin with. The go to reefs at the moment are definitely the Gutters, Warrego’s and the Herolds Patch, these areas have been producing some very good quality fish.
Burnett and Kolan River
With the recent rain both the Burnett and the Kolan are running fresh. This has obviously pushed a lot of fish towards the mouth of these systems and although this isn’t ideal for the short term in the long term these small floods are necessary and will only make the fishing even better once the rivers salt up again. Good sized grunter have been around in great numbers in both of these systems so fishing the structures at the mouth of the rivers will be your best shot. Drifting out mullet fillet in the dirty water because it is a stronger smelling bait will be a good way to target these fish. Fishing the dirty water line is also a really good way to find predatory fish as a lot of bait usually sits around this area. Hopping soft vibes and soft plastics along this dirty water line is a great way to target trevally, grunter, flathead and even barra or jewfish at times. Fishing the incoming tide as the cleaner, salty water pushes back into the system will bring a lot of the fish in with it and this is where fishing the dirty water line where the salt meets the fresh can be so effective.
Elliott River
Due to the Elliott being a much smaller system compared to the Burnett and Kolan this river has not been effected as much and it has been crabbing, prawning and fishing great! The prawns have been in the deep holes during the run out tide and up on the shallow mud flats around the top of the tide. The mud crabs have been on the move with people getting them all throughout the river system, having plenty of bait in your pots is a great idea with chicken and fresh fish frames working best. The jack fishing in this river has been really good this week especially earlier in the week right after the rain. Fishing the deeper holes with whole prawns or mullet fillet has got the bites. For those chasing these jack with lures big paddle tail soft plastics are doing the damage in the dirty water because the big paddle tail throws out a lot of vibration and the jack can detect it easily. At the mouth of the Elliot some really good sized trevally and queenfish have been around, drifting whole sprat or flicking the sand flats with small paddle tail soft plastics is sure to get one of these guys interested.
Baffle Creek
The Baffle has copped a fair amount of rain and due to how long this system is we have seen some flow coming down stream. Although this has fired up the jack and grunter in this dirty water especially around the mouth of this system. The fallen trees at the mouth have been the prime spots to target these fish, chunks and strips of mullet have been the go to bait but also whole sprat has been working really well. Queenfish and trevally are also getting around especially during the incoming tide, once again fishing the fallen trees and even the dirty water line at the mouth of this system will be your best shot.
Lake Gregory
With the Burnett flooding the water in the Lake is now really dirty however the fishing has still been red hot for those who have adapted to the conditions. Using lures that throw out a large silhouette in the water have no doubt been the most effective lures so far in this dirty water. Dark colours and wider profiled lures like the Rapala Shad Rap Elite or a Zman 3inch minnow are great options at the moment. Fishing the edges of the dam by either slow rolling paddle tail soft plastics or twitching hardbodies along the weed edges has definitely been the most effective way to get a bite from the bass this week. Be sure to cover plenty of ground and once you get a bite focus more on that area as there is likely to be other bass close by.
Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has been fishing well however it has not come easy due to the very inconsistent weather we have had with the rain and overcast days making things a little tougher than they could be. Fishing during the rain or when it is overcast can definitely make these big barra a bit more lethargic so swapping between lures and using a very slow retrieve is your best chance at getting a bite when you are on a large school of fish. SDA Bay, Bird Bay and the south arm of B Bay have been loaded with barra and a lot of the fish being caught are coming from these locations. These barra have seen a lot of boat traffic so being stealthy about how you approach a spot is crucial. The Main Basin has also started to fill up with some better numbers of fish this week, trolling big soft plastics and swimbaits has been the most effective. At the moment we have seen hardbody lures get most of the bites pretty much all day and as the sun sets on the dam big plastics or swimbaits have been the lures of choice. Samaki Redic DS8O’s and MS90’s have been the standout hardbody lures and Berkley Shimma Pro Rigs are a great swimbait option which are ready straight out of the packet.

25th of January 2024

Inshore
The inshore reefs have been full of life the past couple of weeks! Plenty of pelagic’s have been getting caught with mackerel, tuna and golden trevally being the main two species. The standout areas have definitely been the artificial reef off the Elliot and the 2mile off Bargara. Fishing these area’s with 50g Flasha spoons vertically fast retrieved off the bottom surely will get you into the mackerel action and hopping soft plastics around the bait will be sure to find a few trevally and queenfish. Be sure to set a live bait or float a pilchard out the back as well. There’s been plenty of birds working on the surface with the amount of bait around at the moment and there has been mackerel and tuna spread all through them. Motoring up within casting distance and cutting your outboard and throwing in slugs and soft plastic’s should definitely get you into some arm stretching fish as well!
Offshore
The offshore fishing has been off its head at the moment! Last weekend saw some cracking fish caught on a range of techniques on the offshore reefs. Big trout, red emperor, sweetlip, tusk fish, cobia and red throat emperor were on the chew. Whole squid and flesh baits were great options for those targeting these bottom fish. A lot of the action came in the mornings as this was the bigger tide for the day, fishing the pressure edges during this morning tide got the best results. In the afternoon the bite was a little slower as the fish spread out with the small tide movement. The Gutters, Warregos and the Herolds all fished well, finding areas of the reef that had a lot of bait definitely worked best as the majority of fish were in these areas and they were feeding!
Burnett River
The Burnett has still been fishing well and there is plenty of grunter around the rocky structures and bridges in the Town Reach area as well as the North Wall. These fish have ate whole prawns and small soft plastics or soft vibes. The rock bars and bridges have also produced some great quality flathead, cod and jack this week. Whole prawns or sprat have been the baits doing the damage on these fish, rigging them up with a 15 to 20lb fluorocarbon leader around the rocks has been getting the bites. Finding schools of bait hanging around the rocks is a really good place to start as these predatory fish will usually be close by. Great numbers of crab have been found in the main sections of the river with whole mullet or fish frames being the ideal baits to be using. Good numbers of prawns are also being found up the creeks along the shallow mud banks.
Kolan River
The Kolan has been fishing great and the jacks are well and truly fired up! We have seen some very good sized fish and great numbers of them caught during the run out tide at any of the rock bars, bridges and in the deep holes. Live baits, whole sprat or prawn imitation soft plastics have been getting these fish to bite. Fishing the bottom half of the run out tide at the moment has been the prime time to be targeting the jack. The flats fishing at the mouth of this system has also seen good sized queenfish and trevally caught around the snags and schools of bait. Flicking small soft plastics has by far been the most effective way to target these species. Floating out whole sprat rigged with a very small sinker of even no weight at all has got some great results as well. Some big flathead and grunter are still around too, fishing the edges of the shallow flats during the run out tide has been the best way to target these fish. Either whole sprat and prawns or once again small soft plastics has done the trick.
Elliott River
The Elliott River is fishing very well at the moment. This river is offering some great variety with species like cod, jack and big grunter coming on the chew. These fish have been caught mainly from the deep holes and rock bars on whole prawns and sprat or soft plastics rigged weed less to get into the structure. The sand bars and yabbie beds in this river are also great places to soak a bait especially during the incoming tide. Good numbers of flathead are around as well as some quality bream and grunter. As the tide runs off these flats flicking the drop offs will put you in with a great shot at some cracking flathead and grunter as they chase the bait coming off with the tide. This river is also crabbing and prawning really well, heading up the river with the incoming tide has been the go as you can get right up the back of this system and into the action!
Baffle Creek
The standout two fish for the Baffle over the past week has definitely been mangrove jack and grunter. The mangrove jack have been smashing paddle tail soft plastic’s and prawn imitation lures worked over shallow rock bars and out of mangrove roots. If you are more into bait fishing using live or dead poddy mullet and sprat surely is a killer bait to get into the jack action. The best bite times for them is definitely first light in the mornings, last light in the afternoons and into the night. There has been plenty of grunter caught all throughout the system but the mouth seems to be the hottest spot. Slow rolling paddle tail soft plastic’s over the shallow sand bars preferably spots that have yabbie beds or small timber structures on them. The first of the run out tide and the first of the incoming tide is the preferred tides to chase them but you will definitely get a bite from a grunter at any time of the day. There’s also been some cracking whiting being caught so be sure to have the whiting rods packed to fish the incoming tide. Just like the other rivers the Baffle is also crabbing really well so be sure to put the pots in for an overnight soak if you can!
Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory is fishing really well again this week with multiple bass nudging the 50cm mark being caught. Fishing the edges of the dam with topwater lures in the low light periods has definitely seen some great results. Using topwater lures always gets some insane surface strikes and this is what makes this style of fishing so addictive! As the sun gets higher in the sky the fish have been moving deeper so small paddle tail soft plastics and small suspending hardbody lures have worked great. When fishing hardbody lures for these bass ensure to give the lure enough time to sit still after a couple of erratic twitches, this is when the bass usually bite!
Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran surely has been producing some cracking barra over the past weel. Plenty of barramundi that have been caught have been over the magic metre mark! With the rain we’ve been experiencing and getting to this time of year plenty of the barra are in the Main Basin and around the surrounding bays like Bird Bay and SDA Bay so you don’t have to travel far from the ramp at all. For those who have found good numbers of fish sitting in the deeper water in the Main Basin trolling large paddle tail soft plastic’s and deep diving hardbody lures has been the go. The standout lures to troll has been Barra Classics and Molix 140 Shads. If you want to stick to casting follow the wind to the wind blown points and bays. The Jackall Squirrels and Samaki Redics are still getting plenty of the bites in the shallower water! Remember to always fish with confidence up there, you never know when that trophy fish will jump onto your line.

18th of January 2024

Inshore
Our Inshore fishing at the moment has sure been red hot! This time of the year due to the Northerly winds we generally see a lot of bait being pushed in close and this brings in the pelagic fish. Queenfish, trevally, tuna and mackerel have been the main species being targeted and caught at the moment. When chasing these fish no matter where you are, finding the bait is key, be sure to spend the time finding the bait and then catching them is the easy part. Dropping Flasha spoons to the bottom and vertically winding them back up to the boat as fast as you can has been the standout technique getting the queenfish, trevally and mackerel to bite. Trolling whole gar or hardbody lures whilst you are trying to find the bait has also worked very well. The tuna that have been in close have mainly been mac tuna however a few big longtail’s have been starting to pop up more regularly. By far the most important thing when chasing these tuna is to match the hatch, having a few different sized metal lures ready to throw at them is crucial. Those chasing bottom fish lately have found some really good results in close with big cod, stripeys and tusk fish being the standout fish on the chew. Whole squid has been the bait getting the bites, once again finding the bait is really important as these fish won’t be far away.
Offshore
The Offshore fishing has definitely been turning it on in the short weather windows we have had! Plenty of reefies have been chewing in the Gutters, Herolds and the Warrego’s on whole pilchards and squid. The key has been to be fishing the pressure edged side of the reef, so whatever face is getting hit with the current. This is because a lot of the bait will be in this area meaning the feeding predatory fish won’t be far away. Hopping soft plastics along the reef edges has picked up some great quality trout, red throat and sweetlip with the usual cod as well. The nannygai and reds that people have been catching have come from around 40m of water and have been found on isolated structure, these fish have taken big flesh baits like mullet fillet or fresh fish fillets like a slab of hussar. Rigging these big flesh baits on a bait rig like a Buku Snapbait Hybrid Jig has seen great results for converting these big reds. Remember to fish the tide changes, the hour either side of the tide can be a great time to capitalise on a short bite window and land some cracking fish.
Burnett River
The mouth of the Burnett is producing some great quality fish this week. A heap of pelagic fish have been feeding on bait around the North Wall and at the Lighthouse. A few solid grey mackerel as well as plenty of school mackerel have also been getting around the mouth and these have been caught on trolled hardbody lures and metal spoons. For the trevally and queenfish that have been around flicking small soft plastics along the rocks has been really effective. A lot of people have also had some great quality by-catch being grunter, cod and even some good sized jack which have all been caught along the rocks. For the bait fishos whole sprat and mullet fillet has been the go to baits when fishing the North Wall and any of the rocky structures at the mouth of the river at the moment. With the amount of rain the crabbing in the Burnett and Skyringville has been on fire. The go to baits has been fish and chicken frames. Heavy Duty pots have definitely been a great investment lately as with the big tides we had last weekend a few of the light pots were either lost or had moved with the tide.
Kolan River
The Kolan River is definitely fishing great, the standout fish has been the jacks and grunter around the mouth of the river. These fish have been up the creeks at the mouth of the river and around the fallen trees. Fishing for these jack and grunter with live baits or strips of mullet fillet has worked well, soft plastics skipped into the mangroves and underneath overhanging trees has also got a good number of the jack to chew. Some big flathead have been on the move with the big tides getting these fish up onto the shallows during the run in tide and along the drop offs and in the deep holes around the low tide. Soft vibes like the new TT Quake vibes have been slaying the fish in the deeper water with jack and cod also taking these lures when worked along the rock bars. The crabbing in this river has been red hot with the recent rain we have had, the majority of the crabs have been found in the main sections of the river. Using a strong smelling bait like chicken frames and mullet fillets has helped to attract more crabs to your pots especially if there are a lot of other pots close by.
Elliott River
Like most of our local rivers at the moment the fishing and crabbing in the Elliott has been really good! Heading up this river system with the incoming tide and fishing back out with the run out tide has worked great for a lot of people this week. Great numbers of cod and jack have been caught as well as bread and butter species like bream, whiting and flathead. If you are chasing jack, cod and even grunter the rocky structures and deep holes during the run out tide have held most of the fish. Fishing these areas with live baits, whole prawns or even prawn soft plastics has worked great. If you are after a feed of bream, whiting or flathead the shallow flats during the incoming tide have been producing good numbers of these fish. Fresh yabbies or beach worms have been getting the bite from bream and whiting and whole sprat has got plenty of quality flathead to hit the deck. Flicking the sand bars with small soft plastics will also manage a great feed of fish with trevally and queenfish being regular catches at the moment.
Baffle Creek
The Baffle is certainly fishing well at the moment especially during the run out tide. Fishing deep mangrove lined banks with whole sprat and mullet has got some really good fish on the deck. Plenty of grunter and jack have been feeding during this run out tide in the dirty water. Spending the time getting some fresh bait has worked a treat, and even if you don’t have a live bait tank a simple aerator will keep your bait alive all day. Around the bottom of the tide and the start of the incoming has been a great opportunity to chase whiting, grunter and flathead on the shallow flats and yabbie beds. Pumping fresh yabbies is by far the most effective bait and using a light monofilament leader is the key to getting these finicky whiting to bite. The crabbing in this river has been really good for those who have pushed up the river system and placed their pots in the main section of river along deep banks. Any deep banks beside a creek entrance have been the hot spots for the big bucks and once again chicken frames, fish frames or whole mullet have worked great.
Lake Gregory
The topwater fishing in Lake Gregory has been really effective again this week. Fishing topwater frogs and hardbody lures in the low light periods and then fishing the deeper drop offs and weed towers during the middle of the day has still been the go to technique. Slow rolling small paddle tail soft plastics along the drop offs has been getting most of the fish. Hardbody lures twitched along the drop offs have also worked really well to get a reaction bite out of these bass if they aren’t feeding aggressively.
Lake Monduran
The Lake is the definitely still producing some really good fishing for those who are putting in the hours and many, many casts. The bite times on the Lake can be extremely unpredictable and the only way to experience these crazy times is to be on the water as much as you can. As of late there have been small windows of multiple 1m+ fish hooked up and many lost from breaking split rings, bending trebles and busted leaders. It’s safe to say these Lake Monduran barra are in incredible condition and will test your gear to its limits. Ensuring all parts of your tackle is up to scratch is paramount in landing these fish of a lifetime. In terms of where to find these fish Bird Bay and the South arm of B Bay have held a lot of fish. Casting hardbody lures along the shallow, windblown points and working them back to the boat with long pauses and erratic twitches has got the bites. Plenty of smaller 70 to 80cm fish have been around as well, these fish are great fun and can sometimes play up even more than the 1m+ models. A few big barra are still in the main basin, using your sounder to locate these fish then either trolling or casting big swimbaits past them has got the best results.

11th of January 2024

Inshore
The Inshore reefs have produced plenty of great opportunities over the last few weeks even for the smaller boats. The pelagic fish have been out and about in big schools and smashing bait right along the coastline. Common reefs like the 2mile off Bargara, Artificial off Elliott Heads and the 4 Mile south of Elliott Heads have all held a great amount of bait and this is where the pelagic fish have been. The most common fish caught have been school mackerel, mac tuna, golden trevally, as well as the odd long tail tuna, grey mackerel and some big spanish mackerel. The rocky headlands from Bargara south to Elliott Heads have also been great places to target these fish, again finding the bait is key. Flasha metal spoons have been the go to lure for the mackerel either fast wound or trolled using a paravane. Using an 80lb fluorocarbon leader has worked great as you will get plenty more bites compared to running a wire trace. When targeting the schools of tuna that have been in great numbers along our coast it pays to have a few different sized metal slugs has you need to match your bait to what they are feeding on. At the moment the Samaki 20 gram Torpedo metal slugs have been working great at matching the small bait these tuna have been feeding on.
Offshore
We had a few cracking days of weather recently and we have definitely seen plenty of people take full advantage of these weather windows whilst most have had some time off. Big spanish mackerel have been in great numbers out wide, the 5 Degree has been producing most of these big fish and trolling hardbodies or garfish has worked well. The Southern and Northern Gutters have had great shows of bait and fish with plenty of big hookups however the sharks have been a real issue. Whole squid or big slabs of flesh baits have been the go for sweetlip, trout and red emperor in these areas. Reefs like the Herolds Patches, Warregos, Boult and Lamont have produced a heap of trout and red throat. Fishing the pressure edged side of the reef with whole pilchards and squid has been really effective at these reefs.
Burnett River
Over the holiday period we have seen the Burnett produce some really good fishing for a lot of families. Whether you are after a feed of our bread and butter species like bream, whiting or flathead or if you are chasing mangrove jack, queenfish or grunter the Burnett has been fishing very well. With the amount of rain we have been getting the prawning and crabbing has also been top tier which had a lot of families eating some top quality sea food over the holidays. The rock bars in the river have been the best places to try and get a good feed of fish as of late. Big bream, grunter and flathead have been the three most commonly caught species and whole sprat or strips of mullet have got these fish to bite. Kirby’s Wall, Talon Bridge or Tofts Rocks are all great areas to try. These same areas have definitely had good numbers of jack caught from them so be prepared for a few of them, if you throw out some livies you should be in with a good chance especially on the run out tide.
Kolan River
The Kolan River has been fishing really well especially for big jack and estuary cod all throughout the river. Fishing the fallen trees at the mouth of the river, Booyan Bridge up river or any of the rock bars up Yanny Creek has been working great. Live baits fished into the night have got the best results. The bream, grunter and flathead have also been on the chew at the mouth of this river system along the shallow flats and drop offs. Fresh yabbies are worth their weight in gold for this style of fishing but small strips of mullet fillet or chook gut has been working well. Over the holidays we saw this river absolutely turn it on for the crabbers, once the word got out this river was full of pots however a lot of people managed to get a great quality feed. Figuring out exactly where the crabs are can be difficult but once you found them they were thick, deep holes directly after a shallow flat were prime locations.
Elliott River
Similar to our other rivers we saw the Elliott produce some really good fishing, crabbing and even prawning at times over the holiday period. The shallow sand bars and yabbie banks in the Elliott were the go to spots for flathead, bream and whiting with fresh yabbies, beach worms or chook gut getting the bites on the incoming tide. If you were on the water during the run out tide chasing these fish along the drop offs was very effective as these fish moved into deeper water waiting for the bait to get pushed off the shallow flats. Plenty of people got into some good jack and cod action up river by fishing the rock bars and the mangrove lined banks with either live bait or whole prawns and mullet fillet. The run out tide has definitely been the go to time to be chasing these fish and don’t be afraid to try a few spots until you find some feeding fish.
Baffle Creek
Each year during the holiday periods we see Baffle Creek become a hot spot for a lot of families due to the amount of camping options this creek has. With the amount of people fishing the river the boat noise can definitely impact the fishing and make it a little harder to get the fish to bite. This year we found those who got up early or stayed out late and fished hard during the times when not a lot of people were on the water had the best results. Fishing the rock bars leading into the night with mullet fillets or whole prawns worked really well and got some big grunter, jack and cod to bite. Most people fished the sand bars and drop offs chasing fish like flathead, grunter, bream and whiting. Although a lot of people caught these fish the best results were hands down from those using fresh yabbies or beach worms paired with a light fluorocarbon leader. Some good quality crabs were also on the move with the amount of rain this system had, placing your pots in the deeper sections of river either up creeks in deep holes or along the steep banks in the main river worked really well.
Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory is fishing really well at the moment, focusing on fishing the edges of the dam during the low light periods with topwater lures has been the key! Small unweighted topwater frog lures like the Daiwa Bait Junkie Kikker is very effective as you can hop them over the weed, and lily pads without fouling your lure up in the structure. Some good Saratoga have been feeding in areas of the dam where the leaf litter is hitting the water, these toga love to sit underneath this and wait for any insects to fall onto the water. During the middle of the day casting at the drop offs with deep diving hardbody lures or slow rolling small paddle tail soft plastics has worked best as these bass move into deeper water.
Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has been fishing well however it has not come easy due to the very inconsistent weather we have had with the rain and overcast days throwing a spanner in the works. Fishing during the rain or when it is overcast can definitely make these big barra a bit more lethargic so swapping between lures and using a very slow retrieve is your best chance at getting a bite when you are on a large school of fish. SDA Bay, Bird Bay and the south arm of B Bay have been loaded with barra and a lot of the fish being caught are coming from these locations. These barra have seen a lot of boat traffic over the holidays so being stealthy about how you approach a spot is crucial. At the moment we have seen hardbody lures be very effective pretty much all day and as the sun sets on the dam big plastics or swimbaits have been the lures of choice. Samaki Redic DS8O’s and MS90’s have been the standout hardbody lures and Berkley Shimma Pro Rigs are a great swimbait option which are ready straight out of the packet.

21st of December 2023

Inshore
The Inshore reefs have been firing up with all the baitfish currently along our coast. Fortunately we have had a few good days of weather this week and there has been plenty of fish caught in close. The standout fish have been the pelagic’s, a lot of tuna, mackerel, queenfish and trevally have been around. In particular there has been some great sized school, grey and spanish mackerel feeding all along our coast. Finding the bait has been key, start by looking at the pressure edged side of the reef, wreck or headland you are fishing as this is where the bait should be. For the mackerel trolling whole garfish has worked great when you are trying to cover plenty of ground. If you have found where the mackerel are then dropping a Flasha spoon to the bottom and ripping it in as fast as you can will get the bite. The schools of tuna have been feeding on tiny bait so matching the hatch has been very important to get these fish to bite. There has been plenty of mac tuna around but more longtail’s are starting to come in close and some cracking fish have been landed out of these schools as well.
Offshore
The offshore fishing has been red hot! The couple of good days of weather this week has allowed a few lucky anglers to head out wide and it has sure been paying off for most. The bottom fishing has been where its at with some cracking sized trout, red emperor, tusk fish, cod and some huge cobia being the main fish caught. In particular the amount of red emperor caught and the quality of these fish has been outstanding. These big reds have been caught at a variety of marks however most have come off reefs towards Lady Musgrave. Finding isolated structure with a healthy amount of bait is the go when it comes to finding these big reds. Flesh baits like mullet fillet or fresh hussar fillet and whole squid or cuttlefish have been the best baits for these fish. If you are into lure fishing you can’t go past a Cast ‘on the drop’ 100 or 150 gram jig and a Nomad 150mm Squidtrex depending on depth of water and current. Some of the reefs producing great bottom fishing at the moment have been the Warregos, Herold Patches, 15 Mile Gutter and the Northern Gutter. The go to baits have been whole pilchards, squid and flesh baits like fillets. Be sure to make the most out of your tide changes and fish where the bait is!
Burnett River
The fishing and crabbing in the Burnett has sure been top tier again this week with plenty of variety on the fishing front and some ripper bucks caught in the river. With the big tides last week we did see a lot of the better quality crabs being found in the main channels and along steep muddy banks however with the smaller tides this week the crabs have been finding there way into the shallows again. As the tides increase leading into the full moon next Wednesday we should see these crabs move into the deeper channels and holes again. Chicken necks and frames as well as fish frames seem to have been the ideal baits so far.
The standout fish being caught in the Burnett has got to be big grunter and mangrove jack. These fish have comes from the rock walls especially during a run out tide and have been caught on mainly soft plastics and soft vibes hopped along the structure. Live baits have also been the go for this style of fishing, drifting your live bait out with the current and feeding out line every few minutes to cover a bit of ground has worked well. The North Wall, Kirby’s Wall and Tofts Rocks are all places well worth a look and you are in with a good chance at finding a flathead, cod and a trevally as well.
Kolan River
The Kolan is definitely fishing really well at the moment, and similar to the Burnett big jack and grunter have been the main two fish that have been on the chew! The rocky structures up the top of the river system have held most of these fish with live bait being by far the most effective method. The afternoon run out tide has been the go to time to be fishing the rocky structure’s like rock bars, ledges and even the bridges in the river. The mouth of the river has also seen some great sized flathead and grunter caught around the fallen trees and the drop offs. Soft plastics and soft vibes have been the go to lures for these fish in this area of the river as you can cover a lot of ground and find the feeding fish. The crabbing in this river has been absolutely outstanding as well! The crab have been all over the river but in particular the deep holes is where it’s at. Finding deep holes up a creek with muddy mangrove banks either side are great places to throw the pots in for a 24 hour soak.
Elliott River
Like most of our local rivers at the moment the fishing and crabbing in the Elliott has been red hot! Venturing up this river system with the incoming tide and fishing back out with the run out tide has worked great for a lot of people this week. Great numbers of cod and jack have been caught as well as bread and butter species like bream, whiting and flathead. If you are chasing jack, cod and even grunter try fishing the rocky structures and deep holes during the run out tide with live baits or prawn soft plastics. If you are after a feed of bream, whiting or flathead the shallow flats during the incoming tide have been producing good numbers of these fish. Fresh yabbies or beach worms have been getting the bite from bream and whiting and whole sprat has got plenty of quality flathead to hit the deck. Flicking the sand bars with small soft plastics will also manage a great feed of fish with trevally and queenfish being regular catches at the moment. The crabbing up the back of this system has been really good as well, leading into next week’s full moon on Wednesday we should see it continue to get better. Placing your pots along the deeper banks and in any deep holes up the creek as the tides increase will put you in with a great chance at some delicious muddy’s!
Baffle Creek
The Baffle has been another one of our local rivers producing some great fish at the moment. The summer species in particular mangrove jack and cod have been on the chew but also plenty of other species have been on the move and feeding as well. At the mouth of the river system during an incoming tide we have seen small schools of queenfish and trevally very active and harassing bait. Targeting the fallen trees at the mouth of the river during the incoming tide with small soft plastics like the Daiwa Baitjunkie 3.2 inch minnows has worked well. Imparting an erratic action into the lure to make it stand out amongst the other baitfish is your best shot at getting these fish to bite. The jack and cod have definitely been feeding most aggressively during the run out tide and they have been loving live bait and small fillets. Fishing the rock bars has been the most effective places to target but deep holes with fallen trees in them and mangrove lined banks has also seen some very good quality fish caught.
Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory has been fishing well with some great sized fish being caught again this week. Topwater lures around the edges of the dam has been the most effective way to catch these fish during the low light periods on the dam. The Chasebaits Flexi Frog’s and Daiwa Slippery Dog’s have been the standout lures getting the bites when it comes to the topwater fishing. When the sun is higher up and there isn’t many shadows being cast over the dam these bass have been moving deeper. Slow rolling a Daiwa 3.2inch Baitjunkie along the edges and dropping it down into any schools of bass or even down beside the weed towers has worked great. The natural coloured soft plastics have been getting more of the fish this week so definitely keep your lure looking as natural as possible. A few solid saratoga are still around and in particular have been caught whilst targeting bass on topwater lures in the shallows during the low light periods. If you are wanting to target these fish be sure to be in areas where a lot of leaf litter from the trees is landing on the water. These saratoga love to sit underneath this leaf litter waiting for bugs and insects to land on the water.
Lake Monduran
Fishing on the Lake has been tough this week as the fish have well and truly spread back out from the main basin and have dispersed into the bays. Finding good numbers of fish has been hard but there are bays in the dam that are holding a heap of fish at the moment so be persistent and trust in your electronics to find the fish. Some huge fish are still sitting in the shallows and plenty of smaller fish around 70cm have been in there with them. Targeting these fish with suspending jerk baits like Samaki Redic DS80’s and MS90’s has got a lot of the bites. Slow rolling Berkley Shimma Pro Rigs and Molix Shads has also got some good bites especially leading into the night. Remember to fish the windblown bays and points and when sounding for fish be extremely stealthy particularly when in shallow water.

14th of December 2023

Inshore
This time of year we generally see a lot of bait fish all along our coast. This results in some outstanding pelagic fishing with long tail tuna, mac tuna, queenfish, trevally, school mackerel, spanish mackerel and even grey mackerel all being caught. These fish are all very bait orientated so finding the bait is key! Fishing the pressure edges has been where most of the action has taken place, but of course keep a close eye out for birds working in the sky and any bust ups along the water. This is a dead giveaway that there is bait and normally predatory fish in this area. Throwing small metal lures through the schools of tuna has been very effective, as well as this topwater lures especially stickbaits have worked great too. Throwing topwater along the reefs pressure edges has also seen big trevally, and mackerel caught. Trolling whole garfish or floating out whole pilchards whilst fishing the reefs are two methods which have been picking up the mackerel as well.
Offshore
The Offshore fishing has definitely been turning it on in the short weather windows we have had! Plenty of reefies have been chewing in the Gutters, Herolds and the Warrego’s on whole pilchards and squid. The key has been to be fishing the pressure edged side of the reef, so whatever face is getting hit with the current. This is because a lot of the bait will be in this area meaning the feeding predatory fish won’t be far away. Hopping soft plastics along the reef edges has picked up some great quality trout, red throat and sweetlip with the usual cod as well. The nannygai and reds that people have been catching have come from around 40m of water and have been found on isolated structure, these fish have taken big flesh baits like mullet fillet or fresh fish fillets like a slab of hussar. Rigging these big flesh baits on a bait rig like a Buku Snapbait Hybrid Jig has seen great results for converting these big reds.
Burnett River
The Burnett is fishing really well, the rain has definitely stirred this system up and as a result we have not only seen this river fish great but also produce good numbers of crab. With the big tides at the moment we have seen most of the crab being found in the main channels and along deep, steep muddy banks. Using plenty of bait in your pots has definitely helped especially when there are a few other pots in close proximity. As the tide slows down next week it will be a good idea to place your pots up the creeks and in the shallower locations again. The jack fishing in the Burnett has been on! Fishing the rock bars is absolutely where it’s at, these jack have been firing during both the run in and the run out tide. Fishing the pressure points along the rock walls has found good numbers of fish and some cracking jack well over 50cm being caught. Slow rolled soft plastics has no doubt been the lures getting most of the bites, other than lures live baits have been killing it as well!
Kolan River
The Kolan has been turning it on for your mangrove jack and flathead over the past week! The mangrove jack have been chewing hard on paddle tail soft plastics with 3” and 5” being the standout sizes. Slow rolling them over the shallow rock bars on the out going tide seems to be the best bite times. Also hard body lures and prawn imitation lures have been doing the trick as well. The flathead have been loving small soft vibes hoped over sand bars preferably bars that have yabbie banks on them. The new MMD Flatfish 140’s surely have been getting the bites as well. Make sure you don’t forget to drop the crab pots in with new moon tides we have this weekend.
Elliott River
With the new moon this week the morning tides are quite large which is perfect for your whiting fishing and crabbing. The high tide is around midday so pumping yabbies early in the morning and fishing the incoming tide should get you a nice feed of whiting. On the crabbing front focusing on the small drains with the bigger tides will be a great idea. Also there’s been plenty of life towards the mouth of this river with queenfish and school mackerel being some of the standout fish caught. Throwing Flasha spoons and surface lures has been the standout techniques. The best time to chase them is usually early in the mornings or late in the afternoons when the bait is on the move.
Baffle Creek
The Baffle has been fishing really well, the standout two fish that have been on the chew over the past week has definitely been mangrove jack and flathead. Great numbers of large flathead have been caught at the mouth of the river system, paddle tail soft plastics hopped along the sand bars and the drop offs has worked great. Pink or chartreuse coloured soft plastics have been the go to colours. The mangrove jack have been smashing paddle tail soft plastic’s and prawn imitation lures worked over shallow rock bars and out of mangrove roots. The run out tide has been the ideal time to be targeting these fish, fishing areas where the tide is hitting are always great places to try for a jack. If you are more into bait fishing using live or dead poddy mullet and sprat surely is a killer bait to get into the jack action. The crabbing in this river with the rain we have had recently has definitely picked up, placing your pots up the creeks in the deep holes or along a steep bank has worked well. Chicken frames and mullet heads are two great baits to be using in your pots.
Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory has been fishing well around the edges of the lake, the bass have been up in the shallows and along the drop offs. Fishing small soft plastics and surface lures in the shallows has worked well and hardbody lures twitched down and along the drop offs has got the fish which are sitting deeper to bite. Daiwa bait Junkie 3.2inch minnows rigged weed-less have been killer when rigged either unweighted or with a small weight when fishing the shallows. Good numbers of saratoga are definitely still feeding along edges of the dam where a lot of the leaf litter from the trees are landing. Small chunks of garfish floated out has worked well and like always topwater lures are a great way to target these toga.
Lake Monduran
The Lake has definitely fished tougher this week due to a slighter lower barometric pressure which has caused the barra to be more lethargic. This dropping air pressure causes the barra’s swim bladder to expand, resulting in them feeling uncomfortable and sometimes sitting lower in the water column to try and equalize this feeling. The anglers who have still found success have focused very hard on the bite times throughout the day, and have worked their lures slower to account for these fish being less inclined to feed. When conditions aren’t ideal on the dam it is a good idea to make it as easy as possible for a barra to eat your lure. This starts with your retrieve, implementing plenty of long pauses when using a hardbody or rolling a soft plastic or swimbait as slow as possible will definitely help. Also, getting your lure right in front of the barra’s face, so working out roughly how deep they are sitting and getting your lure to that depth is key. The Samaki Redic DS80’s and MS90’s along with the Berkley Shimma Pro Rigs have been the lures doing the damage on these barra in the tougher conditions.

7/12/23

Inshore
The inshore reefs have been full of life the past couple of weeks! Plenty of pelagic’s have been getting caught with mackerel and tuna being the main two species. The standout two areas have definitely been the artificial reef off the Elliot and the 2mile off Bargara. Fishing these area’s with 50g Flasha spoons vertically fast retrieved off the bottom surely will get you into the mackerel action. Be sure to set a live bait or float a pilchard out the back as well. There’s been plenty of birds working on the surface with the amount of bait around at the moment and there has been mackerel and tuna spread all through them. Motoring up within casting distance and cutting your outboard and throwing in slugs and soft plastic’s should definitely get you into some arm stretching fish as well!

Offshore
The offshore fishing earlier this week was red hot! Plenty of trophy sized coral trout and red emperor were caught. A lot of the trout were caught in around 18 meters of water either on pilchard or prawn imitation lures. Fishing the shallows early in the mornings when the sun is still low is definitely a great time to put some trouty’s on the deck, you will also get plenty of red throat emperor as a welcomed by catch as well while using those techniques. The red emperor have been chewing in around 40 meters of water. The go to baits has been big flesh baits, live bait and squid. With red fishing making the most out of the bite times in the tide is very important. Usually one hour either side of the top or bottom of the tide is the time to fish your favourite red spots. Fingers crossed the weather gives us a chance to head back out to the reef again soon!

Burnett River
The Burnett has had a great week of fishing, crabbing and there has even been some good numbers of prawns getting around. The rain earlier this week and over the weekend definitely did wonders for the crabbing and prawning. This rain always gets the crabs out of their holes and makes them move around a lot more, due to this placing your pots at the entrance of small creeks and in deeper holes or along steep mud banks will be a great idea. Mullet frames and heads as well as chicken frames have been the best baits for the mud crabs so far. The prawns have been found around the Port, a quality sounder to find the good numbers of prawn schooled up is really helpful and means you don’t need to do as many throws of the net. A top pocket cast net especially in the deeper water will ensure these prawns won’t escape, a 10 foot net is a great all round net and isn’t too heavy to throw if you are learning. The fishing has also been red hot with the creeks firing up as they are full of bait with all of the rain we have had. Great sized mangrove jack have been caught on the rock bars during the run out tide on live bait and whole prawns. Big flathead and grunter have also been around the rock walls with soft vibes being the go to way to catch these fish.

Elliott River
The Elliott has been crabbing really well with the recent rain that we have had, pushing right up this system during the run in tide to place your pots in the deep holes up river has been working a treat. Good numbers of prawns have also been in a few of the deep holes so make sure to have a good look at your sounder as you pass through any holes. Some ripper mangrove jack have been coming from this system, live bait has for sure been the go to method to catch these big fish. Finding bait hanging around structure is what to look for, drifting a live bait or a whole prawn into the structure with the current and a lightly weighted sinker has been doing the damage. Some big cod have been caught as by-catch however for most they are a welcomed catch especially when they are of legal size. Towards the mouth of this river system we have seen good sized queenfish around the 70cm mark feeding on bait during the incoming tide, these fish will follow the bait so once again finding the bait is key. Good areas to look are areas that are getting hit hard with the current. Flicking soft plastics or surface lures around these areas has been getting the bites. As always there has been plenty of 40 to 50cm flathead being caught along the drop offs and up in the shallows. Try fishing the shallows during the run in tide and the drop offs as the tide runs out, natural coloured soft plastics have definitely been the go to on these flatties.

Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek has definitely fired up with the rain, the stand out fish on the chew has been the mangrove jack. Most of these fish have been caught on the rock bars and up the creeks on fallen trees. The run out tide has been the go to time to be chasing these fish and live baits like poddy mullet have been getting the bite! For the lure fisho’s we have seen topwater frog lures skipped deep into structure being incredibly effective so far this season on the jack. This method works really well when you are trying to cover ground and get a reaction bite from the fish. Towards the mouth of the river we have seen various flats fishing really well for flathead, grunter and some big whiting have been around during the big tides. Flicking small soft plastics over the weed has got the bite. With the rain we have also seen the crabs start to get on the move, placing your pots around the mouth of creeks has worked great especially if there is a drop off or deep hole.

Lake Gregory
With the overcast weather over the weekend and earlier this week we saw a lot of bass being caught on topwater lures whilst they were right up in the shallows. This style of fishing is super fun as you watch the bass come up onto your lure right before they smack it and try to bury you in the weed. Frog imitation lures were the most effective as they can pretty much be retrieved over anything without snagging up. Covering ground when doing this style of fishing is key, once you get a hit you can try a few more casts in that area as it is likely there is some more feeding fish close by. During the sunnier days we have found that slow rolling paddle tail soft plastics along the drop offs has worked best, as well as twitching suspending jerk baits.

Lake Monduran
Mondy has been on fire as of late with up to 10 metre plus fish being caught in a session for some anglers! Even if you’re not an experienced barra fisher all you need to do is get yourself a 6” Berkley Shimma Pro Rig or a Molix 140 Shad and troll the Main Basin and you are in with a real chance of landing a meter plus barra! This time of year these fish in the main basin seem to sit at the thermocline level around the 5-7m mark so when you are trolling or casting you need to make sure your lure is getting down to them and that’s why Berkley Shimma Pros and the Molix 140’s work so well. Weighing 50-60g each it really helps to get them down and in the barra’s face. If you don’t like to troll casting the points and bays with fish on it has been producing but this method will see smaller fish around 60-80cm being a lot more common. Remember to fish the wind blown points and bays as this is where the warmer water is and the feeding fish should be.

30/11/23

Inshore
Last weekend was sure a ripper opportunity to head out and catch a few great quality fish! We saw some epic captures from Inshore to out wide. The standout fish along the inshore reefs has definitely been the coral trout. Team member Mitch drifted reefs that were holding a good amount of bait whilst working vibes off the bottom and found some great quality fish for our Inshore reefs. Plenty of good sized cod and stripeys are around as well, prawn imitation lures and soft vibes have by far been the lures getting the bites! Great numbers of pelagic fish have been on the move as well, queenfish, trevally, mac tuna, long tail tuna, school mackerel and some big spanish have all been getting around with the schools of bait. Trolling hardbody lures first up in the mornings or late in the afternoon has been perfect for the mackerel. For the tuna small metal lures or soft plastics fast retrieved through the school has got the bites!

Offshore
Last weekend saw some cracking fish caught on a range of techniques on the offshore reefs. Big trout, sweetlip, tusk fish, cobia and red throat emperor were on the chew. Whole squid and flesh baits were great options for those targeting these bottom fish. With the big tides a lot of the fish came from the hour either side of the tide in the morning and again in the afternoon. Focusing your efforts and even fishing your favorite spots around the tide changes is always a great idea. The Gutters, Warregos and the Herolds all fished well, finding areas of the reef that had a lot of bait definitely worked best as the majority of fish were in these areas and they were feeding!

Burnett River
The bigger tides due to the full moon earlier this week definitely saw the Burnett produce some quality fish. Plenty of small grunter have been around the rocky structures and bridges in the Town Reach. These fish have ate whole prawns and small soft plastics or soft vibes. The rock bars and bridges have also produced some great quality flathead, cod and jack this week. Live baits have been the go to when fishing for these species around the rocks, paddle tail soft plastics and deep diving hardbody lures have also worked very well around these areas. The mouth of the Burnett along the rock walls is where a lot of the bigger grunter and flathead have been caught. Finding schools of bait hanging around the rocks is a really good place to start as these fish will usually be close by. Some great pelagic fish like trevally and queenfish have also been chewing with the big tides. The rock walls and bridges are ideal places to target these fish, however finding the baitfish is key. When you have found the bait try hopping soft plastics through and around the bait quite erratically to trigger a bite. Some great numbers of crab have been found in the main sections of the river with the big tides forcing these crabs out of the shallows. Whole mullet or fish frames have been the ideal baits to be using. Better numbers of prawns are also being found around the Port, a quality sounder has helped to find the school and the run out tide has been when they have been easier to find.

Elliott River
The Elliott River is still fishing great, the big tides have pushed a lot of bait up the river and the jacks are chewing hard! Some big queenfish and trevally have been on the flats during the incoming tide, these fish have taken whole sprat floated out or surface lures. Good sized flathead have been in the shallows during the run in tide and along the drop offs as the tide runs out. The deep holes have held plenty of grunter, cod and jack with live baits being the go to. Up the creeks has seen the jack fishing turn it on! Hardbody lures cast at structure has got to be the most effective way to target them in this river at the moment. Venturing up the river with the incoming tide and fishing the 2 hours either side of the high tide has been working great. The crabbing in this river has also been red hot! Heading up the creek during the high tide to place your pots is your best bet as you can get right into the honey holes!

Baffle Creek
The standout two fish for the Baffle over the past week has definitely been mangrove jack and flathead. The mangrove jack have been smashing paddle tail soft plastic’s and prawn imitation lures worked over shallow rock bars and out of mangrove roots. If you are more into bait fishing using live or dead poddy mullet and sprat surely is a killer bait to get into the jack action. The best bite times for them is definitely first light in the mornings, last light in the afternoons and into the night. There has been plenty of flathead caught all throughout the system but the mouth seems to be the hottest spot. Slow rolling paddle tail soft plastic’s over the shallow sand bars preferably spots that have yabbies beds or small timber structures on them. The first of the runout tide is the preferred tide to chase them but you will definitely get a bite from a flathead at any time of the day. There’s also been some cracking whiting being caught so be sure to have the whiting rods packed to fish the incoming tide. With the rain we’ve been experiencing the crabs have started to get on the move so definitely drop the pots in for a feed of muddies!

Kolan River
The Kolan River is definitely fishing great, the standout fish has been the jacks around the mouth of the river. These fish have been up the creeks at the mouth of the river and around the fallen trees. Fishing for these jack with live baits or strips of mullet fillet has worked well, soft plastics skipped into the mangroves and underneath overhanging trees has also got a good number of fish to chew. Some big flathead and grunter have been on the move with the big tides getting these fish up onto the shallows during the run in tide and along the drop offs and in the deep holes around the low tide. Soft vibes like the new TT Quake vibes have been slaying the fish in the deeper water with jack and cod also taking these lures when worked along the rock bars. The crabbing in this river has been red hot with the recent rain we have had, the majority of the crabs have been found in the main sections of the river. Using a strong smelling bait like fish frames and mullet fillets has helped to attract more crabs to your pots especially if there are a lot of other pots close by.

Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory has definitely been fishing well with some great sized fish being caught again this week. Topwater lures around the edges of the dam has been the most effective way to catch these fish. The Chasebaits Flexi Frog’s have been the standout lure getting the bites. These lures are super snag resistant allowing you to hop them over the lily pads to target those fish right up in the shallows. A few solid saratoga have also been caught whilst targeting these bass on topwater lures in the shallows. If you are wanting to target these fish be sure to be in areas where a lot of leaf litter from the trees is landing on the water. These saratoga love to sit underneath this leaf litter waiting for bugs and insects to land on the water. The overcast days has meant that the bass have been staying up in the shallows for longer, if the sun does start to come out during the middle of the day targeting the drop offs has found the fish has they move into the deeper water. Slow rolling paddle tail soft plastics like the Daiwa Baitjunkie 3.2inch minnows along the weedy drop offs has got good numbers of fish to bite.

Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran surely has been turning it on over the past week. Plenty of barramundi have been caught over the magic metre! With the rain we’ve been experiencing and getting to this time of year plenty of the barra are in the Main Basin and Bird Bay so you don’t have to travel far from the ramp at all. The fish are all throughout these areas but in the deeper spots seem to be the main go too. Plenty of anglers have leaned towards trolling large paddle tail soft plastic’s and deep diving hardbody lures. The standout lures to troll has been Barra Classics and Molix 140 Shads. If you want to stick to casting follow the wind to the wind blown points and bays. The Jackall Squirrels and Samaki Redics are still getting plenty of the bites in the shallower water! Remember to always fish with confidence up there, you never know when that trophy fish will jump onto your line.

23/11/23
Inshore
With the full moon early next week the tides are building and the inshore reefs should be ON this weekend! There’s been some ripper fish being caught with schoolie mackerel, spanish mackerel, grunter and snapper being the standout captures. Plenty of the schoolies and spanish have been caught on 50g flasha spoons vertically fast retrieved off the bottom, it is always a good idea to have a pilchard or live bait set out the back while fishing your metal lures. Targeting grunter and late seasoned snapper with 20g soft vibes and prawn imitation soft plastic’s is a great way to get yourself into the action. If you are more into bait fishing using squid and prawns with a lightly weighted sinker is also an effective way to get the bite. First light in the mornings and last light in the afternoons is always a great bite time to chase them.

Offshore
With the good moon phase the offshore reefs should be firing this weekend! With the larger tides in the mornings, fishing the shallower water for coral trout and red throat emperors first thing will be a cracker of an idea. Fishing for these species in 12 meters to 25 meters is a great place to start. Using pilchards as bait or prawn imitation soft plastics is a very effective way to get the bites. If you want to fish the deeper water for your red emperor it is hard to go past using big flesh baits or live baits for them but if you are more into your lure game the Nomad Squidtrex’s surely has been getting plenty of the bites. Targeting the reds in around 40 meters of water is a great place to start. Let’s just hope the weather plays the game for us!

Burnett River
With the recent rain we have seen the Burnett fish very well up the creeks and along the rock walls with great numbers of jack, cod and grunter being caught. These fish have definitely been caught most during the run out tide and have been in areas with a good amount of current. Whole prawns and sprat have worked great for all of these species but live bait has got the big jacks to chew! Fishing the rock walls and bridges with soft vibes or prawn imitation soft plastics has also worked very well for the lure fishos on all of these species. Towards the mouth of the river has seen some school mackerel and plenty of queenfish around the rock walls. These fish have been around bait and will often times show themselves as they feed on the bait. Fast retrieved small metal lures or soft plastics have got these fish to bite. With the rain keep an eye around the port for some better numbers of prawns to show up too!

Elliott River
The Elliott sure is fishing great, the jacks, cod and big grunter have been on the chew in the deep holes. Whole prawns have been a great bait to use, rigging these on a running ball sinker with as light of a weight as you can has worked well. Fishing the structure with hardbody lures like Samaki Redic DS80’s and MS90’s has worked great as well. The shallow sand flats have produced some good whiting action during the run in tide. With the full moon coming up these fish are only going to be on the chew more. Fresh yabbies are definitely the go to bait, using a very light leader and some red tubing and beads will get you the bite. Great numbers of flathead have also been caught up in the shallows during the incoming tide, flicking around some small soft plastics in a pink or chartreuse colour has worked well. During the run out tide some soft vibes hopped along the drop offs has picked up some bigger flathead as well.

Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek has definitely fired up with the rain, the stand out fish on the chew has no doubt been the mangrove jack. The run out tide has been the go to time to be chasing these fish, the rock bars in the main sections of river have been producing great numbers and quality sized fish. Live baits are the ideal bait at the moment, the lure fishos have had great success on hardbody lures like Jackall Squirrels and Samaki Redic’s as well as prawn imitation soft plastics. Fishing up the creeks has also produced some cracking fish, topwater lures like the Chasebaits Flexi Frog has been a great way to target these fish during the high tide when they are deep in the structure. Targeting the deeper lay downs and scattered timber with soft plastics during the run out tide have got the bites as these jack have been sitting slightly deeper. the flats have produced good numbers of flathead and grunter, finding areas away from the weed has worked best. Small soft plastics have been working great on these fish, the Daiwa bait Junkie 3.2inch minnows have been slaying them!

Kolan River
The Kolan has been fishing great and the jacks are firing up! We have seen some very good sized fish and great numbers of them caught during the run out tide at any of the rock bars, bridges and in the deep holes. Live baits and prawn imitation soft plastics have been the key to getting these fish to bite. With the full moon on Monday we will definitely see a lot more of these fish caught as they feed with the bigger tides. The flats fishing at the mouth of this system has also seen good sized queenfish and trevally caught around the snags and schools of bait. Flicking small soft plastics has by far been the most effective way to target these species. Some big flathead and grunter are still around as well, fishing the edges of the shallow flats during the run out tide has been the best way to target these fish. Either whole sprat and prawns or once again small soft plastics has done the trick.

Lake Gregory
The lake has produced some great sessions this week, the overcast weather meant a lot of the fishing has been done around the edges of the dam as these bass have been up in the shallows. Topwater lures like the Chasebaits Flexi Frog or small paddle tail soft plastics rigged unweighted and slow rolled just under the surface have been dynamite! Fishing the windblown areas of the dam has been most successful as a lot of the bait has been in these area. Once you get a couple of bites in one area focus your attention around there as people have been pulling good numbers of fish from the same area.

Lake Monduran
The fishing on the dam has still been red hot with plenty of fish between 100 and 110cm being caught. The main basin has been producing a lot of these big barra with trolling being the standout method. With the fish sitting around the 5 to 6m mark trolling 15ft diving hardbodies like Barra Classics and RMG Scorpions has worked really well. Molix 140 and 6.5inch Berkley Shimma Pro Rigs have also been great options. Sounding up where these barra are sitting and casting big swimbaits at them has also got them to bite. The banks opposite the boat ramp have produced some great fish so far this season as well as along the buoy line. The wind blown bays and points have definitely still produced some cracking fish up in the shallows on the points. The brand new Samaki Redic MS90’s have been slaying the barra up in the shallows, if the fish are sitting deeper try a Samaki Redic DS80. Natural coloured hardbodies have been working best at the moment, as well as natural coloured swimbaits like the Berkley Shimma Pro Rigs.

16/11/23
Inshore
With the last of the reef closures done and dusted for the year we are now able to get out and fish the reefs as soon as there is another weather window. The inshore reefs have been fishing very well with a heap of pelagic’s such as spanish mackerel and school mackerel being the standout fish being caught. Trolling gar and hard body lures first light in the mornings has definitely been the standout technique to get the bite from the spanish mackerel. With the schoolies fast retrieving 50g Flasha spoons vertically off the bottom has been killing it. Some very big queenfish have been caught on the pressure edges around the 4mile and artificial off Elliott Heads as well as around the Leads at Burnett Heads. Topwater lures like poppers or stickbaits are really effective for these fish but make sure to find the bait, this has been the key to finding the quality fish.

Offshore
When the weather has permitted we have also seen the offshore fishing turning it on for us! Plenty of red emperor, coral trout and grassy sweet lip have been getting caught. Using pilchards and live bait has been doing the trick for the trouty’s and grassy sweetlip. Big flesh baits has been doing the trick for the reds with mullet and tuna fillets being the go to. If you’re more into lure fishing using prawn imitation lures such as Samaki Golden Carrots has been doing the trick. Some monster cobia have been around the wrecks and any big drop offs and ledges along the reef edge. Big flesh baits or whole squid and cuttlefish have been super effective on these fish. Small jigs and soft plastics are also a great way to target these cobia for the lure fishos. Remember to always make the most out of the tide changes out there, one hour either side of the tide surely can put some fish on your deck.

Burnett River
The Burnett is fishing really well again this week. Great numbers of flathead, cod and grunter are being caught around the rock walls with whole prawns or prawn imitation soft plastics being the stand out baits. The better quality fish have come from areas with a bit of current so sand bars and drop offs as well as the rock walls during a run out tide are great places to try. With the warm weather the water temp is rising which has led to some cracking sized jack being caught around the rock walls and fallen trees. Live baits and strips of mullet fillet have been the go to baits for these jack, fishing into the night has also worked great especially for the better quality fish.

Elliott River
The Elliott River is fishing very well at the moment. This river is offering some great variety with species like cod, jack and big grunter coming on the chew. These fish have been caught mainly from the deep holes and rock bars on whole prawns and sprat or soft plastics rigged weed less to get into the structure. The sand bars and yabbie beds in this river are also great places to soak a bait especially during the incoming tide. Good numbers of flathead are around as well as some quality bream and grunter. As the tide runs off these flats flicking the drop offs will put you in with a great shot at some cracking flathead and grunter as they chase the bait coming off with the tide.

Baffle Creek
Although the Baffle has had quite a lot of snot weed in it the fishing has been really good. Finding areas away from the weed has definitely worked well for a lot of people. Great sized flathead and grunter have been on the sand flats especially towards the mouth of the river, these fish have been right up in the shallows during the run in tide and on the drop offs as the tide runs out. Small hardbody lures like a Daiwa Double Clutch and curl tail soft plastics twitched over the flats have got the bite from these fish. Topwater lures worked along the shallows have also been really effective and this will keep you from catching a lot of the weed that has been getting around. The snags at the mouth of the river have also seen some big trevally and queenfish schools hanging around them during the incoming tide. Small soft plastics like Zman 3 inch Minnows hopped around the trees has been very effective. The creeks and rock bars have definitely seen more jack being caught with live baits being by far the most effective option.

Kolan River
The Kolan is having another great week of fishing. Good numbers of flathead, grunter, trevally and queenfish have been around this week. Fishing the top of the incoming tide over the sand flats and the drop offs as the tide begins to run out are a great way to find these species. The snags at the mouth of the river have been holding plenty of bait and the pelagic fish have been feeding on them as the tide runs. Flicking soft plastics around the edges of the structure has worked well on these pelagic fish. Up river around the rock bars and in the deep holes has seen good numbers of jack caught on whole live or dead baits like prawns, sprat and poddy mullet. The run out tide has been the best time to target these fish, finding a good amount of bait hanging in a deep hole or along a rock bar is a great place to start.

Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory is fishing really well again this week with multiple bass nudging the 50cm mark being caught. Fishing the edges of the dam with topwater lures in the low light periods has definitely seen some great results. Using topwater lures always gets some insane surface strikes and this is what makes this style of fishing so addictive! As the sun gets higher in the sky the fish have been moving deeper so small paddle tail soft plastics and small suspending hardbody lures have worked great. When fishing hardbody lures for these bass ensure to give the lure enough time to sit still after a couple of erratic twitches, this is when the bass usually bite!

Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has absolutely been turning it on lately and this week is no different. Some monster barra well over the magic metre mark are being caught all throughout the dam. These fish have been feeding hard during the bite windows, these short bite times can change your session on the dam drastically. Being on fish during these bite windows is definitely a great idea to capitalize on the opportunity and get some fish in the boat. Lucky Craft 78XD pointers and Jackall Squirrel 79SP’s have been the two jerk baits getting most of the bites. Swimbait lures like the Molix 120’s or Berkley Shimma Pro Rigs have also accounted for some very big fish this week. Fishing areas of the dam that have been getting hit by the wind will be key!

9/11/23
Inshore
Tomorrow is Friday the 10th of November marks the last of this years Coral Reef Fin Fish Closures. This 5 day closure will finish at midnight on Tuesday the 14th and this limits targeting, catching and keeping of our Coral Reef Fin Fish species.
Fortunately during this closure we are permitted to target pelagic species like tuna, mackerel, queenfish and GT to name a few. This time of year we usually see great numbers of these pelagic fish along our coastline due to the amount of bait fish that congregate in our inshore reefs. This has sure been the case again this year with some ripper catches. Targeting the pressure edges of our reefs has definitely been working well and areas with a lot of bait have been producing the better numbers of fish. Good sized stripey’s, moses perch and cod have been caught at the common wrecks and reefs on whole prawns and squid so once we get another opportunity to target these species definitely have a crack. The odd coral trout have been chewing in areas around the bait however lures have been the standout technique to get these fish to bite. These inshore trout can be hard to come by, fishing marks that get less fishing pressure will give you a much better chance at finding a few of these trout.

Offshore
This time of year we don’t get a heap of extended periods of great weather so the short and sometimes unexpected weather windows is when most of the offshore fishing gets done. Having a lot of your gear organized and ready to go when the weather turns it on surely is a handy trick to get you on the water sooner! When we have been able to head out wide we have seen plenty of cracking sized coral trout being caught at the Herold’s, Warrego’s and in the Gutters. Whole squid and pilchards rigged on gang hooks have been getting the bites as well as fresh livies if you can get a few on your trip out. Great sized large mouth nannygai have also been caught off similar ground to these trout. Utilizing your side scan to find isolated patches of reef or rock situated away from other structures is always the go when chasing these fish as well as big red emperor. Sending down big mullet fillets or fresh hussar fillets as well as whole squid or cuttlefish have been the best way to get the bite from these fish. Sometimes these fish can be quite hard to get bites from, making the most out of the one hour either side of the tide can surely change your day and put some cracking fish in your esky.

Burnett River
The Burnett River sure is fishing well again this week, those who have found areas away from the weed that has been in the river have had the best results. Great numbers of small grunter have been all throughout the river with some big fish over 60cm being caught along the rock bars. These fish have been feeding during the run out tide, targeting pressure edges created from these rock bars has worked well. Whole sprat and prawns have been the go to bait and small soft plastics 3 to 4 inches in length have done the trick for the lure fishos. Some very nice sized jack have continued to be caught around the rock walls this week, live baits and strips of mullet fillet have been the go to baits. Hardbody lures like Samaki Redic’s slow wound along the rock walls and bridge pylons have also got a fair few to bite. For those chasing the flatties there has been some great fish caught. Prawn imitation soft plastics like the Shads Lures Tuff Prawn have been doing the damage on these fish. The better numbers of flatties have been caught around the rock walls, targeting the base of the rock wall where the rock meets sand has seen best results.

Elliott River
The Elliott is definitely fishing well, great numbers of small flathead have been around and feeding hard. The best time to be chasing these fish has been during the start of the run out tide, these flathead have been sitting on the drop offs surrounding shallow sand flats. The fish sitting in these locations are usually ambushing baitfish as they come off the shallow flats with the tide, and because of this these fish will usually bite. Small soft plastics like the Daiwa Bait Junkie 3.2inch Minnow in the bright pink colour has been getting the bites. Again, the rock bars and deep holes with structure like fallen trees has been the hot spots for jack and cod that have been getting caught. These fish have been feeding mainly with the run out tide and live baits have by far been the most effective way to target them. If you do prefer to use lures prawn imitation lures are the way to go. The Pro Lure Clone Prawn is a great option along with a pre rigged Zerek Cherabin. Some great sized black bream have also been up river along the mangroves, finding sections of the river with a good amount of bait getting around is where you are most likely to find these fish. Small chunks of mullet fillet or prawns has worked really well when floated out unweighted or with a small ball sinker.

Baffle Creek
The Baffle sure is fishing well especially during the middle of the week with less boat traffic. Finding areas of the river with little to no other boats around has sure helped most get onto some quality fish. The snags at the mouth of the river have held a great variety of fish, flicking soft plastics around them has resulted in flathead, grunter, trevally, queenfish, jack and cod caught. The run out tide has definitely been when most of the action has been happening so be sure to focus your efforts around the run out tide. For those flicking the flats we have seen small surface lures worked along the shallow flats getting plenty of bites and this is a great way to avoid the weed that is currently in this river. The rock bars up river either in the main section of river or up Oyster Creek has had some good jack and cod caught as well as some really big flathead. Live baits and whole prawns have worked really well for these species and once again the run out tide has been the ideal time to fish for them.

Kolan River
This week we have seen the Kolan fish really well for jack and cod along the mangrove banks, deep holes and the rock bars. Live baits or whole dead baits have been the go to for these species and the run out tide has surely been the time to target them. Lure fishing with soft plastics has definitely been working well on these species, however getting your lure into the strike zone has been key. Ensuring your lure is getting into the structure has made all the difference, rigging your soft plastic with a weed less hook setup is a good idea. Prawn imitation lures thrown in the mangroves and fallen trees or soft vibes hopped along the rocks have been the standout lures catching these fish. In the deep holes and drop offs throughout this system some really good sized grunter and flathead have been caught. Soft vibes are perfect for this style of fishing as you can cover plenty of ground quickly and ensure your lure is staying in contact with the bottom. Some great sized bream have been in good numbers at the mouth around the rocks at Miara and the fallen trees scattered along the banks. Small chunks of mullet fillet or prawns have got the bites.

Lake Gregory
With the warm weather we’ve been experiencing the bass have been feeding super well on the edges of the dam. Some anglers have been starting there session with surface lures early in the mornings, with frogs and walk the dog style hardbody lures and have been slaying the bass. Make sure to be ready for a saratoga to climb over your line as well especially when using topwater lures! Once the sun is higher slow rolling 3” paddle tail soft plastic’s such as Zman Minnowz surely has been getting plenty of the bites. Also, using small shallow diving hardbody lures, spinnerbaits and small blades has been doing the trick on the bass during the middle of the day.

Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has been proper firing over the past week with a heap of 1m+ barramundi being caught! Plenty of these fish have been caught on hardbody lures such as Jackall Squirrels and Samaki Redics fished in heavy timber. Paddle tail soft plastics such as Berkley Shimma Pro rigs and Zerek Live Mullets surely have been catching their fair share of barra as well. Early mornings and late afternoons definitely seems like the best bite times at the moment. Always remember to follow the wind, fishing wind blown points and bays will quickly put you in the positions to get you onto those trophy sized fish! And remember to always fish with confidence, it only takes that one big bite to make your day.

2/11/23
Inshore
With the water warming up the inshore reefs are really starting to fire up! The school mackerel are here in great numbers, targeting these fish at first light in the mornings by fast retrieving 50g Flasha spoons vertically off the bottom and floating pilchards out the back of the boat has been doing the trick. Stay away from using wire trace while chasing schoolies, if you use 60lb fluorocarbon leader you’re going to get plenty more bites. Also, there’s been some cracking sized grunter and late seasoned snapper getting caught. Again first light in the morning and last light in the afternoon being the standout bite times. For both these species targeting them with 20g soft vibes and 5” soft plastics has been the standout technique. If you are more into bait fishing using squid, prawns or pilchards has been doing the trick. Some solid inshore trout have been falling victim to Samaki Golden Carrot prawn lures hopped along the pressure edges of reefs that are holding good amounts of bait as well. Good sized stripey’s, trevally and queenfish have been some very welcomed by catch for most when doing this type of fishing.

Offshore
Although the weather windows have been few and far between we have seen the offshore fishing becoming red hot! The standout fish being caught most has definitely been coral trout and grass sweet lip which are both great on the dinner plate! Both these species have been smashing live bait, whole pilchards and prawn imitation soft plastics. The red emperor and nannygai have also been chewing, targeting them in 40 meters with bigger baits such as flesh bait and whole squid or cuttlefish has been doing the trick. Always keep the tides changes in mind while out there, fishing your favourite spots on one hour either side of the tides surely can put some fish in your esky. Fingers crossed the weather plays game for us shortly whilst we have these small tides!

Burnett River
The Burnett has definitely been producing some great fishing for most this week. A lot of grunter, flathead and cod have been caught around the rock bars and in areas where there’s a few isolated rock’s with sand in between. The go to baits has been whole prawns and sprat floated out with as small of a sinker as you can get away with. Soft plastic fishing has been doing really well and managing to get a lot of the better quality fish. Prawn imitation lures like the Shads Tuff Prawn and the old faithful Zman 3inch Minnowz have been working well. The jack have been well and truly on the chew this week, we have seen these fish really biting during a strong Northerly wind and during the run out tide. If you aren’t lure fishing be sure to target these fish with live baits as a lot of the big jack have come from live prawns or poddy mullet. For the lure fishos again the prawn imitation lures have been absolutely dynamite, also hardbody lures like the Samaki Redic’s have worked very well along the rock bars especially in areas with a bit more current.

Elliott River
This time of year usually sees the Elliott fishing really well as the water temp rises which gives this system a lot of variety to choose from. At the moment we are seeing exactly that with a very good range of species on the chew and these fish have been caught on a lot of different techniques. Up river in any of the deep holes has seen some jack, big grunter, cod and the odd barra passing through. Any bends in the river with some good structure like rocks or fallen trees are ideal places to target these summer species. Be mindful that it is now closed season for barramundi so if you do happen to catch one be sure to release it quickly and unharmed. Live poddy mullet, whole prawns and mullet fillets are the go to baits for fishing these sections of river and will put you in with a good shot at these jack, cod and big grunter. Hopping soft plastics and soft vibes in the deeper holes is also a really effective way for the lure fisho’s to target these species. Even whilst anchored up with a few baits out the back of the boat it is worth having a rod rigged up with a lure to have a few casts with. Those after some bread and butter species like bream, whiting and flathead have been fishing the shallow sand flats and drop off’s by either anchoring or drifting. Using baits like yabbies, beach worms or whole sprat has definitely got some quality fish with trevally, small queenfish and grunter thrown in the mix as well.

Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek is definitely starting to fire up with the water temp on the rise due to some more Northerly winds this week. The flats fishing for species like flathead, grunter and whiting has been red hot! Coming off the back of the moon we have seen less of those big whiting caught but still some great numbers of smaller fish around the 25cm mark are being caught during the incoming tide. Fresh yabbies are where it’s at with beach worms also being extremely effective as well. The flathead and grunter have been up in the shallows during the run in tide and along the drop offs as the tide runs out. Fishing for these fish with soft plastics up in the shallows and soft vibes in the deeper water has been really effective. Some really good sized jack are definitely on the chew after a relatively slow start to the season this year caused by the lack of rain and the amount of weed through this system. Fishing the rock bars has definitely been getting the best results and live baits are the go to bait at the moment. Fishing into the night with last of the run out tide and the tide change this week has been getting the bites.

Kolan River
The jack fishing has been red hot in the Kolan this week! We have seen some very good sized fish and great numbers of them caught during the run out tide at any of the rock bars, bridges and in the deep holes. Live baits and prawn imitation soft plastics have been the key to getting these fish to bite. In the lead up to the full moon last weekend we saw a lot of the bigger jack caught during night time, keep this in mind for the next lot of big tides. The flats fishing at the mouth of this system has also seen good sized queenfish and trevally caught around the snags and schools of bait. Flicking small soft plastics has by far been the most effective way to target these species. Some big flathead and grunter are still around as well, fishing the edges of the shallow flats during the run out tide has been the best way to target these fish. Either whole sprat and prawns or once again small soft plastics has done the trick.

Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory is having a great week of fishing, the strong northerly winds have got the water temp continuing to rise and the bass have been feeding in the shallows. Fishing the edges of the dam around dawn or dusk with topwater lures like surface frogs or walk the dog style hardbody lures has seen some monster bass exploding out of the water in chase of the lure. Surface lures around these low light periods of the day are always a go to option and when the bass are fired up like they are it is certainly super effective and great fun. As the sun gets higher in the sky we have definitely seen hardbody lures and soft plastics become a lot more effective as these bass move slighter deeper along the edges. Charlie Brewer’s Original Slider’s grub has got to be one of the best bass baits you can by because you can work these lures so slowly and the action isn’t affected at all. A simple slow roll along the weed edges has got the bite from these fish.

Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has continued to produce some very big fish this week and great numbers as well! The beauty of the dam at the moment is that there is fish absolutely everywhere so you don’t have to travel far to be in with a great shot at these monster fish. Barra around the metre mark have even been caught trolling in the main basin on lures like Barra Classics and the RMG Scorpions. As a general rule of thumb we have seen the hardbodies getting the bites in the mornings and throughout the day, and the soft plastics and swimbaits being more effective in the late afternoon and the night. We do recommend switching between lures including sizes and colours to try and figure out a pattern but this is a good starting point. Focusing on the bite times has seen people nail quite a few fish in short periods of time so be sure to keep an eye on these times as well. Also ensuring to be very quiet when looking for fish and even whilst sitting on fish has been key to not spooking these barra. Remember to fish with confidence, this well and truly will have a massive affect on your results.

26/10/23
Inshore
Last weekends good days of weather meant plenty of keen fisho’s headed out and fished the Inshore reefs. We saw some really good pelagic fish caught like big queenfish, trevally, tuna and mackerel in close. These fish have been on the pressure edges along the coast as well as any areas with a lot of baitfish. Fast retrieving Flasha spoons and Arma metal lures has got the bite. If you are going for mackerel dropping the Flasha spoon to the bottom and winding it back in as fast as you can will surely get them fired up. Trolling hardbody lures and whole gar fish in the early mornings and late afternoons has also seen some good school mackerel action and the odd spanish being caught as well. A few late seasoned snapper were caught on reefs like the 4 mile and the Artificial off Elliott Heads, these fish have been close to the bait and have liked 4 to 5 inch curl tail or jerk shad soft plastics in bright colours.

Offshore
Our offshore fishing has been red hot as of late! The weekend provided a great opportunity for some people to head out wide in chase of some tasty reefies. The numbers weren’t as good however the quality of fish is what most have been talking about when it comes to our offshore fishing at present. Some very good quality red emperor, trout and nannygai have been on the chew especially with the tides and moon phase we have had this week. These fish have been chewing on fresh hussar fillets or slabs of mullet fillet. Fishing the tide changes and trying different presentations such as rigging your baits on a Buku Snapbait Hybrid Jig has definitely paid off for most. Some very large cobia have also been out in big schools, slabs of mullet fillet and whole squid have been getting the bites. Fishing the wrecks or reefs with big undercut ledges has been finding these fish consistently.

Burnett River
The Burnett has been fishing red hot with barramundi and mangrove jack being the two standout fish. Plenty of these fish have been caught around the shallow rock bars in the upper reaches and also around the bridges in the town reach. Using soft prawn imitation lures and 20g soft vibes such as a Samaki vibe has been getting plenty of the action from both these species. It will be the last weekend we get to target the barra before close season so make sure to have a crack whilst you can. Also, there’s been plenty of flathead and grunter getting around as well, small paddle tail soft plastics such as Zman 3” Minnowz has been getting plenty of the bites. If you are more into bait fishing using prawns and sprat is definitely the go to baits to use at the moment. Don’t forget to drop the crab pots in with the big tides we’ve got this weekend!

Elliott River
The Elliott is fishing well and is certainly a great option for those chasing a good quality feed of fish. Up river has seen the summer species come on the chew with some quality jack falling victim to whole prawns and a few solid estuary cod caught as well. Better numbers of barra are also showing themselves in the deeper holes and at the rock bars, these fish are feeding on the tide changes so make sure to make the most out of the hour either side of the tide. Prawn imitation soft plastics like the Pro Lure Clone Prawns will be a great lure to tempt a bite from these fish as you can fish them extremely slowly to get a bite. The flats fishing has also been red hot with good numbers of flathead caught as well as whiting between 25 and 30cm. Fresh yabbies are worth their weight in gold when fishing the flats in this system, the flatties, bream, whiting and grunter absolutely love them. Fishing the incoming tide in this river has worked well especially if you can anchor on a shallow sand flat and drift the yabbies over it with the incoming tide.

Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek is having a really good week of fishing, the constant Northerly winds this week has got the water temp rising and the jack and barra fishing has been red hot. The creeks and rock bars have held good numbers of bait and the jacks have been feeding during the run out tide. The barra have ate on the turn of the tide and a lot of smaller fish have been caught in the mangrove creeks. With the annual barra close season coming up next Wednesday this is the last weekend we can target them until February next year. Whole prawns and live bait like poddy mullet have definitely been the go to baits for the jack and barra when fishing the rock bars and creeks. For those lure fishing prawn imitation lures have got the bite especially when fishing those deeper snags and rock bars. The Zerek range of prawn imitation lures have been absolutely killer! The flats fishing in this river system has also been really good, solid grunter and flathead have been caught on the flats and drop offs on soft plastics and vibes. Also make sure to throw the pots in whilst we have the big tides this weekend!

Kolan River
The Kolan River is fishing really well with some very good sized fish being caught. The key is finding areas which have a good amount of bait, the top of the incoming tide and the start of the run out tide has seen plenty of bait fish up in the shallows. This time has been ideal for chasing flathead, whiting, grunter and pelagic’s like trevally and queenfish in the shallows. Those who are into their lure fishing have been casting small soft plastics onto the flats and slowly working them off into the deeper water with great results. The run out tide has been perfect for fishing the rock bars and shallows creeks for jacks, barra and cod. Mullet fillets and whole sprat have been getting the bites. 4 inch soft plastics like the Zman Diesel Minnowz slow rolled past structure have been deadly as well. Better numbers of big barra have been found schooled up in the fallen trees at the mouth of this river system. These fish are very hard to find as they have been sitting super tight to the structure making them very hard to see. Drifting live baits or whole dead baits into the trees has worked well with by-catch including of mangrove jack, cod, trevally, queenfish and even fingermark.

Lake Gregory
The Lake is fishing really well this week, some very solid bass are being caught especially in the early mornings and late afternoons. These fish have been caught on topwater lures like frogs or walk the dog style lures in these low light periods. Using a fast retrieve has got some very aggressive strikes from these fish, adding some twitches will help get these fish to commit if they are tailing the lure as well. Whilst the sun is higher in the sky we have seen hardbody lures and small soft plastics become very effective. 3 inch white Zman MinnowZ and Samaki Redic DF50’s are two very good options to have in your arsenal ready for some bass action! Fishing the windblown sections of the dam has worked best as the warmer water and bait has been in these areas.

Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has been firing over the past week! The Tackle World Bundaberg Lake Monduran Family Fishing Classic was held over the weekend and it was a ripper! Plenty of fish were caught with a 109cm barramundi taking the win. The standout areas to fish were shallow windblown points that preferably has timber structure or a weed edge for fish to shelter in. Hardbody lures such as Jackall Squirrels and Samaki Redics got most of the bites, we found long pauses in between twitches stirred these barra up, letting the lure sit for up to 30 seconds definitely worked well. Also, slow rolling Berkley Shimma Pro Rigs and Zerek Live Mullet has been getting the bite especially in the late afternoons and nights. If you are into trolling be sure to chuck a deep diving lure on such as a Barra Classic and try your luck towards the basin. There has been some very good sized fish sitting between 5 and 6m deep all through the basin. Remember to always fish with confidence, you never know when that monster barra will hit your line.

19/10/23
Inshore
The inshore reefs have been fishing very well with pelagic’s such as spanish mackerel and school mackerel being the standout fish being caught. Trolling gar and hard body lures first light in the mornings has definitely been the standout technique to get the bite from the spanish mackerel. With the schoolies fast retrieving 50g Flasha spoons vertically off the bottom has been killing it. Also be sure to have a go on the bottom for a late seasoned snapper or grunter. Using 20g soft vibes and 5” soft plastic’s has been doing the trick with some good sized cod and stripey’s around as well. Make sure to find the bait, this has been the key to finding the quality fish.

Offshore
The offshore fishing has also been turning it on for us in the small weather windows we have had! Plenty of red emperor, coral trout and grassy sweet lip have been getting caught. Using pilchards and live bait has been doing the trick for the trouty’s and grassy sweetlip. Big flesh baits has been doing the trick for the reds with mullet and tuna fillets being the go to. If you’re more into lure fishing using prawn imitation lures such as Samaki Golden Carrots has been doing the trick. Remember to always make the most out of the tide changes out there, one hour either side of the tide surely can put some fish on your deck. Fingers crossed the weather plays the game this weekend and we can send it out wide in chase of these species.

Burnett River
The Burnett is fishing well again this week for those who have found areas away from the weed that has been in the river. Great numbers of grunter have been caught, plenty of smaller fish around 30cm have been most common but we’ve heard of some fish getting up around the 60cm mark being caught. These fish have been in areas with a bit of current so sand bars and drop offs and well as the rock walls during a run out tide are great places to try. Whole sprat and prawns have worked really well, and any small curl tail soft plastics will sure get them to bite. Some very nice sized jacks have come on the chew around the rock walls this week, live baits and strips of mullet fillet have been the go to baits. For those chasing the flatties there has been some great fish caught. Prawn imitation soft plastics like the Shads Lures Tuff Prawn have been doing the damage on these fish. Some very large barra are still around in the Burnett but these fish have been hard to get bites from. Using a variety of different lures and baits as well as fishing for them during a tide change is your best bet. As always a quality sounder will improve your chances of getting into the barra action.

Elliott River
The Elliott River is fishing very well at the moment. This river is offering some great variety and the summer species like cod, jack and barra have come on the chew. For those chasing a feed the sand bars and yabbie beds in this river are great places to soak a bait especially during the incoming tide. Good numbers of flathead are around as well as some quality bream and grunter. The jack and cod have come from the fallen trees and mangroves up the creeks and we have seen these fish chew during the run out tide on baits such as mullet fillet, prawns and sprat. The barra have been hard to get a bite from but there is good numbers around. Having a quality sounder to locate these fish is a game changer, the barra have been on the sand flats around areas with either a deep hole or some structure close by. Fishing for these around the tide changes has been most effective, team member Jake managed to get a few bites from these fish over the week but unfortunately couldn’t get the hooks to stick. Soft vibes like a Samaki Vibelicious hopped through the deep holes has also seen some small jewfish caught.

Baffle Creek
Although the Baffle has had quite a lot of snot weed in it the fishing has been really good. Good sized flathead and grunter have been on the sand flats especially towards the mouth of the river, these fish have been right up in the shallows during the run in tide and on the drop offs as the tide runs out. Small hardbody lures like a Daiwa Double Clutch and curl tail soft plastics twitched over the flats have got the bite from these fish. The snags at the mouth of the river have also seen some big trevally and queenfish schools hanging around them during the incoming tide. Small soft plastics like Zman 3 inch Minnows hopped around the trees has been very effective. The creeks and rock bars have definitely seen some jack starting to be caught more regularly. Live baits have been by far the most effective way to target these fish at the moment. Those fishing into the night have had the best results, baits like poddy mullet, prawns and even dead whole sprat have been ideal.

Kolan River
The Kolan is having another great week of fishing. Plenty of big barra are getting around this system in places like the deep holes and at any of the rocky structures up the river. The snags at the mouth of the river have also held good numbers of barra but they have been very hard to present a bait or a lure to as they are so far in the structure. Schools of barra sitting up the river have been the fish that have bit more consistently so these fish are definitely the ones you want to target. For now live baits like whole prawns will be a great option to get these barra to bite, fishing the tide changes is definitely going to improve your chances as well. For the lure fisho’s a Samaki soft vibe or a Zerek Cherabin are great options. Good numbers of flathead, grunter, trevally and queenfish have been around this week. Fishing the top of the incoming tide over the sand flats and the drop offs as the tide begins to run out are a great way to find these species. The snags at the mouth of the river have been holding plenty of bait and the pelagic fish have been feeding on them as the tide runs. Flicking soft plastics around the edges of the structure has worked well on these pelagic fish.

Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory is fishing really well again this week with multiple bass nudging the 50cm mark being caught. Fishing the edges of the dam with topwater lures in the low light periods has definitely seen some incredible surface strikes from these bass whilst they are in the shallows and feeding! Whilst the sun is high up and there’s not many shadows being cast over the dam the fish have been moving deeper so targeting the drop offs and weed towers with small paddle tail soft plastics has been very effective. Hardbody lures have also been extremely effective at getting these bass to bite as well. Letting the hardbody pause in the water column in between twitches should see it get absolutely smashed by one of the Lake Gregory bass. Darker coloured lures have got more bites recently, this is due to the lure throwing a bigger silhouette in the water which makes spotting and targeting this lure a lot easier for the fish.

Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has absolutely been turning it on lately and this week is no different. Some monster barra well over the magic metre mark are being caught all throughout the dam. These fish have been feeding hard during the bite windows, these short bite times can change your session on the dam drastically. Being on fish during these bite windows is definitely a great idea to capitalize on the opportunity and get some fish in the boat. Lucky Craft 78XD pointers and Jackall Squirrel 79SP’s have been the two jerk baits getting most of the bites. Swimbait lures like the Molix 120’s or Berkley Shimma Pro Rigs have also accounted for some very big fish this week. With the Tackle World Bundaberg Lake Monduran Family Fishing Classic on this weekend we are no doubt going to see some monster barra caught! Fishing areas of the dam that have been getting hit by the wind will be key, South Arm of B as well as Hearts Bay, Insane Bay and White Rock have all had great numbers of fish caught out of them this week. Remember to keep the noise down as much as you possibly can, these barra are easily shut down by excessive noise.

12/10/23
Inshore
As you all should know the Coral Reef Fin Fish closure started today and will run until Monday the 16th meaning we can target our fin fish again on Tuesday the 17th.
This time of year we see great numbers of pelagic fish along our coastline and lucky for us we are still able to target our pelagic fish such as mackerel, tuna, queenfish and trevally during the Coral Reef Fin Fish Closures. These species are extremely bait oriented so they will usually be found close to good numbers of baitfish. Searching the Inshore waters around the known reefs and wrecks for balls of bait, watching for bust ups or birds working and targeting rocky outcrops along the coast can be very successful ways to find pelagic fish. Once you have found the bait or you are fishing an area with a good amount of current creating a pressure edge, retrieving small metal lures and soft plastics back to the boat with a high speed retrieve is a great way to get the bite. Topwater lures have worked well during the early mornings and late afternoons at places like the 4 Mile reef however through the day either small metal lures or soft plastics will be the go.

Offshore
With how the wind has been as of late and the Coral Reef Fin Fish closure beginning today we unfortunately have not been able to head offshore very often. As the Northerly winds are in full swing the opportunities to head offshore during this time of year do become less common but when we do get a good weather window the fishing is usually red hot! Those isolated bommies and patchy structures surrounded by sand in depths of 30 to 50m have been producing some very big reds and nannygai. These fish are the pinnacle of bottom fishing as they are great eating and are certainly a challenge to find and put up a hell of a fight. Big flesh baits like mullet fillet or whole squid and cuttlefish are very good baits for these big red fish. Good numbers of trout, venus tusk fish and red throat have also been caught regularly in places like the Gutters, Herold Patches and the Warregoes. Fingers crossed we get a couple cracking days of weather soon so we can head out wide again!

Burnett River
The Burnett is definitely starting to fire up nicely with the warm weather really getting our summer species on the chew! Some absolute cracking jacks have been caught this week on live baits and strips of mullet fillet. Fishing for these fish during the run out tide has been the most effective, the rock bars in this river are definitely the places to be. Plenty of good sized flathead are around at the moment and have been feeding well, this has been clear by how fat and healthy these fish have been. 3 to 4 inch soft plastics have been the go, the 3 inch Cast Prodigy lures have been getting the bites as well as the Shads Lures Tuff Prawn. Fishing during the bigger tides has also seen good numbers of trevally, queenfish and even a heap of small grey mackerel being caught around the pressure points. These grey mackerel have even been found in the Quarry this week! Find the current and bait and you should find good numbers of pelagic fish at the moment.

Elliott River
The Elliott river has been fishing very well this week, bream, flathead, whiting, grunter, jack, cod and barra have been the species we have heard most of. The flats fishing has sure been red hot and like always with the big tides we have seen some cracking sized whiting being caught during the incoming tides. The best baits to be using for these finicky fish has to be beach worms or fresh yabbies! The flathead have really chewed hard on small hardbody lures like the Daiwa Double Clutch or Zerek Tango Shad in a natural colour whilst the water in this river is still quite clear. The deeper bends in this river is where the jack, barra and cod have been caught. Whole prawns, live poddy mullet and whole sprat are definitely the baits you want to be using at the moment. The bottom half of the run out tide as well as the tide change and start of the incoming has been when these fish have been on the chew. Lure fishing for the barra has been tricky with these fish hard to tempt a bite from, prawn imitation lures like the Zerek Cherabin’s, Pro Lure Clone Prawns and the Shads Tuff Prawn have all been great options for these fish.

Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek has been fishing really well, this time of year always see’s this river absolutely littered with baitfish and some great pelagic fish are usually in pursuit. The sand flats and snags at the mouth of this river system provide plenty of pressure points during the run in tide and there has been some big queenfish and trevally close by. Small soft plastics flicked around these pressure points with a very erratic retrieve should get the bite. Good sized flathead have also been caught underneath these schools of bait, soft vibes hopped off the bottom underneath the bait and pelagic fish has worked a treat. Good sized jack are also starting to come on the chew this week, for now live baits and whole dead baits like mullet and sprat have been the go. The run out tide has also been the time to chase these fish, fishing into the night has got some people onto a few very good fish as well. With the big tides a few whiting have been caught however they have been a little more difficult to find. The sand flats with some weed along the bottom seem to be the go, drifting these flats with beach worms or fresh yabbies has got the bite. Using a few red lumo beads and tubing directly above your long shank hook has definitely helped to get these fish to bite!

Kolan River
The Kolan River has seen a heap of boat traffic as of late due to the school holidays however this did see a heap of great quality fish caught. Grunter and flathead have been the two species in this system talked about most and with plenty of sand flats and drop offs in this river to choose from we saw most people getting into a few of these fish. Casting curl tail soft plastics as well as trolling small hardbody lures have been very effective for the lure fisho’s. For those more into bait fishing we have seen great numbers of fish caught on whole sprat drifted across the flats and the drop offs. Good sized whiting have also been around with the big tides helping get these fish on the chew, fresh yabbies are 100% worth the effort and will get you into the whiting action for sure! Plenty of crab are around at the moment but the size has been letting most down, try placing your pots in deeper sections of the river and any deep holes up the creeks.

Lake Gregory
This warm weather sure has got the bass feeding especially around the edges of the dam. Fishing the shallow weed beds early in the mornings and in the late afternoons with topwater lures like a Daiwa Slippery Dog or an Atomic Hardz Cicada have been very effective. Fishing the topwater lures with quite a fast retrieve has got these bass fired up and managed to get a very aggressive strike out of them. As the sun gets higher in the sky fishing the drop offs has been most effective. Small paddle tail soft plastics slow wound and twitched through any weed has got the bite. Small Hardbody lures like the Rapala Shad Rap Elite has also worked very well when using an erratic retrieve with plenty of twitches and pauses. Good numbers of saratoga are being caught at the moment, fishing sections of the dam where a lot of leaf litter and insects are landing has been the go. Although the windy conditions aren’t the easiest to fish in, it can sometimes lead you exactly to the fish. Following the direction of the wind will often times put you where the warmer water and bait are and subsequently you will find good numbers of predatory fish. Look out for sections of the dam where a lot of the leaf litter is landing on the water, these spots are prime areas to target these saratoga.

Lake Monduran
Last weekend’s South Easterly wind change definitely made the fishing on the dam a lot harder than it has been. Those who managed to catch a few fish found the warmer water however they still had to put in plenty of casts. When fishing trying conditions especially during a wind change it is well worth finding the warmer water as the fish in these areas are a lot more inclined to feed. Fishing hardbody lures with very long pauses and short twitches was what got the bite from most of the fish. The South Arm of B produced most of the metre barra with a lot of the banks opposite the points which had been getting hit from the Northerlies holding good numbers of fish. Hearts bay and Insane Bay are two areas well worth a look at the moment as well. With some Northerly winds forecasted we should see the dam fire up again and plenty of monster barra will be caught.

5/10/23
Inshore
With a few good days of weather during last week and over the long weekend we did see plenty of boats fishing our inshore reefs. The Bargara 2 mile, Elliott Heads Artificial and the 4 Mile were all popular spots. Plenty of bait has been along our coast and these places have been holding a very healthy amount of bait. Having a sounder is key to finding the bait as a lot of the time the bait isn’t actually on the reef itself but more so sitting off the structure in the pressure edges. We saw good numbers of pelagic fish caught like trevally, queenfish and school mackerel being most common however the odd big spanish has still been in close around these bait balls. Floating out whole pilchards rigged on a set of gang hooks has been the go to for the pelagic’s. For those targeting bottom fish drifting and fishing soft plastics along the bottom has been very effective especially when you have found a good amount of bait in the area. Big cod, grunter, trout, stripeys and sweetlip are most common with this style of fishing. A jerk tail soft plastic like a 4 or 5 inch Molix Fork Flex Shad or a Samaki soft vibe in a pearl white colour are the lures we recommend.

Offshore
We sure had plenty of boats head out wide last week during the weather windows which was awesome to see after the shocking wind we have had recently. What was even better to hear was that a lot of people managed to get themselves a good feed of fish for their efforts. The key to finding a patch of fish that are willing to bite has been to find the bait! Where there is bait there is usually really good quality fish like red emperor, nannygai, sweetlip, trout, tusk fish, cobia, mackerel and more. Looking along the side of the reef that is getting hit with current is always our first go to as generally there is more bait in this area. Whole squid has been working really well out wide, rigging them on a set of gang hooks is very effective. For the lure fishos drifting along these pressure edges and hopping soft plastics off the bottom as well as jigs will definitely get you into the action. Our gutters have been fishing well lately, those being the 15 Mile Gutter as well as the Northern and Southern Gutters. Live yakka’s have also been absolutely smashed by pretty much any big predator that is in the area. Decent numbers of yakka have been around a few of the Leads at Burnett Heads so on your way out it’s well worth having a crack at getting some fresh bait.

Burnett River
With the warm weather continuing to cause the water temp to rise the summer species in the Burnett are definitely being caught more regularly. A lot of big barra are in the river at the moment and although they are certainly feeding more aggressively they are still not easy to catch. Having a sounder with side scan is a game changer as these fish are sitting very tight to the bridges, pylons, jetty’s and the boats in the town reach. Live prawns and poddy mullet have got a few bites but most of the fish caught have come from those using lures. 5 to 6 inch paddle tail soft plastics and 100mm soft vibes are still the 2 lures getting the bites most consistently. This time of year is also a great time to target big flathead and we have had some monster fish caught. These fish have been caught all throughout the river on baits and lures and during all sections of the tide. This goes to show that these fish are feeding right now and aren’t very fussy on what they choose to eat. In terms of targeting these large flathead we do recommend fishing the run out tide at the moment and using a larger soft plastic between 4 and 6 inches in length, of course many other options will work however this has been getting the best results. If you aren’t having much luck try and switch things up, either change to a soft vibe, a smaller soft plastic or a hardbody lure depending on where you are fishing.

Elliott River
The Elliott is fishing well and is certainly a great option for those chasing a good quality feed of fish. The flats fishing has been red hot with good numbers of flathead around 40 to 55cm as well as whiting between 25 and 30cm. Fresh yabbies are worth their weight in gold when fishing the flats in this system, the flatties, bream, whiting and grunter absolutely love them. Fishing the incoming tide in this river has worked well especially if you can anchor on a shallow sand flat and drift the yabbies over it with the incoming tide. Up river has also seen the summer species come on the chew with some quality jack falling victim to whole prawns and a few solid estuary cod caught as well. Better numbers of barra are also showing themselves in the deeper holes, these fish are still quite spooky and will most likely need plenty of patience in order to get a bite. Prawn imitation soft plastics like the Pro Lure Clone Prawns will be a great lure to tempt a bite from these fish as you can fish them extremely slowly to get a bite.

Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek has definitely been fishing well for those who are able to escape the crowds and find places which have had less fishing pressure. With the Baffle Creek Family Fishing Festival as well as the School Holidays bringing plenty of boat traffic to this river that is much easier said than done. Those who have found quieter sections of the river have seen great results with good numbers of flathead, grunter, trevally and queenfish being most common. Areas of this river with a good amount of current pushing into structure like fallen trees, sand bars or rock bars are where a lot of these fish have been caught. Baits like whole sprat, whole prawns and mullet fillets have been very consistent at getting the bites. Fishing with a light leader around the 10 to 15lb mark is normally plenty for these fish however if you are around a bit of rocky structure or trees you may need to up the strength to a 20lb. Some bigger jack are starting to be caught and some anglers have had great success fishing the rock bars at night with live poddy mullet and strips of mullet fillets. These jack aren’t quite on the chew like we usually see for this time of year so the night time bite has been best so far.

Kolan River
Similar to the Baffle this river system has seen a lot more boat traffic during the holidays which has made the fishing a little more tough. Venturing up river has seen the best results for most and those using lures seem to be having more luck. Small soft plastics in particular the old faithful Squidgie Wriggler have been getting the bite on the sand flats from flathead, bream, grunter and pelagic fish like trevally and queenfish. The sand flats around the numerous islands in this river have been good places to fish especially during the run out tide. Working your lures back to the boat with the tide will make your lure look very natural and help to entice a bite. Trolling along the drop offs has done well for some people, a bright pink lure has worked a treat on the flatties.

Lake Gregory
The bass in Lake Gregory are sure firing up! Great numbers of fish are being caught and the topwater bite is getting better and better. Fishing the weed edges with either a slow wound soft plastic or a fast retrieved surface lure is the go at the moment. Overcast days or early mornings and late afternoons are the go to conditions to chase these bass on topwater. Plenty of fish around the 50cm mark are being caught and with some more warm weather we will continue to see this dam fish very well.

Lake Monduran
With the consistent winds and warm weather we have had the water temp is on the rise and the barra have been feeding hard! Great numbers of fish are being found all over the dam but finding that warmer water is key. Just a few degree difference in water temp is all it takes to find barra that are willing to feed compared to sitting on fish all day for nothing. South arm of B, Bird bay and SDA bay are 3 places which have been full of fish and plenty of metre plus barra have been pulled from these locations to say the least. With the Southerly change in bound Hearts bay and Insane Bay as well as Wiggle bay will all be places worth a look. Samaki Redic DS80’s and Jackall Squirrel 79SP’s fished in the mornings have got the bite and swimbaits like the Molix 120’s or Berkley Shimma Pro Rig’s have been killer during the afternoon and into the night. Finding patches of fish which haven’t seen too many lures yet is extremely advantageous however isn’t easy. Getting a few sessions under your belt before the Tackle World Bundaberg Lake Monduran Family Fishing Classic is a great idea to scope out the dam and work out a game plan!

21/9/23
Inshore
Although the wind has been pretty average in the few small weather windows we have had the inshore reefs have been producing plenty of action with good sized sweetlip, trout, cod and some late seasoned spanish mackerel being caught. Wednesday this week turned out to be a pretty good day especially in the morning and we definitely saw some great fish caught. Whole pilchards and squid rigged on a 7/0 Elkat or Shinto gang hooks with a size 6 ball sinker have definitely worked well for those targeting bottom fish around our inshore reefs. Floating out whole pilchards is what has found a few spanish mackerel along with the usual school mackerel. As always, finding the bait if key. Those who spend a bit more time sounding around and locating the bait will usually do a lot better than those who fish the same spots every time regardless of the conditions. Be sure to focus your attention on the sections of reef which have a good amount of bait, the pressure edged side of the reef is always the best place to start. Big schools of mac tuna with the occasional long tail have been scattered across our coast. Watching for bust ups in the distance or birds working in the sky are dead giveaways of bait and predatory fish and definitely warrant a few casts. Small metal slugs have been matching the hatch really well as of late so be sure to have few in your tackle box.

Offshore
With the wind howling we really haven’t had too many opportunities to head out, Wednesday was definitely the best day we have had in a while and we did see a few people send it out wide to get their fix! The North Easterly wind meant even though it did blow up in the afternoon it made the trip back in pretty comfortable as most people headed North or East from Bundy. The Northern Gutter fished well with some big sweetlip and trout being the main targets. When the sharks let a few fish through this reef can produce some great quality fish. Soft plastics usually work really well at this reef with plastics like the Molix Fork Flex Shad being a favourite but anything around 5 to 6 inches in length will sure get the job done. Some massive cobia have also been getting around the wrecks as of late, whole squid or cuttlefish have been the baits working best. For the lure fisho’s these cobia love a soft plastic worked vertically with some twitches and pauses.

Burnett River
The Burnett sure is fishing very well at the moment! The fish getting talked about the most as of late has to be the barramundi, we have had a few great captures out of the Burnett recently. These fish aren’t in massive numbers at the moment but there is definitely a few getting around if you know where to look, having a good quality sounder with side scan is a worth while investment for this style of fishing. The town reach area has been holding a good number of barra this week, sounding around the bridges and moored boats should see you finding a few barra sitting close to the structure. Samaki vibelicious soft vibes have worked well on these barra along with a simple paddle tail soft plastic. Some good sized jack have been coming off the rock bars with live prawns or small poddy mullet being the go to baits. Fishing the start of the run out tide has been the go to time to be on the water, this weekend’s late afternoon run out tide should be a great time to chase some jack in this river. A few cracking sized prawns are being found at the Port too, these have been in very scattered numbers but their size has sure made up for it.

Elliott River
This week has seen the Elliott River produce some great quality fish from flathead and whiting to barra and jack. The shallow sand bars in this river have fished really well during the incoming tide with some great sized summer whiting and flathead being caught. Fresh baits have been working best on these fish as well as small 100mm curl tail soft plastics like the Shimano Squidgie Wriggler in a bloodworm colour. The rock bars in this river have had a few jack caught on them, live baits in particular whole prawns have worked really well. Fishing the bottom half of the run out tide has been when these fish have been feeding. As well as jack we have had reports of some good sized barra being found in the deeper holes. Live baits or prawn imitation soft plastics fished around the tide changes should get these fish to bite, although a lot of patience is usually required.

Baffle Creek
The Baffle Creek Family Fishing Festival is well and truly underway! There is still some time to fish the comp with the cut off time being 12pm this Saturday the 23rd. We have seen great numbers of fish caught so far and we are sure there will be plenty more entries tomorrow and Saturday. If you want to register it definitely isn’t too late, head to https://www.bafflecreekfishing.com/ to register.

Baffle Creek is having a really good week of fishing and with the water temp on the rise we have seen good numbers of jack and barra on the chew. Fishing any of the rock bars throughout the river as well as snag bashin up the creeks has seen good numbers of fish being caught. Whole prawns and live bait like poddy mullet have definitely been the go to baits for these fish when fishing the rock bars. For those lure fishing prawn imitation lures have got the bite especially when fishing those deeper snags and rock bars. The Zerek range of prawn imitation lures have been absolutely killer! The flats fishing in this river system has also been really good, solid grunter and flathead have been caught on the flats and drop offs on soft plastics and vibes.

Kolan River
The Kolan River is fishing really well and for those holidaying up at the Miara Caravan Park we have seen some great fish caught even for the land based fisho’s. Good sized bream, whiting and flathead have been around in numbers along the sand flats and the drop offs around the mouth of this river system. Most of these fish have fallen victim to fresh yabbies, beach worms or small whole prawns rigged using a running ball sinker rig with a light ball sinker. Finding areas which have a good amount of bait has been key, the top of the incoming tide and the start of the run out tide has seen plenty of bait up in the shallows. Those who are into their lure fishing have been casting small soft plastics onto the flats and slowly working them off into the deeper water with great results. With the water temp on the rise some good jack and barra have also been caught in this river. Decent numbers of big barra have been found schooled up in the fallen trees at the mouth of this river system. These fish are very hard to find as they have been sitting super tight to the structure making it hard to see if they are there or not. Playing with your sounders settings such as Contrast, TVG and Interference to get a clear picture is a good idea for finding these barra. Prawn imitation soft plastics seem to be working best at the moment, rigging these with a weed less hook and a small ball sinker is a very effective way to get your lure deep into the structure with minimal snags.

Local Beaches
The beach fishing surrounding Bundaberg has been red hot this week, plenty of anglers are catching quality fish using super simple methods! The absolute go to technique to catch a feed of whiting, bream and flathead off our beaches at the moment is a running ball sinker rig using fresh yabbies or beach worms as bait! Rules Beach, Coonarr Beach and Woodgate Beach are all fishing very well with some solid tailor and mackerel presenting themselves as well. Small metal lures or whole pilchards have got these pelagic fish to bite. Keep an eye out for birds working, bait flicking or surface strikes from predatory fish as these are all dead giveaways that there is some pelagic fish around and feeding.

Lake Gregory
The bass in Lake Gregory have sure come on the chew with the water temp rising causing the bass to be on the move and feeding! Anglers targeting the drop offs with suspending jerk baits have had great success with fish going above 50cm. Letting the hardbody sit and suspend in between twitches really has been the key to getting these bass to bite. The Rapala Shad Rap Elite hardbodies have been slaying these big bass. Slow rolled paddle tail soft plastics are also working very well, when your lure starts getting stuck in a bit of weed try doing a few fast turns of your handle to break the lure free, this will often trigger a reaction bite from the bass and you will get a very aggressive strike. A few solid saratoga are still being caught as well, finding areas on the dam where the majority of leaf litter is falling is always a good place to start targeting these fish. Slow rolling topwater cicada imitation lures have got the bite.

Lake Monduran
The consistent South Easterly winds paired with sunny days has seen the dam continue to fish really well with a lot of 60 to 70cm fish being landed. There is stacks of big barra all through the dam at the moment, these big fish are a lot harder to get bites from than the smaller barra but they are definitely worth the extra effort when it all comes together. Samaki Redic DS80’s and Shads 5 or 6inch paddle tail soft plastics have been the two lures getting the most bites. Fishing the hardbodies with long pauses and quick erratic twitches and the plastics with a simple slow roll has been most effective. The smaller barra have been tucked up right in the weed so often times you can’t even see them on your sounder, if your lure happens to get caught up in the weed a few quick turns of your handle to break the lure free has been getting a reaction bite out of these smaller fish. These 60cm barra are great fun and definitely help to stay locked in on chasing those metre plus fish! A few of the points in the main basin have had some great barra caught off them so you don’t need to travel far up the dam to get into some great fish at the moment. Places like Wiggle Bay and the Cattle Yards are also worth a look if you are headed up. With the Lake Monduran Family Fishing Festival fast approaching now is the perfect time to head up and fish the dam just in time for the comp.

14/9/23
Inshore
Unfortunately the weather conditions this week have not been good enough for many people to head out and chase our inshore and offshore species. Fingers crossed that next week will give us a few good days to head out so definitely keep an eye on the latest weather forecasts as the fishing has been red hot! Our Inshore reefs have been holding a lot of bait which has resulted in great numbers of snapper, big grunter and the odd jewfish caught. These fish have been found on the pressure edged side of the reefs and have ate whole squid rigged on a set of 7/0 gang hooks. For the lure fisho’s 5inch curl tail soft plastics and 20g Samaki soft vibes have been the lures of choice for most. Plenty of pelagic fish like mac tuna, queenfish, trevally and a few scattered schools of longtail tuna have been right along our coastline harassing the baitfish. Casting lures for these fish has been working well, the most important thing to consider when selecting the right lure is to match it as close as you can to the bait they are feeding on. These pelagic species, especially tuna, can be very fussy and zoned in on one particular type of bait. Having a few sizes of metal slugs is a great idea as you can easily pick which size matches the bait on that particular day.

Offshore
When the weather has been good enough for us to head out wide we have seen the reefs fish really well. The Northern and Southern Gutters, 15mile, Herold Patches and even further north like the Warrigoes and the flat country have all produced some cracking fish. For those fishing the shallower reefs and edges chasing bottom fish in 15-35m whole squid and pilchard rigged on a set of 7/0 gang hooks have worked very well. For the people fishing deeper water in search for reds big flesh baits or whole cuttlefish has definitely been the standout baits. Fresh fillets of hussar or iodine bream are also very effective on a range of species but big reds absolutely love them too. Although we always say it, fish the one hour either side of the tide change hard! This time can sure be an insane bite time and turn a pretty slow day into a worthwhile trip.

Burnett River
The Burnett is still fishing well even with the big South Easterly wind change which did put a dampener on the hot barra bite we have had. There has still been plenty of barra around however producing a bite out of these fish has not been easy. Being very stealthy when sounding over these schools of fish has helped to not spook them as well as using your electric motor as much as possible instead of your outboard. The lures seeming to get the bites have been small paddle tail soft plastics or very lightly weighted prawn imitation lures. The light tackle fishing hasn’t been affected at all with great sized grunter, flathead and bream being caught along the rock walls and sandy drop offs throughout the river. Mullet gut and whole sprat has worked well on these fish especially during a run out tide. Be sure to put the pots out this week as the crabs have sure been on the move with the new moon tomorrow night.

Elliott River
With the offshore conditions the way they are we have definitely seen more people fishing the Elliott and we have heard some pretty good reports. This river system has been producing good numbers of flathead all throughout the river during all parts of the tide. Whole prawns and whole sprat rigged unweighted and fished along the shallow drop offs has worked well and has sure picked up some quality fish. Fishing these same baits in the deeper holes using a running ball sinker rig and a small ball sinker has seen some of the bigger flatties caught as well as cod, grunter and even some small jewfish around the 60cm mark. Good numbers of summer whiting are also being caught during the run in tide, with the new moon tomorrow night we have seen the size of these whiting getting better and better. Fresh yabbies or beach worms are absolutely the best bait you can get for these fish, although these can be a challenge to find at times they are well worth the effort as the big whiting love them.

Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek Family Fishing Festival starts midday on Monday 18th of September and goes until midday Saturday the 23rd of September. Baffle Creek has been fishing red hot and this comp is always such a great event with heaps of prizes on offer for fish captures and lucky draws! If you haven’t got your tickets yet head to https://www.bafflecreekfishing.com/ to register.

If you want to fish the baffle have a look at fishing the flats around the mouth with lots of flathead being caught on soft plastics and trolled hardbody’s. You can also expect to catch whiting, grunter, queenfish and trevally in these areas as well as the fallen trees around the mouth. If you are chasing jacks and barra have a look at fishing the mangrove lined banks and the rocks bars as these are top spots to catch one of these two iconic Australian species. These barra and jack have been eating 4-5 inch paddle tail soft plastics, these are fished best with a weed less jig head when fishing heavy structure like fallen trees and mangrove roots. If you prefer bait fishing get out the old cast net and catch some lives for bait as this is a top method for enticing them especially when the fishing is a little slow. A great way to present live bait like sprat, mullet and prawns is a single hook directly through the back of the bait avoiding the spine so they can still move around in the water.

Kolan River
The Kolan has been producing some top quality flathead all through the river over the last few weeks. Good numbers of fish have been caught in the shallows during the incoming tide and the deeper holes in the bottom half of the run out tide. Baits like whole prawns, sprat and small flesh baits like strips of mullet fillet have worked well on these fish. For the lure fisho’s they have certainly been taking a liking to Daiwa Double Clutch hardbody lures slowly twitched over the sand beds and drop offs. We have also heard of good numbers of jacks being caught in the deeper holes around rocky structures and a lot of barra being sighted on the sounder. Great numbers of barra have actually been found around the mouth of the river system, using your sounders side scan to locate these fish schooled up around structures like fallen trees is a game changer. Prawn imitation lures like the Pro Lure Clone prawn or the Zerek Cherabin have got the bite from these barra. The Kolan is still producing some quality whiting and big bream with the odd sickle fish thrown in to keep the local whiting fishers on their toes. When it comes to whiting fishing it pays to fish light around 4-6lb and with fresh bait like yabbies. With school holidays upon us it’s always fun to watch the kids try and grab the yabbies and put them in the bucket before the big pincher gets them. If you can’t get any fresh bait try beach worms or peeled prawns as two good alternatives.

Lake Gregory
As the water temp in the lake continues to rise we have seen great numbers of bass caught in the shallows and the weedy drop offs. These fish have been feeding well during the early mornings and late afternoons. Small paddle tail soft plastics have been working well however the go to lure has been small suspending hardbody lures. Local gun anglers Nelson Philips and Don Patterson have had some great sessions on the lake recently with some solid bass and a few epic saratoga captures. Fishing for these saratoga can be extremely difficult, following the wind currents is a great way to find these fish. Toga love to feed where the wind is blowing leaf litter and insects onto the water. Small topwater lures work really well for saratoga, any cicada imitation has to be up there with some of the best lures for toga. A simple slow wind back to the boat is a good way to attract these fish with occasional pauses and small twitches especially when you see a fish tailing behind the lure to help convince them to bite.

Lake Monduran
The South Easterly wind change and a few days of overcast conditions earlier this week did make it harder for these bigger barra to bite however there was still good numbers of fish getting caught in the dam. The last few days of sunny and warm weather along with consistent South/South Easterly winds has seen good numbers of fish in areas like Wiggle Bay and the Cattle Yards. The early mornings have been the best time to be on the dam this week, the Kolan River high tide change in the mornings has been a cracking little bite period. Great numbers of fish around the 60 to 70cm range have been chewing pretty hard this week, although not the magic metre fish these barra are so fun to catch and hit like freight trains! Ensuring you are on a point which has barra passing through is a perfect way to position yourself for a small bite time like tide changes and moon rises/sets. 5 or 6 inch Shads soft plastics have worked really well when fished with a light jig head. Rolling these plastics back to the boat as slowly as you can has been the key to getting these big barra to continue to bite. Berkley Shimma Pro Rigs in the 5.5inch size have also been really effective this week, these lures are ready to handle big barra straight out of the packet which makes them a great option for all anglers.

7/9/23
Inshore/Offshore
This time of year can be tough with the Northerly’s starting as this always chops the sea up and can make it hard to get a decent weather window to get out. For the spearo’s the Northerlies also mean dirty water so it is usually a battle to find some decent visibility along our coast once the Northerlies kick in. When the wind is howling it is always a great idea to get stuck into some maintenance as there is nothing worse than a break down on the water or a bearing failure on your way to the ramp and watching everyone post photos of the days catch. Ensure your outboard is up to date on it’s servicing, replace or re pack your wheel bearings and have a general once over of all of your gear to make sure it’s ready for the next weather window. This weekend will be the weekend to get those jobs done but as always keep an eye on the weather reports as they are always changing.

For those that have persisted and been able to get out they have sure found a few quality jew fish and big grunter in the inshore reefs and gravel patches along with some good sized grassy’s and snapper. Some of the better methods to catch these fish are with whole squid and ganged pilchards. 4 inch curl tail soft plastics have also been working really well and have accounted for some big snapper so far this season. This time of year you should also be able to find a few schools of bait being harassed by school mackerel, queenfish and tuna so if you feel like getting your arms stretched keep your eye out for schools of bait erupting and tuna launching out the water after them. If you want to have a crack at catching one of the mackerel, tuna or queenfish try casting metal slugs around the 20-30g mark for best results or have a go at throwing a small Halco Popper into the school of bait and watch as they erupt the surface chasing your lure down.

One of the fishing styles that gets over-looked a lot is land based game fishing also known as LBG fishing. Along our coastline there are so many good spots to try and land some solid pelagic fish off the rocks. If you jump onto google maps and use the satellite imagery you will be able to see good rocky out crops where it meets deeper water and these are great spots to try. A 7 to 8ft rod and a reel to match with a fast retrieval rate and 12kg or more of drag is perfect for this style of fishing. Finding areas with good current, structure and bait is the perfect combination to get yourself into some cracking fish from the shore. Casting stickbaits out and retrieving them with a slow sweeping action from the rod is a perfect way to imitate a wounded and fleeing baitfish. This method has accounted for plenty of spanish and school mackerel as well as queenfish, tuna and trevally along our coast.

Burnett River
The Burnett has had another great week of fishing, with the water temp on the rise we have seen more of the summer species being caught and plenty of bait getting around as well. Good numbers of barra are being found on the rock bars and around the bridges, these fish have been in schools of up to 15 to 20! Although there is plenty of barra around, getting these fish to bite has still been difficult. Those anglers who have managed to get some of the fish to eat have found that 4 to 5 inch paddle tail soft plastics slow wound through the school of fish has been the way to go. Fishing for these barra in the early mornings and late afternoons has been a good time to chase them, when these periods of low light coincide with a tide change is often when we see great numbers of these barra caught. Good sized jack are also being caught in these same areas as well as up the creeks amongst fallen trees and mangrove roots. Live bait has been working great on these big jack so be sure to have yourself a quality cast net to secure some fresh livies.

Elliott River
The Elliott River sure is fishing red hot at the moment with a great mix of summer and winter species on the chew! In the deep holes and up the creeks is where these summer species have been caught. Good numbers of jack, barra and cod have all been found in these places and have preferred live baits or whole prawns. For the lure fisho’s prawn imitation soft plastics like the Pro Lure Clone Prawns or the Shads Tuff Prawn, which we have just landed a big shipment of, have been doing the damage. Towards the mouth of this system has still seen some great flats fishing on bream, whiting and flathead. The incoming tide has been the best time to be on the water especially if you are using fresh yabbies or beach worms as bait. Up the creeks has also seen good numbers of crabs being caught so be sure to throw the pots in overnight as you never know your luck.

Baffle Creek
The Baffle is fishing great, good reports of flathead, bream and whiting feeding during the incoming tide on the shallow flats has kept the whole family entertained. Pumping yabbies at the bottom of the tide is great fun for the kids and they are one of the best baits you can get your hands on. After you have a good amount of yabbies, fishing the incoming tide over the shallow sand flats is a sure way to get amongst the action. Some big grunter have been around in this system also, these guys pull so hard and are always a welcomed sight when flats fishing. The jack, barra and cod have been more active this week also. The rock bars in this river have been the hot spots for these species, live baits and whole prawns have been getting the bite also. These fish have been feeding during the run out tide, anchoring on the pressure edge side of the rock bar and drifting your baits back onto it is a good way to present your baits naturally with the current.

Kolan River
The Kolan River is continuing to fish well and with the water temp on the rise we have seen good numbers of jack, barra and cod being caught. These summer species have been found in areas of high structure like fallen trees, rock bars and other submerged structures throughout the river. The bottom half of the run out tide has been the ideal time to be targeting these fish, whole sprat and prawns have got the bite. Finding some poddy mullet with the cast net is also a great option at the moment, rigging these whole mullet with a single hook through the back of the bait so it can still swim is a deadly technique. There has been some good pelagic action happening in this system too, the incoming tide has been bringing some big queenfish and trevally into this river chasing bait fish. Floating out whole sprat or flicking small soft plastics around structures getting hit with current is sure to find a few of these fish. The flats fishing has also been red hot! Drifting the flats whilst flicking lures has seen some great quality flathead and grunter being caught as well as some solid bream.

Lake Gregory
The fishing in Lake Gregory has sure been red hot! The bass are definitely feeding well even in the middle of the day and with good sized fish being landed all throughout the dam as well. These fish have been super fat and have been putting up some great fights on the light gear! Slow rolling paddle tail soft plastics like the Original Sliders grub or Zman 3 inch MinnowZ in natural colours has been working very well this week. Targeting areas of the dam which the wind is blowing into has worked great as the warmer water and the majority of baitfish will be in these areas. Low light periods have also seen some great fish caught on topwater lures, the Daiwa Slippery Dog is a key favourite as it’s action is irresistible. Some saratoga have also showed themselves this week, subtle surface lures like an Atomic Cicada will sure get these fish to bite.

Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has had another great week of fishing with good numbers of barra caught along with some absolute giants hitting the deck! The big barra are definitely on the chew at the moment however finding the bait and warmer water is the key. Fishing areas of the dam which have had plenty of wind exposure in the days prior to when you are fishing will get your lure in front of the more actively feeding fish. Finding fish passing through a point is where a lot of anglers have been finding their success. Casting hardbody lures into the shallows and twitching them into the deeper water with long pauses has done the damage. Slow rolled Shads soft plastics are also very effective at the moment, when fishing these plastics use as light of a jig head as you can. This will help the lure look as natural as possible and hopefully give you a little edge to get one of these massive barra to bite!

31/8/23
Inshore
The last few weeks has certainly resulted in some cracking inshore fishing! Big snapper, jew and grunter have been the stand out fish being caught. Most of the inshore marks fish really well for these fish, the most important thing to look out for is bait. Find the bait, and there’s a great chance that there will be some predatory fish hanging around the area. Dropping down small livies or whole prawns have worked well for these fish. For the lure fisho’s you cannot beat a Samaki Vibelicious soft vibe hopped around the big schools of bait. Some solid spanish and school mackerel are also about, once again finding the bait is key. Trolling whole gar has been working really well as you can slow your troll speed right down to entice a bite, this works really when the sun is high and the mackerel go down a bit deeper. Early mornings and late afternoons have been the ideal times to be fishing our inshore reefs, with some decent weather predicted over the next few days we should see some more quality fish being caught. Be sure to check the latest weather forecast before heading out and ensure you have all of the required safety gear.

Offshore
The weather gods were on our side this week with a few really good days of weather presenting themselves. Those who were fortunate enough to head out were definitely rewarded with some quality fish. Reefs towards Lady Elliott Island produced good numbers of trout and some cracking red throat emperor on flesh baits and whole pilchards. Ground further north off Agnes seemed to fish well also, reports of some big trout, tuskies, sweetlip and big red emperor are a great sign of how the reefs have been fishing. Making the most out of the tide change has been a key technique to filling that esky, fishing hard during the hour either side of the tide has resulted in some great fishing. Using this time to lighten your sinkers and present a more natural bait to the fish often will work really well especially on days when there is a lot of current. For the lure fisho’s the Samaki Golden Carrot vibes and Live Prawn’s have been slaying the reef species so be sure to have some on board. The anglers spending a lot of time sounding around and finding new ground and isolated pinnacles are sure reaping the rewards this week. Some great sized reds, trout and big cod have come from these types of ground.

Burnett River
The Burnett has been producing some top quality fish this week! Big bream, flathead and grunter sure have been the stand out fish being caught by most. This time of year is always a great time to be fishing for these species, whole prawns and sprat rigged with a light ball sinker fished along any of the rock walls in the Burnett has got the bite. For those lure fishing small prawn imitation lures or grub soft plastics have been getting them to bite as well. The bigger flathead have been caught on 80-100mm vibes hopped along the bottom, areas with sandy drop offs or where rocky structures meet sand are great areas to target these bigger flathead. Some cracking barra are getting around the Burnett at the moment, any of the rock bars in the river are a great place to start for these fish. Fishing these areas around the tide changes is definitely worth while as these fish have been feeding in short windows. Using 4 to 6 inch soft plastics slow rolled over these rock bars has got some great fish to bite this week.

Elliott River
The sand flats and yabbie beds have been producing some cracking fish in the Elliott again this week, yabbies would have to be one of the best fresh baits that you can get for a large variety of species. One of the stand out species that love yabbies is the the humble whiting and there sure has been plenty around in the Elliott at the moment. Dusting off the yabbie pump and pumping for yabbies at the low tide is a great way to secure some fresh bait. Beach worms have also worked really well and these are ideal if you can’t make it in time for the low tide as you can just pop into the shop and grab a few packs. Some good jack and barra have also been showing themselves up the creeks of the Elliott, any rocky structures have definitely been holding good numbers of these fish. Live poddy mullet has worked good on the jack and whole prawns have got the barra to bite. Fishing for these species around the low tide has been when they have been on the chew. Also, don’t forget to throw the pots in. There has been some great sized muddy’s caught this week as the big tides have got them on the move. Those who have been leaving their pots in overnight have got the best results so if you can it is definitely worth leaving them in overnight as the bigger night time tide is when the majority of crabs are on the move.

Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek is having a great week of fishing with plenty of variety being caught throughout the river. In particular the flats fishing in this river has been really good with reports of big bream bream, whiting and flathead being caught in the same areas. Fresh yabbies and beach worms are the ideal bait however whole and cut up sprat has worked really well too. For the lure enthusiasts small wriggler tail soft plastics worked across the flats have got the bite from these fish. Up the creeks has seen some good jack starting to be caught however anglers have definitely had to work very hard in between bites. Good numbers of barra are also being found schooled up around the rock bars and lay downs in the deeper sections of this river. Prawn imitation lures like the Pro Lure Clone Prawn have got a few of these fish to bite.

Kolan River
Over the last few weeks we have seen the Kolan continually producing for most anglers whether bait fishing, lure fishing or even for those crabbing. Good sized flathead, bream and grunter are being caught on the sand flats towards the mouth of the river. Drifting the drop offs and sand flats with whole prawns, whole sprat or fresh yabbies have all been getting good results. Small soft vibe lures like the MMD Soft Prawn Vibe have worked really well for the lure fishos as well. Some good jack and barra are also being found up river, fishing the rocky structures and deep holes with live baits has been the go to method to get these fish to bite. Those who love to do a bit of crabbing should be keen to get a few pots in the water as we have heard good reports this week with the big tides helping to get these crabs on the move!

Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory sure has started to fish really well as of late! The bass have been feeding in the shallows which has made for some great fishing for the lure enthusiasts. Low light periods on the dam have been a great time to be on the water and flicking small soft plastics around the weed towers and lily pads. When the sun is higher up in the sky we have seen a lot of success coming from anglers who are using deep diving hardbody lures twitched out of the shallows and along the weedy drop offs. One of the keys to getting the bass to bite has been to be using a light enough leader to ensure your lure is looking as natural as possible. A 10lb monofilament leader has been working well for most anglers and has also held up when these fish bury themselves in the weed during their fight.

Lake Monduran
Some absolute monster fish have been landed this week! These bigger barra have sure been feeding more regularly and have started being more active as they slowly push into shallower water in search of food. Finding the fish that are more inclined to feed is always the tricky part. By being in bays which have had good consistent winds pushing the bait and warmer water into them over the last few days or weeks is a perfect way to start. Locating a point inside these wind blown bays which has barra passing through will put you in with a great chance at getting a fish in the boat. Hardbody lures like the Samaki Redic DS80 and the Jackall Squirrel 79SP have been the two hardbodies getting these big barra to bite. Ensuring your lure is almost stationary at rest will allow you to implement long pauses into your retrieve whilst still staying in the strike zone. This will ultimately turn into more bites and hopefully more barra in your boat!

24/8/23
Inshore
The inshore reefs have been producing plenty of action over the past week with spanish mackerel, grunter and snapper being the standout fish caught. With the few good days of weather earlier this week we got some great reports from those who managed to sneak out for a fish. The spanish have been hanging out on most of the inshore reefs with the Artificial off the Elliot being one of the hot spots. Trolling gar and hardbody lures around the wrecks looking for the big shows of bait fish and focusing on that little area should get you into the spanish mackerel action! Remember, early mornings and late afternoons is the best time to target them. The Artificial has also been a great place to get you into some grunter and snapper action! Using soft vibes or 5” soft plastic’s has been a deadly technique if you are into the lure game. If not, using squid and prawns will surely get you hooked into some quality fish. Definitely don’t forget to take some squid jigs, there’s been some cracking sized squid still getting around in the shallows just off our coastline.

Offshore
Those who managed to get out earlier this week were sure rewarded with some cracking fish coming from places like the gutters and ground towards Lady Elliott island. Although the fish were biting the sharks seemed to be out in numbers and we have heard of plenty of anglers struggling to get fish past them. Big trout, grass sweetlip, venus tusk fish, cod and red emperor were on the chew with some of these fish making it to the boat. Using big flesh baits like fresh hussar fillet or mullet fillet has sure got the bites from these fish. Finding isolated structure away from main sections of reef is where the more quality fish are being found especially when there is a good amount of bait around. Floating out a whole pilchard is also a good way to pick up any big spanish or school mackerel that happen to be passing through the area. Be sure to make the most out of the tide change, we all know just how red hot the fishing can get during the one hour either side of the tide!

Burnett River
The Burnett has been producing some top quality fish with big bream, grunter and flathead being the standout’s! Whole prawns and sprat rigged with a light ball sinker fished along any of the rock walls in the Burnett has got the bite from the bream and grunter! For the people chasing flathead the hot spots has been any of the sandy drop offs throughout the river. Again, whole sprat and prawns have been the two go to baits for the flatties. Good numbers of blue salmon are still being found in the town reach area, these fish have been feeding around the low tide. Throwing some Samaki soft vibes at these fish an hour either side of the low tide should give you a good chance at getting some to bite.

Elliott River
The Elliott River sure is fishing red hot at the moment with a great mix of summer and winter species on the chew! This time of year is usually a good opportunity to start chasing species like mangrove jack and barra before a lot of other anglers. Those throwing the cast net and catching some fresh bait have been doing well when fishing on rock bars and deeper holes in this river. Good numbers of cod and jack are starting to be caught and the barra have been showing themselves in these same areas. The flats fishing is still really good with once again those using fresh baits certainly getting the better results. For the lure enthusiasts flicking small soft plastics along the flats and drop offs has seen good numbers of flathead, bream, grunter and even some good sized summer whiting being caught. 3 to 4 inch curl tail soft plastics have been the go to lure in this system, rigging them on a 1/8th or a 1/4 oz jig head depending on the depth of water you are fishing will help keep the lure looking natural and get you more bites!

Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek is having a really good week of fishing and with the water temp on the rise we have seen good numbers of jack and barra on the chew. Fishing any of the rock bars and the snags at the mouth of the river system has seen good numbers of fish being caught. Whole prawns and live bait like poddy mullet have definitely been the go to baits for these fish. The flats fishing in this river system has also been really good, solid grunter and flathead have been caught on the flats and drop offs on soft plastics and vibes. With the tides growing into the upcoming full moon putting the pots in over the weekend should see some good quality bucks caught.

Kolan River
The standout fish in the Kolan at the moment has been the Blue Salmon! Great numbers of these fish have been found in the middle stretch of this river system in any of the deep holes. Soft vibes worked through the schools of fish has no doubt been the go to method to get a bite from these fish. The rock bars and fallen trees has also seen good numbers of jack being caught now that the water temp is on the rise. Floating whole prawns into the structure has got the bite from these jack with by-catch of cod and flathead. Some prawns have also been on the muddy flats upriver in the murky water, driving past the flats and watching for the prawns flicking in the wake is a good way to find these prawns. The crabbing has also started to heat up with the tides increasing with the build up to next weeks full moon. Throwing the pots in up the creeks this weekend should result in a few nice sized bucks.

Local Beaches
The beach fishing surrounding Bundaberg has been red hot this week, plenty of anglers are catching quality fish using super simple methods! The absolute go to technique to catch a feed of whiting, bream and flathead off our beaches at the moment is a running ball sinker rig using fresh yabbies or beach worms as bait! Rules Beach, Coonarr Beach and Woodgate Beach are all fishing very well with some solid tailor and mackerel presenting themselves as well. Small metal lures or whole pilchards have got these pelagic fish to bite. Keep an eye out for birds working, bait flicking or surface strikes from predatory fish as these are all dead giveaways that there is some pelagic fish around and feeding.
Lake Gregory

The bass in Lake Gregory have sure come on the chew with the water temp rising causing the bass to be on the move and feeding. Anglers targeting the weed drop offs with suspending jerk baits have had great success with fish going above 50cm. Letting the hardbody sit and suspend in between twitches really has been the key to getting these bass to bite. The Rapala Shad Rap Elite hardbodies are almost in a league of their own at the moment, the big bass just absolutely love them and they match the hatch perfectly. Good numbers of fish are still being found schooled up off the points and around the bait however the bigger bass are definitely being caught around the weed towers and drop offs. With some consistent weather forecasted we should continue to see the edge bite get more aggressive and these bass even fatter than they currently are.

Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran is sure heating up with some absolute cracking fish over the metre mark being caught consistently by some anglers. The sunny days where winds are somewhat consistent have definitely been the days to be fishing the dam with the barra more inclined to bite during these conditions. There is loads of fish in the bays at the moment, finding these barra definitely isn’t hard but getting one to bite is a different story. The early morning sessions have seemed to get some good bites from the bigger barra especially when this coincides with a tide change or a moon set. Fishing a point inside a wind blown bay that has fish moving through the area is a great way to approach the dam at the moment. Suspending hardbody lures with long pauses in between twitches or slow wound Shads soft plastics have been the two types of lures getting these barra to bite. Plenty of small rat barra are up in the shallows and during the day when the sun is high they have been tucked right up in the shadows from overhanging trees or lily pads. Throwing shallow diving hardbodies in this structure and aggressively twitching them back to the boat should result in a few barra hitting the deck.

10/8/23
Inshore
This weekend is looking mint for any inshore fishers with the swell and wind looking good for the small boats to head out and the weather starting to warm up we should see a lot of trout and sweetlip starting to really fire up and start smashing the baits and lures being offered. A lot of the inshore reefs will be holding good numbers of trout, sweetlip and other tasty species, some of the better methods whether it be dropping down a bait like a pilchard or squid or jigging soft plastics and metals should see you landing one of the many tasty fish. A good way to find trout is to look for a ledge or bommie that is holding a good amount of bait because chances are there will be a trout or two close by feeding on the bait. Good sized grunter are also being caught, soft vibes are the lures doing the damage on these fish or whole prawns if you rather soak a bait or two.

We are still seeing some quality spanish mackerel lurking around the reefs and along the shoreline so if you find yourself wanting to target these tasty fish have a look at slow trolling a live pike or yakka behind the boat about 30m or so and also troll a hard body on the other side so you have both bases covered. With the many schools of baitfish showing up there has been a few pods of longtail tuna and mac tuna working these schools. Some of the best ways to catch tuna is with a high speed setup something with a 110cm per crank or faster retrieve like a Penn Slammer 4500 HS to crank the lures back at speed so they look like a fleeing bait fish. The one lure you can’t go past and has caught the team numerous tuna is an Arma Anchovy metal slug! Speaking from experience if the tuna are feeding on something that’s 4-5cm long they will not touch a 7cm slug so it always pays to have various sizes in your tackle box ready to go. Another great way to target pelagic’s is to throw around a popper or stick bait. The splash from a surface lure will usually gain the attention from any nearby predators even if they aren’t actively feeding.

Offshore
Looks like the weather will be playing the game this weekend so it will be worth dusting off the boat and having a crack at the countless opportunity’s we have at our door step! Some cracking red emperor, trout and nannygai have been on the chew with big flesh baits doing the damage on these species. There has also been some big sweetlip, venus tusk fish and cobia being caught in the shallower ground and around the wrecks. Some of the proven ways to target these fish is using a Molix Fork Flex Shad and a Samaki Golden Carrot lure hopped through the schools of bait and over the ledges. Remember to fish hard during the tide change, all of these species have been on the chew one hour either side of the tide so definitely be on a good looking patch of ground as this 2 hour window can sure change your day and fill the esky!

Burnett River
The Burnett has been producing some very nice blue salmon and bream! The salmon have mostly been hanging out in the town reach. Using soft vibes or live sprat has definitely been the standout technique to get the bite. Remember the usual bite time for them in the town reach is one hour either side of low tide. There’s been some cracking sized bream being caught on most the rock bars throughout the river. Target these fish towards the top of high tide. Hoping 2.5” Zman Grubz over the rock bars has definitely been the standout way to get the bite. If you are more into bait fishing using mullet gut and prawns will definitely get you into some bream action. Also be sure to have your cast net handy, occasionally there’s been some really good sized prawns being caught in the deeper holes.

Elliott River
The Elliott River sure is fishing red hot at the moment with a great mix of summer and winter species on the chew! This time of year is usually a good opportunity to start chasing species like mangrove jack and barra before a lot of other anglers. Although the fishing may be tougher it is a great way to get ahead of the rest and figure out a few techniques for when the water heats up. Those throwing the cast net and catching some fresh bait have been doing well when fishing on rock bars and deeper holes in this river. Good numbers of cod and jack are starting to be caught and the barra have been showing themselves in these same areas. The flats fishing is still really good with once again those using fresh baits certainly getting the better results. For the lure enthusiasts flicking small soft plastics along the flats and drop offs has seen good numbers of flathead, bream, grunter and even some good sized summer whiting being caught. 3 to 4 inch curl tail soft plastics have been the go to lure in this system, rigging them on a 1/8th or a 1/4 oz jig head depending on the depth of water you are fishing will help keep the lure looking natural and get you more bites!

Baffle Creek
The Baffle has been fishing very well with whiting and grunter being the standout captures! For this weekend low tide is around midday so pumping yabbies around midday and fishing the incoming tide should get you into a very nice feed of whiting. If you miss the low tide the beach worms that we sell will get you the whiting bite. Be sure to use very light line and a small sinker, presenting the bait as natural as possible is the goal. The grunter have been taking a liking to prawn imitation lures and live or dead prawns as bait. The gravel or yabbie bars is always a great place to chase them with the incoming tide being the preferred time to chase them. Also don’t forget to drop the crab pots in, there’s been some good quality muddy’s being caught.

Kolan River
The standout two species for the Kolan has definitely been flathead and the early season mangrove jack. The flathead have been loving 3” paddle tail soft plastic’s slow rolled over shallow sandbars preferably bars that hold yabbies. Also, trolling hardbody lures has been doing the trick, Zerek Tango Shads and Daiwa Double Clutch lures has been the go to lures. There’s been some early season mangrove jack being caught as well! Working Samaki Redic DS80’s and Jackal Squirrel’s out of mangrove roots and shallow rock bars has been doing the damage. The out going tide is usually the go to when all the bait fish are moving and the water clarity is getting dirtier. Dropping your leader size down to around 25lb will help you get the bite while the water is cool like it is. Again don’t forget to drop the crab pots in, the bigger night time tides this weekend should have some good quality crabs moving.

Local Beaches
With the weather forecast looking good for our beaches we should see plenty of people having a crack and with the fishing still being red hot we should see plenty of action. Those fishing our beaches recently have found good numbers of flathead, bream and summer whiting being caught in the gutters especially during the incoming tide. Beach worms and fresh yabbies have been the baits doing most of the damage however chook and mullet gut has got some great results too. Some big schools of dart have also been showing up and have smashed baits and also small soft plastics hopped through their school. There has also been some good sized trevally and queenfish schools come through with small metal lures getting these fish to bite.

Lake Gregory
Fishing on the lake this week has been really good with plenty of cracking bass over 45cm being landed. Most of the anglers doing well on the lake have been using their sounder to pin point exactly where the fish are which is usually around the points and drop offs. Once the bass are located throwing a variety of lures at them until one bites is really the key to figuring out how these fish are feeding. Small paddle tail soft plastics around 3 inch in size along with small metal blades have been getting plenty of fish to bite. For those who have been getting good numbers of fish in the shallower water we have found throwing small hardbody lures to be extremely effective at getting a reaction bite out of one of these bass. Using an 8 to 12lb mono leader has been getting the bites from these bass and still allowed for plenty of abrasion resistance if they tangle you up in the weed. As the saying goes, fish light to get the bite!

Lake Monduran
Things are sure heating up for the dam at the moment! With the water temp on the rise in the dam we have seen a lot more barra being caught and some big ones at that. Those fishing the early mornings have been doing better with the barra chewing during the first light period and around the recent early morning moon set times. Once these barra have fed in the mornings it has been hard to convince a bite out of one of these fish especially during the day, but the moon rise time in the late afternoon or night has accounted for a few fish being landed. Suspending hardbody lures have no doubt been getting the bites out of these barra, ensuring you are letting the lure sit still in the water column in between twitches is vital as these barra are not aggressively feeding and need plenty of time to eat a lure. Working a point or an area where the barra are moving through around the moon set/rise times and the Kolan River tide change times can surely change your session and get a few bites out of these fish in a very short time window. Be sure to be extremely stealthy when sounding for these fish or whilst fishing, as we have seen plenty of times this week a few noises form the boat can spook a whole school of barra away in no time at all.

3/8/23
Inshore
The inshore reefs have been producing plenty of action over the past week with the spanish mackerel and grunter being the standout captures. The spanish have been hanging out on most of the inshore reefs with the Artificial off the Elliot being one of the hot spots. Trolling gar and hardbody lures around the wrecks looking for the big shows of bait fish and focusing on that little area should get you into the spanish mackerel action! Remember, early mornings and late afternoons is the best time to target them. The Artificial has also been a great place to get you into some grunter action! Using soft vibes or 5” soft plastic’s has been a deadly technique if you are into the lure game. If not, using squid and prawns will surely get you hooked into some quality fish. Definitely don’t forget to take some squid jigs, there’s been some cracking sized squid still getting around. Fingers crossed we get a good little weather window soon which will let us head out in chase of these cracking species.

Offshore
The offshore fishing out of Bundy over the past week surely has been impressive! By far the standout fish has been coral trout. Plenty of these fish have been over 7kg! The three best techniques has been using live baits such as yakka’s, prawn imitation lures and whole pilchards. There’s also been some ripper grass sweetlip and some nice sized red emperor being caught with them as well. Those who are chasing the big reds have done very well using large flesh baits like mullet fillet or fresh hussar fillet. Finding isolated pinnacles of reef in the middle of nowhere or even small lumps situated away from the main sections of reef will usually hold good numbers of red emperor. Remember to make the most out of the tide changes, the one hour either side of the tide surely can put some fish on your deck!

Burnett River
The Burnett has been producing some top quality fish with big bream and flathead being the standout’s! Some of the bream have been nudging the 45cm mark and a lot of flathead over 75cm are being caught as well. This time of year the bream are feeding up to get ready for breeding season so now is the time to target these guys whilst they are active. Whole prawns and sprat rigged with a light ball sinker fished along any of the rock walls in the Burnett has got the bite. Fore those lure fishing small prawn imitation lures or grub soft plastics have been getting the bream to bite with bycatch of cod, grunter and flathead as well. The big flathead have been caught on 80-100mm vibes hopped along the bottom, areas with sandy drop offs or where rocky structures meet sand are great areas to target these bigger flathead. Remember that any dusky flathead 75cm or over needs to be released so please handle these big breeders with respect and limit the time they are out of the water for.

Elliott River
Well the Elliott River sure has had a spectacular run of summer whiting over the last week! Those pumping yabbies at low tide then fishing the incoming tide over the shallow sand bars and weed beds have absolutely slayed the whiting. Using a running ball sinker rig with 6lb leader and pink/red beads and tubing has been the go to way to get these finicky fish to bite. Great numbers of flathead have also been caught in the same areas as these whiting so having some whole sprat drifting out over the sand bars is definitely a good idea to pick up some of the flatties which are cruising over the flats with the incoming tide. The deeper holes throughout the Elliott River are producing good numbers of grunter, soft vibes like the Samaki Vibelicious hopped along the bottom have been picking these fish up consistently. The crabs have been on the move in this river so be sure to throw the pots in this weekend for a tasty feed of mud crab!

Baffle Creek
The Baffle always fishes really well during this time of year and the last few weeks has certainly been no exception. The flats fishing in this river has been some of the best we have had in a long time and with good sized bream, whiting and flathead being caught it’s a no wonder people keep coming back for more. For the lure enthusiast a topwater lure retrieved across the surface of a shallow sand flat is some of the most exciting fishing you can do with the light gear. The Jackson EBI Panic Prawn and the MMD Splash Prawns are the two topwater lures slaying the fish on the flats. If you prefer bait fishing once again beach worms and fresh yabbies are definitely the bait of choice for most as they always seem to get great results. Similar to the Kolan River we have seen more jack being caught, no big ones as yet however that’s not to say they aren’t feeding. Those using flesh baits or whole poddy mullet have seen more jack encounters rather than those using lures for now.

Kolan River
The Kolan river has been fishing really well this week especially with the bigger tides pushing a lot of bait around the river. The predatory fish have been actively feeding and with 2-2.5m of run this weekend it will definitely be worth fishing any drains and creek mouths as the fish ambush all the bait that is getting pushed towards them. The sand flats and yabbie beds have been producing some cracking fish again this week, yabbies would have to be one of the best fresh baits that you can get for a large variety of species. One of the stand out species that love yabbies is the the humble whiting and there sure has been plenty around in the Kolan at the moment. Dusting off the yabbie pump and pumping for yabbies at the low tide is a great way to secure some fresh bait, if you can’t make the tide to do this come in and grab some beach worms as they have been dynamite on the whiting. With the bigger tides we have seen those fishing in areas with good current and structure have been doing really well. A lot of grunter, flathead, bream and cod are being caught and with the temperature slowly on the rise we have seen the odd mangrove jack being caught too. Also don’t forget to throw a pot or two out as there has been good numbers being caught.

Local Beaches
Well the beach fishing is certainly not slowing down yet with great reports this week coming from those fishing our local beaches. A few tailor have been encountered but the standout fish have got to be the summer whiting, bream and dart! Once again fresh is best when it comes to your bait especially for these species so those pumping for fresh yabbies have been getting the best results. Beach worms have been working very well so definitely take some of them, fishing the gutters during the incoming tide has been the go to as these fish come into the gutter with the tide and bait. Using a running ball sinker rig is ideal as this lets the bait drift naturally in the water column which will lead to more bites!

Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory has been fishing great again this week with the bass schooled up in deeper water. These fish have been chewing on a range of lures, if the bass are schooled up close to the bottom throwing a vibe down would be our first option as this will allow you to stay in the strike zone for as long as possible. If the bass are a bit higher off the bottom slow rolling a small natural coloured soft plastic through the school is sure to get one to bite. Those fishing the edges of the dam and timber have definitely still been catching good numbers of fish, the prime time for this style of fishing has certainly been low light periods such as dawn and dusk. Once again slow rolling soft plastics will get the bite, however a suspending hardbody lure has been far more effective especially when paired with an erotic retrieve mixing in plenty of twitches and small pauses.

Lake Monduran
Things are looking up for Lake Monduran with another week of great reports and some big barra landed with the biggest so far measuring 112cm! These big barra are being caught along the points in wind blown bays with the warmer water. Suspending hardbody lures are the go to lure in the dam at the moment, working a Jackall Squirrel or a Samaki Redic hardbody back to the boat with plenty of long pauses is sure to get eaten sooner or later. Plenty of smaller fish are still around which are great fun in between bites from the bigger barra. Being extremely stealthy whilst fishing the dam has made a huge difference, especially when sounding for barra as a few loud noises can spook these fish and have them shut down and not willing to feed. Ensuring that your electric motor is only on a low speed whilst cruising around the bay is a good way to keep the noise down and find good numbers of fish using your sounder.

27th of July 2023
Inshore
For the lucky few that have been able to get out the front for a fish off the rocks they have been rewarded with plenty of school mackerel caught on metal lures ranging in size from 20g to 50g options. There has also been a few reports of spanish mackerel hanging around the inshore reefs like the 2 mile off Bargara, the Artificial off Elliott Heads and the 4 mile. Some of the best ways to target spanish is by trolling dead baits or Halco Laser Pro hardbodies. If this doesn’t work and you know that they are in the area definitely drop a live bait or unweighted pilchard on top of them and wait for the reel to start singing! For those after a tasty feed of reef species there is no better technique at the moment than slow pitch jigging plastics and metal jigs. Team member Josh absolutely loves this technique for targeting any of our reef species but in particular coral trout! Next time you’re in the shop be sure to see Josh for his go to lures and how he likes to fish them for our local reef species!

Offshore
The offshore weather isn’t looking the best for the weekend however for those who have been able to venture out in the small weather windows have sure been doing well! The usual suspects for those bottom bashing has been big trout, reds and nannygai! Using big flesh baits like fresh hussar fillet or mullet fillet has sure got the bites from these fish. Finding isolated structure away from main sections of reef is where the more quality fish are being found especially when there is a good amount of bait around. Floating out a whole pilchard is also a good way to pick up any big spanish or school mackerel that happen to be passing through the area. Be sure to make the most out of the tide change, we all know just how red hot the fishing can get during the one hour either side of the tide!

Burnett River
The Burnett has been fishing very well over the past week! The standout species has been blue salmon, bream and whiting. The town reach has been the standout area for chasing salmon, targeting these fish one hour either side of low tide is a great idea because that’s usually their best bite time. Using 20g soft vibes or live sprat has been the go to way to get the bite. There’s also been some cracking sized bream being caught on most rock and gravel bars throughout the river. Hopping Zman Grubz out of the shallows with a lightly weighted jig head has been getting plenty of the action. If you’re more into bait fishing using prawn or mullet gut is an ideal way to get the bite. The whiting have been in numbers with some very good size to them. With the full moon mid next week the whiting fishing should be red hot this weekend! Pumping yabbies at low tide and fishing the incoming tide over the shallow sand bars should get you into a super tasty feed of whiting. Also, with the bigger night tides this weekend definitely drop the crab pots in, there’s been some good quality mud crabs being caught!

Elliott River
The two standout fish from the Elliot has definitely been the flathead and grunter. The flathead have been liking a few different techniques, the standout technique however has been trolling hardbody lures across the sand bars with the Daiwa Double Clutch being the favourite lure to use. Slow rolling Zman Minnowz out of the shallows surely has been getting the flatty bite as well. If you prefer bait fishing drifting with sprat or pilchards will get you into the action as well. There’s also been some cracking sized grunter being caught on the gravel and sand bars! Using 20g soft vibes and prawn imitation lures has been getting most of the bites. Also, if you’re more into bait fishing mullet fillets or prawns will get you the bite from these solid grunter. The most ideal tide for the grunter has been the last two hours of the incoming. Again, with the big tides this weekend don’t forget to drop the crab pots in to get yourself a nice feed of mud crabs!

Baffle Creek
The Baffle sure is fishing great! From bread and butter species like flathead and whiting to some good pelagic action like queenfish and trevally this river system has been producing! The majority of anglers have been fishing the flats and drop offs towards the river mouth and have found good numbers of whiting, flathead and bream up in the shallows. Drifting out some fresh yabbies or prawns has been getting the bites. The pelagic fish have been caught around the mouth of the river system, targeting these fish by throwing soft plastics in areas of high current with good structure has been the go. The rain we have had this week has got the crabs on the move so be sure to throw some pots in over the weekend!

Kolan River
Kolan River is fishing well, the last few weeks has seen this river continually producing for most anglers whether bait fishing, lure fishing or even for those crabbing. Good sized flathead, bream and grunter are being caught on the sand flats towards the mouth of the river. There hasn’t been a specific tide getting more bites but it definitely pays to understand where certain species will be during each part of the tide. For example, during an incoming tide flathead will usually have made there way onto the shallow flats to hunt and as the tide is running out they will move off the flat and situate themselves in deeper water surrounding these flats. Whole prawns, whole sprat or fresh yabbies have all been getting good results, small soft vibe lures like the MMD Soft Prawn Vibe have worked really well for the lure fishos. Those who love to do a bit of crabbing should be pretty keen to get a few pots in the water as we have heard good reports this week with the rain surely helping to get these crabs on the move!

Local Beaches
The beach fishing surrounding Bundaberg has been red hot over the last couple of weeks, plenty of anglers are catching quality fish using super simple methods! The absolute go to technique to catch a feed of whiting, bream and flathead off our beaches at the moment is a running ball sinker rig using fresh yabbies or beach worms as bait! Rules Beach, Moore Park Beach and Woodgate Beach are all fishing very well with some solid tailor and mackerel presenting themselves as well. The anglers who have some whole pilchards or small metal lures ready to go are managing to land some of these fish as they pass through the area! Keep an eye out for birds working, bait flicking or surface strikes from predatory fish as these are all dead giveaways that there is some pelagic fish around and feeding.

Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran had a really good weekend of fishing with plenty of smaller barra landed and those bigger fish are finally starting to bite! Although the hooks have been hard to keep connected to these bigger fish it is a great sign that they are at least starting to chew. We have heard some great reports coming from the charter operators but also recreational anglers getting some bites from the bigger fish with suspending hard body lures being the key at the moment. Another crucial thing to look out for is fishing not only when the wind has been consistent but also when the sun has been out. Those fishing the dam have definitely noticed that after a few sunny days the bigger barra are much easier to tempt a bite from. Retrieving your lures very slowly and letting them sit still in the water column is a must at the moment to ensure these big lazy barra have plenty of time to strike!

20th of July 2023
Inshore
With some windy conditions this week it has sure made it difficult for anglers to head out and chase some of our common species along the inshore reefs. Saturday and Sunday both have minimal swell around the 0.4m mark however winds up to 15knots are expected most of Saturday dropping out to 10knots for the majority of Sunday. These conditions should see a good opportunity for those who are keen to head out to our Inshore marks and chase a few mulloway, spanish mackerel, tuna, trout and tusk fish! When the conditions have allowed we have seen these species being consistently caught along most of our coastline. The mulloway are being found in natural structure hugging the bottom underneath bait balls and the spanish and tuna have been around the pressure edges created as the current hits some form of structure. Throwing Samaki soft vibes to the bottom and hopping them back to the boat is an easy way to attract a mulloway and get the bite. Trolling deep diving hardbody lures has been really effective on the spanish mackerel. If you are bottom fishing it’s a great idea to float out a whole pilchard to pick up any mackerel that are cruising through.

Offshore
The offshore reefs have really turned it on over the past month when the weather as allowed us to head out! This time of year Bundy is usually red hot fishing because of all the bait that is stacked on our reefs. The number of big red emperor and trout being caught at the moment is ridiculous with some great by catch as well. Reds over 10kg are being caught consistently with the biggest over 16kg so far. Big flesh baits and live baits were the standout baits for these reds. The big trout have also been loving flesh baits but a whole yakka sure is a trout lollipop! Whole pilchards are also working well with good sized venus tuskfish, sweetlip and red throat emperor being caught at most places. Remember to always make the most out of the tide changes, fishing your favourite spot one hour either side of the tide surely can get your arms stretched and the esky filled!

Burnett River
The Burnett is fishing really well, the standout fish has got to be the big bream and grunter! These two fish have been caught either along the rock walls or on top of the shallow sand flats. Fishing the rock walls with mullet and chook gut is a great way to target these species, slowly drifting your bait down with a light ball sinker is the way to go. If you are fishing the flats live yabbies and whole dead sprat is our preferred baits and the bream and grunter have been loving them! Those catching some of these monster bream on lures have been mainly using small curl tail soft plastics and yabbie presentation lures. Using a very light jig head and letting the lure drift naturally across the flats or rock walls is a must to get these bream to bite. The blue salmon have shown up in good numbers around town reach and fairymead, these fish have been chewing during the incoming tide and have loved soft vibes like the Daiwa Steez Soft Shell Vibe. With the big night time tides this week we have seen good numbers of crab caught when leaving your pots in overnight. Be sure to be using plenty of bait in your pots as this has given the best results.

Elliott River
The shallow flats in the Elliott have been full of baitfish and the flathead, bream and grunter haven’t been far away. The incoming tide has for sure been the best tide to be fishing this river, the predatory fish have been pushing up with the tide in search of an easy feed. 100 to 120mm curl tail soft plastics hopped along the sand flats and drop offs has got the bite. The old faithful Bloodworm coloured Squidgie Wrigglers are doing their fair share of damage on these fish, they are definitely one of the first lures we tie on for flats fishing! The deeper holes in this river has seen good numbers of grunter, cod and the odd jack. Whole sprat and prawns have been most anglers go to baits and they have certainly been getting the bite. A simple running ball sinker rig using a 15-20lb leader is working well at the moment, those hooking into some jack have gone up to a 30lb leader and have still managed to get the bites. The upper stretchers of this river system has seen good sized crabs being caught, the numbers aren’t as good but the quality of these crabs has made up for it. Once again, leaving your pots in overnight has been the go.

Baffle Creek
The Baffle has been producing some very nice whiting and bream over the past week! Pumping yabbies early in the mornings this weekend and fishing the incoming tide over the yabbie banks should get you into a feed of whiting. If you miss out on pumping yabbies at low tide our beach worms are the next best bait! The bream have been loving small curl tail soft plastic’s worked over rock bars and out of mangrove roots. If you’re more into bait fishing using mullet gut or prawns is always a great way to get the bream to chew. Also, don’t forget to drop the pots in, the mud crabs that have been getting caught have been of really good quality!

Kolan River
The standout two fish from the Kolan over the past week has definitely been grunter and flathead! The grunter have been taking a liking to soft plastic’s and soft vibes, if you prefer your bait fishing using live or dead sprat will surely get you into the grunter action. The standout spots have definitely been the small gravel bars that are holding bait along with the sandy drop offs. The flathead have been hanging out on the shallow sand bars, slow retrieving 3” Zman Minnowz over the sand has been a killer technique! Also, a few anglers have been trolling Daiwa Double Clutch hardbody lures and are having very good results. Slowly trolling them along the drop offs has been the go! Again, don’t forget to drop the crab pots in for a tasty feed of mud crabs.

Local Beaches
Our beaches have sure been fishing well again this week, those who are having a crack are being rewarded with good sized summer whiting and yellow fin bream. These fish are great fun on the light gear and are great eating for those chasing a feed. Fresh yabbies are definitely the go to bait however beach worms are getting the job done as well. The incoming tide has been when these fish are feeding the most but you can still get into the action regardless of what tide you are fishing!

Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory has been producing some quality bass with plenty around the mid 40cm mark. Most of these fish are schooled up throughout the dam so having a sounder to find these schools of fish is ideal. Similar to last week slow rolling small paddle tail soft plastics has been really effective on these schooled up fish. Deep diving hardbodies like the Rapala Shad Rap Elite has been a cracker of a lure to get the fish to bite when they are a bit more timid. Getting this lure down to the depth where the fish are then twitching and pausing the lure through the school is a deadly technique. This method works best when the schooled up bass are higher up in the water column, if the fish are down deeper a metal blade lure is sure to get them to bite. Likely areas to look for these schooled up fish are off the points in the deeper water, casting along the drop offs has also worked well if you can’t find any bass on your sounder, or even if you don’t have one at all.

13th of July 2023
Inshore/Offshore
If we had to pick the fish that have stood out the most over the last few months it has definitely got to be grunter, spanish mackerel and winter whiting. These fish have provided us with great variety of fishing techniques over the last few months and at times have sure been a challenge to catch! The grunter have been loving 20 gram soft vibes, 5” gulp soft plastic’s and decent sized whole prawns if you prefer bait fishing. The spanish mackerel have been roaming around with the artificial off the Elliot being the hottest spot. Trolling gar over the wrecks which are holding most of the bait will get you into the mackerel action! The winter whiting hotspot has been just off the Burnett Heads lighthouse by a couple hundred meters. Using a size 6 longshank hook with squid, yabbies or Gulp worms will get you a tasty feed. Fingers crossed the forecast plays the game!

The offshore fishing out of Bundy and Agnes has been outstanding with some of the biggest coral trout we’ve seen in years being caught! If there’s one method to almost guarantee a big trout it has to be using live baits! If you can’t get any live bait whilst out, having some pilchards on board ready to float line down to the trout is another way to get into the action. The Shinto gangs that we sell here are perfect for rigging the pilchards and they have a great hook up rate! Plenty of tusk fish are being caught at most places, these fish are incredible eating and can put up a good fight on the light gear. Sounding around and finding isolated structures has produced some monster red emperor for those willing to put in the time and effort. As we always say be sure to make the most out of the tide change, that one hour either side of the tide surely can put some fish in your esky and change your day!

Burnett River
The Burnett River is full of bream at the moment, lots and lots of bream! Our local Bundaberg Sports Fishing Club held their annual bream comp last weekend and there sure was some quality bream caught along with some quality flathead bycatch. Some of the better methods being used for bream is throwing around small chubby crankbaits and working them with a slow and smooth retrieve, no twitching just let it look like an unwary bait fish swimming by. If you are fishing areas with a bit of depth such as pylons, bridges and deep rock walls the Zman 2.5inch grubs and Slim Swimz with a slightly heavier jig head got the bite. If lure fishing isn’t your thing try using dead whole sprat or cut them in half and rig them on a 1/0 Instinct Bloodworm Hook. This method has accounted for plenty of bream and flathead being caught as of late! This time of year we also get black jew/mulloway hanging around the rock walls that fall into deeper water like around Fairymead and Burnett Heads. Good ways to target them is by throwing around larger paddle tail soft plastics or soaking a live bait. By-catch for this type of fishing usually entails large cod, trolling a deep diving lure along the rock walls is a sure way to find a few of these big cod if you are chasing them. Don’t for get to throw out the crab pots as there has been a few ripper sized mud crabs being caught.

Elliott River
With these colder mornings the flathead are definitely sitting in the shallows warming up and having a feed at the same time. Flicking some curl tail soft plastics or twitching shallow diving hardbody lures along the sand banks should get you into the flatty action. One of the stand out lures at the moment when fishing the drop offs and deeper flats is the Samaki Redic DS60 in Pink Lady UV colour. Even on the troll this lure is super effective! This time of year always sees a heap of bream and grunter about along with some big whiting. All of these species absolutely love fresh yabbies so if you have a yabbie pump be sure to try and get some yabbies to use as bait. If not beach worms, prawns and sprat are also some of their favorite baits to chew on, floating these along the flats is sure to get the bite.

Baffle Creek
Following on from last week’s report we are still seeing cracking numbers of whiting, bream and grunter caught in the Baffle! The same technique as last week is still proving to be very effective, pumping yabbies at low tide and fishing the incoming tide over the shallow sand banks sure is hard to beat. Using a super light leader has been ensuring anglers are getting plenty of bites, 6-8lb leader is ideal for the whiting and bream but if you are chasing grunter using a 10lb leader is a good idea. For the lure fisho’s the Berkley PowerBait Craw’s have been slaying on the flats! These lures are a prefect yabbie presentation and when fished with a light jig head they slay the bream, whiting, grunter and flathead!

Kolan River
The flats fishing in the Kolan is certainly some of the best we have seen it in a very long time. Big flathead have been up in the shallows warming up and chasing bait fish. Daiwa double clutch lures twitched in the shallows and over any drop offs has been getting these fish to eat. The incoming tide has been the best time to be chasing these fish as they push up into the shallows with the tide. Some good bream and whiting are being caught as bycatch too! If you’re after these bream and whiting you can either anchor yourself in front of the sand flat and drift out some fresh yabbies and mullet/chook gut or flick some small plastics as you drift along the sand bars. In the deeper water around the structure at the mouth of the Kolan has seen good sized queenfish and trevally caught. Throwing shallow diving hardbody lures into structure and working them back to the boat will put you in with a good chance at finding a feeding school of these pelagic fish.

Local Beaches
The beach fishing has been red hot over the past few weeks, reports of solid summer whiting and bream being caught in good numbers are common. These fish have preferred fresh yabbies and chook/mullet gut rigged on a simple running ball sinker rig. Light fluorocarbon leader like the Instinct Pro FC Shock leader in 6lb has been getting these finicky whiting and bream to bite. The incoming tide has been the go to time to fish off the beach, early mornings and late afternoons are also a great time to fish off the beaches and hook into some quality fish.

Lake Gregory
The bass have definitely been on the chew over the past week! Good sized schools of fish are being found in the deeper water situated just off any of the shallow banks and points. These fish have been feeding well and have ate a slow wound soft plastic more often than not! Although it is certainly not a must, having a sounder will help greatly when you are trying to find these fish. If you don’t have a sounder we recommend fishing the edges and the deeper water around the points as these are always likely areas for bass to school up around. Slow rolling these soft plastics we mentioned is a great way to cover ground and find feeding fish especially when you don’t have a sounder. The Charlie Brewer’s Original Sliders grub is an absolute must in any bass fisho’s tackle box, a lure that is always sure to get the bite even when the fish aren’t feeding aggressively.

6th of July 2023
Inshore/Offshore
Looks like we will have a solid south westerly blowing over the weekend so for the guys in close it shouldn’t be too bad to get out and get into some quality inshore fishing. After that first kilometer it will definitely start to chop up and she’s going to be pretty cold especially if you’re heading to the 2 or 4 mile! There has been a few big spanish mackerel hanging around the inshore reefs so trolling one of the Halco Laser pro 190’s or throwing a pilchard out to entice one of these spanish to make your reel scream! The night time fishing has still been producing quality grunter and snapper on quality baits like squid and pilchard. Along the coastline has still been the hotspot for the squid with some real monsters being caught on squid jigs. Another fish to target is the humble winter whiting around the mouth of the Burnett River and along the front of Burnett Heads. Good ways to target them is with Gulp Sand Worm soft plastics or fresh sand worms and yabbies, you can either drift around or anchor up at the hotspots.

The offshore weather isn’t looking very good this weekend but as always keep an eye on the latest weather updates because you could get a good window. This time of year always produces big reds, trout, nannygai and quality tusk fish offshore around the Warrigoes, Lady Elliott Island and in the gutters! Vibing Nomad Squidtrex’s has been getting some big fish to eat but you can’t go past big flesh baits, those using large strips of mullet fillet and whole squid have done really well on the large reds, nannygai and big trout. Using smaller strips of mullet and whole pilchards has been the go for those smaller reef species like spangled and grassy emperor, tusk fish and hussar. From all reports we are hearing the men in grey suits are still patrolling and taxing your catch in most areas. If you are losing fish to sharks make sure you don’t hang around too long as the fish population only goes down and the sharks get fatter and congregate in bigger numbers. Just move on to another spot and save that one for another day in hope that the sharks have moved on or aren’t as aggressive.

Burnett River
With plenty of people on the water in the Burnett during the school holidays we sure have seen some great catches! Big bream and grunter are definitely on the chew along with some very solid flathead. The bream and grunter are being caught mainly along the rock walls in the river, Kirby’s Wall is a great place to target these species especially for the land based fishos. Whole sprat and small pieces of squid has got the bite and be sure to use a light ball sinker as this will let the bait look as natural as possible ensuring you don’t miss any bites! The blue salmon have been thick around Fairymead, drifting or spot locking and throwing Samaki Vibelicious soft vibes and hopping them back to the boat has been working a treat. Having a quality sounder to locate these fish is helpful as there’s no point fishing for them if they aren’t there, check out the below shot of staff member Corey’s sounder from the weekend.

Elliott River
The Elliott River sure is fishing well during the school holidays as well! Plenty of cracking sized flathead are being caught along most of the river’s sand flats and drop offs. Casting and trolling smaller hardbody lures like the Zerek Tango Shad is definitely getting plenty of bites from these flatties. Bright colours like pink and yellow are always a go to colour for flathead. Good numbers of summer whiting are also still being caught up river on the sand bars, the incoming tide has been the best time to be fishing for them. Pumping fresh yabbies at low tide then fishing for them during the incoming tide is a good way to get into the whiting action.

Baffle Creek
The Baffle has been fishing red hot over the past week! The two standout fish has definitely been whiting and grunter. Some of the whiting that have been caught have been crackers going over 40cm! By far the most effective way to catch them is pumping yabbies at low tide and fishing the incoming tide over the shallow yabbie banks. The standout techniques for the grunter have been working gulp soft plastic’s over gravel beds and over yabbie banks. If you’re more into bait fishing you can’t beat using live or dead sprat to get the grunter to bite. Also don’t forget to drop the crab pots in, there’s been some really good quality muddy’s being caught.

Kolan River
The Kolan has been producing some very nice flathead and bream over the past week. The flathead have been smashing 3” Zman Minnowz slow rolled over yabbie banks and gravel bars! The bream have been loving crab imitation lures and small grubs hopped out of shallow rock bars and mangroves. If you prefer bait fishing it’s hard to beat using prawns and mullet gut for bait, remember to use very small sinkers to present the bait as naturally as possible. Again don’t forget to drop the pots in, there’s been some ripper muddy’s being caught in the Kolan this week!

Lake Gregory
Good numbers of fish are still being found in the lake with reports of fish around the 50cm mark being caught! These bigger fish have been pulled out of the schools of fish after a few smaller bass have been landed. Slow rolling 3inch soft plastics through the school of bass has been the most consistent technique getting the results over the past week. Plain white coloured lures are working best as this colour is throwing a very good silhouette in the water which the bass are able to locate easily. If the schooled up fish aren’t biting try and throw some soft or metal vibes down and slowly hop them through the school. These lures always seem to get the bass to bite when the plastics aren’t working.

Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has been producing good numbers of rat barra this week, the rain we have had has fired up the smaller fish which are sitting in the shallows. These small barra have taken a liking to soft plastic frogs slowly wound across the surface over any lily pads and weed beds. The Zman Hard Leg Frogz are working really well on these fish especially during the overcast weather. Some good sized schools of big barra are being found throughout the dam however these fish are proving to be very lethargic and it is hard to get a bite out of them. Fishing these bigger fish during the bite times and low light periods is your best bet at converting one, try throwing a few different styles of lures until you get a bite. Remember, always fish with confidence as you never know when that metre plus barra will eat your lure!

29th of June 2023
Inshore/Offshore
The inshore reefs have been firing over the past week! Plenty of grunter, snapper and winter whiting have been getting caught. The snapper and grunter have been mostly caught on 20g soft vibes, 5” soft plastic’s and if you are more into bait fishing pilchards and squid have been doing the trick. The winter whiting have been quite thick just in front of the lighthouse at Burnett Heads and also off Woodgate Beach. Using Berkley Gulp worms and squid as bait has been doing the trick. Make sure you are using a light leader, 8-10lb is what most people are currently using and this is definitely getting them plenty more bites!

The offshore reefs have been producing plenty of trophy fish over the past week! The three standout fish have definitely been coral trout, red emperor and some big cobia. Plenty of these fish have been caught on live yakka’s so be sure to drop some bait jigs out there! Don’t forget to always make the most out of the tide changes, that one hour either side of the tide surely can put some serious fish in your esky. Also don’t forget to throw a gar out the back while reef fishing, there’s been some big spanish mackerel roaming around out there.

Burnett River
The Burnett has been producing some top quality fish with big bream being a standout with some captures up around the 2kg mark! This time of year the bream are feeding up to get ready for breeding season so they are an easy target. Some good places to target bream are around rock walls, the Burnett has plenty of rocky structures so finding them usually isn’t too hard. The standout baits doing the damage are fresh sprat, mullet fillets and prawns! If you’re looking at targeting bream on lures you can’t beat a 2-3 inch curly tail grub or a chubby hardbody lure. The river has also been producing good numbers of flathead, grunter, whiting, cod and all the other usual suspects. At the mouth of the Burnett there has been a few catches of school mackerel, mac tuna and tailor. A lot of those species have been caught of pilchards and smaller metal lures around the 15-20g mark.

Elliott River
The Elliott has had good numbers of tailor being caught around the mouth and up river towards sharks nest. Flathead are another standout being caught on soft plastics in the clear water at the top of the tide and vibes and hard body lures in the dirty water. Hardbody lures and vibes work better in dirty water as they send out stronger vibrations that the fish pick up on. Summer whiting have been on the chew taking live yabbies or gulp worms as well! A few good spots to try for them is over the yabbie beds and along the gutters and drop offs which are found all throughout the Elliott.

Baffle Creek
The Baffle sure is fishing great! From bread and butter species like flathead and whiting to some winter jack this river system has been producing! The majority of anglers have been fishing the flats and drop offs towards the river mouth and have found good numbers of whiting, flathead and bream up in the shallows. Drifting out some fresh yabbies or prawns has been getting the bites. The few jack which have managed to be caught have been in areas with a lot of structure. Using either big strips of mullet fillet or live baits have been the only thing getting them to chew. The crabbing in this river has also been red hot! Once again, big flesh baits in your pots will give you the best chance at getting a good feed of crab. Try going that extra mile and place your pots in areas that are hard to get to.

Kolan River
The flats fishing in the Kolan is absolutely on fire at the moment! Heaps of flathead are on the chew up in the shallows especially during the run in tide. Flicking soft plastics and small hardbodies in the shallows has payed off for most anglers doing so. For the bait fisho’s fresh yabbies and whole sprat has been dynamite! Some good sized bream and whiting are also being picked up on the flats proving to be a delicious feed. The creeks in this river have been producing some big mud crabs recently and plenty of legal bucks are definitely still around and on the move this week. With full moon on Monday we should see some cracking results from all of our local rivers for those crabbing.

Lake Gregory
We are getting plenty of reports of people finding good numbers of bass schooled up throughout the lake. These fish are definitely on the chew, slow rolling small soft plastics directly through the school of fish is the technique getting most of the bites. The Original Slider Grub’s are the go to soft plastic in the dam at the moment! Small soft vibes have also worked really well on the bass when they are schooled up in big numbers. Fishing early morning and late afternoon’s has seen a few fish caught right up in the timber or along the edges. Cranking some hardbody lures down and twitching them around the structure has got the bass to bite whilst the sun isn’t hitting directly on the water.

Lake Monduran
Better numbers of fish are starting to be caught throughout Monduran as the water temp has stabilized. The majority of these fish have been between 50 and 80cm with the smaller models being caught right in close to the bank and the larger fish being found on the points in windblown bays. Throughout the middle of the day is the go to time to target the smaller fish hanging in the shadows and in between the lily’s with hardbody lures twitched and paused. During the low light periods and the bite times it is definitely worth sitting on a school of bigger fish and trying to convert one to bite! Throwing a variety of lures will give you a better chance at getting one to chew, try big plastics, hardbodies and vibes but also don’t be afraid to mix up your retrieve as this can change the action of the lure completely! Getting one of these bigger fish to bite sure is a great feeling, but if not fish the edges and find a few smaller fish which are great fun and put on some spectacular aerial displays.

22nd of June 2023
Inshore/Offshore
The inshore fishing has been producing quality catches. Lots of school mackerel have been caught on spoons either trolled or cast with the odd spanish mackerel taking a liking to bigger trolled baits. The inshore reefs have been producing quality grunter, snapper, grass emperor, moses perch and the odd tuskfish. A lot of the fish being caught are falling victim to well presented baits and smaller soft plastics being jigged along the bottom. With the larger grunter, team member Josh has been jigging smaller metals around 20-30g. Now if you like catching squid, this is the time to have a go with the amount of tiger squid being caught. When Josh targets squid he uses a super light leader around 8-10lb and works the edges of rocks and rubble patches. It helps to change up the colours to see what they are feeding on, but whatever the colour is that you find works, normally a 3.0 sized squid jig works for Josh. If you’re fishing around dusk or in the night, try one of the perfect image squid lights to attract them to the boat. We have the squid lights in stock at present.

The offshore reefs have been producing some solid coral trouts in numbers along with red emperor, tuskfish, sweetlip, grass emperor and a heap of hussar. Along with those mentioned there has been a few cobia and spanish getting about so make sure you throw a pilly out for the roaming pelagic and take and few metals to cast around. Some of the methods that have been producing quality catches is twitching soft plastic prawns like a samaki golden carrot or zerek live shrimp for your reef fish and jigging nomad squidtrex for your big reds. Baits like squid and pilchards are another preferred method if you can get past the pickers.

Burnett River
With the VMR Family Fishing Classic on this weekend, everyone is going to be out looking for a feed and a prized catch. There has been alot of flathead being caught on smaller vibes and 3 inch soft plastics like Zman or Daiwa bait junkies. The bream have started to show up with some quality catches around the 40cm mark along with solid grunter up to 70cm. Whiting are being caught in big numbers both summer and winter variants and if you like catching blue salmon I would be casting a 20g Samaki vibelicious or use fresh sprat as bait. There’s still a few mud crabs and prawns getting about so don’t be afraid to throw a pot and pack the cast net for the prawns.

Don’t forget the VMR Family Fishing Classic is on Friday 23 June, Saturday 24 June & Sunday 25 June 2023 at the VMR Base, 51 Harbour Esplanade, Burnett Heads. Tackle World Bundaberg is a major sponsor of this event. Registrations have closed at Tackle World Bundaberg but you can still enter online www.vmrbundabergfishingclassic.com.au or at the VMR Base Friday, Saturday and Sunday 9am – 5pm. This is an exciting family friendly event with loads of lucky draw prizes for both juniors and seniors. A substantial list of category prizes is on offer. The lucky draw sessions are popular on Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. You don’t even have to catch a fish to be in the running to win a boat, motor and trailer package! Tight lines and see you there.

Elliott River
The Elliott has been fishing very well for your whiting and bream. Pumping yabbies at low tide and fishing the shallow sand bars on the incoming tide has been doing the damage for the whiting. The bream have been hanging out over the shallow rock bars and around mangrove roots. Look for the bait flickering and the bream won’t be too far away. Also, there’s been some solid queenfish cruising around towards the mouth so be sure to keep an eye out for them. Using surface lures for them is super fun and an effective way to catch them.

Baffle Creek
The Baffle has been fishing very well over the past week. Plenty of whiting and flathead have been getting caught towards the mouth area. The whiting have been loving yabbies and beach worms fished on an incoming tide. The flathead have been taking a liking to slow rolled 3” zman minnowz over shallow sand bars and live sprat has been getting the bite as well. Don’t forget to drop the crab pots in, there’s been some really good quality mud crabs being caught.

Kolan River
The Kolan has been producing some very nice grunter over the past week. Plenty of these fish have been caught on 20g soft vibes, Gulp soft plastics and using prawns as bait. Fishing the incoming tide in a small gutter or a gravel bed has been the most ideal spots to find them. Don’t forget to drop the pots in for a tasty feed of mud crabs as there’s been a few larger models caught lately.

Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory is fishing well with the cooler water temperature. We have seen some good size schools of fish hanging in the deep. Fishing with vibes and small soft plastics through the schools will see you in with a chance of landing some quality bass. As the sun gets higher in the day, fishing edges and timber will still be rewarding with some cracking sized bass landed using this technique.

Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has still been producing some quality numbers of barramundi. With the water temperature dropping off, try fishing shallower weed edges with lures such as Samaki Redics slow rolled with a decent twitch and pause. This technique will increase your chance at having some cracking barra fun. Fishing topwater over the lily pads has been rewarding for a few anglers too with some bigger barramundi being caught this way.

15th of June 2023
Inshore/Offshore
Inshore has been fishing red hot!! Plenty of good reports of big grunter being caught on most of the inshore reefs along the coast. Fishing 20g soft vibes in brighter colors such as pink and 5inch jerk shads hoped slowly over reef and rubble bottom has worked a treat. This time of year you should also see yourself getting into some quality inshore snapper, if bait is your preferred method prawns and strips of mullet will see you in with a good chance. There has still been plenty of mackerel along the coast with most of them caught trolling gar or deep diving hard body’s or even casting Flasha lures into schools of bait where birds are working. Good numbers of squid have been along our coast as well. Fishing with squid jigs around the coastline have seen a lot of squid caught with some cracking size ones around too!

With the last few days consisting of pristine weather we have definitely seen most of the bigger boats heading out wide and being rewarded with nothing but quality! There has been some cracking red emperor caught on fresh strip baits and whole yakka, plenty of good coral trout fishing some of the reef ledges with live yakka and whole pilchards as well! Bottom bashing with baits such as squid has seen plenty of other quality fish such as parrot fish, venus tusk fish, spangled emperor and grassy emperor caught. Fishing the wrecks with jigs and bigger soft plastics has been producing some big cobia as well. Having relief shading on your chartploter has been a massive tool to help find new ground offshore, speak to our team about getting relief shading on your chart plotter next time you are instore!

Burnett River
The Burnett has had another good week of fishing with no signs of things slowing down heading into the weekend! There is good amounts of bait throughout the river and the blue salmon have been feeding on them especially during the incoming tide. Hopping soft vibes along the bottom has got these salmon to bite, with a bit more cooler weather we should see these salmon really come on the chew. Good numbers of trevally and queenfish have also been found in areas with plenty of current and structure like rock walls or fallen trees. There has been a lot of big flathead caught lately, these fish have been found in shallow water or on the edge of sand flats along the drop offs. The go to bait has been either whole prawns or whole sprat, floating these down with little to no weight has worked best.

Elliott River
The Elliott is producing some quality fish! The deeper holes up the river have seen good numbers of fish schooled up with grunter, trevally and some blue salmon being caught. Small soft vibes hopped through these holes has got the bites. The flats fishing has also been red hot! A lot of flathead, bream and whiting have been found in the shallow water or along drop offs and have definitely been on the chew. Throwing some whole sprat or small strips of mullet fillets onto the sand flats or along the drop offs has picked up some of these fish. Around the mouth of the river has seen some solid dart caught as well as queenfish and trevally. The occasional school mackerel has been passing through with a lot of anglers getting snipped off from these toothy critters. They are great fun when you manage to get a good hook set on them though!

Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek is fishing great, the last few weeks has seen this river producing some very good fishing for most anglers. The ‘bread and butter’ species have been the target for most, shallow water flats fishing with fresh yabbies is the go to technique at the moment for this river system. Big grunter, flathead, bream and some solid whiting are all being caught in shallow water especially around the top of the tide on the yabbie beds. Whilst soaking some baits try flicking either small soft plastics or hardbody lures along the flats or drop offs as this can often times pick up some cracking fish as well. The flats around the mouth of the river have definitely produced the better numbers of fish. Up the creeks has seen the crabs on the move, placing the pots in overnight is working best and the deeper sections of the creek have seemed to hold more crab in this system.

Kolan River
Kolan River is fishing well, the last few weeks has seen this river continually producing quality fish for most anglers whether bait fishing, lure fishing or even on the crabbing front. Good sized flathead, bream and grunter are being caught on the sand flats towards the mouth of the river. There hasn’t been a specific tide getting more bites but it has been more about knowing where the fish will be depending on the tide. If it’s the incoming tide the fish have been in the shallower water pushing up with the tide, and during the run out they have been in the deeper water and along the drop offs surrounding the flats waiting for the bait to be forced into the deeper water as the tide drops. Whole prawns, whole sprat or fresh yabbies have all been getting good results, small soft vibe lures like the MMD Soft Prawn Vibe have worked really well for the lure fishos. Those after a good feed of crab should be placing there pots up the creeks in shallower sections, reports have shown that this week the crabs have moved shallower so be sure to give this a go. Large fish frames or mullet fillets have worked great at bringing in plenty of crab.

Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory is having a good week of fishing! The bass are super healthy and feeding well at the moment which is proving to be great fun for most people fishing the dam. Like mentioned in last weeks report the drop in water temp has got these bass in small schools situated throughout the dam. Finding the good numbers of fish using a quality sounder with side imaging and down imaging will save a lot of casting. Using small paddle tail soft plastics slowly wound through the schools of fish has got the bites. If they aren’t biting on the plastics a small deep diving hardbody twitched through the school with long pauses should do the trick. Early mornings and late afternoons are producing the most fish with the bass feeding more aggressively during these times.

Lake Monduran
The dam is producing good numbers of rat barra this week, 50 to 65cm fish have been up in the shallows and feeding! Targeting these smaller fish by casting your lure right to the bank and using short, sharp twitches with long pauses in between has done the damage. Areas with overhanging trees or plenty of lily pads have held good numbers of smaller fish so these areas definitely warrant a few casts. Early mornings, late afternoons and half an hour before or after the Kolan River tide changes have seen the barra feed more aggressively. Sitting on a school of bigger fish is worth a shot during these times, especially the Kolan River tide change as the bigger barra have bit during this small window. The lures getting most of the bites have been the trusty Jackall Squirrel 79sp and the Samaki Redic ds80. Going down to some lighter leader has made a huge difference in the amount of bites people have been getting, obviously with this comes more risk of being busted from structure, gill rakes or their raspy mouths if they inhale your lure. This is a risk which has paid of big time for those still nailing good numbers of rat barra however learning how to fight the barra differently depending on your gear is crucial when fishing light.

8th of June 2023
Inshore/Offshore
The inshore reefs have been producing some very tasty feeds! The squid and winter whiting have turned up in good numbers! The squid have been caught on most of our coastline from Burnett Heads to Elliot Heads. Jigging squid jigs in the shallows will get you into the action, drifting with the tide or using your electric motor is the best way to cover a good amount of ground. Most of the winter whiting have been caught in front of the lighthouse off the Burnett, using worms and squid is the go to bait to get them! The spanish mackerel, snapper and grunter have been cruising around as well so be sure to have a go for them. Whole prawns for the big grunter and snapper has worked a treat.

The offshore reefs have really turned it on over the past couple of weeks! This time of year off Bundy is usually red hot fishing because of all the bait that is stacked on all of our reefs. The number of red emperor caught last weekend was impressive with the biggest one we heard coming in at 16kg! Big flesh baits and live baits were the standout baits for these reds. Some ripper trout and grassy sweetlip were caught as well, most of these two species were caught on pilchards and prawn imitation lures. Remember to always make the most out of the tide changes, fishing your favourite spot one hour either side of the tide surely can get your arms stretched and the esky filled!

Burnett River
The Blue Salmon are on! We have had some great reports this week of plenty of salmon being found throughout the Burnett. The deep holes in the river are definitely worth a shot, throwing down some soft vibes or curl tail soft plastics have been getting the bite. The rock walls have also been home to some good sized cod and big grunter this week with whole prawns being the go to bait. Small strips of mullet fillet has also worked really well with some big bream taking a liking to these two offerings as well. With the big tides we have had due to last weekends full moon the crabbing has been on! Plenty of bucks were caught and good numbers are still getting around so try dropping in a few pots over the weekend for a tasty feed of mud crab.

Elliott River
The Elliott has had another week of red hot fishing! The bream, flathead and whiting have been on the chew with yet again fresh yabbies being the bait doing the damage. Fishing the incoming tide over the shallow sand flats has been the best time to be fishing for these species. Anchoring up current of the sand bar and letting your bait drift naturally with the current over the flats and any of the drop offs or ridges in the sand bars has worked great. Some cracking flatties have been in the slightly deeper water surrounding the flats especially during the run out tide. Flicking some soft plastics around the flats in this deeper water has seen quite a few people having great success. The crabbing has also been red hot, try throwing out a few pots next time you get the chance as some really quality sized bucks are being pulled from this river at the moment!

Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek has yet again had a solid week of fishing, following on from last weeks report we have continued to see good sized whiting, grunter, flathead and bream being caught. The hot spots for these fish has been the sand flats throughout the river. Fresh yabbies and beach worms have definitely been the two standout baits however a strip of mullet fillet or a whole prawn drifted across the flats with the tide has got some good quality fish to bite. Those who are into their lure fishing should try flicking small curl tail soft plastics along the flats around the high tide. The last of the incoming tide and the start of the run out tide are usually a great time to be fishing the flats as the predatory fish will be up in the shallows whilst they can and they should be feeding quite aggressively. A 100mm or a 120mm Squidgie Wriggler in the bloodworm colour is a lure that has been super effective on these fish.

Kolan River
The Kolan is still fishing really well with plenty of anglers having good sessions on the sand flats throughout this river system. The fish on the chew have been bream, whiting, flathead and grunter! These fish have all been caught on the shallow flats or along the drop offs surrounding these flats. The last of the incoming tide has been the best time to get up onto the shallow flats and flick a few small hardbodies around or throw out a fresh yabbie for these fish. The run out tide has seen these fish move into the deeper water so try trolling some baits or small hardbodies along the drop offs, this will help you cover a lot of ground and find the feeding fish. The creeks and mangrove lined banks have held good numbers of legal crabs this week, the bigger tides have got them on the move and the deeper banks have produced the best numbers of crab. Good baits to be using in the pots is fish frames or even whole mullet, try putting in a lot of bait especially if there are other pots close to yours.

Lake Gregory
The bass are fired up and feeding throughout most of the lake, these fish are schooling up in plenty of smaller sized schools! Pin pointing exactly where the bass are by using down scan and side scan on a quality sounder then starting to cast will definitely help put more fish in the boat. Small paddle tail soft plastics slow wound through the schools of fish has got the bite. Some cracking sized fish getting close to 50cm are being caught regularly, using around a 10 or 12lb monofilament leader has been getting the bass to bite. The late afternoons have been providing the best bite times for most anglers so even a short after work session could see a few quality bass landed!

Lake Monduran
More barra have been landed on the dam this week due to the warmer weather getting these barra into slightly shallower water and a bit more active. Still, the bites have been few and far between especially on the bigger models around the 1m mark and above. These barra are definitely hard to tempt a bite from so ensuring your lure and retrieve are on point is crucial to getting one to have a crack. Jackall Squirrel 79sp’s and Samaki Redic DS80’s have been the two standout lures getting the bite when retrieved with very subtle twitches and long pauses. Getting your lure to barely float or sink when paused is ideal as this will allow the lure to sit in front of the barra’s face presenting itself as an easy meal. Going down to a 60lb leader is risky when fishing the timber but it has definitely helped get more bites when compared to fishing either 80 or 100lb leaders. Focusing most of your attention on wind blown bays and points is a great starting point to find good numbers of fish.

1st of June 2023
Inshore/Offshore
With the build up to full moon this Sunday the reefs should be alive with hungry fish, fingers crossed you are able to get out and have a crack! On the inshore reefs the rocks that are scattered along our coastline there has been some quality fish caught like tuskfish, sweetlip, grunter and the big spanish mackerel have moved back in. If you like catching school mackerel there has been a lot of schoolies in close for the land based fishos to throw a metal slug or bait out and have a high chance of getting one. If you’re a calamari fan then you’ll love this! The squid have been around in good numbers, the best way to target these has been to be casting squid jigs in around 2.5 to 3m of water whilst covering a lot of ground. Once you find one squid there is generally more so then you can focus your casts in one area. Team member Josh has found that using an 8lb fluorocarbon leader has got the bites and he managed to score a cracking feed of squid with 9 landed in a short session on the weekend fishing with his mate Karl!

How good has the weather been of late for the offshore fishos! For those that have ventured offshore they have sure been rewarded with good catches of tuskfish, sweetlip, coral trout, parrot fish, nannygai, red emperor, cobia and spanish mackerel just to name a few of the many fish that have been caught. Fingers crossed that the weather will play the game for this weekend but as always stay up to date with the latest weather report as it can change for the worse in a blink of an eye. Big flesh baits have been killing it on the reefies as of late! Trout, nannygai, reds and cobia have been the target species for most when using large strips of mullet fillet or fresh hussar fillets. In the shallower waters around 20m a whole pilchard sent to the bottom on a set of gangs has worked an absolute treat.

Burnett River
The Burnett has been fishing very well over the past week. The two main species being caught has been the blue salmon and flathead! These two species have been liking 70-100mm soft vibes worked off the bottom with one hot area being the town reach. If you’re more into bait fishing live sprat or prawns will definitely get you the bite! Don’t forget to drop the crab pots in this weekend, there’s been some very good quality crabs being caught and with the full moon this weekend they should be on the move! Also don’t forget to have your cast net in the boat. There’s been some very nice prawns being caught in the deeper holes in the river. Try around the Port or Strathdees and keep a close eye on your sounder for the big numbers of prawn schooled up!

Elliott River
This time of year always sees the Elliott fishing well with grunter, bream, flathead, queenfish, dart and tailor being common catches. These fish have been on the chew this week as the water temp continues to cool down. The shallow flats throughout this river system have held good numbers of grunter, bream and flathead but also some cracking sized summer whiting! Fresh yabbies have been the go to bait but beach worms and mullet fillet have been working well if you can’t find any yabbies. The big flatties have been up in the shallows during the middle of the day so throwing a bigger soft plastic or hardbody lure than usual is worth a shot whilst these fish are feeding on whiting and big sprat. Tailor, dart and queenfish have been caught around the mouth of the river especially on an incoming tide as the bait is pushed up river. Try flicking some small metal lures out for these fish otherwise floating out a whole sprat rigged without any weight.

Baffle Creek
The Baffle has been producing some very nice whiting and grunter over the past week! The whiting have been smashing yabbies and beach worms fished in the shallows over yabbie banks. With the full moon this weekend fishing the afternoon incoming tide and into the night will be ideal to get a feed of whiting. The grunter have been taking a liking to 3” soft plastics worked over the gravel beds. If you’re more into your bait fishing using mullet fillet or prawns will be an ideal bait to get the grunter to bite. With those big night tides this weekend be sure to drop the crab pots in for a tasty feed of mud crab. Middle channel has been producing some good numbers of crab along with the creeks towards the mouth of the river.

Kolan River
The fishing in the Kolan is still red hot with good numbers of fish being caught for most anglers when on the water. We have seen fresh yabbies doing the trick on the sand flats on species like flathead, bream, whiting, and big grunter! The incoming tide and the start of the run out have been the prime times to target these fish. Flicking some small soft plastics and hardbodies is a good way to cover plenty of ground and find the better numbers of fish. Around the mouth of this system has seen pelagic fish like trevally and queenfish following the balls of bait as they get pushed up river with the incoming tide. Flicking some small soft plastics around structure which is getting hit with the current has been the most effective way to target these pelagic species. The crabs have been on the move this week, the building tides has certainly got these crabs on the move and with the full moon this Sunday we should see some good bucks caught over the weekend.

Lake Gregory
The bass are definitely on the chew in Lake Gregory this week! The cooler weather has these bass schooled up in good numbers and have been feeding on a range of lures that have been thrown at them. Firstly, finding the bass is key, having a good quality sounder to locate the better numbers of fish is a game changer. Once you have found a school of fish either use your electric motor to stay on top of these fish or slowly drift over the school with the wind. Small soft plastics like the Original Slider’s Grub have worked great when sunk below the school of bass and then slowly wound through them. If the bass are towards the top of the water column small hardbody lures twitched through the schools have been getting some quality fish. The bass can’t resist a twitch and pause technique especially when they are on the chew!

25th of May 2023
Inshore/Offshore
The inshore reefs have been producing some very nice fish! The spanish mackerel, snapper and grunter have definitely been the standout fish with plenty of these on the chew. The spanish mackerel have been smashing slowly trolled gar rigged on a set of gang hooks and live baits set under a float while anchored. The snapper and grunter have been taking a liking to 20g soft vibes and 5” soft plastic’s worked off the bottom. These fish have been hanging around the big schools of bait so using your sounder to locate the bait will put you in with a good shot at these snapper and grunter. If you’re more into bait fishing try using squid, prawns or pilchards as these have been getting the bite as well. Remember it is best to be targeting these fish either in the early mornings or late afternoons because they are the best bite times. Fingers crossed the weather plays the game for this weekend!

The offshore fishing last weekend was red hot! Plenty of trophy sized coral trout and red emperor were caught. The standout techniques for the trout were using prawn imitation lures worked off the bottom and lightly weighting pilchards sent to the bottom in around 20 meters of water. The reds were caught using big flesh baits and squid in around 40 meters of water. Isolated structures surrounded by sand usually hold good reds so keep an eye on the sounder whilst travelling for any small pinnacles. Always remember to make the most out of the tide changes, that one hour either side of the tide can be the game changer for the day.

Burnett River
The cooler weather we have had has definitely brought the water temp in the Burnett down and the blue salmon are starting to school up in good numbers. This week has seen the good numbers of salmon found at the Port and along Fairymead. These fish are extremely bait orientated so find the big schools of bait and these salmon shouldn’t be far away. Hopping some soft vibes along the bottom and working them back to the boat with the current has got the bites. The sand flats around Kirby’s wall have fished great for flathead, bream and grunter this week. Floating out some yabbies or whole sprat have been the baits getting the bites. Hopping some soft plastics along the flats and drop offs has also picked up some quality fish with a few queenfish in the shallows feeding.

Elliott River
The Elliott is still producing some quality fish whilst the flats fishing has been on! Most of the species caught have been found in the shallow water or drop offs and have been on the chew. The flathead and grunter have been up in the shallows during the incoming tide and on the run out tide they have been along the drop offs. Throwing some whole sprat or small strips of mullet fillets onto the sand flats or along the drop offs has picked up some quality fish. Around the mouth of the river has seen some solid dart caught as well as queenfish and trevally. The deeper holes up the river have seen good numbers of fish schooled up with grunter, trevally and some blue salmon being caught. Small soft vibes hopped through the holes has got the bites.

Baffle Creek
The Baffle is having a ripper few weeks of fishing and crabbing and although the water temp is cooling down some of the summer species are still on the chew. Cod and jack are being caught in this system around heavy structures like rock bars or big fallen trees. Live baits have been a little slow so the go to baits have been big flesh baits like mullet fillet or whole prawns. Using a lighter leader and sinker to get the bait to look more natural has been the key to getting the bites. The flats fishing in this river has been up there with some of the best it has been all year. Flathead, grunter, bream, queenfish and trevally are all being caught in the shallows feeding on bait and yabbies. If you are fishing the run in tide be sure to be casting lures or bait right into the shallows, if you are fishing the run out fish the slightly deeper edges or drop offs. The crabs have been up the creeks, those who are able to get right up the back have pulled some solid bucks when using plenty of bait in the pots!

Kolan River
The mouth of the Kolan River is fishing really well at the moment! Queenfish around the 50 to 80cm mark have been in big schools and have smashed a whole sprat floated out past some structure or along the sand flats! Some big flathead averaging 60cm have also been around and feeding on the shallow flats or the drop offs during the run out tide. Small hardbody lures either trolled or cast have been doing the damage. The shallow sand banks up river has seen some good numbers of whiting and bream being caught, fresh yabbies have been the go to bait and fishing during the incoming tide for these fish has worked best. The crabs have also been on the move with once again placing your pots along the mangrove lined banks and up the skinny creeks being the go to places.

Local Beaches
The fishing off our beaches has been firing up and with a few decent weather opportunities we have seen plenty of people head out along our coast. Fishing the beaches on the run out tide has been the go to, finding gutters in close has been where most of the fish are being caught. Some solid whiting, bream and dart are being caught on fresh yabbies when rigged on a running ball sinker rig. Flesh baits like mullet fillets or whole prawns have got the flathead and grunter to bite. Throwing out a metal lure into the white water has picked up a few trevally, queenfish and tailor as well.

Lake Monduran
This week has again been a tough bite for Lake Monduran with anglers having to work hard for each opportunity. The early morning and late afternoon bite times have been consistent with some of the bigger barra landed during these bite windows. Keep and eye on the Kolan River tide times because the change in tide is often a cracking little opportunity to nail a few barra in the dam. Samaki Redic DS80’s twitched slowly with long pauses in between has been getting the bite. During the middle of the day the rat barra have been tucked right in close to the banks especially those with plenty of shade from overhanging trees or lily pads. Working your lure through the gaps in the lily pads has managed to get a few barra around the 60cm mark to chew during the middle of the day.

Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory’s fishing is on fire at the moment! Plenty of bass getting close to the 50cm mark are being caught all over the dam. These fish are on the chew and with the amount of bait currently in the lake they definitely aren’t slowing down as of yet. Twitching hardbody lures along the deeper edges of the dam has worked great however those with a sounder have managed to find big schools of fish throughout the dam. If you find a good school of bass try hopping a small vibe through the school or slow rolling a paddle tail soft plastic. Mix it up until you get the bite then you can slay a few fish in no time at all! Some saratoga have presented themselves this week with a few smaller models being caught. Topwater lures early in the morning or late in the afternoon have got a few of these fish to have a look, although being hard to keep the hooks in them due to their bony mouth.

18/5/2023
Inshore/Offshore
With the weather looking half decent this weekend the inshore reefs and mouths of the rivers should come alive. The grey mackerel (not to be confused with spanish mackerel, a very similar looking fish) have been about in great numbers. Team member Josh has been doing very well on the grey mackerel with reports of them being in numerous schools along the dirty water line around the mouth of the Burnett. These grey’s have been smashing baitfish and sometimes becoming fully airborne in their pursuit for a feed. The best way to target pelagic’s when feeding on small bait is to through small metal lures like any of the Arma lures in the 18-25g retrieved at a fast speed otherwise they will not be interested, you may get a follow but they just will not commit.

The inshore reefs are holding good numbers of grunter, snapper and grassy’s with schools of golden trevally and queenfish patrolling around the inshore wrecks and reefs of the Elliott. Some good ways to target the tasty reefies is to drop down a pilchard or squid on a running ball sinker and a 5/0 Mustad Tarpon or Big Gun. This way you can feel the bites a lot easier. Another way is to slow jig smaller curl tail soft plastics around the 3 inch size or use a Mustad Mini Ink Vader.

The Arma range of metal lures has a size, colour and weight to perfectly match the hatch regardless of what the predators are feeding on. From massive tuna and mackerel to dart and tailor these lures will catch them all.

Saturday is looking like the pick of the days however keep a close eye as the weather is unpredictable. If you’re lucky enough to get out, there should be a few red emperor, trout, tusky’s, cobia, red throat emperor and hussar about just to name a few. Grabbing a handful of jigs and plastics is never a bad idea, a few of the standouts lately have been the Samaki Golden Carrot’s or Zerek 127mm Live Shrimp rigged with a 7/0 jig head. The metal jigs like the Cast and Mustad range are our go to when the current is a bit too strong for the plastics. If you’re more into bait fishing you absolutely can’t go past a box of pilchard and squid, two baits which constantly get cracking results.

Burnett River
The Burnett is fishing well this week, the drop in water temp has the bream, grunter and blue salmon well and truly on the chew. Fishing around the rock walls at the mouth of the river has seen good sized bream and grunter caught on prawns and whole sprat. Some cracking flatties have also been on the chew with the majority of these fish being around the 45 to 55cm mark which make for great eating. The deeper holes throughout the river are holding good numbers of blue salmon. Throwing down some soft vibes has got the bite especially during the incoming tide. The shallow flats throughout the river have seen some solid whiting still being caught, fresh yabbies are definitely the bait working best on these fish. Slowly drifting over the sand flats with a few baits out is a good way to cover ground and find the feeding fish.

Elliott River
The flats fishing in the Elliott has been red hot! With the shallow sand bars holding plenty of bait the flathead, bream, whiting, grunter, trevally, queenfish and tailor have all been feeding throughout this river system. These fish are all after the bait, the incoming tide has been pushing these schools of bait right into the shallows and the predatory fish have been up there and feeding aggressively. Topwater lures retrieved across the flat into some deeper water have been smashed by trevally, queenfish and some solid flathead as well. As the water runs off the flat a lot of the fish have been in the deeper water waiting for the bait to get forced off the flat. Try anchoring in the deeper water surrounding the sand flats and wait for the tide to move all the fish to you, this method has worked great this week.

Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek is fishing, crabbing and prawning really well! The jack and cod have still been feeding in this river around heavy structure. Live baits or even a simple flesh bait like a strip of mullet fillet has got these fish to bite. The sand flats and drop offs around the mouth of the river have seen good sized flathead, bream, grunter and queenfish being caught. The flathead and queenfish have been caught on hardbody lures slowly wound off the sand flats as well as a 120mm curl tail soft plastic such as the 120mm Squidgie Wriggler in the bloodworm colour. The grunter haven’t been far away with some good sized fish getting up to the 60cm mark being caught on the shallow sand flats during the incoming tide.

Kolan River
The mouth of the Kolan is holding some quality fish at the moment and is certainly fishing really well. The fallen trees at the mouth have held plenty of bait and the queenfish and trevally have been hanging around these trees during the incoming tide smashing the balls of bait. A soft vibe hopped around the outskirts of the trees has picked up a few cracking flatties as well. The sand flats and drop offs have been the go to place for bream, whiting and grunter. Fresh yabbies or beach worms have been the bait doing the most damage, floating these out and letting them drift along the flat has worked well. Fishing these flats during the incoming tide has also been the go to time as the fish get up and feed whilst there is water covering the flats.

Local Beaches
Our beaches have fired up this week and with some better weather we have seen more people head out along our coast. Regardless of which beach you are fishing the deep gutters in close to the shore have fished very well. Fresh bait like yabbies or beach worms have worked great however small strips of mullet fillet has certainly got the bites on the bream, dart, flatties and grunter as well. Throwing some small metal lures around the breaking waves has resulted in good sized tailor and trevally being caught as well.

Lake Monduran
The cooler weather we have had has brought the water temp down in the dam and the barra have definitely become more lethargic and less willing to feed. Slowing down your retrieve has been the single most thing that has gotten anglers more bites out of these stubborn barra. Fishing the usual wind blown points and bays has been where the barra have been however finding good numbers of fish on your sounder has been the go to if possible. The Samaki Redic DS80 has been the lure getting these fish to bite but be sure to use long pauses to ensure the barra have plenty of opportunity to get an easy meal.

Lake Gregory
The majority of bass in Lake Gregory have definitely moved into deeper water and have began to school up. Sounding around the dam looking for good sized schools of bass and either spot locking using your electric motor or doing a few drifts has been working well. Casting small soft plastics like the Slider grubs or small vibes such as the Fishcraft Dirty Doctor hard vibes has got the bites. If you are sitting on fish and they won’t bite try mixing it up with new lures and colours until you get one in the boat.

11/5/2023
Inshore/Offshore
The inshore fishing right in close to our coastline has been incredible during the past week! The mouth of the Burnett right out along the leads and south along the coast towards Bargara has ben absolutely riddled with baitfish. These massive schools of bait have brought with them plenty of mac tuna, all types of mackerel and the odd school of longtail tuna. If you are targeting tuna using lures, ensure the lure you’re using looks identical to the bait they are feeding on. Team member Josh has found best success using the Arma Anchovy metal slug’s in either the 18g or 25g versions. Casting them out past the busting up tuna and using a simple fast wind retrieve back to the boat has been killer. The mackerel have been in great numbers so trolling some deep diving hardbody lures or some whole garfish around the bait balls has worked a treat. Some good sized snapper and mulloway have moved in close and have been caught around the reefs which are holding a good amount of bait. Sounding over patches of reef and looking for the big balls of bait with some good fish sitting off the back of them is a great sign that the snapper and mulloway are around.

With the full moon last weekend and some decent conditions we saw some anglers head out wide chasing a feed of quality fish. Those who found good patches of ground isolated from any other surrounding reef structures were rewarded. Dropping big flesh baits like mullet fillet or whole squid resulted in some cracking sized red emperor, spangled emperor, red throat and nannygai. The shallower patches of reef in about 10 to 25m of water held great numbers of coral trout, grassy sweetlip and venus tuskfish. Smaller baits like whole pilchards and mullet strips worked really well on these fish and they seemed to chew really hard around the tide changes. The local wrecks have seen some monster cobia continuing to be caught with big flesh baits being very effective on the larger fish. The smaller cobia have ate jigs and soft plastics when jigged erratically through the water column.

Burnett River
The cool change we have had this week has seen the winter species being more aggressive and have been getting caught more regularly as a result. The deeper holes at the mouth of the river and the holes around fairymead have seen good numbers of blue salmon schooled up. Hopping some soft vibes from about 70mm up to 120mm has got the bite from these fish. The flats throughout the Burnett have seen the bream right up in the shallows feeding during the high tide, some good sized flathead and grunter have also been doing the same. These fish all love fresh yabbies or small hardbody lures slowly wound off the flat imitating a feeding yabbie or small baitfish. Some jack are still being caught however the bigger models have definitely been harder to find. Snag bashing with hardbody lures or a live bait sent deep into the big lay downs has got the bites with a few barra mixed in as well. The full moon last Saturday really got the mud crabs on the move, those who placed their pots full of fish frames like whole mullet got the best results, some cracking bucks were caught.

Elliott River
The Elliott has been fishing red hot, this time of year always sees this river fishing well with grunter, bream, flathead, queenfish, dart and tailor being common catches. These fish have been caught relatively close together with the sand flats and drop offs being a hot spot for these predator’s. Tailor, dart and queenfish have generally been closer to the mouth of the river especially on an incoming tide as the bait is pushed up river. The bigger flathead have been up on the shallow flats during the middle of the day warming up in the warmer water. Throwing a bigger soft plastic or hardbody than usual has got the bite as these flatties have been feeding on big whiting and sprat. The summer whiting were on the chew last weekend with the big tides getting these fish on the chew! Drifting fresh yabbies over the top of the sand bars during the incoming tide definitely got the bites.

Baffle Creek
The Baffle is fishing well despite the cooler weather with some anglers absolutely slaying the fish whilst other have struggled. Those who have found good numbers of fish have used a slightly smaller bait and worked their lures slower to give the predatory fish more opportunity to strike. Two key differences has been to get your lure or bait in the strike zone for as long as possible and to make it look as natural as possible. Anglers who have done these two things have got onto some really nice fish this week. The flathead, bream whiting and grunter have been on the shallow flats feeding mainly on yabbies. Drifting the flats whilst flicking some small soft plastics has been a deadly technique, having a bait out whilst doing this is also a great idea. The mud crabs were on the move with the big tides and good reports of them still being around have continued throughout this week, placing your pots up the creeks has got the best results.

Kolan River
The Kolan is fishing well with the shallow flats and drop offs in the cleaner water towards the mouth holding some quality fish. We have seen fresh yabbies doing the trick on the sand flats on species like flathead, bream, whiting, and big grunter! The incoming tide and the start of the run out have been the prime times to target these fish. Flicking some small soft plastics and hardbodies has also paid off big time. The mouth of the river has seen good numbers of queenfish and numerous types of trevally on the move as they follow schools of bait being pushed up river. Twitching some small soft plastics around structure which is getting hit with the current has been the most effective way to target these pelagic fish. If bait fishing is more your thing anchor up river of the structure you want to fish and float out a whole unweighted sprat. Plenty of prawns and crabs are around at the moment, the middle sections of this river seem to be holding the best numbers for now. Up on the shallow mud banks and flats is where a lot of the small river prawns are being caught and up the creeks has been where the better numbers of bucks have been found.

Lake Monduran
With the cool change bringing the water temp down the barra bite is beginning to slow as these fish move into deeper water and become less active. Using a quality sounder to locate the barra has been crucial along with using a technique and lure which is able to maximise your time in the strike zone. Sounding around points in wind blown bays is where the better numbers of fish have been found. These barra are generally in these bays for the warmer water and bait so they tend to be more inclined to bite a lure. A slowly retrieved Jackall Squirrel 79sp paired with very long pauses has got the bite over the last 2 weeks. The majority of the fish caught are smaller fish which is a great sign for the future fishing of this dam. Those bigger fish are still around as plenty of heartbreak has been had for anglers on the dam lately. These big barra are masters at shaking a lure free and sometimes there is nothing you can do to prevent it. Ensuring you set the hook properly as soon as you feel a bite is one of the most important things you can do to help sink those hooks in.

4/5/2023
Inshore/Offshore
The inshore reefs off Bundy have been fishing red hot during the good weather we have had all week! The early mornings have seen some good sessions on big grunter, snapper and mulloway around the reefs which are holding plenty of bait. Finding the big schools of bait is absolutely key as the predatory fish will be close by! Throwing down some squid, prawns or live yakka’s has been getting the bites from these fish. If you are into lure fishing the go to has been a 5inch jerk shad style soft plastic. The spanish mackerel have been in good numbers around both the wrecks and reefs. Trolling some diving hardbody lures or dead baits like garfish is the way to go for these fish. Once again finding the bait for the spanish is usually a great start, focusing a lot of your time along the pressure edged side of the reefs usually pays off big time.

The building tides this week saw the offshore reefs fishing extremely well. Big reds and trout were by far the two fish targeted most by the anglers who headed out and there were some ripper catches! The reds were found on small isolated structure away from any other major reefs/wrecks. These reds ate big flesh baits like fresh hussar fillets or strips of mullet fillet. The trout have been smashing whole pilchards and live yakka along reef edges and big bommies. The reefs towards lady Elliott and Musgrave have been fishing very well with a lot of variety on offer.

Burnett River
The Burnett River is still fishing really well with jack, barra and cod being on the chew despite the weather cooling down! These fish have been found in good numbers hanging around man made structures such as the bridge pylons, rock walls and the moored boats. Most of the barra are eating prawn imitation soft plastics or live baits along with the jack and cod which have preferred a whole sprat. Some smaller blue salmon have started to be caught around the port and fairymead in the deep holes, find the bait and you will have a good chance at these fish this winter! The crabbing and prawning is also red hot at the moment so definitely make sure to throw the pots in and have a few throws of the cast net when you can! The prawns have been in the deeper holes around the port and the crabs have been caught mainly up in the creeks along the deeper banks.

Elliott River
This week has yet again seen the Elliott producing some good fishing especially for those chasing a feed of our bread and butter species. The flatties, bream and whiting have been on the chew with the shallow sand flats and drop offs situated throughout the river being a great place to chase these fish. Small strips of mullet fillet, yabbies or worms have been great bait for these fish. Running a light fluorocarbon leader is the go to as you will get plenty of bites! With the big tides this week the whiting have been feeding hard on the incoming tide, these next few nights will be the prime time to target these fish. The creeks have still produced some solid cod and a jack however these fish are becoming harder to target in this river. Live prawns have been the bait working best and throwing your bait deep in the structure has managed a few solid jack and cod.

Baffle Creek
The fishing at the moment in Baffle Creek is red hot! The sand flats have been riddled with bait and predatory fish not far behind. The flathead, bream and whiting have been caught along these sand flats on the incoming tide with fresh yabbies, worms or small strips of mullet fillet being the go to baits. Using a light ball sinker has been the go as letting your bait drift naturally across the flat has got the bites. The grunter have come on the chew as well, these fish have been up on the flats during the incoming tide and at low tide have been found in the deep holes and patrolling the drop offs. Throwing a few soft vibes out for these fish has worked an absolute treat. The jack have also been chewing whilst the barometric pressure has been up, big live baits have got the bites so be sure to have a quality cast net so you can get some fresh bait. With the big tides we have also seen the mud crabs on the move, up the creeks has been the go to place for the crabs so be sure to venture up and place a few pots in for a tasty feed.

Kolan River
The mouth of the Kolan River has held some quality fish over the past week. The queenfish have been in big schools and have smashed a whole sprat floated out past some structure or along the sand flats! The flatties have also been on the move with some cracking models over 60cm being landed regularly. Small hardbody lures either trolled or cast along the drops offs and sand flats have been deadly on the flathead this week. Up river along the shallow sand banks has seen some good numbers of whiting being caught with the big tides we have had this week. Fresh yabbies have been the bait getting the bites. The crabs have also been on the move with once again placing your pots along the mangrove lined banks and up the skinny creeks being the go to places. Big flesh baits or fish frames in the pots have worked best.

Local Beaches
Our beaches have been fishing very consistently lately with the majority of anglers managing a good feed of whiting and dart! Woodgate beach and Kinkuna Beach have been great places to wet a line, the gutters situated along the beach have held great numbers of whiting, dart, bream and flathead. Some tailor have started to show up with a few anglers catching some smaller fish in the whitewash surrounding the gutters.

Lake Monduran
Mondy is still fishing quite well despite the cool change we have experienced recently. The bigger barra are being found in the wind blown bays and points however they are proving tough to convince them to bite. The smaller fish have had no troubles eating lures with some great sessions being had on the barra around 50 to 60cm in length. Twitched and paused hardbody lures have got the better of these fish as they can’t resist the action of a Jackall Squirrel or a Samaki Redic DS80. Some of the larger fish have managed to be tricked into a bite when using a super finesse approach such as a lightly rigged Shads paddle tail soft plastic. Using a lighter jig head than usual will allow the lure to present more naturally in the water column. Some good places to find fish lately have been in Bird Bay, SDA Bay and up the dam in the south arm of B.

Lake Gregory
With the cooler weather we have had lately Lake Gregory has seen a lot of the bass move slightly deeper and either hang off the deeper weed edges or school up off the points. The bass have been on the chew and hitting all different types of lures quite aggressively. A deep diving crank bait twitched over the top of the weed or amongst the weed towers has got a lot of bites especially when paused for a few seconds in between twitches. Soft or metal vibes have been deadly on the bass schooled up and the slider grubs have been slaying the bass as per usual when used either across the top of the weed or through the schools of bass.

27/4/2023
Inshore/Offshore
This weekend should see the wind ease up so we can head offshore to target a few reef species and with the build up to full moon they should be hungry. With these cooler mornings we should see a few snapper being caught regardless whether you like throwing some bait out or jigging curly tail soft plastics or other lures like the Mustad mini ink vaders. We generally see these techniques work really well so hopefully you can go out and get a tasty meal for yourself. Along with the snapper you’ll find that the big grunter are showing up on the inshore reefs and in the rivers. Plenty of other reef species like trout, sweetlip and venus tuskfish are being caught so make sure you drop in and grab all the gear and advice you need.

Spanish mackerel have started to show up in great numbers so now is the time to have a crack. Some of the best ways to target them is by throwing out a 50g flasher, letting it sink to the bottom and ripping it back as fast as you can. This method also works for any high speed predator like trevally, queenfish and tuna. Another great way to target these fish is by floating out a pilchard or trolling a Halco laser or a dead bait. Good spots to target them is around the inshore reefs and wrecks along with the leads that mark the shipping lane at Burnett Heads. Ultimately the most important thing is to find the bait and stick to those areas as the mackerel will not be far away.

The weather has not been kind to us over the past 2 weeks but fingers crossed that is behind us now so we can get back out there and do what we love. With the build up to full moon we will see some bigger tides and a fair amount of water movement that’s associated with it. Have a look at your pressure edges to see if there is any bait as the predatory fish will be on the prowl. You should find a few reefies on the chew this weekend, try jigging a live shrimp by Zerek or a gold carrot by Samaki, these are top ways to get a trout. If you are after those big reds you can’t go past a well presented flesh bait like big fillets of mac tuna, mullet and hussar work really well. For most of the reefies such as trout, sweetlip, tuskies, hussar and red throat a whole pilchard or squid work really well.

Burnett River
The Burnett is fishing well and although the last week and a half of windy conditions has seen less people on the river we have still seen good reports of quality fish being caught. With the unfavorable conditions the crabbing and prawning seem to be the Burnett’s biggest attraction as of late. The crabs have been in good numbers especially up river in the dirtier water and up any creeks. The prawns have been thick, using your sounder to locate the schools and also having a quality top pocket cast net that you can comfortably throw has been a game changer for most. The smaller river prawns have been along the mud flats, a few throws of the net will soon determine if there are any around that area and if not move on. The bigger banana prawns have been in the deeper holes around Strathdees and the Port.

Elliott River
Similar to the Burnett we have seen the Elliott continuing to produce quality fish despite the windy conditions we have had. Those venturing onto the Elliott River have found a few places to hide out of the wind and throwing down some live baits has worked a treat. Live sprat, mullet and prawns have been the three baits doing the most damage. Some solid grunter, flathead and cod have been caught in the creeks on these exact baits. Up river has also seen the prawns in good numbers and the crabs have also been on the move. Whole mullet or big flesh baits and frames in the pots has worked best especially when there are a few pots close to yours.

Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek is fishing, crabbing and prawning really well! The jack and cod have been on the chew, heavy structure up the creeks or the rock bars throughout the main stretch of river have been the go to places for these fish. Live baits or even a simple flesh bait like a strip of mullet fillet has got these fish to bite, rigging your baits with plenty of the hook point exposed has worked best as this ensures a good hook up rate. The sand flats and drop offs around the mouth of the river has seen good sized grunter and queenfish being caught, the grunter have chewed on small soft vibes and the queenfish have liked a small soft plastic hopped erratically through the water column. The crabs have also been on the move so be sure to drop the pots in whilst having a fish!

Kolan River
Although the mouth of the Kolan River has been quite choppy due to the wind as of late, we have seen some good fishing coming from the upper stretches of this river. Heavy structure such as rock bars and fallen trees has seen mangrove jack and cod being caught from the heart of the structure but also queenfish, trevally and tarpon caught on the pressure edges surrounding the structure. Floating some live baits into the trees or rock bars and flicking some lures around the edges is a good way to see what’s around and to figure out what’s biting. The sand flats around the middle section of the Kolan have seen some good flathead caught on fresh yabbies and live sprat. The crabs have also been in good numbers up river along the mangrove lined banks. Plenty of small river prawns are also up on the shallow mud banks so be sure to have a crack for them whilst you are on the Kolan.

20/4/23

Inshore/Offshore
The inshore fishing has been red hot! The spanish mackerel have arrived in good numbers and have been proper chewing. Trolling gar has definitely been the standout technique. Early morning and late afternoons are by far the best bite times. There’s been some nice snapper and grunter being caught as well, again early morning and late afternoon is the best bite times for them. Using 20g soft vibes and 5” soft plastic’s is always a good way to get you into both of these species. If you’re more into bait fishing using squid and pilchards is a great bait to get you into the action as well.

The offshore reefs have been fishing good as well! Plenty of red emperor, coral trout and spanish mackerel have been getting caught. The trout have been smashing pilchards and prawn imitation soft plastic’s. The reds have been loving big flesh baits and squid in around 40 meters of water and the spanish mackerel have been hitting trolled hardbody lures and gar! Always remember to fish your favourite spots on the change of tide. Those little bite windows can change your day!

Burnett River
With the amount of baitfish currently in the river, paired with the water clearing up we have seen some solid blue salmon enter the Burnett! These salmon have been caught in the deep holes and around the bridges on soft plastics and vibes. Finding the bait is the key to finding the big schools of these fish. Queenfish, trevally and grunter have also been around in good numbers. Floating out some whole sprat has got the bite from the pelagic’s and a small strip of mullet fillet has been ideal for the grunter. Plenty of barra are also in the river with the rock bars producing most of these fish when using live baits. The prawning has been red hot at the moment, the better numbers of the prawns have been found around Strathdees, using a 10 to 12 foot top pocket cast net is ideal. We currently have a few of our nets on sale so if you’re after a quality net at red hot prices come and see us!

Elliott River
The Elliott sure is producing some quality fish! This time of year usually sees this river fishing superbly and with the amount of bait currently in the Elliott we are seeing just that. The sand flats are the go to place for most at the moment whilst the grunter, flathead and whiting are feeding throughout most of the day. Fresh yabbies or even beach worms drifted along the shallow flats is sure to pick up a few of these quality fish. Up river in the creeks has seen anglers catching some ripper jack out of the mangroves. Any fallen trees are also a hotspot for these jack so be sure to drift a live bait or a whole sprat right into the structure. The prawns have been in good numbers as well, the deeper holes in the creeks have been loaded with these prawns! Be sure to keep an eye on your sounder whilst up the creeks as you could come home with a great feed in just a few throws of the net!

Baffle Creek
The Baffle had plenty of anglers on the water over the weekend and we definitely saw some cracking fish caught from the river. Flathead, grunter and whiting were on the chew, small strips of mullet fillet worked best on these fish aside from the whiting which preferred beach worms and yabbies. Fishing with a lighter ball sinker and leader got the bite, typically we saw most success on a running ball sinker rig as this allows the bait to drift naturally in the water column. Mangrove jack and big estuary cod have been some of the more sought after species for anglers as of late. These fish have been caught consistently along the rocks bars and deep banks with fallen trees and mangroves providing plenty of structure for these fish. Using live baits has been the ideal bait for these fish however like mentioned above a strip of mullet fillet has worked very well. On the crabbing front the upper reaches of the creeks have been the best place lately, using plenty of strong smelling bait in each of your pots has helped get a feed especially when there are a few other crab pots in the same area as yours. Some good numbers of prawns have also been up the creeks so whilst throwing in a few pots keep a close eye on the sounder for any large schools.

Kolan River
The mouth of the Kolan is the place to be at the moment! The sand flats and fallen trees have produced some solid fish over the school holidays. Dusky flathead, grunter and queenfish have been the most commonly caught species and the incoming tide is the time to be out and chasing a quick feed. Small strips of mullet fillet or whole sprat rigged using a running ball sinker rig has got the bite. Throwing a few baits up on the shallow flats and some along the bottom edge of the drop offs has been a great technique. The big grunter have been patrolling the deeper edges around the sand flats so throwing out a few soft vibes has picked up some good fish whilst you have a few baits in the water.

Local Beaches
This week has yet again seen our local beaches producing some great quality fish. Woodgate beach has still been fishing great with some big flathead, bream and whiting being caught. Fresh yabbies, beach worms or pippies have been the go to bait for these fish. Norval Park Beach and Rules beach have also been fishing well with the key to be finding deep gutters close to the shoreline. Anglers using fresh bait have got the better quality fish so be sure to try and find some fresh bait if you can. Having a few small metal lures ready to cast into a school of trevally or queenfish is also a great idea as some big schools of these fish have been on the move.

Lake Monduran
The barra in the dam seem to be on the chew with these cooler mornings enticing these fish to feed up before winter. The early morning and late afternoon bite times have been pretty consistent with some of the bigger barra landed during these bite windows. Keep and eye on the Kolan River tide times because the change in tide is often a cracking little opportunity to nail a few barra in the dam. Slowly twitched and paused Jackall Squirrels have got some quality fish to eat, along the weedy banks and points has seen lightly weighted soft plastics being very effective. During the middle of the day the rat barra have been tucked right in close to the banks especially those with plenty of shade from overhanging trees or lily pads. Casting your lure into this shade and working it back to the boat has definitely worked a treat.

13/4/23

Inshore/Offshore
With these slightly cooler mornings the snapper are starting to show up along with some solid grunter around the inshore reefs and rocky coastlines. Some good spots to look for grunter and snapper is the artificial off Elliott Heads, 2 mile off Bargara and along the rocks off Elliott Heads for the land based fishos. There has been a lot of school and spanish mackerel around the inshore reefs so be sure to troll some hardbody lures and whole gar for these fish. This weekends weather is looking pretty good for now, if you are planning on heading out this weekend be sure to check the latest weather forecast.

This time of year with the cooler mornings we should start to see some of the winter species begin to fire up out wide! The big reds and nannygai are already starting to be caught more regularly. Big flesh baits like fresh hussar fillets or whole squid have worked great on these big red fish. We have continued to see quality trout being caught around the reefs towards Lady Elliot Island along with the usual parrot fish, grassy sweetlip and a few different types of cod. Most of these species have ate whole pilchards or smaller flesh baits like a mullet fillet.

Burnett River
The crabbing and prawning in the Burnett has been red hot this week! The prawns have been towards the mouth of the river in the deep holes, using a top pocket cast net has been the way to go. The Burnett has also continued to fish really well, there is currently heaps of bait all throughout the river and plenty of fish are on the chew. Fishing around the rock bars has seen mangrove jack, cod and barra being caught, big mullet fillets or live baits have worked best on these fish. Some quality sized grunter and flathead are being caught at the mouth of the river with small soft plastics being a great way to target these fish, the Squidgie Wrigglers have been absolutely dynamite. Hopping these plastics over sand bars and drop offs has been where these fish are being caught!

Elliott River
The Elliott River is fishing really well, those who know a few spots which are less well known have been managing to pull some great quality fish out of this river. The upper stretches have proved to be crabbing and prawning really well, the deeper holes in the creeks is the way to go. Having a quality sounder to find the prawns is also super handy and helps to locate the better numbers of prawns. The sand flats in this river have held some great numbers of flatties with most being around the 50cm mark. Some solid whiting are also being caught with fresh yabbies being the go to bait. The incoming tide has seen some good sized queenfish entering this river, floating out some whole sprat along the drop offs around the mouth of the river has caught a few of these fish. A few of the rock bars have held some big jacks and solid barra so throwing down a livie is a great way to find a few of these sought after species.

Baffle Creek
Baffle creek has been firing up lately with plenty of jack on the chew! Most anglers have had the best luck when fishing rock bars or sections of creek with plenty of structure and sending down some fresh live baits. These jacks have preferred live prawns or poddy mullet. A lot of estuary and rock cod are being caught whilst chasing these jack but they are a welcome bycatch for those wanting to fill the esky. Around the mouth has seen the sand flats fishing really well for flathead, grunter and queenfish. The incoming tide has been the best time to chase these fish, getting up onto the shallow flats and casting some 3 to 4 inch soft plastics has worked a treat. The crabbing in this river has been really good as well, the big bucks have been on the move so throwing a few pots out whilst having a fish for the day is definitely worth a shot.

Kolan River
The Kolan is currently fishing very well at the moment, there is heaps of bait all throughout the river which has the predatory fish on the chew! Flathead and grunter have been caught in sections of the river with drop offs and a good amount of current. Using bigger chunks of mullet or whole sprat has worked great on these fish, towards the mouth in the clearer water we have seen fresh yabbies doing best when fished in the shallower water. The incoming tide has seen the schools of bait being pushed up river and some big queenfish and trevally have been in pursuit. Fishing parts of the river which have plenty of current being pushed onto them has worked well. The rock bars and deep holes in this river have produced some great mangrove jack especially for those using live baits. Whole poddy mullet and sprat have been the baits getting the job done, however definitely try some mullet fillet as well. Plenty of prawns and crabs are around at the moment, the middle sections of this river seem to be holding the best numbers for now. Up on the shallow mud banks and flats is where a lot of the small river prawns are being caught.

Local Beaches
Our local beaches have had a great week of fishing once again with the majority of anglers hooking up to some solid whiting, dart, bream and flathead. Fresh is best when it comes to bait for whiting so pumping some yabbies before heading out for a fish has payed off big time for most anglers. Throwing on some red plastic beads or tubing onto your leader has also worked a treat. Some good quality flathead and dart have still been caught in gutters close to the shoreline. The flathead have been caught on larger baits like strips of mullet or chunks of pilchard, using a running ball sinker rig has also worked a treat. Having a rod or two rigged up with some small metal slugs has been a good idea as some solid queenfish and trevally have been caught around the entry/exit of gutters as well as in the white wash surrounding these gutters.

Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has had a good week of fishing with plenty of barra hitting the deck. Majority of these fish have been around 60cm in length however they are great fun in between the bigger fish and helps keep you on your toes. The bigger barra are definitely showing themselves more with a lot of missed opportunities coming from the dam this week on 1m+ fish. The big barra have been found in the shallows and passing through wind blown points. Jackall Squirrel’s in the timber and Shads soft plastic’s in the weed have worked best. Fishing sections of the dam which have had the majority of the wind blow from previous days has been crucial. Using the app ‘Windy’ is a great tool for identifying areas of the dam which should have more bait and slightly warmer water which can be the difference in getting a few fish on board. With the weather starting to cool off nicely these bigger barra are going to start to feed up in time for winter. Be sure to slow your retrieve down and make it very easy for a big barra to eat your lure.

Lake Gregory
The bass are moving deeper at Lake Gregory! Bigger schools of fish are being found hanging off the wind-blown points and banks. Throwing some small vibes and soft plastics into these schools of fish has managed to get the bites. Some anglers have still caught some solid fish around the edges of the dam using hardbody lures like the Rapala Shad Rap Elite when twitching them aggressively to get the bite. The early morning’s and late afternoon’s has proved to be the best time to target these fish that are still in the shallows.

6/4/23

Inshore/Offshore
If you like catching pelagic’s you are going to absolutely love this time of year! Team member Josh got out over the weekend and saw heaps of tuna busting up everywhere. These fish were feeding on tiny bait around the 5cm size so a small metal slug and 20 to 30lb leader got the bites.

Throwing some larger lures like stick baits and poppers is great fun and will often times give you a good chance at landing a longtail tuna when they are feeding on bigger bait. Sometimes you’ll see them launch out of the water with your lure in their mouth and then hear your reel scream as they tear off into the dark depths of the water. Some good sized spanish are around so it may pay to troll a hardbody or a dead bait. A lot of the inshore reefs are holding plenty of bait, the trout, snapper and grunter have been feeding well. Small grassy sweetlip, mosses perch and spanish flags have been caught in good numbers as well.

With the good weather we have had of late there has been some cracking reports of red emperor, coral trout, red throat and solid grassy sweetlip being caught. Some massive cobia and mackerel are also being caught in good numbers around the wrecks. Unfortunately the weather isn’t looking the best for the long weekend but definitely keep and eye on the latest weather forecast in case some of the days turn out alright. The go to lures at the moment has to be the Nomad Squidtrex or the Cast range of jigs. These lures have an incredible action and have been getting the bites! If bait fishing is more your thing the trout and sweetlip have loved a whole pilchard and the big reds have smashed some mullet fillet!

Burnett River
The Burnett River is still fishing red hot! The barra are on the chew, these fish have been found in schools around rock bars and fallen trees. Most of these barra are eating prawn imitation soft plastics or live baits. Some solid mangrove jack and cod have been caught around town near the bridges and Kirby’s Wall. The crabbing and prawning is also red hot at the moment so definitely make sure to throw the pots in and have a few throws of the cast net when you can!

Elliott River
This week has seen some great fishing out of the Elliott River with a lot of families taking advantage of some solid weather and heading out for a days fishing. The river has produced some great sized flathead, queenfish, cod and jack. The mouth of the river is where the flathead and queenfish have been caught most, small soft plastics have been deadly on these fish. Along the rock bars and up river in the creeks has found some cracking cod and mangrove jack being caught especially for those using live baits. Live poddy mullet and live prawns have been the standout baits and have definitely helped most anglers get into some solid fish. The prawns have been thick in this river so whilst up the creeks keep an eye on the deep holes for them.

Baffle Creek
Like last week we have seen some great bread and butter fishing coming from the Baffle! The whiting have been on the chew during the incoming tide along the shallow sand flats especially those with plenty of yabbie beds. Fresh yabbies is always a whiting’s favourite food so be sure to pump some yabbies at low tide and fish the start of the incoming tide over those same shallow flats. Some cracking flathead have also been caught using this exact same method along with small strips of mullet fillet. Whilst fishing for these flatties it is well worth flicking some small soft plastics like the Zman 3 inch Minnowz. The crabs and prawns have also been in great numbers and show no sign of slowing down. Some good places to try is in middle channel and up the creeks, the bottom of the tide is when most of the prawns have been found.

Kolan River
The Kolan has continued to produce some cracking grunter this week with the go to technique definitely being fishing the sand flats and drop offs with a mix of mullet fillet and fresh yabbies. These grunter have been on the chew all throughout the tide however the start of the incoming has seen more bites. Be sure to have a look upriver as there is some good barra and jacks getting around. Heaps of river prawns are also being found up past Booyan Bridge along the mud flats, a draw string cast net has been a game changer for those chasing prawns in super shallow water.

Local Beaches
The whiting are definitely back on the chew with most of our local beaches producing some quality sized fish! The baits doing the damage on most of these fish have been freshly pumped yabbies or beach worms. Fishing during the incoming tide in the gutters and off the beach around the river mouths are the best spots at the moment. Rigging your bait using a running ball sinker rig with some red tubing or balls around your leader has helped get these fish to eat!

Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has had a good week of fishing with plenty of barra being caught. A lot of smaller fish are still being caught but the bigger barra are showing themselves more and more. This is likely due to the winter seasons approaching as these big barra always like to feed up before the cooler months. With the cooler conditions ahead we will likely see more big barra caught in the next 2 months along with some good topwater sessions had. Sam from Mondy Man Fishing Charters and Rusty from Rusty’s Lake Monduran Barra Charters have both been getting some solid barra using topwater frogs. Pop in store and chat to us to see the go to lures, colours and where exactly these fish have been caught.

30/3/23

The inshore reefs have been firing. With the spanish mackerel season open alot of anglers got into them last weekend. Trolling gar and hardbody lures has been the standout techniques. Early mornings and late afternoons is always a great time to target them. Again, the snapper and grunter are starting to show up so be sure to drop some lines to the bottom to catch some of those tasty critters. Using 20g soft vibes and 5” zman soft plastics is a deadly way to get the bite from both the snapper and grunter.

With the nice weather we’ve been experiencing alot of lucky anglers have been getting out getting into some trophy sized coral trout and red emperor. When you are chasing trout, using pilchards as bait and using prawn imitation lures is the way to get the bite! The red emperor have been biting on big flesh baits, squid, live bait and the new Nomad Squidtrex. Always concentrate on your favourite spots on the tide changes, that one hour either side of the tide surely can change your day.

Burnett River
The Burnett has been producing some very nice fish over the past week! The number one fish that has been getting caught has definitely been the barramundi. Most of these barra have been getting caught on soft vibes, prawn imitation lures and live bait. There’s been some welcomed bycatch with them as well, including mangrove jack and salmon. The prawns and crabs are showing no sign of slowing down either. Remember the best time to target prawns is towards the bottom of the tide when there is no current.

Baffle Creek
There’s been some very nice bread and butter fish being caught in the Baffle Creek over the past week with the standout fish being whiting and flathead. The most effective way to catch these two species is by pumping yabbies at low tide and fishing the incoming tide over shallow sand bars. If you’re more into lure fishing, slow rolling 3” Zman Minnowz over the sand bars and mud flats has been working a treat for the flatty’s. For the whiting, throwing small poppers over shallow sand bars will get you into some good whiting action. Don’t forget to drop the crab pots in and keep the cast net handy, there’s been plenty of crabs and prawns in this system.

Kolan River
The standout fish being caught in the Kolan has to be the grunter. These fish are super tasty to eat and fun to catch! If you’re into throwing lures, a lot of the gulp soft plastics are known to be the favourite for the grunter. If you’re more into bait fishing, using mullet strips, live yabbies and prawns are a good way to get the bite from a grunter. There’s definitely still been good numbers of barra and jack being caught as well so be sure to have a go for them.

Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has been producing some very nice barra over the past week. Plenty of these fish have been getting caught on Jackall Squirrels and Samaki Redics, fishing in the shallow timbers. Early mornings and late afternoons seems like the best bite times at the moment. Remember to always look for the windblown points and bays, that’s where the fish will be hanging out and feeding. Always fish with confidence, you never know when that 1m+ barramundi will jump onto your line!

23/3/23

Inshore/Offshore
Finally its open season on the spanish mackerel and the inshore weather should be good enough to get out over the weekend, key word SHOULD. Remember to always check the latest weather forecast before heading out. Now remember spanish mackerel currently have a bag limit of 3 per person and 6 per boat with 2 or more people on board but as of 1 July 2023 it goes down to 1 per person and 2 per boat with 2 or more people on board. If you’re fishing off Burnett Heads, try getting a livie off one of the leads and putting that under a float or slowly troll for a spanish. Otherwise, one of my preferred ways to troll is with a dead pilchard or gar and vary your speed; sometimes a slow troll works, other times fast. This time of year you’ll find schools of bait moving along our coast lines and with that you’ll get tuna, mackerel, queenfish and trevally on the hunt feeding on them. This is where metal slugs like a 20g – 50g flasher or a stick bait and popper come into play and prove very successful. Inshore reefs have been coming alive with your favourite winter species like grunter, snapper and grass emperor. Some of the favourite ways to target them is by jigging soft plastics and 40g slow fall jigs and the old faithful bait dropped down to the opportunistic fish.

With the recent good weather, those anglers who went out wide managed to get some good fish past the sharks such as big red emperors, coral trout, snapper and some grass emperor. This is where the shark repellent sinker comes into play. Don’t forget to put an unweighted pilly out the back for a spanish mackerel now that the season is open. One of the ways that has been producing good results is by jigging a Nomad Squidtrex.

Burnett River
The Burnett is still fishing well although last weeks rain has certainly dirtied the upper section of the river. This has got the crabs on the move and there has been plenty of small river prawns along the shallow muddy banks. For these smaller prawns a 3/4 inch mesh cast net is ideal as a lot of them escape easily when using a net with 1 inch mesh. Around the bridges and the rock bars in the middle section of the river has seen good numbers of jacks, grunter and trevally being caught. The blue salmon have moved on and seem to be down river in the cleaner water. These fish are extremely bait orientated so try finding the big schools of bait as this should put you in with a good chance at a few early season blue salmon. Soft vibes work best on these fish so be sure to have a few in your arsenals ready for when they really start chewing! There is definitely a few solid barra still being caught however having a sounder is almost necessary at the moment as these fish can be extremely hard to find. A sounder with good quality side scan can pin point exactly where these fish are so you aren’t wasting any casts!

Elliott River
This river has continued to fish very well despite more and more anglers heading to the Elliott due to good reports of fish being caught. Most of the fisho’s have been drifting the sand banks or fishing the rock bars this river has to offer with the usual flathead, grunter and queenfish caught on the sand flats and drop offs. The rock bars have held good numbers of mangrove jack, cod and the odd barramundi which have ate a well presented live prawn or mullet. There is currently heaps of bait in this river so catching some for livies or even fresh strip baits is easy and well worth it. Floating out a few whole sprat either along the sand flats or rock bars has worked well on most of the species for those just after a quick and easy feed of fish. Up in the creeks has also seen great numbers of crabs and prawns being caught so be sure to try for these guys whilst in the Elliott.

Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek is fishing red hot at the moment with plenty of variety being caught throughout the whole river system! The rain from last week has definitely got the crabs on the move as well so it is definitely worth throwing a few pots in if you are headed for a fish. Using whole mullet in the pots or fish frames have worked best. The majority of anglers have been fishing from around Winfield area and down river towards the mouth. We have seen good numbers of grunter and flathead caught in slightly deeper water around the sand flats, fresh yabbies and whole sprat have worked well on these fish. During the incoming tide around the mouth of the river has seen heaps of queenfish enter the river in search for bait. These fish have been following the bait schools so looking for areas with bait, current and structure is where these queenfish will be. Flicking some soft plastics around any good looking areas is the way to target these fish. The rock bars in the river have been producing some quality jacks, we have seen prawn imitation lures work really well so be sure to have a few in your tackle box.

Kolan River
Just like all of our other local rivers the Kolan’s fishing, crabbing and prawning is red hot! Plenty of crabs are being caught whether the pots are up in creeks or along deeper banks, the key however has been to be using a strong smelling bait like whole mullet. For the prawns there has been plenty of small river prawns in great numbers along the muddy banks up river of Booyan Bridge. These smaller prawns are best targeted with a 3/4 inch drawstring cast net to ensure as little as possible can escape. Some of the bigger prawns have been in deeper water and these can be found with a quality sounder, a top pocket cast net is ideal for these deeper water scenarios. For the fishing side of things the middle to upper section of the Kolan has been fishing great. Recently we saw the Bundaberg Sportfishing Club’s members head out to the Kolan River Retreat and there was some great fish caught. Barra, jack, flathead, queenfish, trevally and cod were the most common caught, with the standoutlures being prawn imitation soft plastics.

Local Beaches
We have had great reports of plenty of quality whiting being caught along our local beaches this week. The bait doing the damage on most of these fish have been freshly pumped yabbies or beach worms. Fishing during the incoming tide in the gutters has been the go to technique. Rigging your baits on a running ball sinker rig with a very light ball sinker will give you the best shot at landing a few whiting. Whilst whiting fishing we have seen good numbers of flathead, dart and trevally being caught. It is a good idea to also have some mullet fillet or sprat out as well in case a few bigger flathead are around. Woodgate Beach and Coonarr Beach have been the standouts however all of our local beaches have produced quality fish so they are all definitely worth a shot.

Lake Monduran
The barramundi have been on the chew at Lake Monduran. March and April are two cracking months of the year to fish this impoundment. The early morning bite seems to be the go at the moment. Jackall Squirrels and Samaki Redic’s are definitely the go to lure. Fishing the shallow timbers is the place to be to get the bite. Remember to always fish the bays and points where the wind is blowing into; the wind is blowing a light SE this weekend. Always fish with confidence, you never know when that 1m+ barramundi will hit your lure!

Lake Gregory
This week has continued to see some cracking bass being caught from Lake Gregory. The bass are feeding in the shallower water and they have been super aggressive smashing soft plastics, hardbodies and topwater lures. Small paddle tail soft plastics have been the go throughout the heat of the day along with 70-80mm hardbody lures. The hardbodies are most effective when twitched aggressively and allowed to sit for up to 10 seconds in between pauses. Once the sun is on it’s way down and shadows start to get cast on the dam, this is when topwater lures have done really well. The Daiwa Slippery Dog ‘walk the dog’ style topwater lures have worked well when the bass are feeding in the shallows.

16/3/23

Inshore/Offshore
The inshore reefs have been red hot lately! Plenty of schoolie mackerel, grunter and early season snapper have been caught! The schoolie mackerel have been smashing 50g Flasha spoons and lightly weighted pilchards. Don’t use wire as a leader for the schoolie mackerel, just use 60lb fluorocarbon. You’ll get plenty more bites! The grunter and snapper have been loving 20g soft vibes and 5” Zman soft plastics worked off the bottom. Early morning and late afternoons has been the best bite times.

The offshore reefs have been firing over past week! The coral trout, red emperor and cobia have been ON! The trout have been loving pilchards and prawn imitation lures. The reds have been smashing big flesh baits and the new Nomad Squidtrex! Fishing around 40 meters of depth is always a great place to start for a feed of reds. Some very large cobia have been getting caught as well, fishing the wrecks is a great place to find them. Using squid for bait for them is the way to go to get the bites!

Burnett River
This week has yet again seen plenty of variety coming from the Burnett River. With the amount of bait and prawns currently in this river it is no wonder the predatory fish are on the chew! Most anglers have managed to catch a few solid fish with flathead, grunter, queenfish and cod being the most common however some jack and barra are also being caught. These fish are all being caught on live baits, live mullet and prawns are the go to. Fishing these baits around the various rock bars and bridges we have in the Burnett is working great. The prawns have been found in some of the deep holes around Strathdees and down river around the Port. Using your sounder to locate the schools of prawns is a great way to target them as they are moving from day to day. The crabbing in this river is also red hot at the moment especially with the recent rain. Leading into next weeks big tides we should see some absolute cracking bucks being caught so be sure to throw the pots out of you can.

Elliott River
The Elliott is fishing well with plenty of cracking fish being caught on a range of different techniques. Around the mouth of the river has seen plenty of good sized queenfish and trevally being caught on live sprat and topwater lures! These fish have been feeding most aggressively during the incoming tide, any places where the current is hitting an object like a rock, tree or sand bank is a go to place for these fish. Along the drop offs has seen some good sized grunter and flathead caught, fresh yabbies have been the ideal baits for these fish but small soft vibes have also landed a few good fish. Up in the creeks has still seen the mangrove jack on the chew! Live baits are definitely the go to when it comes to landing these fish. Whilst up river it is worth a throw of the cast net as the prawns in this river have been thick!

Baffle Creek
The Baffle is fishing great at the moment, the recent rain seems to have got the fish feeding especially the jack and barra! Most of these prized fish have been caught up river on rock bars and in deep holes up the creeks. A well presented live bait like a prawn or even a prawn imitation lure has got the bite. Using a 40lb leader has managed to get more bites however some of the big barra have made light work and busted through this quite easily. Some monster cod have also been around on the rock bars as well, although not what everyone are after they are great eating and can put up a great fight. Around the mouth along the flats has seen some good sized grunter, flathead, trevally and queenfish being caught. All of these species have been caught on similar baits and lures and also have been found sitting close together. Hopping a few 3 inch soft plastics along the sand flats and drop offs will put you in with a great shot an encountering some of these fish. Up the creeks and in places like Middle Channel has seen plenty of quality sized mud crabs being caught! Using a strong smelling bait like mullet fillet or whole fish frames in your pots has been the key.

Kolan River
Similar to our other local rivers the Kolan has had a great week of fishing and crabbing. Some great numbers of prawns are being found as well! These prawns are being caught easily with a top pocket cast net. Having a quality sounder to locate the prawns before starting to throw the net is a great way to do less casts for more prawns! As for the crabbing we have seen plenty of people manage to get some great sized bucks when using a strong smelling bait. When it comes to fishing the grunter and flathead have been on the chew! Using either whole sprat or strips of mullet has been the ideal baits. Floating out the sprat and letting them sink slowly with the tide over the sand bars or drop offs has been a killer technique.

Local Beaches
Our local beaches have had a great week of fishing with the majority of anglers hooking up to some solid whiting, dart, bream and flathead. Fresh is best when it comes to bait for whiting so pumping some yabbies before heading out for a fish has payed off really well for the most part. Using some red plastic beads or tubing on your leader has also worked a treat. Some good quality flathead and dart are still being caught in gutters close to the shoreline. The flathead have been caught on larger baits like strips of mullet or chunks of pilchard, using a running ball sinker rig has worked a treat. Having a rod or two rigged up with some small metal slugs has been a good idea as some solid queenfish and trevally have been caught around the entry/exit of gutters as well as in the white wash surrounding these gutters.

Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran is continuing to fish well this week even with the recent rain! Although the dam has surpassed 100% capacity we aren’t losing any of the barra and the water level is already on the way down. Majority of the fish caught have been smaller however the big barra are being caught more regularly. This could be a great sign for the next few weeks as the barra feed up before the winter season. In order to land these bigger barra the key has been to be using your electronics to not only find the fish, but to also not spook them. Using your electric motor to find schools of barra is crucial and even using it on some of its lowest speeds as these big barra can be spooked so easily. Once you have found the barra the lures working best have been Jackall Squirrel’s retrieved with a long pause in between twitches and also a super slow rolled Berkley Shimma Pro Rig. Making the most of the bite times has worked great, keep an eye on the tide changes for the saltwater section of the Kolan River as this is a very well known indicator for when the barra will come on the chew.

Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory has still fished well considering the water is quite murky after the rain we just had. The fish have been responding to lures quite well, the go to lure in this murky water has to be a hardbody lure like the Rapala Shad Rap Elite! Fishing sections of the dam that have been getting plenty of wind pushed into them has been the go as these areas have slightly warmer water and the majority of the bait. Twitching hardbody lures along the weed edges has worked really well when mixing in some 5 to 10 second pauses in between twitches. If you are finding schools of bass hanging in slightly deeper water, try using a small paddle tail soft plastic and slowly wind it directly through the school. This technique has worked great on the schooled fish when they are a little more hesitant to bite.

9/2/23

Inshore/Offshore
Inshore has been fishing red hot!! With the weather starting to cool off in the mornings and evenings the bigger grunter are chewing! Most of these grunter are being caught on 20gram soft vibes and if you’re bait fishing fresh prawns are the go. There has also been a few quality snapper showing up inshore around the Elliott artificial. Using lures such as the Zman Streakz curly tail and Zman jerk Shadz soft plastics have worked best. There has still been plenty of school and grey mackerel around, spinning Flasha metal spoons at high speeds around reefs and bait schools is doing the trick.
Our offshore reefs have been fishing well during the few patches of good weather that we have had lately. Those who managed to make the most of these short weather windows have been rewarded with some top catches! With reports of some cracking sized nannygai’s being caught we would suggest the next patch of good weather you dust the gear off and get out fishing! The brand new Nomad Squidtrex vibes fished slow around the reefs have been the big nannygai and red emperors favourite! We have also seen plenty of trout, sweetlip and cod being caught so try a few strip baits like mullet fillet or whole pilchards for these fish.

Burnett River
The Burnett is clearing up nicely and the river is currently full of bait due to the amount of fresh that has gone into this river over the last 12 months. This influx of bait paired with the water clarity getting better has seen some blue salmon start to enter the river and they have started being caught. These salmon have been close to the bait so finding the bait is half the battle won already, some big queenfish have also been hanging around the bait balls as well! The lures getting these fish to bite have been soft vibes worked with a hop and pause technique. Plenty of barra are also in the river with the rock bars producing most of these fish when using live baits. The prawning has been red hot at the moment with some absolutely cracking river and tiger prawns being caught. The best numbers of these prawns have been found around Strathdees, using a 10 to 12 foot top pocket cast net is ideal.

Elliott River
The Elliott is having another week of good fishing! Plenty of anglers have managed to find a few solid flathead, whiting, jack, barra, grunter and cod in this river! Fishing around the mouth of the river with baits such as fresh yabbies, mullet fillet or whole sprat has seen grunter and flathead caught as well as some whiting when using yabbies. Along the rock bars up river and the mangrove lined banks is where the barra, jack and cod have been found. These fish have been chewing on live baits or big strips of mullet, the key has been to make the most out of the tide changes as the fish have seemed to feed around these times. Some great numbers of prawns are being caught up the creeks, using your sounder to locate these prawns schooled up in any deeper holes is the way to go. Whilst up river it is also worth throwing the pots in as there are some solid bucks being caught.

Baffle Creek
Lots of people have made the trip up to baffle recently and these last couple of weeks has seen the fishing red hot in this river! This week has been no exception with the summer species well and truly on the chew. Big jack have been caught throughout the river on the various rock bars and mangrove lined banks with live poddy mullet and prawns being the go to baits to get the bite. Heaps of big cod have been hanging around with these jack and the barra have also not been far away. These barra have been biting on the tide changes so be sure to have your livie in the zone for the hour before and after the tide change! Around the mouth has seen some big flathead and grunter being caught in the shallows. Some elbow slapper whiting have also been found when drifting sand bars with patchy weed scattered across them, fresh yabbies or worms have been the ideal baits for these finicky fish. Throwing the pots in will also be a great idea as this river is still crabbing very well.

Kolan River
Similar to the Burnett the Kolan River is clearing up nicely and we have seen this river riddled with large schools of bait. With the amount of bait in this river the fishing has been off tap! Plenty of queenfish and trevally have been following these schools of bait, floating out a whole sprat has been getting the bite. Good numbers of barra are also on the move, locating these fish using side scan has worked a treat and soft vibes have been the lures of choice for most anglers managing to get a few in the boat. The rock bars and fallen trees have held some big jack this week with once again live baits working best however prawn imitation soft plastics have accounted for a fair share of the jack caught as well. The muddy banks have held heaps of river prawns so these areas are definitely worth a few throws of the net, otherwise you can find the better numbers schooled up in the deeper water.

Local Beaches
This week along our beaches has seen plenty of whiting still being caught for anglers using fresh yabbies and worms as bait! These fish have been in the gutters and have been caught throughout most of the tide. The hot spots for the whiting has been Woodgate Beach and Coonarr Beach. Rules Beach and Norval Park Beach have also been fishing well with a lot of flathead and grunter being caught on flesh baits such as mullet fillet or even whole sprat. Using a running ball sinker rig is the way to go as it allows your baits to drift naturally in the water.

Lake Monduran
This week has again seen plenty of barra between 50 and 60cm being caught all throughout the dam. These smaller fish are a result of MASA’s incredible stocking efforts and shows that the survival rate for the last few releases has been high which is great for the future of the dam. These barra have been caught on hardbodies and soft plastics but they key has been to be casting right in the shallows and around any shady areas like lily pads and overhanging bushes. The bigger barra are scattered at the moment, finding good numbers of them has been a bit trickier this week but there are definitely heaps around. A quality sounder is a game changer as it will help locate where these big fish are when they are a little shy. Most anglers who have found the bigger fish have still struggled to get them to bite, at this stage making the most out of the bite times has made a huge difference when trying to get one of these barra to bite. Soft plastics and swimbaits like the Berkley Shimma Pro Rig, Molix 120 Shad and the 4.2inch paddle tail Daiwa Bait Junkie soft plastics have worked best. Bird Bay and SDA bay have fished well, along with a few of the points in the Main Basin.

Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory is fishing well, the go to techniques has been to be either using topwater lures in low light periods or small paddle tail soft plastics throughout the middle of the day. Maximizing your topwater fishing efforts around dawn and dusk has really paid off with multiple bass being caught in a short period of time. Like mentioned above, paddle tail soft plastics have been working great during the middle of the day, casting these around heavy structure like the weed towers and drop offs is where the majority of fish have been caught. Twitching hardbody lures has also been resulting in some cracking bass being caught especially when the bass are feeding aggressively.

2/3/23

Inshore/Offshore
With these slightly cooler mornings the snapper are starting to show up along with some solid grunter around the inshore reefs and rocky coastlines. Some good spots to look for grunter is the artificial off Elliott Heads, along the rocks off Elliott Heads and off the north wall at Burnett Heads for the land based fishos. There has been a lot of school and grey/broad bar mackerel getting about just remember although gray mackerel look similar to a spanish mackerel they are 2 different fish and they are able to be caught year round. Remember that it is currently closed season for Spanish mackerel which started on Wednesday 1st of March and runs until Tuesday the 21st of March so be sure to know the difference between these two species. A good way to target school and grey mackerel is by trolling 2-4 inch spoons…no not the ones out of your kitchen draw but the Halco spoons with a paravane to get them down to depth. Another method which has really paid off is trolling a Samaki Redic DS100 or DS80. The weather isn’t looking the best but if you do manage to get out please be safe and enjoy your time on the water.

This time of year with the cooler mornings we should start to see some of the winter species begin to fire up like snapper in close and big reds and nannygai around the 40m mark. With the big reds you can’t go past a big flesh bait or even one of the brand new Nomad Squidtrex lures…man these lures are doing some real damage on red emperors and we look forward to seeing some big snapper falling victim to them this winter too! Be sure to send your pics in for fish of the week and you may just win a $50 tackle world voucher!

Burnett River
The crabbing and prawning in the Burnett has been red hot this week! The key to getting the big bucks has been to place your pots in deeper sections of river and to use plenty of bait. The prawns have been towards the mouth of the river in the deep holes and a top pocket cast net has helped to fill the bucket in no time. This week has seen the Burnett continue to fish really well as it clears up from the recent rain we have had. There is currently heaps of bait all throughout the river and plenty of fish are on the chew. Fishing around the rock bars has seen mangrove jack, cod and barra being caught, big mullet fillets or live baits have worked best on these fish. Some quality sized grunter and flathead are being caught at the mouth of the river with small soft plastics being a great way to target these fish, the Squidgie Wrigglers have been absolutely dynamite. Hopping these plastics over sand bars and drop offs has been where these fish are being caught. The North Wall has fished well this week with a lot of land based anglers catching a good feed. Whole prawns have worked well with plenty of cod, big bream, trevally and mangrove jack being caught here.

Elliott River
The Elliott River is fishing really well, those who know a few spots which are less well known have been managing to pull some great quality fish out of this river. The upper stretches have proved to be crabbing and prawning really well, the deeper holes in the creeks is the way to go. Having a quality sounder to find the prawns is also super handy and helps to locate the better numbers of prawns. The sand flats in this river have held some great numbers of flatties with most being around the 50cm mark. Some solid whiting are also being caught with fresh yabbies being the go to bait. A few of the rock bars have held some big jacks and solid barra so throwing down a livie is a great way to find a few of these sought after species.

Baffle Creek
Baffle creek has been firing up lately with plenty of jack on the chew! Most anglers have had the most luck when fishing rock bars or sections of creek with plenty of structure and sending down some fresh live baits. These jacks have preferred live prawns or poddy mullet. A lot of estuary and rock cod are being caught whilst chasing these jacks but they are a welcome bycatch for those wanting to fill the esky. Around the mouth has seen the sand flats fishing really well for flathead, grunter and queenfish. the incoming tide has been the best time to chase these fish, getting up onto the shallow flats and casting some 3 to 4 inch soft plastics has worked a treat. The crabbing in this river has been really good as well, the big bucks have been on the move so throwing a few pots out whilst have a fish for the day is definitely worth it.

Kolan River
The Kolan is currently fishing very well at the moment, there is heaps of bait all throughout the river which is a great sign for the future of the Kolan as well. The usual flathead and grunter have been on the chew and sections of the river with drop offs and current has been where these fish have been caught more regularly. Using bigger chunks of mullet or whole sprat has worked great on these fish, towards the mouth in the clearer water we have seen fresh yabbies doing best when fished in the shallower water. The incoming tide has seen the schools of bait being pushed up river and some big queenfish and trevally have been in pursuit. Fishing parts of the river which have plenty of current being pushed onto them has worked well. The rock bars and deep holes in this river have produced some great mangrove jack especially for those using live baits. Whole poddy mullet and sprat have been the baits getting the job done, however definitely try some mullet fillet as well. Plenty of prawns and crabs are around at the moment, the middle sections of this river seem to be holding the best numbers for now.

Local Beaches
Whiting are back on the chew with reports that most of out local beaches are producing some quality sized fish! The bait doing the damage on most of these fish have been freshly pumped yabbies or beach worms. Fishing during the incoming tide in the gutters and off the beach around the river mouths is the best spots at the moment. Woodgate Beach and Coonarr Beach have been the standouts however all of our local beaches have produced quality whiting so they are all definitely worth a shot. Rigging your bait using a running ball sinker rig with some red tubing or balls around your leader has helped get these fish to eat!

Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran is fishing well at the moment, plenty of smaller fish around the 60cm mark are being caught. These barra have been holding around areas providing plenty of structure with lily pads and overhanging trees being the prime spots. A lot of the bigger fish have been harder to tempt a bite from again this week, with opportunities few and far between for most anglers on the dam. These bigger barra aren’t committing to the lures properly so a fair few people have missed these fish due to the barra spitting the hooks easily. A slow wound Molix 120 Shad or a Berkley Shimma Pro Rig has got some of these big fish to bite and the stinger hook at the back of the plastic has managed to keep hooks in these bigger fish nicely. These bigger barra have been found around the timber and passing through points with the wind blowing straight onto the banks. A quality sounder with side scan is an absolute game changer for finding where these barra are schooled up as they move from day to day.

Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory has been fishing well with slow winding soft plastics over the top of the weed banks being a great technique. Sometimes in order to get the bite anglers have been sinking the soft plastics deep into the weed with a weed less hook and twitching them out. Small hardbody lures cast along steep weed edges/drop offs has also been dynamite this week! Using erratic twitches with a long pause in between has got some aggressive bites from these bass. Ensuring your hardbody lure doesn’t sink or float too quickly is crucial as it needs to stay in the strike zone for as long as possible. Fishing sections of the dam which have had most of the wind exposure over the last few days or even up to a week is ideal as a lot of the bait and warmer water will be in these areas. Throwing soft plastics or hardbodies around 3 inches in length has been perfect for matching the baitfish in the dam.

23/2/23

Inshore/Offshore
The inshore reefs have been fishing well with plenty of quality sized grunter being caught on 5inch jerk shads rigged on a 1/2oz 5/0 jig head. 20gram soft vibes like the Samaki Vibelicious have also worked a treat! If bait fishing is more your thing try using fresh prawns and squid with also a few small snapper showing up. Spanish mackerel season has now opened from the 21st of February however will once again close for another 3 weeks starting on the 1st of March. Our Inshore reefs along the coast house plenty of big spanish and these fish are best targeted by trolling dead baits such as gar or mullet as well as big hardbody lures. The school mackerel have still fished very well with spinning Flasha spoons at a high speed through schools of bait or around the reefs doing best. There has still been a decent amount of tuna along the coast line, at times it has been tough to get a bite from these fish however small metal slugs like the Arma Anchovy range has worked a treat to get some to chew.
Offshore fishing has been tough this week with less than ideal weather making it hard for us fisho’s to head out wide. Whilst we sit on our hands and wait for the next good weather opportunity it is a great time to stock up on all your gear now to avoid the last minute scrambles before that next big trip. Having a few extras of your favourite lures is always a fantastic idea as when the weather turns good the hot lures sell out quick! We have seen some quality red emperor, trout and nannygai being caught out wide lately when the weather has been good. The trout have been caught on fresh pilchards or whole yakka’s and the red’s and nannies have loved big flesh baits or whole squid.

Burnett River
After the storm and heavy downpour of rain late last week the Burnett is quite dirty with the upper sections of the river being affected the most. Those fishing with lures have got best results when using a darker coloured lure to give off a larger silhouette in this dirty water. Paddle tail soft plastics such as the Zman 3 inch Minnowz have been the go to lure for just about anything in the river this week! Slow rolling these lures over rock bars, out of snags or over sand bars has worked a treat from jack and barra to flathead and queenfish! For the bait anglers live bait is where it’s at for now, small poddy mullet or sprat is the ideal baits and fishing around rock bars or fallen trees is where a lot of the fish are being caught. Some quality grunter are in the river at the moment as well, down river around the mouth has seen the best numbers of these fish as they feed on the sand flats and along deep drop offs. Plenty of crabs have been on the move as well so it is well worth a shot at trying to get a feed of mud crab. Putting your pots up in creeks and using plenty of a strong smelling bait has got the best results.

Elliott River
The Elliott River is fishing great this week, the river is full of bait at the moment and the predators are feeding! Some big queenfish, trevally and dart are being caught at the mouth of the river. Black bank and the rock bar at the mouth are the go to places for these fish. Floating out a live sprat has worked a treat. Up river has seem some cracking flathead and grunter being caught on the various sand flats and drop offs. Small soft vibes have worked really well on these fish along with whole prawns rigged on a running ball sinker rig. A quality aerator is a game changer when bait fishing as they keep the bait alive for hours! The Elliott has produced some solid jack this week on live baits like sprat and poddy mullet. With the rain we had last week we have seen the crabbing picking up in this river. The deeper mangrove lined edges throughout the river have been great places to throw a few pots as of late.

Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek has had a very good week of fishing. The upper sections of this system are quite murky and up the creeks are as well so the run in tide has been the go to time to be fishing this river. Some cracking flathead, whiting and grunter have been making their way up onto the shallow sand flats. Using fresh yabbies as bait has been dynamite on the whiting and some whole sprat has got the grunter and flathead to bite. Flicking some small soft plastics bright in colour have absolutely slayed the flatties this week! Areas where there is a good amount of current paired with a solid drop off have been where these fish are being caught in the best numbers. Most of the rock bars throughout this river have held some solid estuary cod, jack and the odd barra! Live poddy mullet sent down into the rocks has been the best way to catch these fish. Using a 40 to 60lb fluorocarbon leader has worked well to get the bite but also provide enough strength and abrasion resistance amongst the rocks. With the rain our region got late last week we have continued to see plenty of crabs coming out of this river. Most of them have been out of slightly deeper sections of creeks as the bigger tides have got them on the move.

Kolan River
Similar to our other local rivers the Kolan has had a great week of fishing and crabbing. We have gotten plenty of reports of great numbers of prawns in this river too! Having a quality sounder to locate the prawns before starting to throw the net is a great way to do less casts for more prawns! On the crabbing front we have seen some great numbers of good sized bucks being caught. Throwing the pots up in the creeks has been the way to go, any deep holes up the creeks have been the hot spots. For the fishing we have seen plenty of grunter and flathead being caught throughout the whole river. Whole sprat either dead or alive has been the ideal bait. Floating out the sprat and letting it sink slowly with the tide over the sand bars or drop offs has been a killer technique. Along the rocks bars has also seen some big mangrove jack and cod caught using this exact same method.

Local Beaches
With the large tides we have had the whiting bite off the beaches has been red hot! Moore Park Beach and Woodgate Beach are the standouts for these fish with fresh yabbies, pippies or worms being the ideal baits. Fishing the last half of the incoming tide has been a perfect way to target these fish. Finding a nice gutter in close to the shoreline is where these whiting are being caught most. Some solid dart and grunter are also being caught so definitely have a few rods in the water to maximise the amount of fish you can catch!

Lake Monduran
Fishing on the lake this week has really heated up! A lot of barra have been caught with a few anglers landing 10 or more barra in a single session. Most of these fish have been around 60cm in length however they are great fun in between bites from the big fish. These smaller fish have been caught regularly on hardbody lures cast right in close to the lily’s and bushes in a few feet of water and twitched back to the boat. Plenty of big barra have been found throughout the dam, similar to last week these fish have not been easy to tempt a bite from but there has definitely been more hitting the deck this week! These bigger barra have been found passing through points which have had plenty of wind blow over the last few days. Mixing between a suspending hardbody lure and a paddle tail soft plastic or swimbait has been able to get a bite from these big barra eventually. Some days they have preferred the hardbodies and other days they have bit on plastics so be sure to mix it up until you get a bite.

Lake Gregory
This week the lake has fished well with some really good quality bass being caught. Topwater lures have been quite popular over the last few weeks and low light periods such as dawn and dusk have been the ideal times to throw topwater. Walk the dog style topwater lures have been the most effective this week as the bass are a lot more interested in a more aggressive presentation opposed to the subtle presentation of a frog imitation lure. Throughout the middle of the day anglers have had most success on small paddle tail soft plastics. Slow winding these lures over the top of the weed beds or along the drop offs have been the go.

16/2/23


Inshore/Offshore
The inshore reefs have been firing! Plenty of schoolie mackerel, tuna and grunter have been getting caught. The schoolie mackerel have been smashing Flasha spoons and whole pilchards. The tuna have been eating on very small slugs and soft plastic’s fast retrieved through bait schools. The grunter have been biting on 20g soft vibes and 5” soft plastic’s but if you’re more into bait fishing prawns and squid has been doing the trick for the grunter. With the new moon this weekend the fish should be hungry!

The coral trout and red emperor fishing has been ON lately! Plenty of the trout action has been on prawn imitation lures and whole pilchards. The reds have been chewing on large flesh baits and squid. Remember to always make the most out of tide changes especially on the big new moon tides like this weekend. Staff member Mitch says he will be fishing the shallows in the mornings for trout this weekend and the deeper water for reds in the afternoon when the tides are smaller.

Burnett River
The Burnett has fished well this week with plenty of variety being on the cards. Grunter, queenfish, jack, flathead and barra are the most common species being caught at the moment. Mullet fillet and whole prawns are the baits working best and these baits will give you a good chance at catching any of our other summer species as well. We have seen some good quality barra being caught out of this river and this weekend should be a great time to target these fish. Small soft plastics like the Zman 3 inch Minnowz have been imitating the bait fish perfectly and have managed to get the bite when these barra aren’t feeding as aggressively. Areas around the rock walls from town towards the mouth of the Burnett have held some good numbers of barra. A quality sounder with side scan imaging is a game changer to locate where these fish are as they move from day to day. The jacks have been hanging tight in the structure so using a weed less style hook so you aren’t getting snagged up as much is a great way to land a few more of these fish. The crabbing and prawning is also doing really well this week, this weekend should be a great time to target the crabs and whilst your pots are set why not go and try to find a school or two of the prawns which have been around.

Elliott River
The Elliott River has continued to fish well especially for the anglers after a good feed of whiting, flathead and bream. The flats at the mouth of the river have been fishing well during the run in tide, fresh yabbies or whole sprat have worked the best. These queenfish have been caught mostly around the last half of the run in tide and the first half of the run out tide. Floated out some whole sprat around the drop offs or deeper bends of the river has worked a treat on these fish. Up river has seen some jacks being caught but live baits and flesh baits have been working best. Some good crabs are also being caught out of this river so throwing a few pots out this weekend with the big tides should see a few solid bucks caught!

Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek’s fishing has been great this week with jack, whiting, flathead, cod, grunter, queenfish and trevally being caught in most sections of the river. Small strips of mullet fillet has been working well on most of these fish aside from the whiting which have preferred beach worms, yabbies or pippies. Fishing with a lighter ball sinker and leader has got the bite, typically we see most success on a running ball sinker rig as this allows the bait to drift naturally in the water column. Mangrove jack and big estuary cod have been some of the more sought after species for anglers as of late. These fish have been caught consistently along the rocks bars and deep banks with fallen trees and mangroves providing plenty of structure for these fish. Using live baits has been the ideal bait for these fish however like mentioned above a strip of mullet fillet has worked very well. The mouth of the river has been the go to place for the queenfish, trevally, flathead and grunter. Most of these fish have been caught along the drop offs and fallen trees on top of the sand bars with whole sprat and mullet fillet working a treat. On the crabbing front the upper reaches of the creeks have been the best place lately, using plenty of strong smelling bait in each of your pots has helped get a feed especially when there are a few other crab pots in the same area as yours.

Kolan River
This river is loaded with small river prawns at the moment along with the odd big tiger caught as well. Using a sounder to locate the schools is the way to go along with a top pocket cast net. The crabs have also been on the move with the increasing tides doing anglers plenty of favours. Similar to last week, using large flesh baits or fish frames as bait and throwing them up in creeks has worked best. If you are able to, leaving the pots in overnight has got best results. Some big jacks are being caught a lot more consistently, live baits have still been the best bait however black and gold hardbody lures slow wound over rock bars or twitched out of fallen trees has picked up a few solid jack as well! The big dusky flathead have been chewing around the mouth of the river too. Fresh yabbies or smalls trips of mullet fillet have got the bite when fished along the drop offs and sand flats around Miara.

Local Beaches
This week has yet again seen our local beaches producing some great quality fish. Woodgate beach has still been fishing great with some big flathead, bream and whiting being caught. Fresh yabbies, beach worms or pippies have been the go to bait for these fish. Norval Park Beach and Rules beach have been fishing well with the key to be finding deep gutters close to the shoreline and anglers using fresh bait have got the better quality fish. Flathead, dart, bream and grunter have been common catches this week at these two beaches. Regardless of which beach you are fishing the go has been to be fishing the start of the run out tide and using natural baits like yabbies, beach worms or pippies. Having a few small metal lures ready to cast into a school of trevally or queenfish is also a great idea as some big schools of these fish have been on the move.

Lake Monduran
This weeks low barometric pressure, and inconsistent winds has certainly made the barra fishing tough on the dam. Anglers have managed to find plenty of barra however they have been very hard to tempt a bite. Plenty of small fish averaging around the 60cm mark have been caught however bites from the bigger fish have been scattered. A few anglers have managed to crack the 1m mark this week with a few of these big fish taking a liking to slow wound paddle tail soft plastics. The Berkley Shimma Pro Rig’s and Molix Shad’s are the two lures working best when retrieved using a simple slow wind. These big fish aren’t very aggressive at the moment so these chances are definitely not common so it is crucial to be prepared. Ensuring your leader, hooks and knots are all in good condition is well worth it in case that metre plus barra decides to eat your lure! With the barometric pressure looking to continue to increase moving into the weekend, we should see the barra move into shallower water and feed more aggressively. If this is the case lures like the Samaki Redic DS80 are going to be very effective at getting a bite from these fish.

Lake Gregory
This week Lake Gregory has been fishing well with a lot of bass being caught along shallow points. These fish have been deep in structure meaning that getting your lure into the weed can sometimes get you a bite. Rigging soft plastics with a weed-less hook will help get your lure deep into the structure without getting caught up. Small paddle tail soft plastics have been the go throughout the heat of the day along with 70-80mm shad style hardbody lures. Once the sun is on it’s way down and shadows start to get cast on the dam is when topwater lures have done really well. The Zman Finesse FrogZ are well known to be dynamite on big bass and have been slaying their fair share over these last few weeks.

9/2/23

Inshore/Offshore
Unfortunately with this tropical low or possible cyclone coming down the coast we have not had very favourable conditions for anglers to head out this week. Off the back of these tropical low’s we usually see a small window of good weather and this could possibly be Saturday or Sunday this weekend. Keep an eye on the weather forecast as if we do get a nice weather window the fishing is going to be red hot! Those that have braved the seas of late have been rewarded with solid catches of grey mackerel, schoolies and the odd spottie. Remember that we are currently in the first of 2 closures for spanish mackerel so please be conscious of this and if you do catch one as by catch put it back. High speed spinning small metal lures has been the trick for the grey, schoolie and spotted mackerel so be sure to give this a crack in our next weather window.

Our offshore fishing has been red hot lately during the weather windows we have had! This time of year we usually see plenty of big trout, parrot fish, red emperor, sweetlip and nannygai being caught. One method that is extremely effective is slow pitch jigging and slowly hopping soft plastic’s like a Samaki golden carrot rigged on a Mustad 7/0 jig head. Doing this as you slowly drift across the reef is a sure way to pick up some trout, parrot and sweetlip. If you are after the big red’s and nannygai large flesh bait’s like mullet fillet, whole squid or even a mac tuna fillet are the go to. If you come across a school of mac tuna feeding on your way out to your mark throwing an 18g Arma Anchovy metal lure into their school and winding it as fast as you can has been getting them to bite.

Burnett River
After last weeks rain we saw some fresh water being pumped into the Burnett making the upper sections of the river quite fresh and dirty especially during a low tide. Plenty of quality fish have been caught in this fresher water with a few big barra coming from the middle to upper sections of the river. Big soft plastics have been the lures getting these fish to bite. Down river towards the mouth has definitely been the place to be at the moment with small flesh baits or whole prawns catching most of our common species. Some cracking bream have been caught right in close to the rock walls along with heaps of jack and cod. Some big grunter have also been at the base of these rock walls so throwing a few baits along the bottom of the wall is a great idea. Some great numbers of prawns are around at the moment, towards the mouth of the river has been where most of them have been found. Having a quality sounder to locate these prawns before you go casting the net is a game changer. The mud crabs have also been on the move this week so it is definitely worth throwing the pots in whilst plenty of big bucks are being caught.

Elliott River
Following on from last week the Elliott has continued to fish very well even with the rain we had at the end of last week. Flathead, bream and whiting have all been up in the shallow water during the incoming tide, freshly pumped yabbies have worked best on these fish. Rigging these yabbies using a running ball sinker rig has been the most effective way to get these fish to bite. Some good sized pelagic fish like trevally and queenfish have headed into the river on the incoming tide and have followed the bait has they get pushed up river. Hopping small soft plastics around the bait balls has worked really as the predators identify this as a fleeing bait fish and it stands out from the rest. Some of the deep holes have also been a great place to be this week with plenty of variety coming out of the deeper water. A few big grunter are being caught with small sections of mullet fillet being the go to bait. We have continued to see great numbers of crabs caught so it is definitely worth putting the pots in this weekend, leaving them in overnight has been working best.

Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek has had a very good week of fishing with the river producing a lot of variety for all anglers. The mouth of the river has seen some solid queenfish up to the 1m mark being caught along with plenty of small trevally. These fish have been most active during the last half of the incoming tide and have loved either whole sprat or small soft plastics. Plenty of grunter between the 45cm and 55cm mark are being caught with most sections of the river producing these fish. Sand bars and drop offs around Winfield have been the hotspot for the grunter so these areas are definitely worth a shot. Up the creeks has seen some solid jack being caught as well as the rock bars scattered throughout the river have produced some cracking jacks. Live baits have been doing the damage so having a quality cast net to catch some fresh bait is ideal. The crabs have also been on the move, big flesh baits or fish frames have been working best, also placing your pots away from other people’s pots and highly populated areas has been the trick.

Kolan River
This week has seen some big flathead coming out of the Kolan with the mouth of the river producing most of the bigger fish. Soft vibes like the Samaki Vibelicious or Zerek Fish Traps have been slaying these big flathead when hopped along the bottom. Fishing drop offs or deep holes around the last of the incoming and start of the run out tide has been working best. For the bait anglers, using large flesh baits rigged on a running ball sinker rig and placed along the drop offs is the go. Strips of mullet fillet has been the best bait this week with some good sized grunter being caught along these same drop offs and deep holes. Plenty of pelagic fish have been caught around the mouth of the river, queenfish and trevally have been in great numbers chasing the bait especially during the run in tide. Floating out a whole sprat around some structure getting hit with the tide has worked a treat. With the big tides this river has also been crabbing extremely well, using big fish frames as bait and placing your pots up the creeks will give you a great chance at a feed of mud crabs.

Local Beaches
Our local beaches have had a great week of fishing once again with the majority of anglers hooking up to some solid whiting, dart, bream and flathead. Fresh is best when it comes to bait for whiting so pumping some yabbies before heading out for a fish has payed off big time for most anglers. Throwing on some red plastic beads or tubing onto your leader has also worked a treat. Some good quality flathead and dart have still been caught in gutters close to the shoreline. The flathead have been caught on larger baits like strips of mullet or chunks of pilchard, using a running ball sinker rig has also worked a treat. Having a rod or two rigged up with some small metal slugs has been a good idea as some solid queenfish and trevally have been caught around the entry/exit of gutters as well as in the white wash surrounding these gutters. The place to be at the moment has been Woodgate Beach with the most numbers of whiting, flathead and dart being caught here.

Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has had a good week of fishing with plenty of barra hitting the deck. Most of these fish have been around 60cm in length however they are great fun in between the bigger fish and helps keep you on your toes. These small barra have been right in close to the lily’s and bushes especially around areas with shade during the middle of the day. The majority of the barra have been caught on hardbody lures and have been biting on a very long pause. The Jackall Squirrel 79sp’s and the Samaki Redic DS80’s have proven to be the barra’s favourite lures. Using a much longer pause than usual has been the difference in getting a bite so ensuring that your lure either floats or sinks super slowly is absolutely key. Most of the feeding fish have come from areas of the dam which have had the majority of the wind blow from previous days. Using the app ‘Windy’ is a great tool for identifying areas of the dam which should have more bait and slightly warmer water which can be the difference in getting a few fish on board.

Lake Gregory
The bass are continuing to feed aggressively in Lake Gregory, drifting wind-blown points and banks has worked well and once you find one bass there has been numerous others in close proximity. Using 70 to 80mm hardbody lures twitched along weed edges or along weedy banks has been the most effective technique. Using very aggressive twitches mixed with long pauses has got these bass to eat even when conditions haven’t been ideal. Ensuring your hardbody lure doesn’t sink or float too quickly is crucial as it needs to stay in the strike zone for as long as possible. The Rapala Shad Rap Elite 75 has been working great on the bass and perfectly imitates the baitfish that are all throughout the dam. Fishing sections of the dam which have had most of the wind exposure over the last few days or even up to a week is ideal as a lot of the bait and warmer water has been in these areas.

2/2/23

Inshore/Offshore
The inshore reefs have been fishing really well over the past week! The schoolie mackerel and grunter have been the biggest standouts. By far the most effective technique with catching schoolies has been fast retrieving 50g flasha spoons vertically off the bottom. If you’re more into bait fishing pilchards are a killer bait for them, slowly floating a whole pilchard either to the bottom or out the back of your boat is the go. For the grunter, jigging 20g soft vibes and 5” soft plastic’s has been the go to technique to get the bite! Again if you’re more into bait fishing using prawns and squid is a sure way to catch a few grunter whilst they are on the chew.

We finally got that good weather window last week and the reef fishing was red hot! The standout fish were red emperor, coral trout and cobia! The trout were biting mostly on whole pilchards, the reds were loving big flesh baits or live baits and the cobia were smashing cuttle fish as well as 7 inch jerk tail soft plastics. Those who managed some quality reds were fishing reefs towards the islands and finding small lumps of bottom holding bait. The cobia have been caught around the wrecks and the trouties have been caught in shallower water with plenty of structure to hold these fish. Remember to always make the most out of that tide change. The hour either side of the tide can be a proper game changer!

Burnett River
The Burnett has had a ripper week of fishing with most of our common species being caught throughout the river. The target species for most anglers have definitely been mangrove jack and the monster queenfish we have had in this river. The jacks have been caught along the rock bars such as Kirby’s Wall on live baits or big flesh baits like a simple mullet fillet. Throwing your baits as close to the structure as you can has worked a treat. The big queenfish have predominately been caught on small soft plastics flicked in areas of high current and where there is plenty of bait. A few areas to try would be the bridge pylons and pressure edges along the rock walls. Some great sized flathead and grunter are being caught with most of the success coming from those who are fishing towards the mouth of the river. Using small flesh baits or whole sprat has been the go to bait for these fish and anchoring up on a nice drop off is where these fish are feeding. Some good numbers of prawns are still around but they are moving quite quickly, it really pays to have a good quality sounder to locate these prawns before you go casting the net. Trying areas down river near the port will be a good place to start but be prepared to do a bit of driving around in order to find the better numbers of these prawns.

Elliott River
Once again the Elliott River has had a great week of fishing especially on our bread and butter species. Wading the shallow flats around the mouth of this system has seen whiting, flathead and bream being caught on either fresh yabbies, beach worms or small soft plastic and hardbody lures. The last of the run in tide and the start of the run out tide has been when most of these fish are being caught. If you are fishing when the tide is lower, aim to fish deeper sections on the flats or the drop offs as this is where the fish have been pushed into with the run out tide. Around the mouth has also seen some great sized queenfish and trevally on the move harassing baitfish. Around the top of the tide has been the go to time to chase these fish, similar to the Burnett we have seen most success coming from anglers using natural coloured soft plastics around 100mm in length. Up river in the deeper areas has seen some big flathead caught as well as some quality sized grunter. Throwing out a small live bait or a small flesh bait has got the bites in these deeper sections of river.

Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek has been fishing red hot this week, plenty of anglers have caught some quality fish on a range of techniques. Big flathead and grunter have been caught around the mouth of the river system with fresh baits working really well. Freshly pumped yabbies have killed it on the incoming tide and small flesh baits like mullet fillet have got the bites during the run out when the water has been dirtier. Plenty of big pelagic fish have been around and feeding, the last half of the incoming tide seems to be when most of these fish are being caught. Fishing the fallen trees at the mouth of the river has caught some cracking trevally and queenfish lately with whole sprat and small soft plastics doing the trick. Up river in some of the creeks and rock bars has still seen the mangrove jack on the chew. Live baits is the way to go when chasing these fish and using a quality leader is a must. Middle Channel has been a great spot for a few jack lately so it is definitely worth a look if you are heading to Baffle this weekend!

Kolan River
Like our other rivers the Kolan has had another solid week of fishing however it has also been crabbing and prawning really well. We have seen great numbers of small prawns being caught in the shallower water on top of mud banks. If you are struggling to find them in the shallows a few of the deeper holes have held good numbers, a 10 to 12 foot top pocket cast net is recommended when prawning. The crabs have been all throughout the creeks but venturing right up into the back of these creeks has been getting the best results. The flathead and grunter have been on the chew with drop offs either at the edges of sand flats or steep banks being a few great places to start. Using chunks of mullet or sprat has worked great on these fish, towards the mouth in the clearer water we have seen fresh yabbies doing best when fished in the shallower water. We have seen heaps of big schools of bait being smashed by queenfish and trevally during the incoming tide. Flicking small soft plastics around the edges of these baits schools or drifting out a whole sprat has worked great. The rock bars and deep holes in this river have produced some great mangrove jack especially for those using live baits. Whole poddy mullet and sprat have been very effective however it is definitely worth having some mullet fillet out as well.

Local Beaches
With last weekend and early this week hosting a few ripper days of weather we saw plenty of people fishing our beaches. Finding a nice deep gutter in close to the shoreline seemed to be the go to no matter which beach people were fishing. Fresh yabbies caught just about everything and some quality whiting are still being caught with Woodgate Beach being the standout. Fresh strips of mullet fillet were absolutely dynamite on the big flathead, trevally and grunter we have seen along our beaches as well. Fishing around the river mouths off the beaches has also been working a treat especially for our pelagic fish. A lot of big queenfish and trevally have been caught during the incoming tide as they enter the rivers with the cleaner water in search for bait. A well presented live bait is definitely the go when chasing these pelagic fish. We have seen quite a few people shark fishing off our coast lately and Kinkuna Beach is by far the place to go to chase these species. Rigging up some whole mullet, eel or stingray on one of our pre rigged Shelclay shark fishing rigs is the way to go. Most people have been paddling the baits out a few hundred meters and are having great success on plenty of small bull sharks, bronze whalers and tiger sharks.

Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran is starting to fish better and better each week with more anglers slowly figuring out the barra in order to get a few on board. With fish being all over the dam finding them is the easy part at the moment, getting one to bite on the other hand has been tricky especially when the conditions aren’t in our favour. A lot of smaller fish have been caught over the last few weeks with these rats hanging right in tight to the banks in any shady spots. Twitching hardbody lures in between the structure in close to the bank has caught plenty of these smaller fish. A lot of the bigger fish have been found passing through windblown points and bays however they have still been very hard to tempt a bite from this week. Those who managed to hook some big fish have struggled to keep the hooks in them as these bigger barra aren’t fully committing to the lures. Ensuring your hooks are extremely sharp and not rusted will help your hook up rate but most importantly you need to be able to feel the barra bite in order to set the hooks. A good quality braid along with some razor sharp hooks will help you keep hooks in one of these big barra. This weekend we should see some good fish being caught in places such as SDA bay, White Rock and in the south arm of B. Having a few Jackall Squirrel 79SP’s and Molix 120 Shads will definitely put you in with a good shot at catching a barra or two.

Lake Gregory
With the hot and humid days we have been getting lately we have really started to see the water warming up on the dam. Fishing sections of the dam that have been getting plenty of wind pushed into them has been the go as these areas have slightly warmer water and the majority of the bait. Twitching hardbody lures along the weed edges has worked really well when mixing in some 5 to 10 second pauses in between twitches. Low light periods have proved to fire the bass up with anglers catching great numbers of fish in a short period of time. Maximizing your efforts around dawn and dusk has been working great and the topwater enthusiasts have been landing some quality fish off the top as well. If you are finding schools of bass hanging in slightly deeper water, try using a small paddle tail soft plastic and slowly wind it directly through the school. This technique has worked great on the schooled fish when they are a little more hesitant to bite.

26/1/23

Inshore/Offshore
The inshore reefs have been on fire lately! Plenty of school and spanish mackerel have been caught using a few different techniques including fast retrieving spoons, lightly weighted pilchards and trolling gar for the spanish mackerel. Any of these techniques used around the Leads at Burnett Heads or around any big bommies and wrecks throughout out inshore reefs should lead to a few solid mackerel. There has also been some nice jew and grunter being caught, most of these fish are being caught on 20g soft vibe lures hopped off the bottom. Using your sounder to locate big schools of bait is where these jew have been sitting. If you are more into using bait, the go at the moment has been squid and prawns.

The offshore fishing has been red hot as well! Plenty of trophy sized coral trout and red emperor have been getting caught. Most of the trouty’s have been caught on pilchards and livies dropped to the bottom. The reds have been loving large flesh baits and whole squid. These fish have been feeding most aggressively around the tide changes so be sure to make the most out of these short bite windows. The one hour either side of the tide sure can be the esky filler time! Some big cobia have been around our wrecks as well! Slow pitch jigging has got a few of these big fish to bite. Plenty of trevally and queenfish have been caught whilst trying for these cobia as well, which is great fun for the lure enthusiasts!

Burnett River
Last weekends massive tides leading into the new moon on Sunday proved to be great for the fishing in the Burnett. The big tides pushed heaps of bait around and the predatory fish were feeding hard! Big queenfish and trevally were caught during the incoming tide especially around areas like Kirby’s Wall, Talon Bridge and the rock wall’s at the mouth of the river. Using whole sprat floated down with a small ball sinker worked a treat. Flicking soft plastics around the pressure edge sides of these areas also picked up some great quality fish. Up river around the bridges and the rock bars saw some big jack still being caught on a range of techniques. Live bait is definitely the way to go at the moment however some large flesh baits or whole sprat has caught plenty of jack as well. Some of the deeper holes in the river have held great numbers of quality sized grunter and big flathead. Using small strips and chunks of mullet fillet as bait has worked well on these fish. For the lure anglers a soft vibe around 80mm in length has been deadly. The Samaki Vibelicious 70mm is one lure the grunter and flathead can’t seem to get enough of. The Burnett has started producing great numbers of prawns, using a quality sounder to locate the schools and a 10 to 12 foot top pocket cast net is perfect for getting a quick feed. Whilst out on the Burnett it is well worth throwing the pots in as we saw some huge bucks caught recently with the big tides.

Elliott River
This weeks warm weather and relatively big tides has seen the shallow flats in the Elliott thriving with life! A lot of bait has been pushing up onto these flats during the incoming tide and so has some big flathead, queenfish, trevally, grunter and whiting! Fresh yabbies has been the best bait however whole sprat has worked an absolute treat as well. If you are chasing whiting you can’t go past these fresh yabbies or even some worms floated into the shallows during the incoming tide. Some good quality whiting are being caught so now is the time to get out and have a crack! Some of the deep holes and bends of the river have fished great for big flathead, grunter and jack. Whole sprat or strips of mullet has got these fish to bite. Up river in the heavy structure and rock bars has seen some cracking jack still being caught as well. Now that the rivers are quieter being that most people are back from holidays we are seeing even more jack being caught. Live baits are still the go to bait for now. The Elliott is also crabbing really well so throwing the pots in is definitely not a bad idea!

Baffle Creek
Last weekend and earlier this week was a great time to be out on the Baffle with the big tides getting the pelagic fish on the chew! Big queenfish and trevally have been all throughout the river smashing bait being pushed around by the tide. Sections of the river being hit hard by this current are the places to be, using whole sprat or small poddy mullet as bait are working well. The sand flats throughout this river are also fishing well with plenty of flathead and grunter averaging 50cm being caught most of the day. Fresh yabbies and small flesh baits are working best on these fish. This weekend’s late afternoon run out tides should be a great time to be fishing the baffle for these fish, try finding a nice sandflat which drops off into some deeper water and set out a few baits. Up river around the various rock bars has seen some cracking jack being caught. Live baits or prawn imitation lures like the Zerek Cherabin have been getting these big jack to bite. The crabbing proved to be on over the weekend! Plenty of people ended up with a good feed of crab and even though the tides are decreasing it is still worth a shot!

Kolan River
Similar to all of our other local rivers the Kolan has had a great week of fishing and crabbing. We have gotten plenty of reports of great numbers of prawns in this river too! Like the Burnett, using your sounder to locate the schools of prawns before you start throwing the net is crucial. In the way of crabbing we have continued to see some great numbers of bucks being caught. Up in the creeks and around the mouth of the creeks are working best. On the fishing front the mouth of the river has produced flathead, grunter, queenfish, trevally and mangrove jack. The flathead and grunter have been caught in similar areas such as sand flats, drop offs and deeper holes. Fresh yabbies or small flesh baits like mullet fillet has got these fish to bite. The pelagic’s have preferred a live bait like a whole sprat or small poddy mullet in areas which have plenty of current. Sending down a live bait into heavy structure like fallen trees or rock bars has seen some big jacks being caught. Using a 40lb fluorocarbon leader has seemed to keep most of these fish from busting you off when they get back to their home, but some of the bigger fish are still almost impossible to stop when you aren’t expecting them.

Local Beaches
Whiting! Whiting! Whiting! This seems to be all we are hearing this week as heaps of legal whiting around the 25 to 30cm mark are being caught right along our coast. We have had great reports of people getting upwards of 20 in a single session. The bait doing the damage on most of these fish have been freshly pumped yabbies or beach worms. Fishing during the incoming tide in the gutters and off the beach around the river mouths is the best spots at the moment. Woodgate Beach and Coonarr Beach have been the standouts however all of our local beaches have produced quality whiting so they are all definitely worth a shot. Rigging your bait using a running ball sinker rig with some red tubing or balls around your leader has helped get these fish to eat!

Lake Monduran
After having Northerly winds for most of the week Lake Monduran has been fishing red hot! A lot of the warmer water and bait is situated around the points and in the bays which the wind blow has been hitting more consistently. Using a map of some sort to identify which bays and points these are will get you looking in the right area. Some of the better spots to try has been around the main basin, SDA bay and the southern arm of B. Using side scan to locate fish hanging around points or passing through will also drastically improve your chances of getting a fish in the boat. The lures doing the damage this week have been the usual hardbody lures when fishing timber and big soft plastics or swimbaits when fishing weedy points or flats. The Jackall 79sp and the Samaki Redic DS80 have been slaying some big barra in the tight timber when using a long pause in between twitches. And as for the plastics a slow rolled Berkley Shimma Pro Rig has been deadly, sometimes if your lure gets stuck in the weed a fast, erratic twitch will entice a bite from a barra not far away. Using a colour that creates a bold silhouette in the water has been the trick, this gives the barra a very easy target and helps them commit to eating your lure.

Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory has fished very well this week, we have been given reports of plenty of bass being caught and some of the bigger fish have been around the 45cm mark. The southern half of the dam has held most of the fish as of late with the warmer water and bait being in this area certainly attracting the bass. Sounding up schools of bass hanging in deeper water off the points has worked well. Throwing small soft vibes or small paddle tail soft plastics through these schools of fish has worked very well. Fishing closer to the points or up in the bays has also been a great way to catch a few fish this week. Casting small hardbody lures into the heavy structure and twitching them along the drop off’s or over the top of the weed beds is the go. The Rapala Shad Rap Elite is the perfect lure for these situations and has been deadly on the Lake Gregory bass. Topwater lures have been super effective in the low light periods, early mornings or late afternoon topwater sessions have been going off! A few of the lures getting the bites has been the Duo Realis Pencil 65, Chasebaits Flexi Frog and the new MMD Bony Swim in the floating version when retrieved just below the surface.

19/1/23

Inshore/Offshore
With 1-1.5 meter seas predicted for this weekend due to a tropical low out in the pacific the weather is certainly not ideal for the Inshore and Offshore enthusiasts. Those anglers who have managed to head out to our inshore reefs over the last week have given us great reports of mackerel, both spanish and schoolie as well as big queenfish, trevally, grunter, trout and sweetlip. Although this weekend’s report isn’t too flash we strongly recommend stocking up on any gear, working on the boat and trailer or even getting the old faithful reel serviced so next time you get out it doesn’t let you down. For those keen anglers who will poke just outside of the mouths this weekend and head along our coast trolling some whole garfish or hardbody lures should result in a feed of mackerel. Casting poppers into the rocks along the coastline for trevally and queenfish or soft plastics for reef fish like stripe’s or the elusive coral trout has also worked well. The inshore reefs and rivers have seen quite a few grunter being caught and there has been some good sizes amongst them. Some fish around the 70cm mark have been caught along our inshore reefs so using a bait like fresh sprat, prawns and mullet fillets will put you in with a good chance at these fish. We have just received a big shipment of cast nets so you are able to have a crack at getting some fresh bait before you head out onto the water, but if not we always have plenty of bait to get you out of trouble.

With the rough sees predicted for this weekend we won’t be seeing too many people heading out wide. We will no doubt see some keen anglers with big boats still trying to head out and catch a feed whilst our reefs are fishing well. With the new moon this Sunday, and like during every set of big tides, you will need a big lead to stay in contact with your baits. When the weather has been on the baits working best have been large strips of mullet, whole squid and whole pilchards. Those using lures the go around the big tides is between an 80gram and 150gram jig depending on the depth of water you are fishing. Ensuring your jig is heavy enough that you are able to constantly be in contact with your lure to feel any bites is the most important thing to consider.

Burnett River
The Burnett River is currently very clean, full of small baitfish and is fishing really well. All of our common local species are being caught out of this river from jack and whiting to grunter, flathead and queenfish they are all around and willing to eat a well presented bait or lure. The middle stretches of river around Kirby’s Wall and the town reach areas have definitely been the hot spots for those just wanting to catch a few fish and aren’t fussed on the species. Big grunter and flathead have been caught along the base of the rock walls throughout the river and have also been found in any of the holes. Using whole sprat as bait is definitely the go to at the moment for these fish. Up in the creeks or along most of our rock walls has seen plenty of big jack being caught as well. Throwing down a live mullet, garfish or sprat is a must when chasing these fish. When fishing for jack we recommend using at least a 40lb fluorocarbon leader especially when fishing the rock bars. Down river towards the mouth has fished extremely well for queenfish, grunter and the humble flathead. Using your sounder to find schools of bait has helped find the predatory fish as they are usually very close. Trolling a few lures around the mouth of the river has seen trevally, queenfish and some school mackerel being quick to jump on your line. If you are heading onto the Burnett over the next few days it will be a great opportunity to throw the pots in whilst we have the building tides. The crabs have been in great numbers and the quality of them is only getting better with these big tides. Using a large fish frame or whole mullet in the pots has worked best.

Elliott River
The Elliott has had another week of great fishing despite the rainy and overcast conditions we have had. The shallow flats at the mouth of the river have held good numbers of flathead, whiting and queenfish. Throwing fresh yabbies for the whiting and sprat or mullet for the flathead and queenfish has worked very well. Using a running ball sinker rig with around 1m of light leader has got the bites. Fishing the shallow flats during the incoming tide has been the ideal time as the fish get up into the shallows and feed on the bait whilst they can. Further up river has found the jacks still being on the chew! Live baits or strips of mullet fillet has worked an absolute treat and the size of these fish has been great coming in around the 45cm mark. For the lure enthusiast’s 3inch paddle tail soft plastics or prawn imitation lures are the go to at the moment. Whilst up river chasing a few jack it is worth dropping the pots in as like all of our local rivers at the moment the crabbing has been red hot.

Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek has continued to fish very well for anglers in search of a feed of fish. The mouth of the river has been full of queenfish ranging from 60cm through to fish over the 1m mark. Fresh queenfish is actually great eating especially when smoked and they are really fun to catch. Some solid flathead averaging 50cm have been caught around the mouth of the river as well. Finding sand flats which have a nice drop off into some deeper water has been the best spots and using either whole sprat, mullet fillet or fresh yabbies will do the trick. Further up river we have seen some good numbers of jack being caught. Fishing rock bars or the mangroves and fallen trees around middle channel is a great place to start for these jack. Plenty of cod have been caught as bycatch but throwing down a live bait has seemed to get the jack’s attention quicker. Most of the deep holes either around the mouth or in the channels has seen quality grunter being caught. Small soft plastics hopped along the bottom have been slaying these grunter but fresh yabbies has also scored a few cracking fish. With the building tides leading up to Sunday’s new moon we have seen the crabbing in this river becoming red hot once again! Most stretches of river have held good numbers of crabs but the better quality ones have come either out of creeks or middle channel.

Kolan River
With this week’s rainy weather we saw not as many people on the water of the Kolan, however those who braved the rain were definitely rewarded. Some big mangrove jack were caught over the weekend and early this week as well as flathead, grunter and queenfish. The jack were tight in the structure and preferred a live bait floated down to them, the queenfish were found close to the bait balls and were often spotted chasing the bait along the top of the water. Using small soft plastics cast around the schools of bait and in any bends of the river worked very well for these fish. As usual, the flathead were caught throughout the whole river and on a variety of baits. One that worked better than the rest was using whole sprat as bait and fishing the drop offs. Some very large flatties were caught using this method as well as some smaller ones around the 50cm mark which are perfect for a feed. With the building tides this week leading into the new moon on Sunday, we have had great reports in the way of crabbing. Plenty of quality sized bucks are around in this river and placing your pots up in creeks has got the best results. Like the rest of our local systems, fish frames such as whole mullet has worked best.

Local Beaches
Our local beaches have had a great week of fishing with large grunter, flathead, trevally, queenfish and some good sized whiting being caught. Strips of mullet fillet has caught just about everything when rigged on a running ball sinker rig and using an appropriate ball sinker. Fishing gutters or the river mouths where the beach meets the mouth of the river has been a hotspot and some big flathead have been caught here. During the incoming tide we have seen big schools of trevally and queenfish entering most of our rivers so fishing in these sections has been working very well on our pelagic fish. If you are after whiting the go to bait has been freshly caught yabbies, beach worms or even small soldier crabs. Woodgate Beach is still fishing great for these whiting with plenty of legal sized fish being caught consistently.

Lake Monduran
After the wind change from Northerly winds to South-Easterly’s and the cooler conditions over the weekend we saw the fishing at Lake Monduran become quite tough. Anglers who were still able to get fish into the boat had a quality sounder, an electric motor and were using hardbody lures with a very long pause in between twitches. An electric motor and quality sounder are used to locate the barra without spooking them which is at least half the battle when fishing the dam. With the last two days being sunny and the winds still consistent we have seen a lot more fish on the chew and more anglers are having success. With the weather looking to be consistent heading into the weekend we should see some great fish being caught. Fishing sections of the dam which have had the majority of wind blow over the last week of winds should put you in with a great shot at getting a fish or two. The lures to use this weekend will be the Jackall Squirrel 79sp or the Samaki Redic DS80 especially for those fishing the timber. If you find yourself fishing weedy points or flats sometimes it is a good idea to switch to a big plastic or a swimbait. The Molix 120 or 140 Shads have been slaying some big barra in these parts of the dam and it’s easy to see why once you see the action of them.

Lake Gregory
With the overcast and rainy weather we had last weekend and early this week we saw the topwater fishing at Lake Gregory doing really well. Slow rolling and twitching frog imitation topwater lures were extremely effective when cast over shallow weed beds and around the weed towers. The Chasebaits flexi frogs were the standout lure when the topwater fishing was on and anglers caught bass all throughout the day on topwater lures. With the sun coming out these last few days we have seen the topwater strikes being once again limited to those low light periods such as dawn and dusk. Maximizing your efforts around these times has really paid off with multiple bass being caught in a short period of time. Throughout the middle of the day we have gotten great reports of bass being caught around heavy structure like the weed towers and drop offs. Twitching hardbody lures has been getting the majority of the bites especially whilst the bass are feeding aggressively with the amount of bait in the dam at the moment.

12/1/23

Inshore/Offshore
With a few cracking days of weather early this week we have seen plenty of people heading to our inshore reefs. Most people have had great success and the spanish mackerel have been ON! Trolling gar and hardbody’s is the go to way at the moment with most of the common grounds in close producing some quality fish. Early mornings and late afternoon’s is always a good time to target them! Remember to keep a eye on the weather forecast before heading out as conditions can change drastically and have all of your safety equipment on board.

Bundy’s offshore fishing early this week was red hot! Plenty of coral trout, red emperor, sweetlip and mackerel were caught! The Trout were on the chew with whole pilchards being the go to bait. The Reds were taking a liking to bigger baits such as mullet and squid. Reefs towards Lady Elliott Island or the Northern Gutter were fishing great and will definitely be worth a look during the next weather window. Some lucky anglers adventured out to the deep chasing bar cod, flame snapper and comet cod and were very successful! Again using big baits such as mullet fillets, big squid and tuna fillets is a must for the deep water fishing.

Burnett River
With the last few weeks consisting of some decent weather with no more large dumps of rain, the Burnett has finally cleared up nicely. The whole river is full of small bait with predatory fish not far away. Some large trevally and queenfish have been caught throughout the whole river, using smaller lures or baits has worked best. The mangrove jack have been on the chew, the best we have seen in a long time! It feels like everyday another 50+ cm jack is being caught with the biggest reported catch being a 56cm fish. Live bait is where it’s at for now, small poddy mullet or sprat is the ideal baits and fishing around rock bars or fallen trees is where these fish are being caught. Some quality grunter are in the river at the moment as well, down river around the mouth has seen the best numbers of these fish as they feed on the sand flats and along deep drop offs. Plenty of crabs have been on the move as well so it is well worth a shot at trying to get a feed of mud crab. Putting your pots up in creeks and using plenty of a strong smelling bait has got the best results.

Elliott River
The Elliott River has been fishing great over the last few weeks! The hot weather and mass amounts of bait in the river have got these fish feeding well and we have had great reports over the holiday period. From trevally, queenfish, flathead and big summer whiting around the mouth of the river to big grunter and mangrove jack up river being caught. The ideal baits when fishing the mouth of the river has been fresh yabbies, sprat or small trips of mullet. Fishing the sand flats or drop offs when the tide is running has worked best as the pelagic fish and big flathead have been feeding during these times. Up river the jacks that have been caught have loved live baits and garfish when thrown around the mangroves. Some big crabs have been pulled form this river lately, pushing up river into places which are hard to get to has worked a treat.

Baffle Creek
As always Baffle Creek gains a lot of boat traffic during the holiday periods due to the ample river front camping options throughout the river. With a lot of boats on the water the fishing was certainly tough over the Christmas and New Year holidays with the fish weary of the increase in activity on the river. Anglers who decided to travel far up river or right up into skinny creeks were rewarded with some of the best fishing. Mangrove jack were the target species for most and small live baits like mullet, sprat or garfish were getting the bites! Fishing deep bends in the creeks with plenty of structure or the rock bars up river were the go to places to catch a few jack. The majority of boats were around Winfield area and at the mouth so the fishing here was quite slow, some solid grunter, flathead and jacks were caught in the early mornings and late afternoons whilst the boat traffic was minimal. Small strips of mullet fillet worked best on these fish and fishing with a light ball sinker and leader got the bites. On the crabbing front the upper reaches of the creeks have been the best place lately, using plenty of strong smelling bait into each of your pots has helped get a feed especially when there are a few pots in close proximity.

Kolan River
With lake Monduran finally back under 100% capacity the Kolan River has had a moment to clear up and push some salt water into the upper stretches of the river. Due to the fresh water that has been pumped into the river all last year we are now seeing heaps of bait all throughout the river which is a great sign for the future of the Kolan. We have had some awesome reports coming from the Kolan with a lot of variety being caught throughout the river. The usual flathead and grunter have been on the chew and sections of the river with drop offs and current has been where these fish have been caught more regularly. Using chunks on mullet or sprat has worked great on these fish, towards the mouth in the clearer water we have seen fresh yabbies doing best when fished in the shallower water. The incoming tide has seen these schools of bait being pushed up river and some big queenfish and trevally have been in pursuit. Fishing parts of the river which have plenty of current being pushed onto them has worked well. The rock bars or deep holes in this river have produced some great mangrove jack especially for those using live baits. Whole poddy mullet and sprat have been the baits getting the job done, however definitely try some mullet fillet as well. The crabbing in this river has been red hot so definitely throw the pots in if you can.

Local Beaches
Over the last few weeks we have seen plenty of people head out to our local beaches whilst they had some time off. With plenty of bait scattered along our coastline it is no wonder the beach fishing was red hot! Plenty of flathead, whiting and big grunter have been caught on fresh yabbies or beach worms. Fresh has proved to be best with anglers using the fresher bait getting a lot more bites and even some of the bigger fish. During the windy days when the water was murky the go to bait was mullet fillet cut into small strips as the scent from the bait travels a lot further. Rules Beach and Woodgate Beach were the two standouts this holiday period and the go to spots were either fishing around the corresponding river mouths or deep gutters in close to the shore.

Lake Monduran
With the constant hot and humid weather we have had combined with the northerly winds the dam has fished very well. Windblown points and bays have held most of the bait and the barra have been up in the shallower water in pursuit of an easy feed. 80 to 100mm hardbody lures have worked really well lately however the barra have definitely liked a long pause in between twitches. The Samaki Redic DS80 has really helped anglers get a bite when all else couldn’t. If you are struggling to get a bite on the hardbodies it is definitely worth having a few soft plastics or swimbaits in your tackle box. Two standouts and must haves are the Berkley Shimma Pro-Rigs or the Molix 120 or 140 Shads. Fishing the points in the main basin which are getting majority of the wind blow has definitely been a great technique with some fish around the 80 to 90cm range being most common catches. Deeper diving hardbody lures cast in close or trolled around the points has picked up a few barra. SDA bay, the main basin and up around B have both been spots which are also worth a look as they have held great numbers of fish over this summer season. With the wind looking to change directions in the coming days it will be a great idea to be fishing sections of the dam which are still getting consistent wind blown into them.

Lake Gregory
After a few warm weeks and northerly winds we have seen the water temp in Lake Gregory increase and the bait pushed up into the shallow waters around heavy structure. Fishing with surface lures in the early morning or late afternoon has been working great and as for the middle of the day slow rolling small soft plastics over the top of the weed has got the bites. Some of the bigger fish have been caught on drop offs at points which the wind is hitting creating a bit of a pressure edge. Twitching hardbody lures like the Rapala Shad Rap Elite 75 has been doing the damage. Allowing the lure to sit and pause after a few twitches has been when these big bass have struck.

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