22/12/22
Inshore/Offshore
Tomorrow and Saturday are both looking like great days to be fishing our inshore reefs with winds predicted around 5 knots both days with only 0.5m of swell in close. Trolling for some mackerel will be a great idea with the big tides pushing plenty of water around and this is an easy way to catch a feed quickly. Deep diving hardbody lures trolled around the leads at Burnett Heads or around big bommies with plenty of current and bait will be a great starting point. Whilst you are along our inshore reefs, be sure to keep an eye on the horizon for any bust ups or birds working in the sky as the mac tuna have been in big schools and smashing bait. Using small metal lures or soft plastics have been the best way to catch these fish. The bottom fishing in close has been red hot this summer, dropping down whole pilchards has resulted in some very good sized trout, sweetlip, parrot fish and cod all being caught off the same structures. Mixing your bait up with some large flesh baits has occasionally got the bigger fish to bite so it is definitely worth taking some whole mullet out to fillet for bait. Looking for natural structure like rubble patches or bommies has found more fish willing to chew as of late. Further inshore off the rocks has seen heaps of bait being pushed in close and the pelagic’s have been in good numbers. Small metal lures cast off the rocks and wound in quickly has been the best technique. The Arma range of metal lures have been matching the hatch perfectly and they are currently 20% off in our Christmas catalogue.
Whilst the last few weeks have not been the greatest conditions to head out wide we have still seen small weather windows in which anglers were able to sneak out. During these times we have consistently seen plenty of big bottom fish on the chew. This weekend’s weather is shaping up to be the best we have had in a long time and plenty of people are planning to head out Saturday for a cheeky fish before Christmas Day on Sunday. The forecast out wide is around 5 to 8 knots knots with the occasional 10 knot gust and 0.9m to 1m of swell. The species on the cards for this weekend should be the usual coral trout, red emperor, sweetlip, cod and parrot fish which have been caught consistently whilst the weather has allowed. Big bommies and steep ledges has been where most of these fish have been found with isolated structure off main sections of reef holding most of the bigger fish. If you are heading out this weekend, the 15 Mile, Northern Gutter and the Southern Gutter will all be great places to be for a lot of the common species. If the weather permits reefs towards Lady Elliott Island have fished great for coral trout, cod and parrot fish. Big flesh baits have been the ideal bait especially when rigged on one of Buku’s Hybrid Bait Rigs.
Burnett River
The Burnett has had a very good week of fishing with a lot of our summer species being caught throughout the river. Big jacks have been the fish of the week for this system with a lot of them being caught on a range of techniques. The middle stretches of the Burnett has been the place to be for these fish and any submerged rock bars or rock walls is where they have been found. Most live baits have been absolutely smashed by big jacks when floated down along the rocks or prawn imitation soft plastics slow wound over the top of the rocks. Big fallen trees has also been a great spot to target these fish, ensuring your bait is as close to the structure as possible has been the key to pulling one of these big jacks out. Down river around the mouth has also fished very well this week for flathead, grunter and whiting. Throwing small flesh baits at the base of the rock walls or along sandy drop offs has worked well for these fish. Fresh yabbies have also been a great bait if the water is a little clearer and there isn’t as much current. Some big bream and cod have been caught at the North Wall as well as the occasional big mangrove jack. Small chunks or strips of baitfish have worked best for these fish along with whole sprat drifted down without a sinker. All the fresh water that has entered this system has got the muddies on the move and they have been in great numbers. It is definitely worth throwing the pots in as this is some of the best crabbing we have had in a while.
Elliott River
Continuing on from last week the water in the Elliott has continued to increase in temperature which has got the shallow flats thriving with fish life. From big summer whiting, flathead, grunter, trevally and queenfish there hasn’t been many fish not caught on the flats this week. The best technique to encounter these fish has been to anchor in the deeper sections around the shallow flats and cast up onto the flat. Freshly pumped yabbies rigged using a running ball sinker rig and a very light sinker has been the best bait. Throwing some small soft plastics or hardbody lures up into the shallows has also caught some great quality fish. The Zerek Tango Shad’s have been the most effective lures when twitched along the sand flats. Up river has seen some quality grunter caught in the deeper holes and bends of river, using small flesh baits has caught these fish as well as small soft vibes. Around heavy structure such as fallen trees has seen some good sized jacks being caught especially on live baits. A 10 foot bottom pocket cast net is perfect for catching live baits and we currently have some ripper deals across our whole range. Whilst up river it is worth throwing the pots in as the crabs have been on the move with the recent rain our region has had. Big flesh baits along with placing your pots in deeper channels has been the go.
Baffle Creek
This week has seen the baffle continue to fish really well even when a lot of the upper stretches of river are still quite fresh and dirty from the recent rain. Fishing the incoming tide has definitely been the way to go with a lot of fish pushing up river with the cleaner water. Some big queenfish and trevally have been caught during the incoming tide as they feed on schools of bait being pushed up river with the tide. The mouth of the river has been fishing great for our more bread and butter species such as some big flathead, bream, whiting and some very good sized grunter. The flathead and grunter have been caught along sandy drop offs at the mouth of the river with fresh yabbies or mullet fillet being the ideal baits. The whiting have been in the shallows during the incoming tide and fresh yabbies have been the most effective technique to catch these fish by far. The bream have been caught mainly over rock bars on whole sprat however a lot of cod and the odd mangrove jack have been quick to eat your bait so plenty of people have been busted off when fishing with the light gear. Up the skinny creeks has seen great numbers of jacks being caught especially on topwater lures in low light periods. Once the sun comes out changing to a 100mm Zerek Cherabin or a live bait around the 100mm has been getting the job done. Skipping these lures right into the heavy structure and letting them drift down slowly has been dynamite, otherwise letting your live bait swim right into the heavy structure will get the bite. With the upper stretches of river still being quite fresh and murky the crabs have been on the move big time! A lot of people have been getting some awesome results when venturing up river and finding deep channels leading directly into a small creek entrance. Big baits have worked great this week, whole mullet frames or other fish frames are ideal.
Kolan River
Some good sized dusky flathead have been caught on shallow sand flats with the incoming tide helping these fish become more confident and feed along yabbie beds as they fill with water. Matching the hatch with fresh yabbies as bait or small lures that imitate a yabbie has been working very well in this shallow water. Although clearing up, the water is still murky compared to usual so using a stronger smelling bait like mullet fillet has worked best especially during the run out tide. Fishing with big chunks or strips cast along drop offs or into heavy structure like rock bars or fallen trees has been the go. The mangrove jack have been on the chew again this week with the rising barometer seeming to help these fish feed more aggressively. Live baits have still been the best bait however black/gold hardbody lures slow wound over rock bars or twitched out of fallen trees has picked up a few solid jack. The crabs in this system have 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. We currently have some red hot deals on our range of crab pots to suit any anglers budget however these sales won’t be lasting forever. Now is the time to get a few pots whilst they are at some crazy prices.
Local Beaches
With the school holidays in full force we have seen some awesome fish being caught along most of our Local Beaches especially with the sunshine we have had. Following on from last week we have continued to see great numbers of whiting, dart, tailor, trevally and flathead caught and a lot of these fish have been of quality size. Most of these fish have been found in deep gutters and caught during a run out tide. The best baits to use have been either fresh yabbies or flesh baits rigged on a running ball sinker rig. If you are chasing whiting definitely use whole yabbies on a long shank hook as this is their bait of choice. Woodgate Beach has continued to fish very well and has held some great sized whiting which are absolutely delicious. Rules Beach has been a bit more populated this week however the fishing has been great with some big flathead and grunter being caught on strips of flesh baits such as mullet, pilchard or sprat. Moore Park Beach has also had a great week of fishing with the mouth of Moore Park Creek being a great spot to park up for a few hours and catch a feed of fish. Some big flathead have been caught during the run out tide here with big flesh baits working best.
Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has had a great week of fishing with almost a week long stretch of consistent winds and a rising barometer really getting these barra on the chew. 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. Some of the larger fish have been getting caught in deeper water sitting in the tops of trees so using an 80lb fluorocarbon leader is going to give you a good chance at landing these fish. If you are fishing sections of the dam with less structure, going down to a 60lb leader has proven to be beneficial especially if you are struggling to get a bite. Ensuring you are fishing around the moon rise and moon set times has been working great as the barra have been responding quite well to these bite times.
Lake Gregory
The bass are continuing to feed aggressively in Lake Gregory with the consistent warm weather definitely helping them stay in the shallows. Drifting wind-blown points and banks has worked well and once you find one bass there has been numerous others in close proximity. Using 70mm to 100mm hardbody lures twitched along weed edges or along weedy banks as 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 in your favour. 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 in the dam at the moment. 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.
15/12/22
Inshore/Offshore
Our inshore reefs have been full of bait and the pelagic fish have been around in big schools and feeding aggressively. Fishing big bommies or ledges has been a great technique or keeping an eye out for any action along the top of the water. Using 5 inch jerk tail soft plastics either twitched through the school of feeding pelagic fish or hopped along the pressure edged side of reefs has been really effective. Using whole pilchards has also been the go on some big trevally and queenfish whilst they have been hanging around any big bommies that are getting hit hard with the current. Some big schools of mac tuna have been popping up all along our coast with the odd longtail school around as well. Throwing small metal slugs through these schools of fish has worked well especially if the bait they are feeding on is really small. Plenty of school mackerel are still around and have been smashing deep diving hardbody lures when trolled. Finding schools of bait and trolling lures around the outskirts of them is a great way to target these fish. Whole pilchards and garfish also work really well when trolled so definitely have them on the boat along with plenty of hardbody lures. The spanish are few and far between at the moment but the odd ones are still being caught if the school mackerel don’t beat them to it. These school mackerel are still great fun and are good chewing!
Those fortunate enough to head offshore this week during the few short weather windows we have had were sure rewarded with some cracking fish. The 15 mile, Northern Gutter and Southern Gutter all fished well and same with reefs towards Lady Elliott Island. The bottom fishing has been great and the common reported catches were plenty of coral trout, parrot fish, sweetlip and spangled emperor. These fish have loved whole pilchards or large strips of fillet like mullet and hussar. Idling around reefs and using your sounder for a few hours is a great way to find isolated patches of reef that aren’t well-known and will give you the best chance at filling your esky. Often times there is some awesome ground situated just off from common areas and the fishing is usually red hot. For the lure fisho’s the go to on our bottom fish have been prawn imitation soft plastics or very vibrant coloured jigs. The Samaki Live Shrimp in the Golden Carrot colour paired with a 7/0 28gram jig head or a Mustad Wingman have been working a treat.
Burnett River
Following on from last weeks report the Burnett River is essentially fishing the same with the conditions not changing much. The upper stretches of the river are still quite fresh so the fishing has been tougher than previous weeks however like we said there has still been some good fish to be found in the murky water if you know where to look. Fishing around very heavy structure has been where most of the better quality fish have been found. Big bream, cod and flathead have all been caught around rock walls or fallen trees on baits like mullet or even a whole sprat has been working well. Some solid jacks have been caught in the murky water with live baits or black/gold hardbody lures working best. Fishing around the mouth of the river has been the go whilst it holds the clean and salty water along with plenty of bait. Most stretches along the rock walls have produced some good sized bream, cod, flathead, jack, grunter and trevally this week. The key has been to find areas which have a point of difference, such as a fallen tree or a big boulder creating a disturbance in the current. Pitching small flesh baits right onto the rock wall has resulted in some cracking bream, cod and mangrove jack, the flathead, grunter and trevally have been caught in deeper water along the base of the rock wall on similar baits. Although the fresh water in this system isn’t the best for fishing, it has certainly got the crabs on the move and even with the decreasing tides we have still seen some great results. Placing your pots in deeper sections of the river which are in some sort of channel will give you the best results as the crabs travel through in these areas.
Elliott River
With the hot and humid days we have had the shallow water throughout the Elliot has heated up and has got the flats full of feeding fish. Big flathead, whiting, trevally and queenfish have been caught out of very shallow water this week chasing schools of bait pushed right up into the shallows. The incoming tide has worked great for the whiting however the start of the run out tide has seen most of the flathead, trevally and queenfish being caught. Using fresh yabbies or whole sprat as bait has been a great way to catch these fish, letting your bait drift over the sand flat with the tide keeps your bait looking natural and has worked best. Flicking small soft plastics or hardbody lures up into the shallows and twitching them off into the deeper water has also worked really well. Venturing up river into the creeks has seen some good sized mangrove jack being caught especially during the run out tide. Flicking either live baits or whole dead baits into the heavy structure has worked well, sections of the creeks which have some decent current pushing past have generally held more fish. With plenty of fresh water in our local rivers at the moment it is no surprise that the Elliott River is also doing quite well on the crabbing front as of late. Using big baits and positioning your pots in deeper channels of the river has worked best.
Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek has managed to have a great week of fishing with the warmer weather helping the summer species get on the chew. With the holidays starting we have seen Winfield, Rocky Point and Boaga camp grounds become full which has lead to a lot more boat traffic on the water. Although this is the case the fishing has been red hot and there are plenty of places throughout the river to get away from the traffic and have stretches of river to yourself. Like mentioned above the summer species have been on the chew again this week, the hot and humid days have helped to warm up the water and get these fish more active. Mangrove jack and big estuary cod have been the target species for a lot of anglers on the water, pushing up creeks and finding sections with good structure for these fish to sit and ambush bait has been the go. Using either live baits or large flesh baits like fillets have been working a treat. Using a light ball sinker when fishing flesh baits has got the bite as the bait can sit more naturally in the water column and float down into the snags without spooking the fish. Around the mouth has continued to see good numbers of flathead and grunter being caught along the sand flats and drop offs as well as some quality whiting being caught. Fishing over the top of sand bars or yabbie beds with the incoming tide has worked great for the whiting. Drifting out a fresh yabbie across these flats is a sure way to pick up a few as they are a whiting’s favorite food. Similar to the Burnett River, the crabs in this system have been caught in great numbers. Placing our pots around the mouth of creeks which have a deep channel leading into them has been producing most of the crabs.
Kolan River
The Kolan has had another week of great fishing especially with a lot more people managing to get out on the water now that the school holidays have started. The Miara Caravan Park has been a hot spot and we have had some good reports of flathead, whiting, bream and cod being caught land based from the park. Freshly pumped yabbies has been a great bait and so has small chunks or strips of mullet. Around the fallen trees at the mouth of the river has held some good mangrove jack, bream and flathead as well as the odd fingermark school. Bigger strips of mullet have been very effective and so has a live bait floated down into the heavy structure. Further up river has seen some big mangrove jack being caught specifically on live baits along deep sections of the river which have some good structure. Poddy mullet has been the go to bait but a whole sprat has also worked well if you can’t get your hands on any mullet. With the constant flow still entering the upper reaches of the Kolan and the recent rains we have had the crabbing out of this river has been great. Throwing the pots in deeper sections out the front of small creeks has been the ideal spots as these crabs venture out of the skinny creeks via the main channels. Using big baits in the pots has managed to get better numbers of crabs, the whole mullet we stock has been working great. A simple trick to maximise the mullet is to fillet it, use the frame for your pots and the fillets for bait.
Local Beaches
With the school holidays now upon us a lot more people have been able to head out and onto our local beaches to enjoy the sunshine we have had. With the increase in people on our beaches we have seen a lot more fish being caught however some have found it more difficult especially in highly populated areas. 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. Most of our beaches have seen an increase in people however there are some which certainly don’t get as much. These include of Rules Beach and Norval Park Beach. Both of these beaches have been fishing well with the key to be finding deep gutters close to the shoreline and using fresh bait like pippies, yabbies or beach worms. Flathead, dart and bream have been common catches this week regardless of which beach you are fishing, around the top of the tide has worked best. A lot of families have managed to get a great feed of fish from only a few hours work which isn’t too bad at all.
Lake Monduran
With this weeks weather being extremely hot and humid but the barometric pressure dropping significantly, the fishing at Lake Monduran has been tough to figure out a pattern. With anglers catching fish sitting in shallow water on jerk baits and others catching fish sitting in deep water on big plastics it seems everyone’s tactics are different. When there isn’t a specific pattern that is working on the dam it is crucial to be fishing with confidence. Although the dam has been tough there has still been plenty of massive fish over that magic metre mark being caught and this is great to see especially because these fish are so healthy. Tackle World Bundaberg team member Jordan Stoddart proved this by landing 9 big barra from 14 hookups over two sessions on the dam. Using your electronics to find fish throughout the dam is ideal however Bird Bay and the Main Basin have been the hot spots lately and has been where most of the barra are being caught. If you don’t have any electronics, tying up to a tree at a point with the wind at your back is a great start. If you are fishing with a partner it is a good idea to use different lures to start with in order to find out what the barra are going to eat. If someone hooks a few barra it is worth changing to something similar to what they are using as the barra are obviously liking it. It’s not too often that the tougher sessions still result in some metre plus barra being encountered and with the Barometric Pressure likely to spike up in the coming weeks we should see some really good fishing from the Lake.
Lake Gregory
With the hot and humid days we have been getting lately we have really started to see the water warming up nicely 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 or through the timber 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 with this warmer water firing the bass up. Using lures like the Chase Baits range of Flexi Frogs slow wound over the top of weed beds has been deadly. 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.
17/11/22
Inshore/Offshore
Last weekends weather proved to be absolutely stunning and it was great to see plenty of quality fish being caught. Those fortunate enough to head out over the weekend were rewarded with plenty of coral trout, red emperor, tusk fish and grassy sweetlip. Most of these fish were caught on large flesh baits fished on the bottom with squid and mullet fillet getting most of the bites. If you can jig up some fresh yakka on your way out you are definitely in with a shot at some big trout as they have been loving a lively, otherwise filleting them into strips has also worked great. Small patches of reef towards Lady Elliott Island has been the place to be this past week with plenty of fish on offer and a lot of these fish feeding aggressively especially around the tide changes. Some quality red emperor were caught on mullet fillet and whole squid when rigged either using a 2 hook snell rig or a set of 6/0 gang hooks. Isolated pinnacles off the main sections of reef have been where these fish have been caught. Another technique proving to be really effective on sweetlip, tusk fish and trout has been using soft plastics. The lure working best has been the Samaki Ecooda Live Shrimp in Golden Carrot colour when jigged close to the bottom. Drifting over ground is the way to go and making sure your lure is in the strike zone for as long as possible.
Our inshore reefs have fished really well this week with plenty of pelagic fish on offer and even some solid snapper have been found in close. Trolling hardbody lures has been catching plenty of school mackerel however this week has actually seen some solid spanish being caught more regularly. Small patches of reefs off Bargara and Elliott Heads have produced some huge snapper this week, 5inch jerk tail soft plastics have been getting the bite. Plenty of big schools of bait have been pushed into our inshore reefs and some big trevally, queenfish and tuna have not been far away. The majority of the tuna have been mac tuna however some quality longtails are still around. Using small metal lures cast over these schools of bait and wound through quickly has been the go. The great thing about the pelagic’s turning up is even if you don’t have a boat you can catch them from the rocks off Innes Park, Elliott Heads and Burnett Heads. If you want to match the hatch the Arma Anchovy 18g to 25g metal slugs or a Flasha 20g spoon are two great options as they are identical to the bait these big pelagic fish are feeding on.
Burnett River
The Burnett has had a great week of fishing with a lot of our common summer species starting to come on the chew. Fishing the mouth of the river has worked well for a lot of anglers and using a stronger smelling bait such as pilchards and mullet has worked best when fishing the rock walls. Quality fish like cod, flathead, grunter, trevally and some big jacks have been caught and even the odd jewfish. Using big live baits has been getting these jewfish and jacks to bite and large strips of flesh baits has worked well on everything else. Some quality whiting have started to be caught consistently on shallow sandflats away from a lot of boat traffic. A lightly weighted running ball sinker rig with freshly pumped yabbies or worms has been getting the finicky whiting to eat. Further up river around town has also seen people hooking onto some great fish as they start to feed more actively. The odd grunter has been caught at rock walls around town with mullet fillet working really well.
Elliott River
The Elliott has been fishing great with a lot of the fish willing to feed all throughout the river. The incoming tide has been when to be on the water with some good sized pelagic fish entering into the river, fishing around the rocks at the mouth of the river has worked well. Reports of some cracker whiting being caught around the mouth of the river is a really good sign, this week has shown them getting caught in more numbers. Most of these fish have been on the shallow sand flats towards the mouth of the river. Freshly pumped yabbies have been working great when rigged on a running ball sinker rig with 6lb to a 10lb leader helping to get the bite. Using a rod that is around 7 foot in length, has a 1-3kg load rating and a really soft tip is ideal for whiting fishing, Ugly Stik has a great range of whiting rods and we have plenty in stock for this ripper whiting season heading our way. If you are wanting to chase these fish on lures, the Daiwa Slippery Dog 65mm has been getting some of the bigger fish to bite either early in the morning or in the late afternoon. Further up river has seen good numbers of mangrove jack being caught, live baits or whole prawns have worked really well when cast deep into structure. Fishing late afternoons and into the night has seen more of these fish come out to play.
Baffle Creek
This week has seen the baffle continue to fish really well even when a lot of the upper stretches of river are still very fresh. Fishing the incoming tide has definitely been the way to go with a lot of fish pushing up river with the cleaner water. Some big queenfish and trevally have been caught during this incoming tide as they feed on schools of bait being pushed up river with the tide. Anchoring up along sections of the river with heavy structure and plenty of current will put you in with a good shot at some of these fish, using whole sprat or small mullet fillets has worked well. Up the skinny creeks has seen some quality mangrove jack being caught. The Lucky Craft 78XD Pointer in black/gold has been dynamite on these fish when slow rolled past heavy structure. Anchoring up on rock bars and throwing out some fresh poddy mullet as live bait has also caught some big jacks, cod and the odd trevally.
Kolan River
This week has seen some big flathead coming out of the Kolan with the mouth of the river producing most of the big fish. Quality 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. The jacks have started to be caught more regularly however at this stage big flesh baits or live poddy mullet has worked best whilst they haven’t been as active. Fishing deep rock bars has been where these fish have been caught. Some big bream have been caught along the rock bars on most baits as well as towards the mouth around Miara.
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. The spot to be has been Coonarr Beach with reports of whiting averaging 30cm being caught in great numbers. Using yabbies or beach worms have been the ideal bait, and using a running ball sinker rig to allow the bait to drift naturally in the water column. Plenty of bream and dart have also been in the gutters with the whiting. Some great quality 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 tailor and trevally have been caught around the entry/exit of gutters.
Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has had a great week of fishing with almost a week long stretch of northerly winds really getting these barra feeding. A lot of the barra have been caught on hardbody lures and have been biting on the pause. The Jackall Squirrel has been the standout lure to be using and our Spangled Perch colour has got some absolute monsters on the deck. Using a much longer pause than usual has been the difference in getting a bite. Having a lure that either floats or sinks super slowly, even to the point where it barely moves at all, is as good as it gets when it comes to hardbodies. The Samaki Redic DS80 has been dynamite lately, and straight out of the packet they sit perfectly in the water column. Some of the larger fish have been getting caught in deeper water sitting in the tops of trees, using an 80lb fluorocarbon leader is going to give you a good chance at landing these fish. If you are fishing weedy banks where there is no timber going down to a 50lb or a 60lb leader can be beneficial if you are struggling to get a bite. Fishing around the tide changes for the Kolan River is worthwhile as the barra have been feeding around these times and anglers have capitalised on this short bite window, landing numerous barra in just a few casts at times.
Lake Gregory
This weeks Northerly winds has got the water temp in the dam on the rise and plenty of big bass have been caught. This increase in water temp has got a lot of the bass feeding aggressively and they have been caught along areas which have plenty of structure. Slow winding soft plastics over the top of the weed banks has been a great technique, or even sinking your soft plastics deep into the weed with a weed less hook and twitching them out. Some anglers have had great success using small hardbody lures cast along steep weed edges/drop offs, 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.
10/11/22
Inshore/Offshore
After over a week of rough conditions the offshore fisho’s are no doubt craving a trip out wide to fill their esky’s and stretch their arms. With the next few days looking promising for now plenty of anglers are hoping to finally make this a reality. Keep a close eye on the weather report as it can change overnight, but fingers crossed it stays good and we see plenty of fish caught. The last few weeks has seen our offshore reefs fish very well for big bottom fish like coral trout, red emperor, sweetlip, tusk fish and some monster cobia when the weather has allowed. These fish have been chewing on big flesh baits rigged on one of Buku’s Hybrid Bait Rigs which has been a game changer for our offshore fishing. Big bommies and steep ledges has been where most of these fish have been found with isolated structure off main sections of reef holding most of the bigger fish. For the lure fisho’s the go to has been the Samaki Live Shrimp in the Golden Carrot colour paired with a 7/0 28gram jig head…big trout just can’t help themselves! If you are heading out this weekend, the 15 Mile, Northern Gutter and the Southern Gutter will all be great places to be for a lot of the common species. If the weather permits reefs towards Lady Elliott Island have been fishing well for big trout, tusk fish and sweetlip.
The recent influx of bait pushed into our inshore reefs has got the predatory species on the chew. From pelagic’s like trevally, tuna and queenfish, bottom fish like coral trout, tusk fish and sweetlip as well as our good mates the spanish and school mackerel all being caught along our coast. Anchoring at the front of reef structures where the current is hitting the edge of the reef has worked great. Most of these fish have been caught in these areas on a range of baits and lures, the standout method has definitely been small flesh baits like strips of mullet fillet. For the lure fisher, prawn imitation lures or soft vibes have worked extremely well when targeting bottom fish along our inshore waters with natural structure holding most fish. Trolling garfish or deep diving hardbody lures has worked best on the school mackerel which have been plentiful at the moment, the leads at Burnett Heads has been the place to be.
Burnett River
This weeks big tides has helped push a lot of cleaner water into the mouth of the Burnett which has done wonders for the fishing. A lot of bait has been pushed right up against the rock walls at the mouth and the predatory fish have been feeding on them. Using big flesh baits thrown right in close to the rock walls around the top of the tide has been the go. Plenty of big cod have been caught along with trevally and flathead not being far away. Some solid mangrove jack have also been caught with live baits managing to get some of the bigger models especially in the late afternoon. Venturing further down the river with the incoming tide has paid off for anglers with structure getting hit hard with current being the place to be. Throwing your baits in this current and in the back eddy created has been working well on a range of species. These bigger tides have got the crabs on the move so throwing the pots in with big baits will definitely put you in with a great shot of a healthy feed of mud crab.
Elliott River
With the Elliott being a smaller river system we have seen it clear up quickly and has been fishing well with most of our bread and butter species being caught. Flathead, bream and whiting have been up in the shallow water during the incoming tide, freshly pumped yabbies have worked best on these fish. 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. Up river has continued to see great numbers of crabs caught so it is definitely worth putting the pots in over the coming days.
Baffle Creek
The Baffle has had another impressive week of fishing with plenty of variety for anglers on the water this week. The species being caught most have been big flathead, trevally, queenfish, cod, mangrove jack and the odd barramundi mixed in as well. Anchoring up in creeks along deeper banks lined with mangroves or other forms of structure has been where most of these fish have been caught. Plenty of the lure anglers have done very well on deep diving hardbody lures in a gold colour, either cast at structure or trolled along the deep banks. For the bait fisho’s using whole prawns or strips of mullet fillet have been the go. Although the middle to upper stretches of the Baffle are very fresh some great quality fish have been caught along deep rock bars. Using your sounder to locate some of these rock bars is a great way to find spots not everyone knows about, sending down some live baits has been the go with some big cod and jacks on the chew. With the big tides this week we have seen great numbers of mud crabs being caught, it is a great time to throw the pots in whilst the tides are still relatively high.
Kolan River
Same as the Burnett the Kolan has benefited a lot from the big tides which has pushed a lot of cleaner and salty water back into the mouth of the river. Fishing around the top of the tide has still been the go whilst the water is at it’s cleanest and the fish have been feeding up in the shallower water. Some good sized dusky flathead have been caught on shallow sand flats with the incoming tide helping these fish become more confident and feed along yabbie beds as they fill with water. Matching the hatch with fresh yabbies as bait or small lures that imitate a yabbie has been working very well in this shallow water. Although clearing up, the water is still murky compared to usual so using a stronger smelling bait like mullet fillet has been dynamite during the run out tide. Fishing with big chunks or strips cast along deeper section of the river or right onto rock bars and into fallen trees has worked well. Some mangrove jack have started to feed especially when the barometric pressure is on the rise however plenty of big cod and flathead have been eager regardless of the weather. The crabs in this system have been on the move with the big 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.
Local Beaches
This week has seen our local beaches continuing to fish really well and providing anglers with a great alternative fishing method whilst our rivers need time to clear up. Norval Park Beach and Rules Beach have continued to be the standout beaches with plenty of deep gutters scattered along them. Fishing the incoming tide has seen some solid whiting, dart and bream caught on fresh yabbies. Some solid flathead and trevally have also been common catches with the run out tide seeming to be best for these fish. Using strips or chunks of mullet fillet has worked best on the bigger flathead and trevally that have been around. Having a few pilchards is a great option as some quality tailor are still being caught. If a school of tailor does come through whilst you have your baits out, throwing some small metal lures like the Arma Anchovy past there school and winding it through them quickly is a great way to target these fish. Once again when fishing our beaches we would recommend you go for an explore along the beach to find some areas that get less fishing pressure.
Lake Monduran
Last weekend was the time to be fishing the lake with some cracking barra being caught on a range of techniques. Whilst the wind did change from a northerly to a south easterly for most of the week we still saw some great fishing from the dam. Fishing bays and points that constantly get wind blown onto them from numerous directions is definitely what has been helping anglers find feeding fish. This week has seen the barometric pressure decreasing and some slighter cooler conditions making these barra a little timid. Plenty of fish have still been in common locations however haven’t been on the chew like the previous week. Having a quality sounder has been very helpful in locating the fish over the last few week’s especially when the wind changes and you are fishing a new location. Using the app ‘Windy’ is a great tool which has helped a lot of people find some quality barra. This app shows you exactly what direction the wind is blowing on the dam to help you pick points and bays that have had most exposure. Using big soft plastics fished along wind blown points has been working well. If you are fishing tight timber you can’t go past the trusty Jackall Squirrel, implementing plenty of erratic twitches and long pauses into the retrieve has been deadly.
Lake Gregory
This week’s inconsistent weather has definitely impacted the bass and their feeding habits as they have been feeding less aggressively. Some anglers were still able to do well with quality bass over 40cm being caught. These fish were found in slightly deeper water hanging around heavy structure with the wind-blown banks and points holding most of the active fish. Using lures that are able to be sunk deep into the weed and ripped out like a fleeing bait fish have got the bite when nothing else could. The lures of choice for us here at Tackle World Bundy have got to be small paddle tail soft plastics in a pearl white colour. Fishing them with a weed-less hook is the go for getting your lure in deep structure where the bass have been. Applying some of Pro-Cure’s range of scents to your lure is also a great way to improve the chances of getting a few fish. Not only does scent help attract a bite from more stubborn fish, it also helps them hold onto the lure for longer to give you more time to set the hook.
3/11/22
Inshore/Offshore
With the weather not playing the game this week not as many people have had the chance to head offshore in chase of some esky-filling fish. We have had some small weather windows which has seen the die hard anglers heading out for a short period of time whilst the weather allowed. The coral trout, sweetlip and tusk fish have been in great numbers and have been caught around natural structure like bommies and ledges. The last few weeks have shown that these fish have liked big flesh baits rigged on a paternoster rig, ensuring your sinker is enough to get your baits to the bottom easily. Unfortunately this weekends conditions aren’t looking too flash hot for the anglers hoping to head offshore over the weekend. This is a great opportunity to sort out your gear for the next trip out, ensuring you are well prepared when the weather turns good again. If the weather report magically comes good over the course of the next few days it is definitely worth heading out for a look as this time of year proves time and time again how good our offshore fishing is.
The inshore reefs have been more popular this week whilst not everyone was able to punch it out wide with the average conditions. Trolling lures for school mackerel has been the go whilst they seem to still be here in massive numbers. Deep diving hardbody lures trolled around the Leads at Burnett Heads has been a sure way to come across a few schools of these aggressive fish. Plenty of mac tuna have been around smashing bait balls that have been all along our coast. Using small metal lures thrown over the top of their school and winding it back through them has been working well. Adjusting your lure to the size of the bait they are feeding on has been a great way to get more fish to commit to eating your lure. Better numbers of longtail tuna are entering our inshore reefs and have been feeding with these mac tuna as well. Using the same small metal lures have worked great on these fish along with the Bait Junkie 5inch Jerkshad in ‘Pilchard’ colour.
Burnett River
With the Burnett still quite dirty most anglers have been fishing near the mouth of the river along the rock walls. Flesh baits like mullet fillet have worked really well when thrown right in close to the rock walls and rigged using a running ball sinker rig. Some big bream, cod and mangrove jack have fallen victim to this technique as well as the humble flathead. Land based fishing off the rock walls at Burnett Heads is a great way to spend a few hours and some quality fish have been caught there this week. Fishing around the top of the tide has been the go whilst the river has a lot more salt water in it. With this weekends tides starting to increase it is definitely worth throwing the pots in as this fresh water has got them on the move. Creeks further up river have produced some quality bucks and in the dirty water using a strong smelling bait has worked best.
Elliott River
The Elliott River has held up great with the recent rain not affecting this system as much as others. Plenty of great fish have been caught through most stretches of the river with fishing around the top of the tide working best. The sand flats at the mouth of the river have seen some big dusky flathead up in the shallow water feeding on yabbies or small summer whiting. Using freshly pumped yabbies as bait has worked great on these fish with some solid whiting and bream being caught as well. With the warm and humid weather the jacks have been on the chew and the bit of freshwater runoff in this system hasn’t seemed to stop them. Using live poddy mullet or strips of mullet fillet thrown in heavy structure has worked best. Fishing during low light periods such as into the night has seen the bigger mangrove jack come to the party. Some huge crabs have been caught out of this river with the fresh water really getting them on the move. This weekend is the start of the building tides so it will be a great opportunity to throw the pots in.
Baffle Creek
The Baffle has had a great week of fishing with reports of the river handling the recent rain with ease. Most of the summer species are still firing in these humid conditions and we have seen anglers having great sessions with loads of variety. Fishing around the top of the tide has been ideal especially when fishing up river in the skinny creeks. Lots of trevally and queenfish have been around during the start of the run out tide with small soft plastics hopped erratically through the water column getting the bite. Mangrove jack and some quality estuary cod have been caught up the creeks, anchoring and throwing your baits in the deep channel close to the mangroves has worked well. Catching some live baits to leave sit in the rod holder has also been working a treat especially on some big mangrove jack. At the mouth of the river has seen some cracking flathead caught with some big models over 60cm parking up at the mouth of creek entrances during the run out tide. These fish have been liking prawn imitation lures or fresh yabbies. If you are using lures make sure they are constantly coming in contact with the bottom to give these flatties an easy target. The Baffle has also been crabbing well at the moment so be sure to throw the pots in, placing them up in creeks has been the go for now.
Kolan River
Similar to the Burnett River the Kolan has been inundated with fresh water which has affected a lot of our summer species which were firing not too long ago. The mangrove jack have been hard to find this week with all the fresh water making things tough going for anglers who have headed out onto the river. Fishing around the mouth along deep banks has still seen some good sized flathead caught and doing so around the high tide has been the go. Some quality bream have been caught around the fallen trees and rock bars at the mouth on small chunks and strips of mullet fillet. Using a stronger smelling bait like mullet fillet in murky water is always a great way to start and there’s not many species of fish that will pass down a well presented strip of mullet. The fresh water runoff in this system has stirred up the crabs with most coming out of creeks, leaving the pots in overnight has got the best results.
Local Beaches
Our local beaches have proved to be a great way for most fishos to still get out and enjoy some cracker fishing whilst our local rivers need some time to absorb the amount of fresh water that has recently flowed into them. Here in Bundaberg we are lucky to have plenty of beaches surrounding our region and at the moment they are all fishing very well. Following on from last week we have continued to see great numbers of whiting, dart, tailor, trevally and flathead caught. Most of these fish have been found in deep gutters and caught during a run out tide. The best all-round baits to use have been fresh yabbies and mullet fillet rigged on a running ball sinker rig. If you are chasing whiting definitely use whole yabbies on a long shank hook as this is their bait of choice. Norville Park Beach and Rules Beach have been the standouts this week, those with a 4wd have been able to find gutters with less fishing pressure than others which has helped them catch more fish.
Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has been fishing really well over last weekend and this week with some fish over the magic metre mark being caught. Days where the sun is shining and the barometric pressure is on the rise has proven to be when the big barra have been on the chew. Barramundi have relatively large air bladders (otherwise known as swim bladders) which makes their behaviour very susceptible to the barometric pressure (BP). As the BP falls there is less pressure on their air bladder causing the air bladder to expand which puts pressure on other organs making the fish uncomfortable. In response to that discomfort, fish with larger air bladders stop feeding and seek out deeper water where the weight of water above them, or a increase in BP, gradually reduces the size of the air bladder to where they are comfortable again. To simplify things, the higher the barometric pressure the more comfortable these big barra feel meaning they are more likely to be in shallower water and aggressively feeding. The below website is what we use to track what the Barometric pressure is doing in Bundy
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ60801/IDQ60801.94387.shtml
Although this metric doesn’t always mean you will catch fish it is definitely worth keeping an eye on. Most of the big barra caught at the dam recently have been caught on points which have been getting a lot of wind pushing onto them over the last few days. With the wind being very inconsistent lately and constantly changing directions it is important to be fishing parts of the dam that have been getting as much wind as possible. Slow rolling big soft plastics around the 5 or 6 inch mark have been doing the damage when fished along these windblown points.
Lake Gregory
Whilst most of our rivers are still quite fresh, fishing our local impoundments is going to be a great way to hook into some quality fish in the time being. With the hot and humid days really warming up the water temperature Lake Gregory has been fishing well. Fishing sections of the dam that have been getting plenty of wind pushed into them has been the go. Slow rolling small soft plastics along points or banks with heavy structure has worked best. Low light periods have proved to fire the bass up with anglers catching great numbers of fish in a short period of time. Topwater lures have started to become more effective this week with the warmer weather helping to get these bass up in the shallows. Using lures like the Chase Baits range of Flexi Frogs slow wound over the top of weed beds has been deadly. Fishing these topwater lures during early mornings or late afternoons is just about as much fun as you can have on the dam.
27/10/22
Inshore/Offshore
Weather permitting this weekend will be a perfect opportunity to head out along our inshore reefs or out wide whilst most of our rivers are filled with fresh water. Our inshore reefs have been firing full of pelagic fish whilst the bait is plentiful in these areas. Using whole pilchards has been the go on some big trevally and queenfish and they have been hanging around any big bommies that are getting hit hard with the current. Some big schools of mac tuna have been popping up all along our coast with the odd longtail school around as well. Throwing small metal slugs through these schools of fish has worked well especially if the bait they are feeding on is really small.
Plenty of school mackerel are still around and have been smashing deep diving hardbody lures when trolled. Finding schools of bait and trolling lures around the outskirts of them is a great way to target these fish. Whole pilchards and garfish also work really well when trolled so definitely have them on the boat along with a few hardbody lures. The spanish are few and far between at the moment but that odd ones are still being caught if the school mackerel don’t beat them to it.
At this stage Sunday is looking like a good opportunity to head out wide, definitely keep an eye on the weather in case this changes as it always does. Make sure to have all of your safety equipment up to date and in easily accessible places. Reefs towards Lady Elliott Island have been fishing really well recently with some huge trout, sweetlip and tusk fish being very common catches. These fish have been caught all throughout the reefs but the bigger models have come off small isolated pinnacles away from the main section of reef. Whole pilchards and large fillets have got to be the go to baits at the moment.
Burnett River
Unfortunately with the recent rain our region got last week the Burnett has once again been filled with fresh water meaning that the fishing will be quite tough. Last week saw this river really firing up with a lot of barra and jack being caught all throughout the river. With the abrupt fresh flowing into the river these fish are no doubt going to be hard to find and most stretches of the river are going to be off the cards. The mouth of the river will be the place to be at least while we wait until we see some salt flow back up river. Using big flesh baits around heavy structure at the mouth is going to be the go. A lot of the fish have been pushed down river so any major structure at the mouth will hold fish so be sure to try a range of techniques to see what will work for you in the fresh and murky water. If you do head out onto the Burnett be mindful of any debris that may catch some off guard.
Elliott River
Due to the Elliott River being a much smaller system the fresh water run off hasn’t been as bad when compared to the Burnett or Kolan. The upper stretches of river are very fresh however towards the mouth of the river isn’t too bad on an incoming tide. Some good quality flathead and trevally have been caught at the mouth of the river on strips of flesh baits with mullet fillet working best. Soft vibes or hardbody lures have also worked well when trying to cover ground and find these fish on the sand flats and drop offs. Some quality mud crabs have been on the move with the runoff water and big tides stirring them up so throwing the pots in for a full day or overnight is definitely worth a shot. If you do decide to try your luck at getting a few mud crabs using big smelly baits is going to be the way to go in the murky water.
Baffle Creek
The Baffle has definitely held up better than the Burnett and the Kolan due to there being no freshwater catchment flooding this river. There is still a lot of fresh flowing down from the upper stretches of river making the river very dirty. Towards the mouth of the river will be the go with preferably fishing around the top of the tide to allow for a lot of the salt to push back into the river. If you are bait fishing using large flesh baits is going to be best and try to place them deep into structure like fallen trees or rock bars. Some good quality mangrove jack, cod and flathead can still be caught in these conditions. If you are lure fishing using slightly bigger lures in white, red, black or green colours will help your lure stand out in the water column. Similar to baiting, fishing heavy structure is going to be the go ensuring your lure is getting right into the fishes face. This river is always known for it’s great crabbing and with the freshwater runoff coming into this system the crabs have been on the move. Using big flesh baits in the pots has been the go and leaving them in all day or overnight.
Kolan River
The Kolan is very similar to the Burnett right now due to their catchments upstream of them experiencing a lot of rain resulting in fresh water feeding down through the rivers. Monduran dam has surpassed 100% resulting in the Kolan River copping a lot of the damage whilst water continues to spill over the dam wall. Like the Burnett the only places worth fishing at the moment will be the mouth of the river and typically around heavy structure providing shelter for predators against the flowing fresh water. The barra and jacks that have been chewing in this river will definitely be hard to tempt a bite from at the moment. The best shot will be large flesh baits like mullet fillet as it is a much stronger smelling bait, throwing it right into the heavy structure is where these fish will be. Whilst this river is running fresh it is worth heading out along the beaches either side of the river mouths for some quality whiting or to have a bit of fun on the dart and tailor that have been around with the bait.
Local Beaches
These next few weeks are going to be a great opportunity to get out along the beaches that our region has to offer whilst the rivers are running fresh. Some awesome whiting, dart, tailor, trevally and flathead have been caught along all of our beaches lately and most of these spots will still be fishing very well. Finding deep gutters has been where these fish have been caught with fresh yabbies working well on the dart, whiting and flathead. The trevally and tailor have preferred whole pilchards or small metal slugs wound quickly through the schools of bait which can usually be spotted easily with a quality pair of polarized sunglasses. Those with a 4wd or the ability to get the keys to one should look at places like Rules Beach or Coonarr Beach as they have been fishing very well and seem to be holding up great with the recent rain.
Lake Monduran
Although last weekend definitely didn’t provide very favourable conditions for barra fishing there were still some cracker fish caught. Those who braved the rain were rewarded with some quality bites even when they were few and far between. The big barra seemed to be aware of the increased boat traffic and the average conditions meaning their bites were quite timid making it hard to set the hooks properly. Seeing some trophy fish spit your lure mid air is all part of the game unfortunately, but it’s what keeps anglers coming back for more. Slowing your retrieve down seemed to be what got the bites as leaving lures sitting in front of a barra’s face for as long as possible is going to increase the chances of tempting a bite. Plenty of small barra around 40cm were on the chew over the weekend which definitely helped anglers stay persistent for those bigger fish. Some huge catfish and solid jewfish were caught providing great entertainment for the whole family with some crackers coming just off the bank at the boat ramps. This comp isn’t just about catching fish hence why both Tackle World Bundaberg and MASA worked so hard behind the scenes to provide loads of giveaways, activities, entertainment and great food for all who attended.
With the sun now out and things warming up we will start to see the dam fish like it has been over the last few weeks. Plenty of big barra have been caught but the key has been to pick a bright, sunny day with minimal cloud cover. With barra all throughout the dam at this point finding fish is not very difficult, finding fish that will bite is the hard part. Fishing wind-blown bays and being as quiet as possible will help you keep these metre plus barra unaware of your presence and help you get some fish in the boat. If you are sitting on a school of fish that won’t bite try mixing things up, maybe throwing a lure you have always wanted to try, going down a few pound in your leader, or even just changing up your retrieve.
Lake Gregory
Because Lake Gregory is a balancing storage it has not been affected from the recent rain other than the water clarity becoming dirtier than usual. Using a lure that is going to stand out in this water is going to be your best bet. Using a soft plastic dye to change the colours of tails on your lures is a great way to attract a bite especially in murky water conditions. Some cracking bass have been caught from the dam this week with some getting close to the 50cm mark. Most fish have been caught on shallow points and banks with slow rolling soft plastics working best. Small hardbody lures have started to become more effective when targeting fish sitting along weed edges. Twitching these lures along the weed edges implementing plenty of pauses is a super fun and effective way to catch these bass.
20 October, 2022
Inshore/Offshore
With this weeks weather being less favourable than previous weeks we have seen more people fishing our inshore reefs whilst heading out wide isn’t an option. Anglers have been getting stuck into some awesome fishing throughout our inshore reefs and this time of year the variety you can come across is astounding. With the recent influx of baitfish that have been pushed along our coast the pelagic fishing is firing up once again. Some cracking longtail tuna, queenfish and trevally have been caught as well as plenty of mac tuna in the mix. These tuna schools have been feeding on very small bait so matching the hatch is crucial, using small metal lures or soft plastics retrieved erratically through the schools of bait has been getting the bite. The trevally and queenfish have been feeding hard so topwater lures like big poppers or stickbaits thrown around the pressure edges has definitely worked a treat.
The school mackerel are still in huge numbers and are willing to eat almost anything retrieved quickly through the water column. Trolling deep diving hard body lures is a great technique as you can cover plenty of ground to find where these fish are. Trolling baits like garfish is also extremely effective if that is more your style of fishing.
Whilst the weather hasn’t exactly played ball this week and this weekend also isn’t looking too favourable, it is a great opportunity to get your gear up to scratch. Having time to prepare yourself for the next trip out is handy especially if you need some reels spooled up, rod guides replaced, new tackle or some cheeky new marks. In saying that our offshore fishing has been red hot over the last few weeks and last weekend did see some cracking fish caught. Marks towards lady Elliott Island fished well with reports of some quality red emperor, coral trout, tusk fish and sweetlip being caught. These fish all loved big flesh baits like mullet fillet and were found to bite around the tide change in the middle of the day.
Burnett River
The Burnett is fishing extremely well at the moment which is so good to see after the flooding this system has copped this year. Quality barra around 80cm to the magic 1m mark are being caught all throughout the river. Paddle tail soft plastics slow wound through the schools have worked well but knowing where these fish are is key. Good quality electronics like a sounder and electric motor helps stay on top of these fish so your casts are accurate helping your lure get in the strike zone. Spending a few hours sounding the river looking for these schools of barra has been paying off. Some solid jack have been coming off rock bars with the best bait being live poddy mullet or mullet fillet. Team member Nathan Sutton loves his jack fishing and has been getting some good fish using these exact techniques. Huge grunter are still getting around with the mouth being the best place to target these fish. Anglers fishing land based off the rock walls have been encountering these fish regularly and on a range of baits and lures.
Elliott River
The Elliott has continued to fish really well this week with plenty of great fish caught throughout the whole river. The main fish being caught have been flathead consistently over the 50cm mark as well as some solid grunter around the same size. The flathead have been caught from the mouth all the way into the skinny stretches of river. The bigger fish have been towards the mouth with some huge 70cm plus flathead being reported. These bigger flatties have been chewing on the run out tide with Shimano’s Squidgy Dura Tough soft plastics working well. The grunter have been in slightly deeper sections of river with deep banks and bends of the river being likely spots to find these fish. Small strips of bait like mullet, pilchard or sprat have been what these grunter have preferred. Right at the mouth has seen a few scattered schools of tailor and dart enter the river system on the incoming tide, fresh yabbies for the dart and small metal lures for the tailor has been the go.
Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek has had a solid week of fishing with some cracking flathead and grunter being caught around the mouth of the river. These fish have been feeding during the run out tide and have been caught in deeper water off the back of sand bars or along deep banks. Big soft plastics or vibes have been most effective on these fish but large strips of flesh baits have also got anglers into the action. The Molix 4.5inch RT Shad seems to match the hatch really well in this river system and team member Josh Mortensen hooked into some quality fish last weekend on these lures. Quality mangrove jack and barra have been caught up-river in skinny creeks if you know where to look. Lucky Craft 78XD Pointers have been dynamite on these fish when slow rolled back to the boat. Anchoring up on rock bars and throwing out some fresh poddy mullet as live bait has also caught some cracking fish with some big cod being a common bycatch.
Kolan River
This week saw the Kolan River continue to fish well for flathead, bream, grunter and cod. These fish have been caught through all sections of river, the flathead and grunter have been caught along sandflat drop offs and deeper holes throughout the river. With the cooler weather this week the barra that have been biting have slowed down and not as many have been caught. Going down to a 4inch soft plastics slow wound through these barra schools or over rock bars have tricked a few but the key has been lighter leader and a slower retrieve. Some solid jacks have still been encountered on most of the rock bars in the river with strips of mullet or live poddy mullet working really well. The building tides this weekend will get a few more mud crabs on the move so throwing the pots in is definitely worth a shot as this river has been producing plenty of bucks. Throwing them in shallower parts of the river and deep in creeks has worked best so be sure to venture a little further than most to get some awesome results.
Local Beaches
The fishing along our coast at the moment is really good and our local beaches have definitely benefited from the influx of bait coming into our coast. Some solid tailor have been caught as well as trevally and plenty of dart with Moore Park Beach being a great spot to try your luck. The tailor have been feeding on very small bait so little metal slugs thrown out and retrieved quickly have worked best. The trevally have also liked small metal lures and soft plastics flicked through bait schools and gutters. Fresh yabbies and beach worms have definitely been the stand out bait with some cracking flathead, bream and whiting also being common catches at the moment.
Lake Monduran
This weekend is the Tackle World Bundaberg Lake Monduran Family Fishing Classic and with the dam fishing really well we should see some great fish caught. A lot of the fish coming out of the dam have been between 90 and 110cm which is awesome but there is definitely some bigger ones mixed in there as well. The lures doing the damage have been slow rolled soft plastics as well as the trusty Jackall Squirrel 79sp. The hardbody lures have been really effective when targeting fish hanging in the tops of trees in the deeper water. The barra are all over the dam at the moment, just finding the fish that are willing to bite can be tricky. Fishing bays that have had consistent wind blowing into them will give you a better chance at catching a barra or two. These big fish spook easily so being stealthy is a must, slowing down a long way before you reach your fishing spot is ideal and using your electric motor on the low settings whilst scanning fish will also help. If you are heading up to the dam this weekend be mindful of your fellow fisho’s and hopefully you can all get a few solid fish.
Lake Gregory
This week’s rainy and overcast weather definitely made things harder for anglers fishing Lake Gregory but plenty of bass have still been caught. A lot of the bass have still been up in the shallows and feeding throughout the day with late afternoons being best. A lot of the bass have been around 40cm and have been in really good condition. These fish have loved small paddle tail soft plastics and have been hanging around shallow points deep in the weed. Fishing with topwater lures either early morning or late afternoon has been working well with some serious fish having a crack. Lures like the Zman Finesse FrogZ or Daiwa Slippery Dog have been getting the job done on the topwater scene. Fishing late afternoon has been the prime time lately and once that sun goes down the topwater fishing has been on!
13 October 2022
Inshore/Offshore
With this weekend’s weather shaping up to be red hot we should see plenty of great fish being caught. The schoolie mackerel are all along our coast at the moment and are in numbers we don’t get to see too often. These fish have been in schools along almost any bit of structure that our inshore reefs have to offer. Trolling hardbody lures is a great way to catch these fish and they are beautiful eating especially when fresh. Using baits like garfish or pilchards is also a good technique when either trolled or floated out the back of the boat. The leads at Burnett Heads is a great place to troll for these schoolie mackerel.
Some spanish have still been caught but they have been scattered and more often than not the schoolie mackerel have beat them to the baits or lures. Using a bigger bait like whole bonito will give you a better chance at catching a solid spanish mackerel. A lot of tuna have been around at the moment, mac tuna have been most common but better numbers of longtail’s have showed up along our coastline.
Heading out wide has definitely been paying off lately whilst our bottom fish have been on the chew. Finding isolated structure off main sections of reef has been the go as they aren’t as heavily fished. Reefs towards Lady Elliott Island have been fishing very well, whole pilchards or big flesh baits like fresh fillets have worked a treat. Rigging these big baits on the Buku bait rigs is most effective, the reds off our coast have absolutely smacked them! Plenty of pelagic’s have been caught for those who fish around the wrecks with big trevally putting up a great fight for sport fishos.
Burnett River
The Burnett has really started to turn it on these last few weeks whilst the water continues to clear. The last week of big tides really helped clear up the river especially from around Kirby’s Wall and down to the mouth. The grunter have been chewing hard again this week with gravel beds and Rock Walls at the Port being the go to place. Using whole prawns or small sections of mullet fillet thrown at the base of the rock walls or in any holes and channels around the port has worked a treat. Land based fishing off the rock walls at Burnett Heads has been another great way of catching these fish along with flathead, cod and bream being quite a common bycatch. Fishing off these rock walls is something anyone can do and given its success rate lately it is definitely worth a try. Rock walls and submerged rock bars through the middle and upper sections of the river have produced some solid jack and barra. These fish have been hugging close to the rocks and the run out tide has been when these fish have been caught. Live poddy mullet or 4 to 5 inch paddle tail soft plastics have tricked these prized fish.
Elliott River
The Eliott has been producing some cracking whiting lately but with the tides decreasing in size they have started to be a little harder to find. Fishing submerged yabbie beds or shallow sand flats with fresh bait on an incoming tide has worked best on these whiting. The key to getting these fish to bite has been fresh yabbies rigged with a really light fluorocarbon leader and some red beads or tubing. The flathead have been on the chew this week with just about any stretch of the river and any technique catching a few solid fish. Some solid grunter are still being caught in the deeper sections of the river with small flesh baits like mullet fillet working well. This river system’s water clarity is super clear at the moment especially on an incoming tide. Using lighter leader than usual has resulted in more fish caught as well as natural coloured lures like a Bloodworm colour.
Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek’s water has become quite dirty this week which has had anglers struggling to put fish in the boat. The fish are still there and biting however the usual techniques that have been working for anglers have taken a hit. With the water being murky larger flesh baits especially mullet fillet have worked really well as the scent from the fillet travels a long way and will bring the fish in. For the lure angler a larger presentation of lure in a dark colour has worked best as this throws a big silhouette through the water allowing predators to see the lure clearly. Fishing at the mouth of small creeks has worked well during the run out tide. Anchoring and throwing your baits or lures into the channel has been the go. There has been some great crabbing this week with the bigger tides getting the big mud crabs on the move. Now that the tides are decreasing in size throwing your pots in shallow ‘out of the way’ locations will help find a few quality bucks. Definitely be ready for the end of the month when the tides are at their largest again because the crabbing has been red hot.
Kolan River
The mouth of the Kolan this week has had another great week of fishing with anglers catching a wide variety of species. Flathead, bream, grunter, cod, trevally and queenfish were all around this week with the run out tide seeming to the best time to encounter these fish. The trevally and queenfish have been in the cleaner water at the mouth of the river and the bigger tides this week fired them up. Fishing pressure edges was the most effective way to find these fish whilst they were feeding on all the bait being pushed towards them. The flathead and grunter have been caught through most stretches of the river as long as there is structure and bait. Throwing fresh yabbies or small flesh baits along the edges of drop offs during a run out tide has worked really well for these fish. Earlier in the week saw some solid crabs coming out of this river but with the decreasing tides they are patchy for now. Big baits seem to be getting better results along with putting your pots in shallower sections of river.
Local Beaches
With our local beaches being a lot quieter since the end of the school holidays we have seen some great fishing coming from well known locations. Big whiting have been the target species for most and freshly pumped yabbies have been doing the damage. Lots of flathead, bream, dart and tailor have been caught as well. The incoming tide has been best for the whiting and bream especially with the big tides earlier in the week. The flathead, tailor and dart have been caught during the run out tide in gutters along the beach. Out the front of creek entrances has also seen some quality whiting, bream and big flathead caught during the run out tide. Some solid grunter have been caught once the sun goes down and small flesh baits like mullet fillet have worked best.
Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has produced another cracking week of fishing with plenty of big barra being caught. The barra have been big and their belly’s full proving that these fish are feeding up for the summer season. Soft plastics around 5inches in length and in a natural colour retrieved slowly have been the most effective technique. Fishing the dam on a day with plenty of sunlight has been the best time to go as these fish have been eating more aggressively. Although firing up, these big barra have been wary of the increase in boat traffic on the dam meaning that stealth is absolutely crucial. Using your electric motor when scanning fish or moving around in bays is the best way to avoid spooking these fish. If there happens to be too much noise coming from the boat these big barra will shut down and you will struggle to get a bite. Finding a school of fish that haven’t seen much boat traffic is the way to go. Those joining the Tackle World Bundaberg Lake Monduran Family Fishing Classic should be looking to get up to the dam beforehand for a bit of a scope around. The comp is Saturday and Sunday the 22nd and 23rd of October and is always a great time with plenty of prizes…even if you don’t catch a thing!
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. 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 of warmer weather.
6 October 2022
INSHORE/OFFSHORE
With our Inshore Reefs swarmed with yakka the pelagic fishing has been red hot. Lots of anglers have been having fun using topwater lures and catching some cracker queenfish, tuna and trevally whilst these predators are smashing bait balls. Fishing the pressure edged side of reefs has been a great technique or keeping an eye out for any action along the top of the water. Using 5 inch jerk tail soft plastics either wound through the school of feeding pelagic fish or hopped along the pressure edged side of reefs has been really effective. Some cracking mulloway have been found through our inshore reefs with big soft vibes working a treat. These fish will be patrolling along big drop offs, bommies or hanging underneath big bait balls waiting for an opportunity. Our offshore fishing has been great over the last few weeks with big coral trout, red emperor, tusk fish and sweetlip being the most common fish caught. The coral trout have been loving soft plastics like the Ecooda Live Shrimp whereas the red emperor have preferred large flesh baits like fish fillets or whole squid. A lot of the tusk fish and sweetlip haven’t been picky and most baits dropped down have caught these fish.
BURNETT RIVER
This week on the Burnett has seen a lot of monster grunter being caught towards the mouth of the river. Rock walls and gravel beds is where these fish have been getting caught and the go to bait has been whole prawns or small sections of mullet fillet. Soft vibes and curl tail soft plastics have been catching heaps of these grunter as well. Covering ground whilst trying to locate these fish is so important, drifting with the tide along the gravel beds has been a killer technique this week. The usual flathead, bream and cod have been still caught along most of the river’s rock walls with the top of the run out tide producing most of the fish. Fresh yabbies, mullet fillet or chook gut has worked very well. This weekend’s big tides will have the mud crabs on the move so putting the pots in overnight in your favourite sections of river should work a treat.
LAKE MONDURAN
With Lake Monduran beginning to produce some quality barra there is good reason for anglers to be keen on a trip to the dam whilst plenty of metre plus fish have been hitting the deck. This has brought with it a lot more boat traffic which in turn can disturb some of the barra especially if they are in well known locations. Finding bays that are out of the way or a long way to get to will help you find fish that are willing to eat. Barra that have had hundreds of lures wound past their face over the last couple of days are definitely going to be harder to tempt a bite out of than ones that haven’t seen a lure in a while. Stealth is crucial when sounding barra so to give yourself the best chances of getting a bite make sure to use your electric motor or drift so you aren’t starting your outboard whilst near fish. Plenty of bays are now filled with fish so finding them shouldn’t be the issue, getting one to bite is the hard part. Soft plastics between 4 and 5 inches with a light jig head has been the go, a gentle slow wind has got the most bites. Providing the weather stays warm and we get some consistent winds we should see some great fishing during the Tackle World Bundaberg Lake Monduran Family Fishing Classic on the 22nd and 23rd of October. If you are planning on fishing this comp it is a good idea to do a few trips to the dam beforehand.
LAKE GREGORY
This week’s warmer weather has seen more bass being caught throughout the day but the go to time has been late afternoon. Slow winding small soft plastics along shallow points and drop offs with heaps of weed as structure has been where most bass have been caught. Topwater lures have been catching some great bass in the late afternoon but plenty of missed hookups along the way. The bass aren’t fully committing to these topwater lures which results in a lot of missed strikes. Seeing a bass charge after your lure and come out of the water is still pretty cool though! For now the dam just needs a little bit more warmer weather and the bass will be fired up in no time.
29 September 2022
INSHORE/OFFSHORE
Our local inshore reefs have been swarmed with bait over the last couple of weeks. Yakka has been the bait most common baitfish and a lot of our pelagic fish have been feeding hard whilst the bait is around. Watching for birds working is a dead giveaway of a bait ball being harassed by predators and is definitely worth a few casts. As well as the pelagic action happening all along our coastline our bottom fish have been on the chew. Some solid snapper and grunter have been caught on our inshore reefs with early mornings having the best bite times. Using a light fluorocarbon leader has definitely helped anglers get more bites. Further offshore has seen plenty of coral trout, sweetlip, tusk fish and red emperor caught. These fish have preferred large flesh baits when rigged on the new Buku Bait Rigs. The cobia are still here and are more commonly found around heavy structure like artificial reefs, wrecks or deep ledges with big bommies. Large flesh baits work best for these fish like whole squid, cuttlefish or fish fillets.
KOLAN RIVER
This river has started to see some great fishing over the last few weeks with its summer species responding well to the warmer weather we have had. Mangrove jacks and barra have been caught along rock walls and deep banks with the late afternoon run out tides firing these fish up. If you are using bait, live poddy mullet, whole prawns, or mullet fillet are all worth a try to see what the fish will bite. Towards the mouth has seen plenty of flathead caught on lures with smaller fish hanging around shallow flats and the larger fish along deep banks and drop offs. Samaki Vibelicious soft vibes have been slaying the flathead when hopped along the bottom. Some solid grunter have still been caught and are a common by-catch when chasing flathead. Fresh yabbies are one of the best baits for grunter so pumping a few yabbies at low tide is worth the effort.
LOCAL BEACHES
With school holidays upon us fishos that have put in the extra effort to get to more remote locations have been experiencing some cracking fishing. Rules Beach and Norval Park Beach are two beaches that have been fishing well and are away from the crowds. Fresh bait like yabbies and beach worms have been most effective. Using a running ball sinker rig is one of the easiest ways to present your bait in a really natural way. Some huge whiting have been caught along our local beaches this week with the warmer weather definitely helping these fish bite. Finding gutters that are close to the shore with a clear entry/exit is a sure place that will hold fish. These entries/exits act like highways for the fish as they enter the gutter through this deeper channel. Throwing your baits into this channel if you can, will help put your bait right in front of their face as they swim in or out of the gutter.
LAKE MONDURAN
This week has certainly got Lake Monduran’s water temp on the rise which has resulted in more barra being caught. The last few weeks at mondy has seen conditions getting better and better each week and everything looks absolutely perfect for the summer season ahead. Finding bays where the warmer water is has been crucial, a few degrees increase in water temp is all the barra need to feel more comfortable and start feeding. Once again, the lures doing the damage on these fish have been soft plastics. Berkley’s Shimma Pro-Rigs have been tempting some huge barra to bite over the past couple of weeks. Straight out of the packet these lures swim perfectly and are built to handle huge barra. Pushing right into the back of bays is worth the time to get there whilst a lot of fish are currently sitting around shallow points or flats in search for that slightly warmer water. Having an electric motor is so handy as these barra are still spooking easily so stealth is also very important. Pulling up a few hundred meters away from your spot and using your electric to take you in is a sure way to not spook any fish. With the Tackle World Bundaberg Lake Monduran Family Fishing Classic coming up on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd of October, it is great to see the dam firing up. If you are fishing this comp you should be looking forward to the warmer weather as this will get the barra chewing even more.
22 September 2022
INSHORE
This time of year we get a lot of bait schools showing up along the coastline and last week definitely had plenty of pelagic action that followed. Normally the bait are quite small around the 5cm mark so sometimes it takes a bit of work to trick the pelagic fish that are feeding on them. In order to get these fish to bite you need to be using a lure that matches what they are feeding on, even if they are busting up all around your boat. The good thing about the pelagic’s turning up is even if you don’t have a boat you can catch them from the rocks off Innes Park, Elliott Heads and Burnett Heads. If you want to match the hatch the Arma Anchovy 18g to 25g metal slug or a Flasha 20g spoon are two great options as they are identical to the bait these big pelagic fish are feeding on.
OFFSHORE
A lot of the offshore reefs and wrecks have been producing quality fish this week, early mornings and late afternoons have been when these fish have been feeding. With the lead up to new moon on Monday the 26th the reefs will be the place to be over the weekend providing the weather plays ball. There has been some great catches of big queenfish, trevally and cobia that have been hanging around the wrecks over the last few weeks. The bottom fish like coral trout, red emperor and big tusk fish have been caught around natural structure towards Lady Elliot with pilchards working best when rigged on the new Buku Hybrid Bait Rigs.
KOLAN RIVER
The Kolan River’s summer species are continuing to chew with this warmer weather. This week more jacks have been caught up river with rock walls still being the place to be. Live poddy mullet or whole prawns have worked best for these fish. Towards the mouth has seen some great numbers of flathead caught on the flats with soft plastics doing the damage. Some solid grunter are still around, soft vibes have worked really well on these fish over the last few weeks so definitely give them a go when chasing these big grunter.
LAKE MONDURAN
With the past few weeks being consistently warmer anglers have had some cracking session on the dam. Big barra between 80 and 110cm have been the most common catches with these fish really liking small soft plastics in natural colours. The key this week has been to find the fish as some spots which have been producing a lot of fish have become empty due to wind direction changes. This doesn’t mean the barra have gone far with often times the fish have just moved within the bay to another point. This is very common when the bay they are in gets wind from numerous directions. Lake Monduran’s Family Fishing Classic is scheduled for Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd of October, as the weather warms further and the winds become consistent the barra are going to chew their heads off. Now is a great time to get out on the dam and catch a few fish before the crowds show up in preparation for the comp.
LAKE GREGORY
Lake Gregory is really starting to turn it on with this warmer weather heating the water up which has got the bass on the move. Most of the fish have now made their way into shallower sections of the dam that have plenty of structure. These fish are actively hunting and have been smacking soft plastics ripped through the weed imitating a fleeing bait fish. The Original Sliders Grub has been the soft plastic getting the job done best when rigged with a conventional jig head. Light fluorocarbon leaders have helped get more bites, leaders around 8 and 10lb have worked best. The big saratoga have taken a break this week with none being reported caught, but it is worth a shot to fish the heavy timber in case it is your lucky day. Top water lures cast deep into the trees and weed where other lures couldn’t be used is a great way to target these fish.
8th September 2022
BUNDABERG INSHORE
The inshore reefs have still been on fire with plenty of small school mackerel, big spanish mackerel, snapper and grunter around and feeding. The schoolie mackerel have been the easiest fish to catch this week with almost anything you can troll out the back of your boat getting a bite. The bigger spanish have been scattered but using a large bait like a bonito, garfish or ribbonfish has tempted the big ones to come to the party. The snapper are proving to be harder to get a bite from but there are still plenty around with a more finesse approach working best. Lures like the Mustard Mini Ink Vader are perfect for when they are a little shut down.
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE
This week leading up to Saturday’s full moon has seen a lot of big bottom fish getting caught whilst they feed up into it. Big flesh baits have been most effective when rigged on one of Buku’s Game Fishing Bait Jigs. These jigs have a unique lead weight that swims on the drop and vibrates in the swell which is something our fish haven’t seen before. This weekend’s weather is looking good for now so if it stays as predicted the fishing is going to be red hot. The species that have been on the chew this week have been the usual coral trout, nannygai, red emperor and sweetlip. As well as these, some monster cobia are getting caught too.
BURNETT RIVER
Another week has seen a wide variety of species being caught from the Burnett. Flathead, grunter and some serious bream have still been caught at the rock walls near the mouth of the river with a run out tide being the best time at the moment. Bigger flesh baits seem to be working well with mullet fillet being the standout on a run out tide, and fresh yabbies working well when the water is clearer on the run in tide. This weekend’s full moon should see the whiting on the chew, Saturday afternoons run in tide leading into the night will be the ideal time to go out and chase some elbow slappers! Freshly pumped yabbies are always a big whiting’s favourite. This week’s big tides has also managed to get a few quality mud crabs on the move so don’t forget to throw the pots in.
ELLIOTT RIVER
The Elliott River has had another great week of fishing whilst the weather continues to warm. Shallow flats have produced some cracking flathead through the week and some solid whiting have been caught. Freshly pumped yabbies fished in shallow water on the incoming tide has worked best. This Friday and Saturday should see some cracking whiting caught in the late afternoon with the big tides. Further up the river has seen a lot of big grunter find their way into deep holes. Fishing a run out tide has been working best with the grunter feeding during this time.
BAFFLE CREEK
Baffle Creek has had an awesome week of fishing which is a great encouragement for those fishing the Baffle Creek Family Fishing Festival. The competition runs from Monday 19th September to Saturday 24th September. As for the fishing this week the main fish getting caught have yet again been grunter and flathead. There have been some really good sizes mixed in with a few smaller fish which is a good sign for the next couple of years. On the lure side of things, big curl tail soft plastics are still slaying the fish, brighter colours have worked best especially on a run out tide. As for bait, medium to large sized flesh baits like mullet fillet or a live bait has caught a lot of bigger fish.
LAKE MONDURAN
This week has seen some cracking Lake Monduran barramundi caught which is a great sign for what could be to come. With these larger fish there has also been a few smaller models scattered but mainly fish above 80cm have been landed. The dam is starting to warm up and so are the fish with numerous bites each session showing they are slowly getting ready for summer. Once again, the lures doing the damage have been 4 to 5 inch soft plastics in a natural colour slow wound in shallow water right up the backs of bays. Fishing bays that the wind has been blowing into has seen more fish being caught.
1st September 2022
BUNDABERG INSHORE
Last weekend and this week has seen some great numbers of mackerel caught in close on a range of different lures and bait. Trolling large garfish, pike or tailor has been the best way to target the bigger fish with the old saying “big bait big fish” working a treat. Trolling deep diving lures like the Samaki Redic DS80 or casting metal spoons has been super effective on the smaller schoolie mackerel as well. With all these mackerel around it’s a great time to go out and get a feed whilst they are here and willing to eat most trolled lures and baits.
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE
Last weekend’s average weather certainly wasn’t ideal especially with all the big trout, reds, nannygai and emperors that have been on the chew. Those that did manage to sneak out over the weekend and earlier this week found a few solid fish with the bottom fish loving big flesh baits. Pilchards and mullet fillet have been working best this week. Coral trout was definitely the standout fish with a few really big models being caught.
BURNETT RIVER
The Burnett has had another week of great fishing with plenty of quality bream, flathead, grunter, and the odd blue salmon being caught. The bream have been found at Burnett Heads on the rock walls and have loved baits like pilchard, mullet fillet or mullet gut. The flathead haven’t been far away with plenty being caught at the base of the rock walls, using a heavier sinker and a slightly larger flesh bait has worked best to get your bait right in front of their face. The grunter this week have been scattered but a few are getting caught further up the river around town. Big curl tail soft plastics or vibes have been most effective on these fish because you are able to cover ground quickly.
ELLIOTT RIVER
The Elliott River has started to produce some cracking dusky flathead that have been up in the shallow water trying to warm up throughout the day. These fish have been really aggressive, loving hardbodies slow wound or twitched along the flats and yabbie beds. A lot of smaller flathead have been close to these big breeders so if you are catching a few smaller fish keep casting because these big flatties haven’t been far away. Further up the river has seen some massive grunter being caught, small vibes like the Samaki Vibelicious has worked best.
BAFFLE CREEK
Last weekend’s big wind and swell really pushed a lot of murky water into the Baffle which made for some pretty hard fishing conditions. This didn’t stop the fish from biting though with lots of solid flathead and grunter being caught in deeper water. Using larger lures and bait was the go whilst the water was really dirty. Fishing the run-out tide worked best with anchoring at the mouth of small creeks. Casting lures up current and working them back to the boat worked well. Otherwise, flicking some live baits like garfish or sprat out the back of the boat in the current was just as effective.
KOLAN RIVER
The Kolan is still a little murky from the flooding we had recently and last weekends big swell definitely didn’t do the water clarity any favours. With the two mouths leading into the river most of the fishing was done further up the river away from the wind and swell. This found anglers using larger baits to get the bite and fishing heavy structure like rock bars and deep banks. The flathead have been getting caught in most stretches of the river with pilchards, mullet fillet and sprat working best. The grunter have been scattered but a few solid ones are getting caught whilst using baits in deeper holes of the river towards the mouth.
LAKE GREGORY
This week has seen some bass on the move with the weather warming up which is a great sign. These fish have been caught in shallow water with small paddle tail soft plastics getting the bite. With a few more weeks of warmer weather, we should start to see more fish getting up into the shallows and feeding ready to smack a lure! A lot of fish have still been caught in schools hanging off points in deeper water for now. Small vibes like the Ecogear ZX40 have been deadly at tempting a bite from the bass when they aren’t aggressively hunting.
25 August 2022
BUNDABERG INSHORE
The inshore reefs have been full of big spanish mackerel and heaps of school mackerel. Trolling large baits like garfish, pike or ribbonfish has been getting a lot of the bigger spanish to bite. Most of the school mackerel have been caught on metal Flasha Spoons sunk to the bottom and retrieved as fast as you can. The annual snapper closed season has only just ended last week and already we have seen some cracking snapper being caught. Most of these fish are getting caught on bright coloured 4 and 5inch jerk shad soft plastics hopped aggressively through their school.
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE
With the good weather last weekend we saw plenty of people head offshore chasing a few reef fish. We saw plenty of quality coral trout, red emperor, nannygai, cobia and sweetlip caught over the weekend and the beginning of this week. The best way to catch these bottom fish has been on large flesh baits. Mullet fillet and whole squid have worked best when rigged either using a 2 hook snell rig or a set of 6/0 gang hooks. There have been small patches of yakka around but they are scattered, if you can, try and jig up some as they are the ideal bait to either fillet or use as a livey.
THE BURNETT RIVER
With the Burnett cleaning up nicely we have started to see the blue salmon make an appearance. A few of the deep holes have held some quality salmon with soft vibes hopped along the bottom working best. A good quality sounder will help you locate these fish because they move around a lot. Plenty of quality sized grunter have made their way further up the river with places like Kirby’s Wall producing some great fish. Whole prawns have been the best bait for these fish, rigged on a running ball sinker rig. Lures have also been really effective, small soft vibes like the Samaki Vibelicious have been best in the dirtier water.
THE ELLIOTT RIVER
The Elliott River is still fishing really well at the moment , plenty of tailor are still out the mouth of the river with small metal slugs getting most of the bites. Aside from the mouth fishing up the river has been working well this week, lots of flathead around the 50cm mark are getting caught which are the perfect eating size. Shimano’s Squidgy Dura-Tough range of soft plastics have been so effective even when fished side by side with other lures. Brighter colours have worked best, just make sure your lure is hitting the bottom. Trolling small hardbody lures has also worked really well this week especially when trying to find some new ground worth fishing.
The Baffle Creek
This week has seen plenty of solid grunter getting caught in the deeper holes and channels further up the river. As the water clarity gets better these fish seem to be moving further upstream so fishing on an incoming tide has been working best. If you can’t find any deep
holes, drifting sand bars or yabbies beds has been another great way to find a few grunter. Plenty of big flathead have also been found in really shallow water caught mostly on yabbies using a running ball sinker rig.
THE KOLAN RIVER
The water temperature in the Kolan River is really starting to warm up which is a great sign. A lot of small jacks have been caught on live bait fishing over rock walls or rocky bottom. Using a lighter fluorocarbon leader than normal has resulted in more bites as they are still timid for now. The majority of fish caught have been the flathead and grunter with both of these species not being too picky at the moment. Soft plastics or soft vibes around the 80-100mm range have worked best. If you are using bait, prawns and yabbies have worked best for the grunter. And the flathead have not minded a prawn, pilchard or mullet fillet on the bottom.
LAKE MONDURAN
This week has seen the barra getting on the move a little more, most of these fish have still been very timid so being stealthy when motoring to your spot will help to not spook the fish. These fish have been looking for warmer water with shallow windblown points holding most of the barra. Using a more finesse lure like soft plastics rigged on a slightly lighter jig head paired with a lighter leader has managed to get the barra to bite. A simple slow roll technique using a white soft plastic has worked best.
18th August 2022
BUNDABERG INSHORE
The inshore reefs off bundy have been producing lots of quality pelagic fish over the past week. The fish that are getting caught most have been longtail tuna, mac tuna, queenfish and trevally. The tuna have been are little hard to find as there hasn’t been as many birds working above them, so keep an eye peeled for any topwater action. Team member Josh Mortensen recommends using topwater lures such as the Cast range of stickbaits because they have been working best. Plenty of Spanish Mackerel have still been in close with trolling garfish being the ideal method to catch them.
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE
Last weekend saw a lot of people head out chasing those big, tasty reef fish whilst the weather allowed. Those fortunate enough to head out were rewarded with plenty of coral trout, red emperor, largemouth nannygai and cobia that were around and feeding with the big tides. Most of these fish were caught on large flesh baits fished close to the bottom with squid and pilchards getting most of the bites. Make to sure to check the latest weather forecast before heading out.
THE BURNETT RIVER
Last weekends big tides proved to really help the cleaner, salty water push into the river and the fish knew about it too. The last week has seen plenty of flathead, bream and grunter getting caught along the North Wall, sand flats and gravel beds around the mouth of the river. Using a stronger smelling bait such as pilchards and mullet has worked best for flathead and bream. If you are after whiting make sure to fish the mouth of the river along shallow sand flats that don’t get too much boat traffic. A lightly weighted running ball sinker rig with freshly pumped yabbies has been getting the finicky whiting to eat.
THE ELLIOTT RIVER
Plenty of tailor and dart are still at the mouth of the Elliott River following bait as they move with the tide. The dart have been caught on small hardbody lures and the tailor have preferred a small metal slug retrieved quickly through their school. Reports of winter whiting showing themselves around the mouth of the river is a really good sign, this week has shown them getting caught in more numbers. Most of these fish have been on the shallow sand flats towards the mouth of the river. Freshly pumped yabbies have been working very well on a running ball sinker rig.
THE KOLAN RIVER
Like the Burnett River and Baffle Creek, the Kolan River has benefited a lot from the big tides last weekend. The flathead and grunter have been the two fish most commonly caught. Pilchards and sprat have been the best bait to use with the flathead being found in the slightly deeper water off the edges of sandflats or steep banks. The grunter
haven’t been too far away with most getting caught in deep holes around the mouth of the river. If lures are your thing a larger profiled lure like a 100mm vibe or a 4inch soft plastic has been really effective.
LAKE MONDURAN
With the weather slowly warming up we have seen a lot more barra being caught. Make sure you are fishing the bays that the wind has been consistently blowing into as the bait gets pushed in this direction. Most of the fish have been in these bays in the shallow water towards the back of the bay or wind blown points looking for the warmer water. 5 inch soft plastics slow rolled through weed and timber has been really effective especially on some bigger fish.
LAKE GREGORY
A few weekends ago on Sunday the 7th of August saw saratoga around the 30cm mark tagged and released into the dam by the Bundaberg Sportfishing Club. This will provide a great future for saratoga fishing in the dam and hopefully the beginning of more toga stocking to come. Although the bass haven’t been aggressively hunting they have been schooled up in deeper water off the points. Using a good quality sounder to locate the fish has been key. These fish have taken a liking to small paddle tail soft plastics slow wound or vibes hopped through their school.
11th August 2022
BUNDABERG INSHORE
The inshore reefs have been producing some very nice grunter and late seasoned spanish mackerel over the past week! The grunter have mostly been caught on 20g soft vibes and 5” soft plastics. Using a slow hop off the bottom making sure the lure stays in the strike zone has been key. If you’re more into using bait you can’t beat using prawns or squid. A well presented bait on a simple running ball sinker rig is more than enough to give you a great chance of hooking some of these big grunter that have been around. The spanish have been loving trolled gar and hardbody lures in the early mornings and late afternoons. We have some rigs in stock that troll gar like a charm!
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE
The offshore fishing last weekend was red hot! Plenty of trophy reef fish were caught with red emperor and coral trout being the standouts. For the reds big flesh baits such as mullet fillets were the go. With the trout using pilchards as bait and prawn imitation lures were working best. Remember to fish the bite times one hour either side of the tides, it will be super important this weekend because of the big tides. Fingers crossed the weather plays the game! Remember to always check the latest weather report before heading out.
THE BURNETT RIVER
With the big full moon tides this week there should definitely be plenty of salt pushed back into the river. There was already some very nice bream, grunter and flathead caught towards the north wall at the mouth earlier this week. Most of these fish have been getting caught on 3” paddle tail soft plastics with the Zman Minnowz being one of the favourites. With the hope of the salt moving up the river the blue salmon should be making an appearance too so be sure to have a go for them. Using your sounder to find where the salmon are is a must, try the deeper holes as the saltier water will sit on the bottom. With the big tides this weekend don’t forget to drop the crab pots in as they always producing a few cracking bucks.
THE KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
The Kolan River and Baffle Creek have both been producing some very nice whiting, flathead and grunter over the past week. With the full moon this weekend I think the whiting will be on the chew in the late arvo with the incoming tide. Beach worms and fresh yabbies are definitely the go-to bait, drifting shallow flats with patchy weed beds has been working a treat. If grunter are more your thing try some deeper water with more current, flicking a Samaki Vibelicious will give you a good chance of encountering some solid grunter this time of year. The standout technique at the moment for catching flathead is definitely trolling around Zerek Tango shads on the edges of sandbars and gravel pits. There’s also been a few early season Mangrove Jack being caught as well so be sure to throw some hardbody lures over your favourite rock bars the next time you go fishing. Again, don’t forget to drop the crab pots in with these big tides.
LAKE MONDURAN
Lake Monduran has been liking some of the warmer days we’ve been experiencing over the past week with a few really nice barramundi being caught. Most of the bites have been in the late afternoon once the sun has warmed up the shallow points and bays during the day. The reliable Jackall Squirrel has still been the stand-out lure to get the bite. A good quality sounder is a game changer when it comes to finding the elusive barramundi. Spending a few hours sounding around finding the barra will give you a much better chance of getting fish into the boat. Most of the fish have been looking for warmer water in the shallows, so using the sidescan to find them patrolling a certain point will help you get your lure in front of their face. Remember to always fish with confidence. You never know when that 1m+ barra will hit your lure!
1st August 2022
Inshore/Offshore
If the weather plays ball this weekend hopefully we can send it out wide and chase some nice reds, nannies and trout! Due to the recent fresh that has been pushing out of the rivers plenty of debris like logs and branches have been common obstacles waiting for an unsuspecting boatie. Be cautious when travelling from mark to mark as one of these can ruin a perfect days fishing. There hasn’t been as many tuna and mackerel busting up in close at the moment but with this dirty water I have found that spot where the dirty water meets the clean salty water and troll or cast some lures. One of the stand out lures I have been using is an Ocean Legacy slow sinking stick bait. Another way is to throw a Flasher lure in the 20-50g and just rip it in like a baitfish in destress looking for its school. With the building moon this weekend we should see a lot of the reef fish turning it on for the people who can get to the spot for that first light bite.
One of my favourite ways of catching coral trout is slow pitch jigging, this technique is super fun as you really have to work to get the trouties from burying you in the reef. My go to setup is a PE2 or PE3 rod, 50lb leader and a Samaki prawn in golden carrot colour paired with a 7/0 jig head. Depending on the current and depth of water you can use a 1/2oz and upwards weight to get the lure to sit in the strike zone for as long as possible.
Burnett River and Elliott River
The Burnett River has and still is seeing a lot of water being pushed through from the top reaches which has moved a lot of the bait towards the mouth. I would be focusing my fishing around this area and even along the beaches at high tide to get away from the fresh. My pick for rivers to fish would be the smaller systems that don’t have all the fresh running down them from out west. The Elliott River and Coonarr Creek are two great options. The Elliott River has seen a good amount of tailor being caught on small 10g Samaki vibelicious and even the odd barra being caught along with the usual flathead, whiting, bream, grunter and dart. There has also been a few mud crabs around so throw those pots out away from the fast flowing water, up the creeks is the best bet.
Baffle Creek and Kolan River
Baffle has seen a lot of fresh in the past couple weeks and with Monduran Dam still spilling over the wall the Kolan has copped a bit of fresh too. Two species that seem to be on the hunt has been the grunter and flathead. Both these river systems have seen great numbers of grunter and flathead patrolling the shallow flats towards the mouths. A good way to catch a feed is on the run in tide, sit on the side of the flat that the current is coming over as the bait is getting pushed in that direction. Predators that are aggressively hunting will be on the flats whilst they can, hunting bait in the ultra-shallow water. More fish will be situated in the deeper water surrounding the flat, try the pressure edges created as the current hits a shallow flat as these always hold bait and therefore the bigger fish won’t be far away. The stand out lure has been the Squidgy Dura-Tough 100mm wriggler in a bright colour which helps to throw a larger silhouette in the dirty water. Also don’t forget to throw those pots out as both of these systems have been consistently producing quality muddies whilst they have been on the move.
Monduran Dam
With the weather warming up slightly especially through the middle of the day, fishing into the afternoon has been the go. Bays where the water is a couple of degrees warmer have been holding more feeding fish. I would definitely be targeting my fishing around these warmer points and bays, that’s when a good sounder comes in to play to find the water temp and side view to see where they are sitting. Not only does the side view help you find fish, but it also helps read their behaviour by where they are sitting in the water column. This helps you choose a lure perfect for the barra as staying in the strike zone for as long as possible is key.
July 28, 2022
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE AND INSHORE
For the guys and girls wanting to head out this weekend I would definitely be keeping a close eye on the weather report in case the wind drops off as it is looking a little blowy for now. If we do get a nice little window of opportunity it’s a great time to head offshore whilst the rivers are running fresh. If bottom bashing is your thing the red emperor, nanny’s and big trout have been on the chew, jigging up fresh yakka’s has been the go whilst they are around in numbers. If the wind sticks around the inshore reefs might be your only option to get out, but don’t let that deter you as there has been some great pelagic action happening all along our coast. Looking out for birds working is a dead giveaway of a bait ball and warrants a few casts as tuna, trevally and queenfish will likely not be too far away. Drifting shallow reefs whilst flicking plastics and vibes is a great way to cover ground and pick up coral trout and sweetlip. As always, make sure to check the latest weather reports before heading out.
THE BURNETT RIVER, KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
With all of these systems getting pumped with fresh water this week the fishing will be a little tough, but those who put in the effort can still find some quality fish taking advantage of this dirty water. Fishing towards the mouth of these systems then upstream as the tide rises is going to be a great way to start as the cleaner, salt water flows into the river. Using a large profiled lure in a dark colour cast at structure at the mouth of all of these systems is going to give you a good chance of catching a range of species. Be sure to drop the pots in as all of these systems have already shown great numbers of large bucks being caught, placing your pots in deeper channels out the front of small inlets is a great way to get a feed.
ELLIOTT RIVER
With the other local rivers running fresh the Elliott will be a great place to fish as it’s a much smaller system resulting in far less runoff. Fishing the sand flats and drop offs near the mouth of the river is an awesome way to catch a feed of bream, whiting and flathead. Drifting freshly pumped yabbies or flicking small soft plastics and hardbody lures is deadly. Dropping the pots in is also a great idea as this river system has been producing plenty of bucks.
LOCAL BEACHES
Fishing our local beaches whilst the rivers are running fresh is going to be a super fun way to mix things up and catch a feed. Moore Park Beach, Elliott Heads Beach and even Coonarr Beach are all great places to get away from all the fresh. Looking for deep gutters in close with a clear entry/exit is a great place to start. Throwing well presented beach worms and yabbies into the gutter should result in a range of common species such as dart, bream, whiting, trevally and flathead to name a few.
LAKE MONDURAN AND LAKE GREGORY
Although Lake Monduran is spilling it doesn’t appear that we are losing any barra at this point. I would focus on fishing into the backs of bays in the afternoon whilst the water is at its warmest. Using hardbodies or big paddle tail soft plastics fished along wind-blown points implementing plenty of pauses is a great way to put your lure in the strike zone and keep it there. Lots of the rat barra have been tight in the structure so shallow diving hard bodies and lighter weighted plastics are ideal for getting your lure right in front of their face. Lake Gregory has been fishing very well as of late,
using your electronics to sound up schools of bass helps but definitely isn’t a must. Using small paddle tail soft plastics hopped through these schools has been killer. Covering ground when you don’t have a sounder is key, once you get a fish, have a few extra casts in that area as there are likely more bass ready to feed.
July 21, 2022
INSHORE REEF
At this stage this weekend’s weather report isn’t looking too favourable to get out, but definitely keep an eye on it in case we get lucky. There has been plenty of schoolie mackerel caught at the leads around Burnett Heads mouth over the past week. The stand out technique to catch these fish has been trolling hardbody’s and spoons. Other pelagic species such as trevally and tuna are still being consistently caught, the trick here is to find the bait which is often times given away by birds working directly above the bait ball. Throwing jerk tail soft plastics into this action with a fast retrieve is a great way to get a bite.
THE BURNETT RIVER
The blue salmon have finally turned up and have been on the chew over the past week! Vibing 20g soft vibes in the deeper holes in the river towards the bottom of the tide has been the go. Definitely drop the pots in because there’s been some cracking crabs being caught, mostly just in the main channels.
THE KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
The two standout fish for these two systems over the past week has definitely been grunter and whiting. Most of the grunter have been getting caught on 3” paddle tail soft plastic’s while fishing over gravel beds towards the top of the tide. There has also been some ripper sized flathead being caught as bycatch. Some of the whiting that have been caught have been studs, up towards 40cm! Pumping yabbies at low tide and fishing the incoming tide over shallow sandbars is the go. Low tide is at midday this weekend so fishing that afternoon incoming tide will be ideal. Again, don’t forget to drop the crab pots in as there has been some ripper quality muddies being caught.
LAKE MONDURAN
Lake Monduran is still producing some very nice barramundi in these cooler conditions. Fishing the afternoons when the water is the warmest is definitely a good idea. Working the edges in the shallower bays with Jackal Squirrels has been the standout technique. Remember to fish with confidence, you never know when that 1m+ barra will smash your lure!
July 14, 2022
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE
With the weather gods feeling the love this weekend, it’s looking good for offshore fishing. Good reports from previous weeks of red emperor, coral trout, parrot and sweetlip coming over the side should encourage you to have a crack. Large flesh bait or livies have been the go to baits for these trophy fish. Just a reminder that the snapper and pearl perch close season starts on the 15th of July and runs until the 15th of August inclusive. Remember to always check the latest weather reports before heading out.
BUNDABERG INSHORE
For the smaller boats that want to get into a bit of action there has been plenty of pelagic’s along the coast with tuna and mackerel being the most common. Trolling dead baits like large gar or bonito has been most consistent. If lures are your thing, trolling large hard bodies will also get you hooked up.
BURNETT RIVER
With winter certainly upon us the larger bream have been on the chew. Baits such as mullet strips, large prawns and chook gut just to name a few have been doing the damage. Another technique proving to be highly effective is casting 3 to 4inch curl tail soft plastics and deep diving crank baits, which have been catching their fair share of fish. Blue salmon have made a move into the river with a few good reports of some decent size ones caught. Casting vibes in the deeper holes as the tide slows has been the go to technique. With the amount of fresh coming through the river from the opening of Paradise Dam, it is probably wise to start from the mouth along the rock walls and then move up the river.
LAKE MONDURAN
For those anglers that love a challenge, fishing for dam barra in winter can certainly be that. Firstly, finding the fish whether they be in the shallows or hanging out deep in the tops of trees is key. Once the fish are located find the appropriate lure to keep in the strike zone as long as possible to tempt the barra into a reaction bite. Hard body lures are best for this technique. The Samaki Redic DS80, B52 and the Jackall Squirrel 79 are a couple of lures that have been working well.
July 7, 2022
BUNDABERG INSHORE
This week looks like we might get a short window of weather to get out and chase a few reef species. There are still a few good school mackerel and spanish mackerel along with big schools of tuna about. There has also been a few good snapper and sweetlip caught on the local inshore reefs. Prime time to be fishing is the hour before and after day light using whole mullet fillets and pilchards as bait. Be sure to check the latest weather forecast before heading out.
BURNETT RIVER
With the cold weather around we have been seeing some cracking bream and grunter caught in the river, both have been caught on the rock bars and rubble beds. A few spots that come to mind are the gravel beds running from the yacht club towards the port side of the river. The north wall on the far end towards the mouth of the river has also been producing some cracking fish. The key has been to cast as close to the rock wall as possible during the last 2 hours of the run-out tide. This has been the best time of the tide to fish for the bigger models, mullet strips and fresh river prawns have been the go-to baits.
ELLIOT RIVER
The river system is still producing the odd whiting and trumpeter in the cleaner water, freshly pumped yabbies have been the standout bait. The flathead in the river have been caught up the river system on the shallow banks. One way I like to fish is drifting for both whiting and flathead using yabbies on lightly weighted running ball sinker rigs. I like to set my drift up so I start in the shallow water and drift into the deeper water depending on the tide and wind direction. There has been some nice dart caught off the beach on the southern side of Coonarr Beach and the mouth of the river as well.
LAKE MONDURAN
With the colder water in the dam the barra seem to be in the shallows, the key has been finding the warmer water and fishing with hard body’s and suspending lures. When the colder months hit, the key is to slow your retrieve down, implementing plenty of long pauses allowing for your lure to sit in the strike zone for longer. This technique often annoys the barra so much that you get a reaction bite. My go-to lures are the Jackall 79 Squirrel and the Samaki Redic DS80.
June 30, 2022
I hope everyone got out for a fish last weekend and had a crack at the VMR Family Fishing Classic comp. With the prizes on offer it would have been worth your while having a go. There were some great catches at the weigh-in tables with a 6.2kg snapper, 7.3kg coral trout and a 26.9kg cobia.
INSHORE – OFFSHORE
Still plenty on offer with lots of school mackerel taking a liking to metal flasher lures that are cast out and left to sink to the bottom and crank them back like your next meal depends on it. Let’s face it, a fresh feed of mackerel beats going to the fish and chip shop with the Mrs rubbing it in about having to pay for fish. I have heard that the snapper have been on the chew late in the arvo on the inshore reefs and some big cobia stretching people’s arms and equipment to the limit out wide on the wrecks. All the usual suspects still on the chew out wide from trout and red emperor to big spanish and everything in between.
LOCAL RIVERS
At this time of year, the bream are schooling up getting ready for the love season and trying to pack on as much size as possible and the females will be full of row. With that being said, the Burnett River has been producing some monster bream with sizes averaging 40-45cm and in good numbers. It has been slow on the winter whiting but they shouldn’t be far off, so dust off your old faithful and have a crack this weekend. It’s the best time of year to target the old flathead. I find in the morning they like to try and warm up in the shallow water along the edge of the rivers and if the tide is up, they will be in the shallows over the sand banks and yabbie beds having a feed. The grunter, whether it be the smaller spotted grunter min size 30cm or the barred grunter min size 40cm, they fall under a javelin species and are not a bream species. Although they love a well presented bait, they also love a soft plastic lure slowly twitched along the rock walls and sand banks with the 10g Samaki Vibelicious or a you beauty Zman 3 inch minnow.
MONDURAN DAM – LAKE GREGORY
With these colder days Lake Monduran has been best fished in the arvo once the water has had the sun on it. I find hard bodies are best this time of year like a Jackall Squirrel so you can suspend it in their face and get that aggressive/territorial bite, worked in the warmer bays and points leading in to those bays. Lake Gregory boat ramp has been closed for maintenance so best fished by a kayak at this stage, with a few bass being caught every session.
June 22, 2022
BUNDABERG INSHORE
The inshore fishing has been all about the snapper, mulloway and grunter, 20g soft vibes slowly lifted off the bottom has been getting plenty of the action. If you’re more into bait fishing you can’t beat using whole squid or mullet fillets. There’s also been plenty of school mackerel on the chew so be sure to fast retrieve some Flasha Spoons and set some floating pilchards out the back of the boat.
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE
The offshore fishing around Bundy lately has been red hot! The red emperors have definitely been the standout fish. You can’t beat using big flesh baits such as mullet fillets or using live baits to get them to chew. Some massive trout have also been caught as well, using pilchards and livies will get you into the trouty action if that’s your thing. Remember to always check the latest weather reports before heading offshore.
BURNETT RIVER
The big bream have turned up in the Burnett over the past week! Most of the rock bars have been producing them but the North Wall has definitely been one of the standout spots. Working small soft plastics over the rocks with a very lightly weighted jig head gets you into the bream action, Zman Grubz are my favourite plastic to use. There’s also been some cracker flathead being caught so be sure to target them on your favourite sandbars and gravel beds. Using sprat as bait, paddle tail soft plastics and small hardbody lures will help you pick up a flatty or two. Don’t forget to drop the crab pots in, there’s still some really good quality crabs being caught.
KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
The Kolan and Baffle have both been fishing quite good for your whiting and grunter. Using freshly pumped yabbies for whiting increases your chances of getting a feed. The grunter have been taking a liking to pieces of mullet fillets and sprat. The grunter tend to bite on a big range of soft plastics and soft vibes as well. Again, don’t forget to drop the crab pots in, there’s been plenty of tasty mud crabs caught in both these systems!
LAKE MONDURAN
Lake Monduran is still producing plenty of barramundi. Most of these fish have been caught on Jackal Squirrels and Samaki Redics whilst fishing the tight timbers. I’d be focusing on fishing the shallower water later in the day to try and find that warmer water. There’s been plenty of rat barra being caught so if you’re not getting the bite, have a think about dropping your leader, some go as low as 40lb. Remember to always fish with confidence, if you score the right place at the right time you can put some fish in the boat in a small amount of time.
June 16, 2022
BUNDABERG INSHORE & OFFSHORE
Well done to all the anglers who got out over the last couple of weeks as there were good reports of some cracker fish caught. Larger red emperor, coral trout, parrot fish, red throat and a few pearl perch for the guys who got into a bit deeper water were not uncommon. Larger flesh baits or pilchards seem to catch the better quality fish floated down on a paternoster rig or a running ball sinker. This weekend is looking good even for the smaller tinnies to get out, plenty of mackerel, tuna, queenfish and trevally have been found all along the coastline from Burnett Heads to Burrum Heads. Also, the 2 mile and Cochranes Artificial Reef have been producing some large grunter and snapper as they start to move in. Before heading out make sure to check the latest weather forecast.
BURNETT RIVER
With the amount of fresh water that has gone into the river over the last month, the Burnett is finally starting to move a bit of salt back through the system and the fishing is starting to pick up. Reports of good size flathead and large bream are being caught regularly with a few nice grunter mixed in as well. Large buck muddies are also plentiful so before heading out for a fish put the crab pots in for a few hours.
KOLAN RIVER & BAFFLE CREEK
These two rivers have also copped a lot of fresh water, so find those spots with a bit more salt like the deeper holes or more towards the mouth of the river, find the bait and you will find the predatory fish. Drifting around and through the channels with a large flesh bait would be a good way to find the fish and then once found put the anchor out. Also, a good time to put the crab pots in as there are plenty of crabs on the move.
LAKE MONDURAN
Lake Monduran is still producing the goods with plenty of rat barra and a few larger fish being caught. Hardbody lures like the Jackall Squirrel have been doing most of the damage. Casting in amongst the spindly timber with long pauses has been the go-to technique. During winter time when the temperature drops you need perseverance, patience and persistence.
June 9, 2022
BUNDABERG INSHORE OFFSHORE
For the guys and girls that got out last weekend there were some cracking fish caught.
It looks like the weather gods at this point are going to give us another break as the weather looks the goods for the rest of the weekend. Most of the bigger fish were caught using live baits and well-presented strip baits and pilchards. The running ball sinker rig and the paternoster rig has always been a favourite for most anglers. As always, check the latest weather forecast before heading out.
BURNETT RIVER
The river has started to clean up and the bream and flathead have started to move back up the river. Most of the fish have been caught around the mouth and up to Strathdees. The smellier baits like mullet, chook gut and mullet gut have been working a treat in the dirty water. The lightly weighted rigs have been doing the damage when fishing for the bread and butter species in the river. Also, keep an eye out for the winter whiting; we should start seeing them off the Burnett Heads Lighthouse and the sand bars heading north from the rock wall. Freshly pumped yabbies and a gulp soft plastic in the blood worm and new penny colour are the go-to baits to use.
KOLAN RIVER & BAFFLE CREEK
We are starting to see some cleaner water in the system now. The bread and butter species will be the target species. The humble flathead will be easy to catch with them looking for warmer water so the shallow sand flats and gutters will be the places to look for them. The bream will also be on the flats looking for the smaller bait fish. The lures of choice would be the 3 and 4inch paddle tail and curl tail grub rigged on a 3/0 3/8 ounce jig head.
LAKE MONDURAN
With the recent rain the dam is at full capacity. The smaller barra (aka rats) are out in force. The jackall squirrel or suspending hard body lures slowly twitched over the weed beds and around the new timber, under water and all the windblown banks and current lines have been producing the bigger numbers of fish. With all the smaller fish around, it’s always good to try something different. Bird Bay has been the go-to place lately as the water clarity has been better down the front of the dam. A reminder, when catching barramundi out of the dam, use the MASA stocking QR code and enter your fish to gather statistics for the restocking group. Every bit of data helps put fish in the dam.
June 2, 2022
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE AND INSHORE
Welcome back to another cracking fishing report. I hope everyone got out last weekend as it was absolutely mint, probably the most glassy I have ever seen it. Once again, this weekend’s weather is looking good. We should see lots of tasty reds being caught along with coral trout, tuskies, sweetlips and all the usual suspects. A good way to catch these reefies is slow pitch jigging whilst drifting over the reef. If you want to know what lures work best, pop into the shop and one of us will help you out. There has been some good trevally around lately with the 15 mile being a stand-out for these fish along with plenty of tuna. With this colder weather there has been a few good size snapper being caught on the inshore and offshore reefs when using a well presented fresh pilchard or squid bait.
LOCAL RIVERS
There is still a lot of freshwater in the local systems with Baffle Creek and Elliott River fishing the best. Fishing the high tide around the mouth of any of the rivers would be your best bet at catching a few fish. This time of year you will find a lot of flathead and whiting over the sand banks eating yabbies, and flathead also eating the whiting, mullet and sprat that fail to see their well camouflaged bodies. Another good spot to find flathead is any creek that runs out into the main river. The flathead love to lay there and ambush anything that will fit in their mouth. One of the best lures to catch flathead would be the Zman 3 inch minnow in a pink colour. For some reason flathead have always fallen victim to a well presented pink lure. Another good lure that catches any of the local fish is the MMD soft prawn. They have such a good profile that you hardly have to work this lure. Flicking lures around bridge pylon’s, wharfs and deeper structure is a great way to pick up a heap of different species as well.
MONDURAN DAM AND LAKE GREGORY
With all the fresh around at the moment, I would be looking to fish these two impoundments with lots of bass and barra being caught. Casting Jackall Squirrels and the Berkley Shimma pro rigs in Lake Monduran is a great way to entice a big barra into your boat. With the dam ever so slightly trickling over, let’s pray the rain holds off and no big barra go downstream. At the moment though, any new grassy points would be a great place to start as the barra explore the shallows in search for bait. Lake Gregory has been producing some quality bass around the 40cm+ mark and the odd toga. Toga love top water lures so anything like a bent minnow or a chase baits flexi frog would be a great choice. As for bass a 2-4 inch soft plastic worked over the weed beds has been super effective. Keep an eye on your sounder, as the weather cools down the bass will likely go deeper and school up.
May 26, 2022
BUNDABERG INSHORE
The inshore reefs have copped plenty of fresh water over the past week so the water is quite dirty. It’s definitely stirred up the grunter and snapper though! Jigging 20g soft vibes off the bottom as well as 5” soft plastics has been the favourite way to get the bite. There has also been plenty of tuna around so be sure to keep some small metal lures ready for when they pop up.
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE
The offshore reefs around Bundy have been fishing so good recently. The coral trout and red emperor have been chewing. With the new moon being early next week the fishing should be red hot this weekend. Using pilchards as bait for trout and mullet fillets for reds is my favourite way to target them. Remember to always focus on fishing one hour either side of the top or bottom of the tide, it can change your day if you make the most out of that two hour bite time. Fingers crossed the weather plays the game this weekend, remember to always check the latest weather reports before heading offshore.
BURNETT RIVER
With the fresh around and the new moon both linking up this weekend you will definitely have to drop your pots in for a mud crab. If you want to chase fish I’d be going towards the mouth to find some saltier water. There has been reports of some nice bream and grunter being caught towards the North Wall so be sure to try your luck around there. Small soft vibes and plastics hopped along the rock walls has been the way to go with a mixed bag of species likely to have a crack at your lure.
KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
The Kolan and Baffle have copped plenty of fresh as well, so fishing towards the mouths to find the saltier water will definitely be the go. With the new moon early next week the whiting should be on the chew. I’d be fishing the afternoon tide for them and drifting over weedy sand flats and drop offs to cover ground. The mud crabbing has been on in these two systems with all the fresh so be sure to drop the pots in this weekend.
LAKE MONDURAN
Lake Monduran has been producing plenty of metre plus barramundi even with the dam rising. Plenty of guys have gone back to using hardbody lures with Jackall Squirrels being the favourite. Fishing the timbers on the bank edges and using long pauses in your retrieve has been where it’s at. Remember to always fish with confidence, you never know when that metre plus barra will jump on your line.
May 16, 2022
INSHORE / OFFSHORE
The inshore reefs have been firing lately and with the good weather last weekend and earlier this week there have been plenty of cracking fish caught. Drifting the reefs jigging plastics or vibes has been the go-to strategy to get a few tasty reefies. The pelagics have also been smashing bait so keep an eye out for birds working, having a rod already rigged up with a metal slug is a great idea. This weekend’s weather forecast isn’t looking as favourable as we would like at the moment, so be sure to check the latest weather reports before heading offshore.
BURNETT RIVER
With the recent rain the river is full of freshwater and debris. Fishing close to the mouth will be the best option to get a few fish. There have been good numbers of bream and flathead at the North Wall on the run-in tide. Oily baits like mullet and pilchard will be the best in this dirty water. The crabs will be on the move so be sure to throw the pots in, mullet heads and chicken frames are my go-to baits.
ELLIOT RIVER / KINKUNA BEACH
With the Elliot being a smaller river system, the water will not be as dirty. The whiting and dart are definitely still a great target species. Pealed prawns, squid and sand worms are my go-to baits and I like to use a running ball sinker rig with a size 4 to 6 long shank hook. Gutters and shallow sand flats are the best places to fish especially when using burley. Drifting with the tide is also a great way to cover ground.
KOLAN RIVER / BAFFLE CREEK
The recent rain has affected both of these systems so most of the fishing will be done towards the mouth. Big grunter, whiting and flathead have been on the flats so using fresh prawns as bait and drifting these flats has been super effective. If lure fishing is your thing, I recommend a bloodworm coloured curl tail grub or a 70mm Samaki vibe in the pearl shrimp.
LAKE MONDURAN
With the recent rain the dam has risen to 85 percent and the cooler weather has slowed the fish down a little bit. The key has been to work your lure slower and use longer pauses to ensure your lure sits in the strike zone for as long as possible. With the water rising I would be looking in Bird Bay and in the Basin as there will be lots of newer points and tree lines to fish. Slow rolling plastics over newly submerged grassy points should see a few fish getting caught.
May 12, 2022
INSHORE AND OFFSHORE
Last Thursday to Saturday was the time to get out with good reports of big cobia and plenty of reefies such as coral trout, sweetlip, tuskfish and red emperor being caught. This weekend is shaping up to have winds around 10 knots but we all know what the weather is like and can turn nasty at the flick of a switch so keep an eye on the sky and the trusted weather reports. Be careful when heading out with all the rain that is meant to be coming as there will be a lot of debris floating out to sea. There has been some big queenfish and long tail tuna hanging around the inshore reefs with the odd spanish mackerel and heaps of school mackerel. The school mackerel love a metal flasher in the 30g size either dropped to the bottom with a high speed burn back to the boat or if there are a few bust ups throw it out in to the thick of the school and crank it like your life depends on it. If you like rock hopping there has been a few long tails and mackerel being caught on topwater lures and metal slugs like the new Mustad Ridgeback and the old faithful flasher. If you’re looking to try topwater the Nomad stickbaits or a Halco popper are my go to.
BURNETT RIVER AND ELLIOTT RIVER
With this rain on the way the rivers will be a bit fresh again so your best option is to fish around the mouth on an incoming tide. There has been good numbers of crabs being caught in the both of these rivers so it’s definitely worth throwing the pots in. This time of year the bream are feeding up a storm and plenty of whiting and grunter are also on the hunt, so make sure to throw a few small plastics along any gravel beds.
BAFFLE AND KOLAN RIVER
The Baffle has been producing quality grunter and mangrove jacks. One customer pulled 4 jacks from the boat ramp so it goes to show that you don’t have to travel far to get quality fish. The crabs are hungry and trying to put on lots of meat before they shut down for winter so it’s well worth trying to get a feed of crab whilst they are nice and fat. There has been a few flathead being caught in the Kolan River but with these changes in season you will see a mixed bag of fish being anything from your summer favourites to your winter favourites so get out there and have a go.
MONDURAN DAM
Around this time of year is really important to put in the time to learn the lake and how the fish react to different seasons and what triggers the fish to bite. The cooler weather makes the bite a bit harder but if you take the time to persist and learn you can still get plenty of barra. A bit of local knowledge goes a long way as well so don’t be afraid to talk to fellow anglers. If the barra aren’t biting you can still catch other fish with plenty of 50cm plus bass being caught as well…how good is this lake.
April 28, 2022
INSHORE/OFFSHORE
The wind this week once again looks like it’s not going to play the game. For the offshore guys and girls with the wind the way it is, it’s a perfect time to check over your gear and get your reels serviced and ready for when the weather gods turn it on. If you do decide to head out make sure to check the latest weather report.
BURNETT RIVER
The river at this time of the year is firing with good numbers of grunter, bream, flathead and the odd whiting. If you’re wanting to chase grunter and bream the best spots are the rubble beds, shale bottoms and deeper holes. A few good spots that come to mind are the molasses shed, rock walls between the Fairymead boat ramp and the Burnett Heads boat ramp, Strathdees boat ramp and the gravel beds towards the Port. The go to bait has been mullet strips and prawns, however lures are an extremely effective way to cover more ground. A Zerek Fish Trap in the 65mm pink eye or the Samaki pearl shrimp 70mm hopped along the bottom with long pauses should entice a few bites.
KOLAN / BAFFLE CREEK
The crabs have been on the move before we get some cold weather so the deeper holes at the mouths of the creeks are a favourite for me. The bait can be mullet heads, fish frames or even chicken frames from the local butcher. There has been some good whiting caught around the mouth of the Kolan using yabbies on the sand flats. The Kolan and Baffle also have good rocky bottoms and deeper holes to chase bream, grunter and flathead. When using bait I buy a whole mullet fillet, I use the fillets for bait and the left over frame for my crab pots.
LAKE MONDURAN
With the weather starting to cool down the fish have been sitting deep in the weed and in the shallow bays. The weedless plastics and top water lures have been producing the bites with the water temp at this time of the year playing a big part of catching barramundi. The trick is to find the warmer water and less pressured points to fish. The 140 Molix has been the go to lure for most anglers. The wind has pushed a lot more fish towards the back of the dam and the northern banks, remember to try and keep the wind at your back when looking for fish.
April 21, 2022
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE
The fishing offshore has been red hot lately as long as the weather is playing the game, coral trout have been on the chew as well as an occasional red emperor not being afraid to smack a well presented bait. Using pilchards as bait and prawn imitation plastic’s is a great way to get a few bites! With the small tides this weekend the deep should be on too, make sure you drop some big baits down. Fingers crossed the weather plays the game! Be sure to check the latest weather reports before heading offshore.
BUNDABERG INSHORE
The spanish mackerel have been on over the past week so be sure to troll some garfish or if anchored set some live bait out behind the boat. Another super exciting way to catch them is working surface lures, but be prepared to do a few casts to cover ground quickly. Halco rooster poppers have always been one of my favourite poppers to use! There has also been some very nice grunter being caught so be sure to do some fishing on the bottom for them, drifting baits or a heavy vibe hopped along the bottom is the go.
BURNETT RIVER
The Burnett was fishing and crabbing very well over the Easter long weekend! Plenty of cracking sized flathead and bream were caught on small paddle tail soft plastic’s or using prawns as bait. There’s also some really solid blue salmon starting to be caught so be sure to work some vibes in the deeper holes of the river. One hour either side of low tide has always been my favourite time to chase them. The quality of the mud crabs caught over Easter was impressive so be sure to drop the pots in whenever you have a chance.
BAFFLE CREEK AND THE KOLAN RIVER
These two systems have fished, crabbed and prawned very well over the past week! The two standout fish have been whiting and flathead, pumping yabbies at low tide and fishing the incoming tide over shallow sandbars will get you a tasty feed. The flathead have also taken a liking to small hardbody lures trolled and cast over shallow sandbars and gravel beds. These last few weeks have seen the crabs in good size and numbers, with the smaller tides this weekend I’d be dropping the pots in the deeper water near the drains.
LAKE MONDURAN
Lake Monduran is still fishing very well with plenty of Barra over the magic metre being caught every day! Large paddle tail soft plastic’s slow wound through heavy timber and Jackal Super Squirrels retrieved with a long pause in between twitches have been getting plenty of bites. The windblown points and bays are a great place to start looking for them. Any sounder with side scan will help tremendously but remember to fish with confidence, you never know when that metre plus Barra will jump on your line!
April 14, 2022
INSHORE AND OFFSHORE
Welcome back to another Fishing Report for the Easter long weekend. Hopefully this weekend we will be able to get offshore with the wind dropping out a bit on Saturday, Sunday and Monday however like always keep an eye on the weather reports. There has been a few nice longtails, mac tuna and mackerels of all types getting about. The big spanish mackerel have been falling prey to a slowly trolled dead or live bait whilst mac tuna, spotted and school mackerel taking a fancy to metal chrome lures. The nomad ridgeback has been a fish favourite when worked at an arm burning speed. With this cooler weather setting in we should see the snapper moving in to the inshore reefs and you should also see some big grunter being caught.
BURNETT RIVER & ELLIOTT HEADS
The Burnett River has seen a huge influx of bait recently, tarpon, trevally, bream and grunter have been working over these bait schools and by the looks of my sounder on Sunday night there are some big schools of salmon schooling up around the town reach. The Elliott has been producing some nice whiting, bream and flathead. One of the best ways to target these species is by casting 2-3 inch plastics for bream and whiting, but a 4-5 inch lure for flathead. Surprisingly there are still barra hiding in both river systems in big numbers, the trick is finding the bite times for when they want to feed and not when you want to catch them. If you find them schooled up, stick with them and throw a heap of different sized lures and colours. Don’t forget to throw in the pots with good reports of mud crabs on the chew.
KOLAN & BAFFLE CREEK
Both the Kolan and Baffle Creek have seen some quality crabs being caught and both rivers like most estuary systems this time of year are full of whiting, bream, grunter and flathead. Drifting around the edges of sand bars and drop offs during a run out tide will give you a better chance of hooking these bread and butter species. Prawns and mullet strips are always a go to but if you have a cast net you can’t beat fresh or live bait and you might even run into some good prawns to throw on the table this easter.
MONDURAN DAM
Word has it there is still some big girls getting about and this Easter weekend we should see some good numbers being caught. Upgrading your hooks and using heavy leader is always a great idea, this gives you a bit of insurance and peace of mind knowing that if you hook that elusive magic mete barra you have a good chance of landing it. Any of the soft plastics around the 6 inch mark or hardbody lures like the Classic Barra or Jackall Squirrel worked along the edge of the timber and weed beds is your best bet to hook one of the mighty Monduran barramundi. Changing up your lure selection or retrieve is often what will get one of these rod breaking machines to bite.
This Easter there will be a lot of people on the water so make sure you are patient and give everyone a wide birth, also if someone looks like they need a hand it never hurts to check if they’re okay. With that being said, I hope everyone has a great Easter and you get to eat lots of chocolate.
April 4, 2022
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE
With the weather looking a bit moderate for this weekend, it would be best to get out early to those closer offshore reefs. Good reports of coral trout, red emperor, parrot, sweetlip, and good size cobia, all being caught over the last week. Check your latest weather report before heading out.
BUNDABERG INSHORE
The local inshore reefs have been fishing well from Burnett Heads to Elliott Heads. The pelagic action has been going off. There has been plenty of spanish mackerel, schoolie mackerel, tuna, GT’s and queen fish, all in abundance. Trolling large size hard bodies or even dead baits will hook you up a good feed. Casting metal slugs around that 35 gram to 50 gram size will also get you a feed. Get out early before the wind picks up and find the bait, and you will find the fish.
BURNETT TO ELLIOTT RIVER
As the salt moves back through the Burnett River, it will start to clear and the bait fish will move back in the upper reaches. Good reports of flathead, grunter, bream, and mangrove jack have all been caught over the previous week. Crabs also have been plentiful so get the crab pots in.
KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
With the larger tides over the last few weeks, these two river systems are starting to fish well again. Good reports of grunter, whiting, bream, mangrove jack and good size flathead coming from both systems. Before heading out for a fish put the crab pots in, as we have had reports of good sized bucks being caught.
LAKE MONDURAN & LAKE GREGORY
As the weather starts to cool in Lake Monduran over the next week or two, it’s time to search for those warmer bays in the shallows. Casting soft plastics in the 5” to 6“ or hard bodies like your Jackall Squirrel or B52. Keeping in the zone for a period of time will get you more fish in the boat.
March 31, 2022
BUNDABERG INSHORE & OFFSHORE
Welcome back to another Bundaberg Fishing Report and what a report this is going to be. The mackerel and tuna are in full flight, and I mean literally jumping out of the water after the bait when they come through and smash the bait schools at a great rate of knots. All along the Bundaberg coastline you will see the birds working as the pelagics hunt from below with good reports of big queenfish, spanish and spotted mackerel, mac tuna and the odd longtail tuna all being caught. Whether it be from casting metal slugs like the trusty 20g and 50g flasher lures or the old Arma Anchovy in a range of sizes from 18g to 75g. Make sure you have a few different sizes to match the hatch to trolling hardbody lures like your Halco 190 or trolling live/dead baits. Thursday morning will be the best time to head out the front but keep an eye on the weather because you may get a window first thing in the morning. All the fishos who went offshore and hit the reefs out wide in the glass out weather we had last week were rewarded with good catches of reds, tuskys, trout, mackerel and cobia to name a few.
BURNETT TO ELLIOTT RIVER
With the bigger tides of late we have seen the salt return to these river systems but just remember that salt is heavier and sits at the bottom. If the water at the top of the river is still a bit fresh, it doesn’t mean that 10ft down is just as fresh because a lot of fish will travel upriver with the heavier saltwater in the bottom half of the water column. The Burnett has seen good numbers of bream and grunter returning with night fishing on the top of the tides being the best way to secure a feed of fish. Now that the saltwater has returned, so have the bait that was flushed out and with the bait returning so have the predators like the iconic barramundi and mangrove jack. There have been a few reports of barra being caught in both river systems and with a good sounder you will be able to find where they are and sit on them until they go into hunt mode and start destroying your lures and live baits. Just make sure you upgrade the trebles and split rings on your lures because some of the barra being caught are up around that metre mark and know how to straighten hooks and make a grown man cry! Don’t forget about the trusty flathead and whiting that are getting about. There is nothing better than seeing them hit a topwater lure. It has to be one of my favourite ways of catching these tasty buggers.
KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
The Kolan River would be the pick out of these two rivers with a few big sickle fish getting around. If you have ever caught one on light gear, you know how much fun they are to catch when they use that high body (like a dish plate) of theirs in the current to make you fight them the whole way till you get them boat side. There has also been quite a few reports of grunter, flathead and bream getting around in these systems with the odd jack and barra if you know where to look.
LAKE MONDURAN & LAKE GREGORY
Lake Gregory is often a place that gets overlooked but if you take the time to work it out it is a magical little lake surrounded with tall pines and dead trees up the far end that support a healthy bass fishery and pelicans in breeding season. If you’re after some bass, have a look at soft plastics in the 2 ½ inch range rigged on a weedless hook to work over the top and along the edges of the weed beds.
Monduran Dam will be starting to cool down with the cooler nights but the barra are still on the chew. You may have to work a bit harder to find where they are using a few different lures and different colours, but they are definitely worth the effort. The Molix Shad is still the stand-out lure but any of the soft plastics in the 6-inch range will do the trick, just make sure you have a strong hook and 60-80lb leader.
March 24, 2022
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE
With the smaller tides this weekend the reef fishing should be ON in the deep and shallows. March and April is one of my favourite times of year for chasing the big red emperors, so be sure to drop some big flesh baits down around the 40m mark. Fingers crossed the weather plays the game, but check the weather report before heading out.
BUNDABERG INSHORE
The inshore reefs has been producing some very nice grunter and grassy sweetlip over the past week. Most of these fish are being caught on 20g soft vibes and 5” soft plastics. With the water finally starting to clear up, looking for a spanish mackerel would be a great idea. I’d be thinking fishing down Elliott Heads way will be the go because that’s where the water clears up first. Trolling gar and hardbody lures is an ideal way to get the bite.
BURNETT RIVER
The Burnett is slowly clearing up and the bream are starting to chew. Working small soft plastics over rock bars and using small prawns as bait has been doing the trick. Plenty of grunter and flathead have been getting caught near the North Wall at the mouth as well so be sure to try your luck there. Don’t forget to drop the pots in, there’s been some very good quality mud crabs being caught in the main channels.
KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
The Kolan and Baffle have been producing some very nice mangrove jack over the past week. The early morning surface sessions some anglers have been having with them has been impressive. There’s also been some cracking sized whiting being caught. Pumping yabbies at low tide and fishing the incoming tide over shallow sandbars will get you into some whiting action. Be sure to keep your cast net handy in the boat because the prawns are starting to turn up.
LAKE MONDURAN
Lake Monduran is still firing on all cylinders. Plenty of fish were caught in the Humminbird Classic last weekend, with the biggest barra going 112cm. Again, Jackall Squirrels and paddle tail soft plastics has been getting most of the bites. Remember to always focus on fishing the windblown points and bays. Always fish with confidence. You never know when that 1m+ barra is going to jump on your line.
Congratulations to the Bulky Boar and Barra team winning the Annual Humminbird Australia & New Zealand Lake Monduran Barra Classic with a bag of 5.16m of Barra!
March 17, 2022
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE
With the recent weather patterns, most of the offshore spots haven’t seen much action and the fisherman have been chomping at the bit to get out wide. There should be some nice fish caught on the slack tides this weekend. We have a full moon so there will be a fair bit of run, but the top and bottom of the tide will be the times to fish. Always check the weather before heading out! The weather this weekend is looking ok but it could always change.
BUNDABERG INSHORE
The local inshore reefs have been producing some quality fish. Around the 4mile reef off the Elliott River, there has been coral trout, grassy sweetlip, grunter, queenfish and school mackerel. There has been reports of spanish mackerel off the coast too. The fish have been caught on a range of lures and baits. The Halco Laser Pro Red and White has been doing the damage. The soft prawn lures and the jerk shads have been working well on the trout, sweetlip and queenfish. They have also been catching mackerel floating unweighted pilchards.
KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
The river systems have been fishing well after the rain. With the freshwater running into the river, it stirs the mud up, filling the rivers with nutrients and it aerates the water. The prawns should start to be on the move as well. The grunter and bream have been caught throughout the river systems but most of the bigger models have been caught towards the river mouths. This time of the year, the flathead start to move onto the flats to chase the sprat, poddy mullet and prawns. They are always easier to catch in the shallow sand and mud flats, because they are looking for the bait fish that like the warmer water.
LAKE MONDURAN
This weekend the moons are going to be right. With the lead up to the full moon and the constant wind direction, we should see some cracking numbers coming out of the dam over the next week. The go to lures are Samaki Redic in the 100mm whitebait colour and 6 inch hollow belly rigged on a 8/0 ½ ounce Barambah jig head. The slow roll method for the retrieve has been producing the good size fish. The tree lines and submerged timber has been the pick of places with a lot of good size fish being caught and lost. There has also been a lot of weed growing in the dam again with some anglers using frogs and surface lures over the top; and this has been showing a few promising signs.
The Humminbird Fishing Classic is on at Lake Monduran from Friday March 18th to Sunday March 20th, so be aware if you are heading up to the lake this weekend that there will be more people about than usual. Good luck to all participants.
If you would like your catch photos published to be in the running for a $50 gift card every week, please email your details and photos (of local catches only) to: accounts@tackleworldbundy.com.au
March 10, 2022
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE / INSHORE
The weather at this period of time is looking alright for those bigger boats that want to get out and have a bottom bash. Good reports from the previous week with catches of red emperor, coral trout and sweetlip all coming onboard. For the smaller boats, get out early before the wind picks up. There have been reports of good pelagic action out around the leads, with queen fish, tuna and large GT’s. Check the weather forecast before heading out.
BURNETT RIVER
With the amount of fresh that has gone into the river over the last two weeks, fishing the river mouth would be your best option. There has been plenty of pelagic action happening.
KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
Both these systems fish very similar. With the amount of fresh water gone into both rivers finding live bait is the best bait. Pumping yabbies or throwing the cast net out to get fresh bait will give you a better opportunity to get a feed.
We have had good reports from the previous week of whiting, flathead and a few good grunter. Put the crab pots in before you head out for a fish.
LAKE MONDURAN
Lake Monduran over the last few weeks has had a good inflow, which has risen the lake around 2 metres higher.
Fishing has been a bit tougher than usual. Finding those areas where the barra feel comfortable and ready to feed has been key. Casting soft plastics in the 6” to 8” range has been catching a few good fish. Molix 140, shads, slick rigs and hollow bellies just to name a few. Casting hard bodies into the shallows has also been picking up some larger fish like the Jackall Squirrel 115, B52, Samaki Redics and Classics. As water levels and temperatures settle, fishing will pick up and we will see more consistent fish coming aboard.
March 03, 2022
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE / INSHORE
The weather this weekend looks like it is going to play the game, so this will be the chance to get out and chase those bigger reef species like coral trout, red emperor, and grassy sweet lip. There has also been a few nice pelagics caught off the coast. With the recent weather we have not been able to get out too wide, so there will be a few boats on the move.
This weekend is on the back of the new moon phase, so the tides will be smaller and easier to fish. As always, be sure to check the weather forecast before heading out.
BURNETT RIVER
With the recent rain and lots of freshwater in the river, the best chance to chase any fish will be at the mouth in the saltwater.
KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
Both river systems did not have as much freshwater flowing into them so they will still fish ok. There has been some nice flathead, bream and the odd whiting caught on the sand bars and rock walls in the river. The flathead and bream have been caught using live baits and prawns. The whiting have been caught using fresh peeled prawns and yabbies. They have been using strips of squid, finding the gutters and fishing them on low tide and the run-in tide has been producing the bigger models.
LAKE MONDURAN
The fishing has slowed down a little bit due to the weather conditions and with the recent water fall the dam has had an inflow of water. For the anglers that have been putting in the time they have been catching the bigger models. Trolling and casting has been the go-to methods, using bigger soft plastics and the 6 to 8 inch hard body lures. The shallow flats and tree lines have seen a few nice fish. The 80mm hard body twitched and paused over, and around the trees have been getting the bites.
February 24, 2022
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE
The offshore fishing has really been turning it on lately – when the weather is playing the game. The coral trout has definitely been the standout fish caught in good numbers offshore. Fishing for trout using pilchards, is the standout technique to get a feed but also using soft plastics can be a deadly way to catch them as well. Fingers crossed the weather plays the game for us this weekend. As always, check the local weather report before heading out.
BUNDABERG INSHORE
The pelagics have started to turn it on over the past week. The spanish mackerel and tuna has been the main two species being caught, trolling gar and hardbody lures has been getting most the bites. There’s also been some very nice grunter being caught as well, so be sure to do some bottom fishing while out there.
BURNETT RIVER
The Burnett is still quite fresh from the rain we’ve been experiencing, so fishing towards the mouth is a good idea. Anglers have been trolling the north wall with hardbody lures and been catching flathead, cod, mangrove jack and schoolie mackerel. Also, there’s some large morning tides this weekend so be sure to drop some crab pots in for a feed of muddies.
THE KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
The standout fish caught in these two systems has been the mangrove jack and flathead. Both these fish have been caught on 3” Zman Minnowz and live baits such as sprat and poddy mullets. There’s also been some queenfish lurking around the mouth of the Baffle, so be sure to throw some surface lures around if you see any bait flickering nervously. Again, don’t forget to drop the crab pots in with the big morning tides this weekend.
LAKE MONDURAN
Lake Monduran is still firing on all cylinders with 1m+ barra being caught every day on the dam. Fishing the windblown points and bays are great places to start searching for the barra. Hardbody lures and paddle tail soft plastics have both been getting their fair share of action. With the hot days we’ve been experiencing my favourite time to chase the barra is definitely early in the mornings when the temp is still down. Remember to fish with confidence!
February 17, 2022
INSHORE REEFS
At the stage of writing this report, the marine weather forecast for the weekend is looking half decent, considering last weekend was blowing a gale. Always check the weather before heading out because as we know, it changes faster than the weatherman can predict sometimes. Friday morning until Saturday lunch will be your best shot at filling the esky’s if you can get them past the men in grey suits…sharks. This time of year, the spotty and school mackerel will be in full swing and just around the corner is the spanish mackerel season where the line burners come into the shallow water, so every man and his dog can have a crack at them – weather permitting. If you’re lucky enough to be able to get out wide, there has been a few reports of good trevally stretching arms and the odd reds getting past the sharks.
BURNETT RIVER
It seems as though every time the Burnett River clears up, it ether buckets down or the not so Paradise Dam releases water and ruins the river fishing. Just before the last water release, there were good reports of jacks and barra on the chew and some big girls over the 1 metre mark shaking the hooks and leaving grown men shaking at the knees of what could have been. With the full moon and bigger tides this week, we should see the salt coming upriver, which means the bait returning from being flushed out and the fish following. There has been a good number of bream and some horses amongst them, falling victim to the MMD soft prawn, worked around any structure that holds bait or oysters. I have heard a whisper of prawns being caught too, so if you have a good sounder and a cast net, get out there and have a crack. The Elliott River has been the go-to, whilst the Burnett has been full of freshwater with good reports of mangrove jacks and some elbow slapper whiting being caught. Don’t forget about the grunter and flathead that are getting around too. Your best bet is to use soft plastics in the 3–4-inch range or hard bodies like the Zerek Tango or the Chasebaits Armour Prawn, slowly worked over the sand banks and where the sand meets the mangroves or rocks.
THE KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
The Baffle and Kolan have been producing some red-hot mud crab action so make sure you take the pots. The Baffle has been producing some nice queenfish and trevally caught on poppers and slowly twitched hard bodies worked past snags and bait balls. But I would be working these two rivers for the barra and jacks before the cooler weather hits in a couple of months. Got to make the most of the season before its gone. All your river species have been getting around like your whiting, bream, flathead and grunter so get the kids outdoors and have a good weekend making memories and feeding the fishing bug.
LAKE MONDURAN
With the main basin sitting around the 27-degree mark, most of the barra have been sitting up the back of the dam amongst the structure. You can coax them out of the structure with the 5-inch Shads soft plastic or the Molix Shad 140. Another good way to catch them is with the Barra Classics in the 10ft diving range or a Jackall Squirrell slowly trolled or twitched past the structure line.
February 10, 2022
INSHORE REEFS
With the weather for this weekend looking unpredictable and not looking too good for offshore, it’s time for some maintenance on the boat or to get a few jobs that need attending to on the boat. If you do venture out, ensure to check the latest weather report.
BURNETT RIVER
Over the last two months the Burnett has had a lot of fresh flow into it and has made fishing very tough. Over the last two weeks the Burnett has been on fire with good numbers of bream, grunter, flathead and even a few barra have been caught. With the amount of rain we have had over the last week and the fresh that has gone back in the river, I would be starting at the river mouth and working back up the river, as there may be a bit more salt mixed in with the fresh. Put the crab pots in before heading out for a fish. Good reports of big bucks being caught.
THE KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
Good reports from the previous week of flathead, grunter, mangrove jacks and good-sized whiting coming from both systems. Fresh bait is the best bait. Get the yabbie pump out and the cast net to get some fresh bait for your day’s fishing. If you’re into lure fishing, get out and flick a few lures around and under the mangroves to pick yourself up a few mangrove jack or cast 3”- 4” soft plastics to pick up a feed of flatties. Put the crab pots in before heading out for a fish as both of these systems have been producing the goods.
LAKE MONDURAN
With the storms about and warmer weather, the barra have been on the chew. Trolling hard body lures that get around that 10ft to 15ft; like the classics Jackall Squirrell 115’s, or even the Molix 140s have been producing those metre fish when fishing the deeper water.
Casting lures into the shallows in the back bays and off points early in the morning, has been working well also.
Lures like B52’s, Jackall Squirrells, Live Mullet, Tilsan Barra and Molix 140’s have been catching a lot of metre plus fish. Perseverance, patience and persistence may catch that fish of a lifetime!
February 3, 2022
INSHORE REEFS
The inshore reefs have been producing some very good sized queenfish. Targeting them with poppers on the surface, is great fun and is effective as. Halco Roosta poppers are my go-to for them. There’s also been plenty of schoolie mackerel being caught. Fast retrieving Flasha spoons vertically off the bottom and floating out pilchards is the way to go to get a feed of schoolies.
BURNETT RIVER
The Burnett has been producing some very nice grunter and flathead lately. Working 3” paddletail soft plastics over gravel beds and sandbars has been doing the damage. With the barramundi season now open, it would be well worth having a flick for them too. Working 20g soft vibes over rock bars towards the town reach is definitely a great way to get the barra bite. Don’t forget to drop the crab pots in as well, with the new moon tides this week the crabs will be moving.
THE KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
The mangrove jack has been the standout fish for these two systems over the past week. Working prawn imitation lures out of mangroves and rock bars has been the go-to technique. I’d be mixing it up with hopping soft vibes in the same areas for a barra too. Also, with the midday high tides this weekend, it would be perfect to pump some yabbies early in the morning and fish the incoming tide for a tasty feed of whiting. Again, don’t forget to drop the crab pots in. There’s been some very good quality mud crabs being caught in both these systems.
LAKE MONDURAN
Lake Monduran is still firing on all cylinders. Plenty of 1m+ barramundi are being caught every day. Jackall Squirrels and Molix Shads are still getting most of the bites. With the hot days we’ve been experiencing, fishing the early mornings is definitely my favourite bite time. Remember to always fish the windblown points and bays and always fish with confidence.
January 27, 2022
BUNDABERG INSHORE/OFFSHORE
With the weather report for this weekend not looking very good, the creeks and rivers will be the place to be. Remember to always check the weather report before heading out!
BURNETT RIVER
The river is starting to clean up with the fresh water in the river and the big tide at the start of the week. The bream have been firing. There has been bream caught up in the 40cm mark. They have been caught right through the river system from the Town Reach to the mouth of the river. The bream have been caught on live poddy mullet, prawns and mullet strips. There has been plenty caught using a lightly weighted line and float it back in with the current. The grunter have been caught around the rubble beds and sand bars. There has been some nice whiting caught towards the mouth with the cleaner water. Fresh yabbies and worms are the go to baits.
KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
With the two high tides throughout both days this weekend, the mangrove jack and the grunter will be firing. Live mullet will be the go to baits, fished around the rock bars and fallen timber in the river systems. If you’re looking to fish for them using lures, the Z’man 3inch paddle tails would be my go to lure in the soft plastics. In the hard body, the Lucky Craft red and gold is my personal favourite. The bream, flathead and whiting can also be caught on the rock bars and sand flats using baits.
LAKE MONDURAN
With the warmer weather around and the spawning season nearly over, the fish have moved back up the dam. The anglers have been finding that they are still catching them on the Molix 140 shad and the Jackall Squirell. The fish have been in the shallows in the morning then moving out into the deeper water when the sun gets higher in the sky. When the water warms up, we have been finding that the fish like to sit in the thermocline. The thermocline is normally around 3 to 4 meters deep. The bait and barramundi sit in the thermocline because the water is not as hot as it is on the surface. The tops of trees and old river beds have been working well. When working the Squirrels and hard body lures, the small twitches have been producing the bites. Keeping it in their face for longer seems to be the trick.
January 11, 2022
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE
The fishing offshore this weekend should be red hot with the full moon falling early next week. The morning tides are quite big so the coral trout and red throat emperor should be on the chew in the shallows. I’d definitely be focusing in the shallows until the afternoon tide change then I’d be fishing the deep for your red emperor when there’s not as much run in the smaller afternoon tide. Fingers crossed the weather plays the game. As always, check the local weather report before heading out.
BUNDABERG INSHORE
The schoolie mackerel have definitely been the standout fish caught in the past couple of weeks on the inshore reefs. Fast retrieving flasha spoons and floating pilchards down has again been the standout technique. Remember to stay away from wire traces when chasing schoolies, using 60lb fluorocarbon as trace – that will get you the bite. Also, there’s been some very nice late seasoned snapper being caught as well. Jigging 5” soft plastics off the bottom has been doing the trick.
BURNETT RIVER
With the rain we experienced again last weekend the river has freshened up again so I’d definitely be focusing on fishing towards the mouth. I’ve heard of some nice flathead, bream and whiting being caught on fresh baits such as yabbies and live sprat. There’s also some stud mangrove jack being caught on the North Wall so be sure to have a flick for them. Don’t forget to drop the crab pots in, with the full moon tides and the fresh the mud crabs should be ON!
THE KOLAN RIVER AND BAFFLE CREEK
The Kolan and Baffle have also experienced plenty of fresh in the systems over the past week so I’d definitely be fishing towards the mouth. With the full moon early next week the whiting should be around on the shallow sandbars. Pumping yabbies at low tide then fishing the incoming tide is the way to go to get a tasty feed of whiting. There also been some cracker sized mangrove jack being caught. Setting live baits and hopping soft vibes over rock bars and out of mangroves, has been doing most of the damage. Don’t forget to drop the pots in because there’s plenty of mud crabs getting caught in both these systems.
LAKE MONDURAN
Lake Monduran is still firing with 1M+ barramundi being caught every day. Working Molix Shads and Jackal Squirrels out of windblown bays and points has been doing most the damage. Remember to fish with confidence, you never know when that fish of a lifetime is going to smash your lure!
January 6, 2022
BUNDABERG OFFSHORE
We’ve had good reports of red emperor, coral trout, grass sweet lip and parrot being landed. Light winds are predicted for the coming weekend. As always, check your current weather report before heading out.
BUNDABERG INSHORE
The inshore reefs in the local area such as the Cochrane Artificial, the 2 Mile and the 4 Mile have all been fishing well. We have had good reports of snapper, and large size grunter being caught as well. Also, in these areas pelagics such as queenfish, trevally and spanish mackeral have been caught too.
BURNETT RIVER
With the bigger tides from the previous week pushing the cleaner water through the system, the Burnett River is starting to pick up. Reports of good sized bream, flathead and grunter are being a regular catch. Before heading out for a fish, put the crab pots in. Nice sized bucks have definitely been on the move.
KOLAN AND BAFFLE CREEK
With both these systems starting to clean up after previous rains, reports of whiting, flathead, grunter and mangrove jack have all been caught. Also, as a great sport fish the queenies have been showing up at the mouth of the Baffle. Both these systems have been crabbing well also, so put the pots in before heading out for a fish.
LAKE MONDURAN
Monduran is a lake that can change from week to week, from a change in wind direction, water level and water temperature. From a combination of both rain and a south-easterly wind can drop water temperatures, making fishing tough. As water levels have risen over the previous month, weed that’s in the shallow starts to rot and takes the oxygen out of the water in that area. Areas that fished well previous to rain may not be as productive in the coming weeks. Starting over and finding new ground where fish can be holding can be crucial to catch rates in the future. Follow the wind and find that water temperature that’s a degree or two above anywhere else. Fishing off points or backs of bays may give you the edge.
