Inshore
The last couple of weeks has sure seen our inshore reefs fishing really well.
Some good numbers of tuna have been thick along the coast, majority have been big mac tuna however there are some cracking longtails getting around as well.
Soft plastics like the new Cast Echo range of jerk tail soft plastics have got the bite.
Good sized spanish are still being caught along the coast in particular around low light periods such as dawn and dusk.
Trolling whole garfish has worked well, high speed spinning some Flasha spoons around balls of bait has also worked well when the spanish are thick.
Plenty of school mackerel have been caught as by-catch whilst targeting these spanish, these guys are great eating when put on the smoker so be sure to try this next time you get a feed of school mackerel.
For those into their lure fishing some quality snapper and grunter are being caught along the coast on soft plastics and soft vibes.
The 2 mile off Bargara and the Artificial off Elliott Heads has produced some good numbers of these fish.
Offshore
It’s no secret that the offshore fishing has been red hot, the last few weeks have provided plenty of opportunities for anglers to head out and most have taken full advantage of it.
The standout fish has got to be the cobia that have been around the wrecks and even out wide at the reefs like the Herald Patch.
These fish aren’t fussy and love all things bait, soft plastics and jigs.
We have seen the deep water produce some really good quality fish lately, those fishing ground in 35 m to 45 m have found some great sized trout, sweetlip and good numbers of big large mouth and small mouth nannygai.
The key has been to be fishing small structures or fern country, not fishing the big shows of bait or big bommies.
Doing plenty of drifts when out is also a great way to cover plenty of ground to find a patch of feeding fish, but this also helps to find new ground.
Whole squid and big flesh baits have been the go to baits when fishing the deep water, rigging them on a set of gang hooks is the way to go.
Burnett River
The big tides this week have helped to push some salinity back into the Burnett and things are looking promising for the next few weeks.
For now the majority of fishing is still being done around the mouth of the river along the rock walls.
There have been reports of good sized bream and grunter being caught on whole sprat or mullet fillet when fished close to the rock walls especially during the run out tide.
Those chasing the big flathead that have been around have had more success fishing slightly deeper where the rock meets sand.
Hopping soft plastics and soft vibes along the base of the rock walls back to the boat has been very effective.
Some good sized cod are also getting around the mouth of the river too, these guys aren’t too fussy however a strip of mullet fillet would be our pick.
For the crabbers, this river is producing good numbers of bucks for those placing their pots in deeper holes and along steep banks.
If you are into crabbing be sure to give it a go whilst there is still a good amount of fresh in this system.
Kolan River
Even with the fresh water in the Kolan it has managed to fish quite well for big flathead and grunter.
Fishing the deep banks and deep holes during the run out tide has produced some very good results.
Whole sprat, mullet fillet and whole prawns have been the go to baits.
For the lure fishos paddle tail soft plastics bounced through the deep holes and along the banks has picked up some good quality fish.
At the mouth of the system there has been good numbers of quality sized bream and whiting caught on the shallow flats during the incoming tide.
Fresh yabbies have proved to be a deadly bait however beach worms are also a good option.
It is also well worth throwing the pots in as there has been some ripper muddies pulled from this system.
Elliott River
The Elliott River has been fishing really well again this week, this system is super clean at the moment which the big queenfish and trevally have loved.
Plenty of these fish have been caught around the mouth of this system on fresh baits floated out like whole sprat.
Soft plastics and hardbodies fished along the banks and in the channel at the mouth has done well at finding one of these pelagic fish passing through.
Up river in the holes have found good numbers of flathead and grunter especially near the bottom of the tide.
Hopping soft plastics through these deep holes is very effective, if you are into bait fishing, a whole prawn has been getting the bites when fishing up river.
Baffle Creek
Baffle Creek is still quite fresh and dirty however the fishing has improved especially with the big tides this week helping to bring some salt back into this system.
For now fishing around Woodgate and down towards the mouth of the river is going to give you the best results and targeting deeper banks and deep holes with be a good idea.
We have seen some cracking grunter being caught with some fish nudging over 70 cm!
These fish have loved whole sprat or mullet fillet and they have been caught around the rock bars and in the deep holes.
Great numbers of solid bream are also on the chew in this dirty water, small prawns have been the go to bait to get these fish to bite.
Plenty of small trevally are also on the move this week with the big tides, these fish have been smashing bait in areas of high current.
If you love your lure fishing be sure to throw a topwater lure around the snags and rock bars this week as these trevally have been going mental over them!
Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran is heating up in more ways than just the water temp at the moment!
This week has seen some cracking fish hit the deck with barra up to 114 cm being caught.
Not only are the barra absolutely massive at the moment but the numbers of fish being caught is great too.
These fish have well and truly moved up into the shallows so targeting the edges of the dam getting hit with wind is a great place to start.
A lot of the fish being caught have ate a suspended hardbody lure sat right in front of their face.
A Samaki Redic DS80 is hard to beat and is a lure that is quickly becoming a must have when fishing this dam.
Anglers with live scope well and truly have the advantage at the moment as precision is key.
Ensuring your lure tracks right in front of a barra’s face is what more than often triggers the bite.
Not only that, live scope enables you to see how each fish reacts to certain lures, enabling you to find out what they are most likely to eat.
