Elliott River
We have continued to see the Elliott fish really well this week, and just like our other local systems it has produced some quality mud crabs as well!
Last week did see a great run of mud crabs in this system, those who worked their pots or dilly’s to find where the better quality crabs were did exceptionally well.
With the building tides this weekend getting right up the back of this system into the shallows where possible should see some good results.
The fishing up the top of this system has been red hot for those targeting mangrove jack, cod and grunter.
Live bait has been the go to option for those who can get their hands on some.
Fishing the deeper areas during the run out tide has been the hotspot for this style of fishing.
The shallow flats at the mouth of the river have also housed some solid flathead along with schools of trevally and queenfish.
Hopping small soft plastics along the shallows and down the drop offs has seen good results.
Inshore/Offshore
Fortunately for us this last week has seen some more good periods of weather which has enabled plenty of people to head offshore.
We have seen the gutters fish well along with those fishing small patches of fern and isolated bommies get plenty of quality fish.
Great numbers of venus tusk fish, grass sweetlip and hussar are around in these areas however the prized catch has been the red emperor.
These fish have been chewing and the smaller tides this week has been perfect for us anglers to capitalize on this.
Whole squid, cuttlefish or mullet fillet rigged on a set of gang hooks is the way to go for these big reds either on a running ball sinker rig or a single paternoster rig.
The Spanish are very thick at the moment especially out wide around the gutters, 5 Degree, Warrego’s and Herolds.
There has also been some good sized Spanish around the 10kg mark caught inshore along our coast. Trolling whole garfish has worked great, as well as floating out a live bait using a balloon rig.
For those fishing inshore there is plenty of action happening. Like mentioned above there has been some Spanish around, but in particular great numbers of school mackerel, golden trevally, grunter and grass sweetlip.
The 2 mile, Ryans Patch and the Artificial are all housing these fish, hopping soft vibes and soft plastics along the bottom whilst having a live bait floating out has been a great technique at the moment.
Burnett River
This week has seen more fresh water come downstream from the upper reaches of the Burnett which unfortunately will prolong the time until this system clears up especially towards the top of this system.
In the short term this is obviously not ideal for us fishos however it will set us up for a great year ahead in terms of the fishing quality from the Burnett.
With the fresh running through this system the crabs have been very thick, not the best quality of crab with some legal bucks getting thrown back due to their softness, however there are some crackers in the mix.
If you do want to wet a line on the Burnett fishing around the mouth of this system will be your best shot for now.
The rock walls have seen good sized bream and cod along the wall itself, and big grunter and flathead sitting at the base of these walls where the rock meets the sand. Mullet fillet, sprat and squid have been good bait options, if you are into lures a soft vibe would be our pick in this dirty water.
Kolan River
The creeks in the Kolan have been firing this week with good numbers of jack on the chew!
Live bait has been seeing plenty of action when fished around heavy structure and during the run out tide.
We have also seen some big cod, grunter and flathead taking some big live baits as well.
The mouth of this system has also been fishing well along the shallow sand flats and around all the fallen trees.
The incoming tide has proved best when fishing the mouth of this system, fresh yabbies fished on the shallow flats have been dynamite on the whiting and grunter.
The crabbing in this river has also been very consistent so this weekend should see some more quality crabs come out of this system.
Baffle Creek
The big tides last week certainly helped to push more salt back into this system and we have seen some great fishing again this week especially around the brackish areas of the river.
Plenty of whiting have been on the move and those using fresh yabbies particularly at night on the shallow flats have seen good results.
Fishing areas slightly in the dirty water where their is a mix of both fresh and salt has seen best results for these whiting.
Some cracking grunter have also been caught in similar areas, fresh yabbies do work well on these guys however whole sprat, prawns and mullet fillet have got the job done as well.
Hopping soft vibes in the dirty water along deep banks or through deep holes has picked up some quality grunter and flathead.
If you are lure fishing working areas quite quickly has managed to find some good numbers of fish willing to feed.
The crabbing has been a bit slow on the Baffle this week with plenty of jennies and undersized bucks around.
Those who are finding some quality crabs are working their pots to find where they are sitting.
Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory has had another good week of fishing, the bass have been found in great numbers along the edges of the lake as well as schooled up in the deep.
Those fishing the edges of the lake have done really well on small hardbody lures twitched and paused along the weed edges and towers.
Covering plenty of ground doing this style of fishing is key as you constantly find new fish. Sounding around the middle of the Lake has found great numbers of bass schooled up around the 15 foot mark.
Slow winding small paddle tail soft plastics through these fish has got the bites.
Daiwa Bait Junkie 3.2inch minnows as well as Zman 2.5inch Slim Swimz are two great options for the lake at the moment.
Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran sure is producing great numbers of metre barra for those putting in the effort at the moment.
Plenty of these fish are still in the main basin, those with live sonar have been getting great results when fishing the basin during night time.
Hardbody lures like the Samaki Redic range have been fantastic on these barra over the last few weeks with Zerek Live Mullets and Fishcraft Dr Shads also being two great options.
Obviously not everyone has live sonar and fortunately it is certainly not a must have to fish the dam.
Plenty off anglers are still catching these fish without it either casting or trolling.
For those who want to troll ensure to stay between 3km/h and 4km/h for best results.
Trolling big swimbaits like Fishcraft Dr Shads, Berkley Shimma Pro Rigs and Irukandji Sicario DTF’s should see the best results.
There is fish all through the main basin and up into Bass Straight so be sure to cover the whole area and take note of where you see most numbers of fish on your sounder.
If you aren’t sure where to start trolling, the buoy line and the bank directly across from the boat ramp are good places well worth a try.
From the team at Tackle World Bundaberg
