Zac was one of many fishos out there chasing snapper as soon as the season opened.
Beaut Weather for the Dark of the Moon
Trying to keep up with the ever-changing weather forecasts from the BOM and the online weather sites is darn-right dizzying these days. Last week was a classic example, once again. So, regardless of the suggestions below, always check the very latest updates and plan your trips to coincide with the best of the weather.
Minimal rain has fallen on the Fraser Coast this past 48 hours (contrary to all the hype). What was going to be a soggy week right through to Sunday is now looking fine and very appealing. It is a different matter for those to our south however. Lucky us eh!
Light and variable to 10 knots is the call for both today and tomorrow for Hervey Bay waters. Absolutely perfect! Sunday will be a little breezier, with perhaps 15 knots from the south early, tending south-easterly late morning. Watch the forecasts for Sunday, as some are saying a stiffer breeze to 20 knots (whilst the BOM says a max of 15 in the bay and up to 20 offshore).
As far as the working week goes; expect a fairly light breeze from the south-east Monday, then even lighter winds Tuesday, before a brief round of stiffer northerlies mid-week remind us that winter is pretty much over and spring is just around the corner. All-in-all, it should be a delightful week, and a darn sight warmer too which is great.
Tides wise, there will be plenty of current courtesy of the new moon this Saturday. Bigger high tides at night following the lowest lows in the afternoon, mean a tad less current for the morning session. These spring tides are particularly productive for many species, so are not to be missed if you have the chance to get out on the water. Read on for a round-up of last week’s highlights and a few tips for this week.
Spanish mackerel are getting caught in numbers from northern surf gutters on Fraser Island.
GTs are harassing the juvie choppers along with the spaniards on Fraser.
Pack the whiting gear if heading for Fraser's surf side. Quality 'ting are making up for the small choppers and they will bite well over the darks.
Tailor-wise, it's just choppers either side of legal on Fraser at present.
Baitfish Remain Scarce Beneath Urangan Pier
The herrings’ extended hiatus from Urangan Pier waters is quite remarkable. Appearing randomly at high tide for mere minutes, they have been conspicuous by their absence. In otherwise fine water quality, it is hard to recall a time when the pier lacked its resident baitfish hordes for such an extended period. This lack of bait has tainted the bream season somewhat, but you can still catch a modest feed with a little effort.
The main attraction for fishos taking the long walk to the deep end is the number of small jewfish out there. They are quite prolific, taking live baits, well-presented dead baits and a variety of lures. Fish achieving the minimum legal size of 75cm are rare, and the average fish being caught are well short of that mark too. “Soapies” our southern compadres would call them. A good sign for the future, and fun for the kids, who hopefully are treating them respectfully and handling them with care prior to release.
Put the effort in to catch pike for live bait and a flathead or two could be caught from the pier. Otherwise, there has been a few undersized chopper tailor hanging around some days and the odd school mackerel has paid a visit. Legal tailor and mackerel have been possible, but they are outnumbered by their smaller cousins.
Nath proving he can catch impoundment barra just as well as he catches big salties.
Terry Allwood of Flick It Charters fame is your man for customised barra charters on Lake Monduran.
Dane had a blinder fishing with Flick It charters, catching several fish through the day and a couple into the evening.
Dane's best Mondy barra last Saturday was this lovely 109. Live scope helped find the active fish and small lures tricked them.
Time for the Whiting to Turn it On
Sand whiting are well and truly due to appear at the beach end of the pier and along our town beaches, if not slightly overdue. The proliferation of westerly winds throughout the whole of this winter seems to have affected fish movements inshore. Northerly winds and generally more onshore than offshore breezes should take effect from now on, and a ‘normal’ pattern would see whiting gathering to spawn.
Look to take advantage of any onshore blow that coincides with larger spring tides (such as what might transpire mid-week) if you are keen to try for some early season whiting. The stretch of beach from Torquay - through Shelley Beach, the nearby groynes and the pier - to the aquarium, is where much of the whiting action will be centred in coming weeks and months.
Rising tides from mid-tide up over the full and new moon will be most productive. The early stage of the ebb tide will be equally as fruitful over those periods too. Evening sessions are the go initially, as the whiting remain cautious in clearer waters and have less chance to feed during daylight hours at this time. Soon enough, the spring northerlies will pound our north-facing town beaches and daylight sessions will be rewarding in milky churned-up waters. Until then, grab a headlamp and prepare for evening sessions.
Boaties have the luxury of being able to go find the whiting, in lieu of waiting for them to come to our beaches. Many local whiting gurus will be out and about pumping yabbies over the afternoon lows this weekend as they ready themselves for an early evening session on a flat or near the mouth of a favourite creek system within the Great Sandy Straits.
Bag limits of plump whiting are only a matter of a couple of hours’ effort. Quality fish averaging 35cm seem to be what most are catching from over Fraser way and down the straits. Even bigger fish to beyond 40cm can be found within our rivers in smaller numbers, yet such fish can turn up elsewhere too. A big improvement in whiting catches is anticipated for this year’s spawn, as our local waters are no longer netted like they used to be. Much to look forward to for whiting fans this spring, and an easy feed in the offing if you are keen this weekend.
A couple of guys have been wandering the local flats catching whiting on tiny topwater lures. Not always the biggest of fish, but fun all the same. Slightly murkier waters soon will see larger fish in the mix when the sun is high in the sky. Rising tides over the Booral Flats, the Eli Flats and the entrances to our creeks couple with low tide sessions along our beach flats, as options for some topwater fun.
Does anyone try to catch whiting at night on poppers and little stickies shore-based? I understand the visual appeal of the daytime affair, but being an avid nocturnal topwater fisher for other larger predatory species, I imagine success would be almost guaranteed after dark. In particularly skinny water, maybe only inches deep too, I would assume. If you are an experienced tiny topwater tactician; you have your rhythm down pat for walking the dog, and your blooping techniques perfected for your poppers, then the next step would be giving it a try. Bound to be fun, with bigger fish in the mix – surely!
HBGFC members are back in action targeting game fish. If you want to weigh-in a special capture, contact the club.
The McLeod crew got amongst the big yellowfin tuna over the shelf last week. Chances are more will be caught this week.
This is the class of yellowfin being caught along our shelf line at present. Fish to 40kg+ are being caught, and even bigger fish are out there.
Big New Moon Tides Excite Flats Fishos
Boaties can take on the whiting on our flats, or turn their attention to bream whilst putting their lightest finesse tackle to work this week. There are ample locations to head to for both species, and some where they will be feeding together. Fraser’s western flats are prime examples. Fish can be found up the island, but it is from Moon Point south where many with history in this fishery will be heading.
Remembering the (frustrating) extended go-slow zones that encompass much of that territory is prudent, or you might be paying unexpected fines. It is a 6-knot limit in the go-slows these days too, not just non-planing speed, so ensure you give yourself time to get in and out of those gutters and creeks over there. Be wary of being caught by the tide on the flats if that is new terrain for you.
Flathead remain a most eagerly sought after species in the same areas, if not (conveniently) at differing stages of the tide to the whiting and bream. Pepper any drains and riffles where these accomplished ambush predators will be lurking and success will come. Hammer the same grounds as the many crews ahead of you and results will be less than what they might be, so go the extra mile when you are sharing the water with too many competing fishos.
Head further down the straits and there will be plenty of the abovementioned species, along with schools of blue salmon and grunter to chase. The blues will be the easiest to find, as they will cause a commotion on the surface when feeding in the shallows. The grunter will be stealthier and less inclined to chase lures over distance, but both species will be moving up onto select flats with the incoming tide.
You might find a few stray threadies on the flats, with more of their clan lurking within the creeks and deeper water. To find flats threadies at this time, look for dirty water created by wind and waves, or tidal effect across silt-laden flats. Threadies are dirty water specialists, so they are more inclined to feed at night when our straits waters are this clear. Interestingly, they have been witnessed creating their own pockets of dirty water by swirling and disturbing the muddy bottom in little shallow bays within creeks down the straits, enabling them to pounce on the mullet etc under cover of dirty water. Clever fish, and so much fun to catch in such a scenario let me assure you.
Queenfish are another flats special over the dark of the moon. You might head for sandy junctions and channels traversing flats down the straits, or just harass the fish that frequent the bay islands. These big tides will have the queenies on the chew, so break out the stickbaits and poppers for maximum fun, or simply speed up your retrieves and get extra-erratic with your jerks and twitches when working plastics. Don’t be surprised to encounter schools of small golden trevally or the odd larger fish whilst taking the plastic approach either.
Jack talked this fine salty into biting. It will be full steam ahead for saltwater barra fishos in coming weeks.
Huntah had a ball fishing the straits catching flatties like this fine model.
Jack put his usual tactics to work on the straits threadies and came up trumps.
Jacko up to his usual tricks catching flatties. Soft vibes are deadly on them in deeper water.
Big Tides Advantage Trollers in our Rivers
Our local river systems are alive with fish at present, and are set to improve heading into spring. The Mary’s population of herring would make frustrated Urangan Pier fishos envious at present, and all this baitfish is drawing in the predators. Blue and threadfin salmon are making their way upriver with the bait, yet they are still quite scattered and aren’t schooling up as yet.
They will, very soon, but for now, trollers have a significant advantage. Being able to cover ground like no-one else, trollers can swim their lures past numbers of salmon scattered along a stretch of waterway. The Mary is particularly conducive to trolling effort, given its vast stretches of deeper water. The stronger currents and quicker tide turns of the springs create challenges for lure casters in the main river flow, whilst trollers can plod away, experimenting with different profiles and depths at varying stages of the tide.
The lower reaches of the Mary and a few miles of the Susan will be popular for flathead fishos and those happy to mix it with blue salmon. A few tailor and school mackerel might be found at River Heads, along with passing schools of blues. Jewies would be worth chasing when the tide is slack, and if the heads is like so many other locations in the southern bay, then you would expect to at least catch a few undersized models.
The Burrum continues to be popular amongst lure casters. Anything from flathead, bream and tailor to grunter, salmon and barra can be targeted with varying degrees of confidence. Though seemingly fairly rare, jewies are possible from deeper holes not far upstream, and mackerel are even a chance around the mouth. Whiting will get a touch-up at night over the darks if the locals are up to their usual tricks, and those that try the same nocturnal yabby-soaking efforts a little further upstream might hook into a few grunter.
Crabbers are revelling in a seemingly never-ending mud crab march that should see them on the move over the darks. Big, heavy, totally-full crabs are the stuff of dreams for many crabbers this winter; some of which were previously of the belief that muddies couldn’t be caught in a month without an “R” in it. Old wives’ tale from down south that one perhaps, as it certainly doesn’t apply in our waters.
Prawners can put their cast nets to work over the darks if they aren’t already satiated. The big bananas of the Gregory are joined by equally impressive prawn from the Mary system for those willing to put in the effort. Use your sounder and scan for big schools of prawn. You are not messing around drain-bashing and catching a few at a time this late in the season. You are looking for the motherlode, in fairly deep water.
Contact staff member Logan if you wish to avail of his Livescope hire systems. Try before you buy, or just grab the tech for a weekend away.
Luke can't help himself, and needs his regular coral trout trolling fix even at the toughest time of year to catch them in the shallows.
Big bream are prolific right now. Get amongst them in the lower reaches of our rivers or on the shallow reefs beyond.
New Moon Prime Time for Snapper
You couldn’t ask for better conditions or better tides for snapper fishing in Hervey Bay this week. Saturday’s new moon and the days immediately thereafter are primo, and the snapper will most assuredly bite. Sadly, so too will the darn sharks! Tragic tales of big knobbies and squire of various sizes lost to shark depredation echoed through the grapevine last week, as the season opener revealed the proliferation of bities shadowing the bay’s snapper schools.
Even over poor tides, quality knobbies were caught, but many more were lost to the sharks. Many of the easily accessible and well-known inshore hotspots had snapper in attendance. Repeated drifts working softies over likely ground soon realised success during periods of low light. Repeating that success fast becoming a challenge if you were even lucky enough to land a fish in the first place. It is a screaming disgrace that these majestic old fish are being wasted so consistently due to the overpopulation of sharks in our waters. If our governors don’t do something about this issue soon, there will be little genetic memory and way too few fish left to recover our past stocks.
That said, this set of darks is not one to miss if you want to get into Hervey Bay’s snapper. If history is repeated, then some crews will enjoy crazy sessions catching fish after fish up in Platypus Bay. Live yakkas will be the bait of choice for the bait fishos, whilst those favouring lures have more excellent offerings today that they ever had. Lightly-weighted baits drifted down berley trails on sunset and into the evening were favoured in the past, but these days, you have to consider the shark issue, so highly mobile crews running and gunning from spot-to-spot hopping plastics and jigs at dawn, dusk and over tide changes often enjoy the most success.
Instant success for Coxy when he went looking for open season snapper in the bay.
Nomad's mad new Live Ops Jerksquid and Twitcher Shrimp are proving deadly on all manner of fish from flatties to snapper.
Snapper are on the hit list for Saltwater Playground fishing charters. This set of darks is prime time, so lots will be caught this weekend.
Trollers so adept at catching the odd snapper close inshore could put their same Dr Evils etc to work on the knobbies up Wathumba way and enjoy significantly more success. Trevally and tuna bycatch might see you getting an unexpected work out here and there, yet your ability to cover ground and find snapper schools that have wandered well away from the reef systems is unmatched. Trolling tactics also tend to minimise contact with sharks when deployed across the paddock too, so there is another bonus.
The 25 Fathom Hole gave up quality snapper this past week, and there was nothing flash about the tides until now either. This area is a great option for those keen to try their hand at working plastics in deeper waters than those found closer inshore. The general lack of sharks up there being of extra appeal too. You will need heavier jig heads, in the 3/4 to 1 ounce range for those waters, but you still don’t need to go heavy in the tackle department.
There will be plenty of snapper out at the Gutters at present, and quite a few over Rooneys way too. Concentrating your efforts at dawn and dusk or into the evening will better your chances, as will working the fringes of the reefs in lieu of the hard reef proper. Scan the fuzzy-bottom some distance away for snapper milling about when the sun is high in the sky and present plastics or jigs to them. Expect plenty of trevally bycatch around the more prominent reefs – like lots!
If you can't get the bay's snapper past the sharks, then head offshore where they can be found in big numbers
Gary Harman went deep dropping and got amongst the snapper and pearlies.
Gotta be happy with pearlies this big when deep dropping, eh Gary.
Big Cobia Galore in the Northern Bay
Snapper bycatch can be vast and varied, and one such form is rather large. That is the mighty cobia, which are turning up all over the eastern and northern bay at present. Many are being caught regularly off Rooneys and Wathumba, and out at the Gutters, anywhere yakka schools are abundant. Surprise, surprise, the main bait catching cobes is live yakkas, though they can be tempted with many forms of bait and lures.
Some of the cobes calling Hervey Bay home at present are huge! 25- 30 kilo fish are big, very big, but still fall well short of the mammoth proportions of some of the fish cruising our waters. Be prepared for enormous fish and keep your cool when you hook one. They are actually very easy to bring boatside with a smooth and gentle approach. As I’ve stated a few times before, attack cobia with heavy drags and rigorous rod work and a tough fight will ensue. Go gently, and they will come to you surprisingly quickly. Lessons learnt catching huge fish on light tackle and suffering more from the fight on heavy gear.
Live yakkas can be sent to the bottom to catch trout, reds, nannies, reef jacks and various cod when fishing the northern bay reefs. Bycatch can be longtail tuna, who knows how many trevally, spangos and sweeties etc, but another spiky-faced critter might also get in on the act this time of year. It is around now (over the darks in particular) that the occasional black marlin is hooked whilst fishing for other species. Maintaining your cool when this happens will be the difference between a fairly rare capture and a cool happy snap; and a tale of what might have been. Be prepared for anything whilst live baiting the northern bay this time of year.
Big cobia are quite well-spread throughout the northern and central bay, and Hot Reels Charters is into them.
Saltwater Playground charter clients are having fun with the prolific cobia up the island.
Cobia are being caught regularly on Hervey Bay charter boats such as Hot Reels.
Spaniards are being caught on Hot Reels charters once again.
Sensational Fishing Offshore
Take advantage of the brilliant weather this Saturday if you get the chance and head offshore. There will likely be swell to 1.5m or more, so consider your capabilities if crossing Breaksea Spit. You can always go around it further north if you have to. Sunday won’t be nearly as good, so get home by midday if overnighting out there.
Those that have snuck over the bar recently have shared stories of success and hordes of whales. A lack of shark activity on sectors of the shoal country has made filling an esky with reef fish a fairly easy affair. How long this shark hiatus will last would seem relative to the amount of boating traffic, so make the most of this opportunity if you can.
There are schools of snapper actively hunting around reef systems well inside the shelf. There are lots of amberjack hanging around prominent structure in similar depths, and a few solid green jobbies and various species of cod. The lack of current has made life easy for fishing the hard grounds and meant more rocky-reef and coral-dwelling species are caught in quicker succession.
Less current means less tuskfish in the esky for some crews as drifts are shorter and more reef-focussed, resulting in less time drifting the tuskie country beyond the reefs proper. Red throat emperor (RTEs) will be on the chew and easily targeted with extra hang-time over the gnarlier pinnacles. The darks will mean the big nannies and red emperor will be on the chew. Sunset sessions under an early setting moon could be extra special if history is repeated.
Mick picked up this ripper green jobbie in a lively session fishing the shoal country east of Breaksea Spit.
Big turrum pull like freight trains. Yet another bruiser you can catch on the Sandy Cape Shoals
Expect to get stretched if you trip over the AJs offshore. There are plenty out there from the shoals to the shelf
Deep dropping last weekend was highly successful, with all the usual deep water tasties being hauled from the depths. Now that snapper and pearlies are back on the hit list, you are limited only by time, weather and bag limits out there, so make the most of this time of slacker current. Pearlies, flamies and other jobbies, along with various cod featured heavily in catches last week, and no doubt will again this week. Taking time out to prospect new ground paid dividends for one skipper and crew. Same usual species, just bigger and in great numbers. Time well spent you have to admit.
There are plenty of spanish mackerel on the shoals for those inclined for a troll or a stick-baiting session. Spit Bommie will be popular no doubt, and with the chance of spaniards and giant trevally on topwater over such shallow ground in impressively clear water, there’s no wonder. Big schools of cobia can be expected from other shoal country in waters 30-45 metres deep. Perhaps not the giants that are being caught in the bay, but vastly bigger numbers in a given school.
Yellowfin tuna to 40 kilos have been caught just beyond the shelf in 200 metres of water. One crew deep dropping last weekend got lucky when the ‘fin erupted within casting distance. Having tackle at the ready, with lures tied to heavy-enough leaders, was the reason these boys could react quickly and get amongst the action. Bigger fish were lost that day, so they will be back for another crack this weekend.
Trolling wider in waters to 1000 fathoms or more whilst chasing birds feeding, saw a few more yellowfin hooked, but alas all were lost due to hooks pulling. Unforgiving fish, big yellowfin tuna. No word of marlin out there as yet, but the warmer-than-typical water offshore already will be inviting them down. Monitor the BOM’s SST charts in coming weeks and months and watch the change unfold.
Word that the FAD off the Breaksea Spit 4 Mile was missing in action prompted a call to the relative man in charge at Qld Fisheries. It was quickly confirmed that all three Fraser Island FADS are indeed MIA at present. Most likely swept up by passing trawlers or other heavy shipping.
Fisheries have three replacements ready to deploy. Improved models with integrated radar reflectors built-in. Hopefully this extra tech will aid vessels in avoiding these buoys in future. Fisheries plans to postpone deployment for about another month to avoid the heaviest traffic on the humpback highway. You can monitor the status of Qld’s FAD program by googling the website, and this will also enable you to locate them should you wish to fish them for mahi mahi etc in the future.
Good luck out there y’all …… Jase
Rory's decision to look for virgin ground along the shelf paid handsome dividends with various jobbies joining big pearlies for the long trip home.
Paul hitched a ride with Rory and enjoyed catching big pearlies on the deep dropping gear.
Flamies always add that extra sparkle to a box full of tasty deep water reefies. Paul with one of the better fish from last weekend's effort.
Stuart scored a spot on Rory's crew and revelled in the excellent deep dropping catching fat rosies such as this one.