Jacko and Christie took time out for a happy snap of New Year’s Eve's best deep drop victims.

Happy New Year Everybody

We trust everyone celebrated the arrival of 2025 in style and you set your sights high for fishing adventures this new year. May you better your piscatorial PBs regularly and create long-lasting memories with your family and friends. Here’s hoping 2025 is a year to remember for Fraser Coast fishos!

The past week was certainly interesting. We enjoyed several days of fairly light winds, yet still had to endure a few other weather phenomena. Another mini heatwave preceded a major dump of rain Monday night that saw our district drenched from one end to the other. Many of us recorded falls of in excess of 100mm that night, whilst those folks out at Torbanlea copped a massive 185mm. A lingering trough and unstable air mass continues to dampen the enthusiasm of some fishos and test the swanky new camping gear of many visitors to this day.

The cool change since the onset of the showery weather was certainly welcome, and lower temps can be enjoyed for a few days yet. With such comfort comes a trade-off at this time of year, and that is in the form of the stiff south-easter that sprung up yesterday afternoon. Fresh south-east winds will be with us today and tomorrow, before starting to ease Sunday. 

The bureau has issued a strong wind warning for Hervey Bay waters for today; expecting at least 25 knots from the south-east, if not 30 knots late that afternoon. Up to 25 knots is possible Saturday and 15 knots or so Sunday. At least this change will blow the wet weather away (for now), as today’s potential showers should be the last we see of them for at least a few days.

Next week has great potential for boaties, both inshore and (maybe) offshore. The wind should ease as the working week commences and stay quite light from either side of easterly for most of the week. Those looking to head offshore will be monitoring forecasts for the middle of next week, as they await an ease in wind and swell height. The onshore breeze will see the bars stand up a little prior to then, so those in smaller vessels should approach with caution.

The new moon New Year’s Eve had our tides peaking in recent days. The tides are diminishing daily, that will see the current 3m+ variation fall to less than 2m as we approach Tuesday’s first quarter neaps. With the moon waxing once again, the behaviour of many fish species, crustacea and cephalopods, will change. Evening forays will hold increasing appeal as the moon grows, and many a cool evening can be enjoyed under the stars by keen fishos (for a change).

 

Displaced Estuary Fish Keep Pier-Goers Semi-Keen

Dirty water continues to wash beneath Urangan Pier, ex-Mary River, and isn’t likely to clear in a hurry based on further recent local rainfall. Better-quality water can be expected as the flood tide peaks, but a stain will remain for some time.

At least a portion of the herring population has returned. Fishos out there last Saturday said there was enough herring to make catching them viable, but not much more than a lonely mackerel and some small sharks were caught that day. Since then, there has been a few flathead falling for live baits, and a number of blue salmon making their presence felt.

As expected, a few stray grunter livened proceedings for a couple of lucky fishos this week. There hasn’t been many folks bothering with the pier; turned off by the filthy water and the risk of getting wet. All the while, enough action is on offer for those keen to try their luck; be that with baits in lieu of lures for the most part. Entertaining the younger kids is still possible by soaking baits in the first channel, with small whiting and a procession of pickers willing to take advantage of their offerings. 

A few shark encounters have had the bigger kids excited at times this week; both day and night. Small sharks mostly, but there always remains the chance of hooking “jaws”. Evening sessions, when it isn’t raining, have been the time to soak larger baits on local beaches for those keen to tangle with our sharks. Rays and shovellies are also possible and worthy opponents for excited kids with pent-up energy.

There has been some decent whiting hauled in from the rock groynes near Shelley Beach this week. Enough garfish have also lingered in the area to warrant a high tide session with floats and tiny baits too. 

There are far more undersized whiting than keepers along the town beaches, but that doesn’t seem to bother the little kids. There is much fun to be had when the tide is rising and small whiting, dart and bream mooch up into the shallows. The floodwater pipes of Torquay make for great platforms and make the task easier for mums and dads.

Dirty Water Means Bonus Options for Landlubbers

Many keen boating families will be forced to join the landlubbers over the next couple of days as the wind denies the bigger boats access to the bay. Luckily, there are a few local sites than can keep the kids entertained, and they might even land a substantial fish too. 

Much of the town beachfront, from Torquay to Pialba, will be partially-protected from the south-eater. With the wind at your back (or at least over your right shoulder) you should be able to send lures and baits seaward in the early stages of the flood tide looking for a grunter.

Soaking yabbies or worms might entice a whiting from the same locations, whilst prawns are deemed the gun bait by many locals along that stretch when our waters are dirty. Evening sessions can mean less need to wade, as wary larger fish such as big grunter make their way into super-skinny water. Should you be in the right spot when a big queenfish or school of blue salmon wanders by, then things might get very exciting indeed.

Heading for the rocks at Gatakers Bay will be an option for those keen to work lures over shallow reef. Some skill and good reflexes will be required to extract any coral trout hugging the shallows, whilst large grunter and other small reef fish might test your skills too. 

Blue salmon will be much easier to subdue should you hook them. Try topwater offerings such as stickbaits or bent minnows to increase the excitement factor, and don’t be surprised if a big tarpon, a queenie or a small trevally snatches a lure meant for a salmon. Work with the tides; low tide for bankers’ hours; high tide in low light.

The onshore wind will make mudflats such as the Booral Flats hard to fish for a few days. Once the wind settles, that is as good a place as any to try your hand at shore-based flats fishing. Suss out access roads out towards the airport and beyond, and venture out onto the flats early in a rising tide. You will need suitable footwear etc to wander this terrain, as it is all mud, gravelly oyster-strewn rocks and sand flies. Not suitable for those preferring the cleaner, more convenient options elsewhere, which is one of the reasons the fishing can be so good.

Fish such as whiting will mooch up into the ever-so-subtly-deeper channels as the tide floods. They can be caught in ankle-deep water when it is filthy down there like it is right now (which is great for those of us keen to avoid the sharks, rays and mud crabs that also call those flats home). Flathead are also prevalent at times, and will track down a lure in the dirtiest of water.

Commotion often witnessed by fishos can be threadfin and blue salmon tearing into the baitfish and jelly prawns flushed from the Mary system. Tossing a lure in the direction of such a commotion can see rooster-tails streaming from your line as the predator arcs across the flat. Many jumps and muddy sprays later, you can drag your salmon ashore. Remember - these flats used to be netted regularly in post-flood conditions – and now they aren’t. Our first summer since gillnetting was banned. The mind boggles at the opportunities.

Grunter also cruise those flats after flooding events, as do an unnerving number of small bull sharks. Both species are viable targets as the tide gets higher and you start backing into the fringing mangroves. High tide action can be a bit of all of the above, or little more that pesky undersized bream and whiting for the bait brigade – so are the vagaries of mudflat fishing.

Few times offer land-based fishos the chance to tangle with threadfin salmon as post-flood times do. Flats, creek mouths, the River Heads peninsula and even stretches of beachscape west of town, all offer a keen enough fisho a crack at a threadie. They can be proper large too, as many a past and present River Heads fisho can attest. Throw in the chance of queenfish, mangrove jacks, flathead, and maybe even a tripletail, and what might seem like unappealing dirty lifeless shallow waters can be worth at least a wander and a few casts. Now’s your chance.

Rivers Continue to Run Fresh

As mentioned above, rains this week have sent another plume of freshwater down our rivers. Flood warnings have been lifted for our local rivers, whilst many upstream stretches of the Mary are considered ‘below minor’ flood levels. There is a lot of fresh water to come down, so don’t expect any real improvement this week.

The Mary is still fishable near the heads if you are keen enough. Venturing into the larger gutters not far from the ramp might see you tangling with a threadfin salmon or two. If they are there, chances are they will give away their presence as they round up jelly prawn and tiny baitfish in the muddy waters. It is a similar scene in the lowest reaches of the Susan River. Very challenging fishing admittedly, so think about the straits instead.

Heading out of the river proper, and seeking threadies, blues and grunter would be more prudent. At least it will be when the wind eases again. The large gutters cutting their way north into the vast mudflats are worth prospecting. The rocky shores leading north from the ramp also being worth a try. Visiting boaties be very wary in this area – it is very shallow and interspersed with many gravelly stretches. You will have no warning in the filthy water, so it is probably a good thing it is a go-slow zone.

A better option might be to wait until the wind eases and head for Fraser Island’s west coast. Places such as Kingfisher Bay and Ungowa can come alive with major river predators displaced from the Mary system. The deeper shipping channel that passes by that coastline is somewhat cleaner too, meaning better water quality for a wider range of species.

There will be plenty of estuary cod scattered along the many deeper rocky ledges, along with numbers of sweetlip, grunter and mangrove jacks. Threadies will skirt the fringes of deeper water between forays onto the nearby flats. Creek mouths over there are often the prime sites, depending upon the quality of water ejected by the creek. Be observant and monitor the water for baitfish and small prawns. Pounce on any opportunity as it arises, just as the fish will.

The Burrum system is running pure fresh again too. Big falls locally spewed blackened waters from upstream gullies and the scene is very dirty. Certain fish aren’t that perturbed though, as anyone familiar with floodwater jacks will know. 

Barramundi are very likely to make an appearance at Burrum Heads and nearby as they revel in the primo spawning conditions. Some restraint will be necessary to ensure these fish get to do their thing unhindered for the remainder of the closed season. Fisheries officers are very aware of fish movements in these parts, and have been very active since the flooding started.

Sharks Sporting New Xmas Jewellery

9 out of the next 10 inshore reef fishos you talk to in Hervey Bay will lament losses of prime fish to sharks. The inshore reef fishing scene is turning disastrous in many popular areas as, once again, the bull sharks and their cousins home in on boaties popping reefies out of their safe zones for them to devour. There must be a lot of sharks out there sporting as much new jewellery post-Xmas as you would see at a punk rock concert! The sting of a hook and a trailing length of line won’t slow them down either, as they will keep on gorging if you keep on feeding them.

Be warned people, the sharks are a serious issue, and with so many visiting fishos on our waters, the threat of real damage to our ‘resident’ fish population is exaggerated. We all need to be shark savvy and keep on the move should they trash the party. 

Encouraging visitors you see getting blown away constantly without moving on, to consider a shift, would do all of us, and our fish a huge favour. Many folks are unaware of our ongoing shark problem, and some often think they’ve been getting trashed by big fish regularly, not even realising the real culprits.

Should any of those visitors from down south that love to catch and release sharks be reading this and feel like getting stretched by some Qld noahs, then feel free to get out there amongst them. You might even ‘put the wind up’ the odd repeat offender at a popular fishing spot. If you need guidance on where to find sharks, I am sure that we can help you out (as will just about any local you talk to).

Strange as it may seem, one potential benefit of crowded inshore hotspots this summer might be that, if there are enough boats fishing an area, several sharks will be occupied by unlucky crews, whilst others slip a feed of fish over the side nearby. Conversely, turn up first on a local hotspot of late, and you will probably be a magnet for the local noahs.

Having said all this (again), there have been some fine catches enjoyed by a few lucky fishos this week. A bag limit of sweetlip has been possible if you can avoid the sharks. Fishing some piece of terrain no-one else does is a great option, if you enjoy such luxuries. Otherwise, many folks are simply heading shallower to lessen their chances of shark depredation.

So many local and visiting fishos are buying replacement boxes of hooks and other terminal tackle this week, just to replace the gear lost in recent outings. Meanwhile, many fine nannygai have been caught up the island and out in the central bay. Just as fish from the straits, pushed out by filthy water, meet with fish moving inshore to feed nearer the dirty fringes. This makes some of our popular inshore hotspots temporary havens for mobile schools of fish.

There are quality grunter to be found at numerous locations inshore at present. From the fringes of the shallow reefs to gravelly country off the Burrum and across ‘the banks’, grunter from 50-75cm are being welcomed aboard by an increasing number of fishos. Expect more action from the grunter as they will be a mainstay of our inshore fishery for the remainder of summer.

All the Mackerel are Here Except the Spotties

Reef fishos may indeed suffer greater losses this summer than those of the past due to the apparent lack of spotted mackerel in the bay. The huge schools of spotties that would normally be scattered throughout the bay are absent so far this summer, and they would have normally been shadowed by hundreds of sharks. Let’s hope that many of the noahs also bypassed the bay with the spotties this year, or we are in for an extra tough time.

The only catches of spotted mackerel that anyone can confirm have been more incidental than purposeful this week. Spotties caught whilst spinning for the much more abundant school mackerel over reef sites up the island have been about the only fish mentioned. Surely, we will get a run of some sort soon. I cannot recall a Hervey Bay completely devoid of spotted mackerel in the past – can you?

As mentioned last week, the bay’s baby black marlin fishery has been a dismal failure (mostly) this season too, and once again, we are unaware of any captures within the bay this week. Tourists from the NSW coast have talked up the blinder pelagic season they are having down south, so it looks like the early-peaking EAC took our fish their way without the usual stopover.

At least the schoolies are thick, and well-scattered across the bay by most reports. Find a patch of reef hosting schools of baitfish and you will find the schoolies. There are some beneath the dirty water close inshore, but more numbers can be found beyond the dirty stuff, with aggregations at select sites where the plume dissipates. 

Small spaniards are also in numbers across ‘the banks’ and within Platypus Bay, whilst enough decent broadies remain at large to keep their fans entertained. The Fairway, the Outer Banks, the Simpson arti, and local shipping channel reefs are hosting mackerel at present, as is the Arch Cliffs 6 Mile and certain central bay reef sites. Waters of the northern central bay are home to larger spaniards, though you shouldn’t be surprised to catch a whopper closer inshore over summer.

There has been a number of baby cobia cruising about close inshore lately, apparently. These cute little black and white garbage-gutses won’t say no to too many presentations and are great fun for the kids should you trip over a school. Catch and release is the go of course, and these hardy little fish will almost swing around for a go at your next bait post-release when they are hungry enough.

Whilst mac tuna might entertain a few die-hard tuna fans that are missing their longtail fix, there is enough large queenfish getting about to add a little extra zing to your pelagic pursuits. Whether you find them over the inshore flats, around the bay islands or harassing bait schools out in the bay, these larger queenies are a ton of fun. Favouring the bigger tides, they can still be tempted over the neaps; such is their need to feed every day.

Golden trevally have also been entertaining a number of fishos, from those jigging the artificial reef sites and deeper ledges inshore to the flats fishos sneaking up on them in the skinny stuff fringing Fraser’s west coast. Goldies are making a comeback inshore courtesy of reduced gillnetting effort, and many a fluff-chucker has joined the usual assortment of lure fishos in hot pursuit.

Deep Dropping Saves the Day Offshore

Light winds and time off saw many a fisho head offshore over the past week. Some did better than others, and as usual, it was the sharks and current that dictated success or otherwise. Word of stronger currents in the vicinity of the Breaksea light and down on the Sandy Cape Shoals made those that fished off the 13 Mile glad they settled where they did. Minimal current made those waters easy to fish – but the sharks didn’t.

For those that lingered in depths from 30-100m, it was a matter of keeping on the move to put together a mixed box of reef fish that included the likes of maori cod, green jobfish, tuskies and hussar. Losses were atrocious, and no doubt there would have been many RTEs, coronation trout and other quality reef fish amongst those taxed by the noahs.

Some couldn’t beat the sharks anywhere in conventional shoal country and had to resort to the modern-day offshore saviour. Heading wide and deploying multi-hook rigs on electric powered deep dropping tackle and kicking back while bent-butt rods wore the strain of strings full of prime deep water reefies was most productive. Drifts of barely half a knot kept baits in the zone and some impressive hauls filled eskies in quick time.

All the usual deep-water fish were on the chew. Pearl perch, flamies and other jobfish species joined snotty old bar cod on ice for the big haul back to Urangan. Sharks were not a problem in depths beyond 200m, and you didn’t have to go much deeper to score a feed fit for a navy.

A small number of marlin were caught offshore last week. Talk of encounters with blues out wide made the airwaves, whilst some chunky mid-sized blacks seem to be lurking in shallower water north of the shoals. A lack of baitfish on the shallower shoal country deterred some fishos from putting much effort into topwater presentations, which is usually a highly productive way of hooking into spaniards and GTs out there this time of year.

A single message from a renowned fisho that frequents the waters east of the Wide Bay bar suggests that it is not just those of us fishing Hervey Bay and Breaksea Spit waters that are having a hard time with the sharks. “Absolutely ridiculous” was his way of answering my question regarding the sharks down his way.

The Rest in Brief

I have waffled on way too long (again) and won’t bore you with the long version of the remainder of our fisheries. In brief, the sand crabs are going nuts out in the bay. A bag limit is potentially only a matter of a half-day soak in the right waters. The crabs are well scattered and the size and buck-to-jenny ratio is great.

The muddies are still potting well too. Crabs are still being caught from the lowest reaches of our rivers, whilst the adjacent waters beyond the rivers and creeks are also producing. Many mudflats are getting a visit from crabs pushed out by excess fresh water, and most crabs are full. 

Those chasing pencil squid will need to keep looking beyond the dirty water plume in the southern bay. There will be small pencillies in the deepest waters beneath the plume, but best numbers will be out in the bay or up the island. Evening efforts have been minimal, due to the threat of rainfall, and the risk of debris for small boat owners.

Lake Monduran continues to fish well if you are into trolling the main basin and surrounds, and can handle a crowded lake. Scopers continue to catch plenty too, by following fish around that look active enough. A thermocline sitting about 20 feet down is the target zone for daytime trollers, whilst many seek the same barra after dark when and if they rise to feed nearer the surface. 

While all that is going on within cooee of the ramp, a smaller number of fishos are wandering the lake unbothered by crowds and catching fish on suspending hardbodies and swimbaits in the timber during daylight hours. These same folks should be hanging in there for the sunset period and beyond for their crack at Mondy monsters on topwater if they are savvy.

Your SIPS fees have been put to good use too by the way, as the Monduran Anglers and Stocking Association just released a whopping 380,000 barra fingerlings into the lake. Great work guys! Sheltering in the masses of weed in the lake these days should keep these precious little recruits safe from the shags. 

Let’s all hope these efforts weren’t in vain as we head into a summer wet season with a 90% capacity lake and weather gurus still spruiking a big wet summer and declaring the commencement of a La Nina cycle. All this rain and the monsoon hasn’t even developed up north yet. Struth!

Good luck out there y’all …… Jase