Fisho’s Weekly Fishing Report – 7th November, 2025

Graham had catching red emperor on his bucket list, so a trip with Double Island Point Fishing Charters was a great move.

Pick Your Days & Destinations This Week Boaties

With two weeks since our last fishing report, it is fair to say we have enjoyed some entertaining weather. Storms spawned from extraordinarily warm northerly winds played havoc across the district, all at a time when the infamous BOM decided to mess with radar data. Dangerous hail-laden storms (whilst rarely likely to impact Hervey Bay itself) were undiscernible on radar just when we needed accurate readings.

There is the slight chance of a storm over the weekend, but otherwise, things look rather good if you have the luxury of picking the days you head out fishing this week. Today is particularly great, with light winds from a generally easterly origin. An early start Saturday morning might see you sneak in a couple of hours before the northerly gains momentum and builds to 15 knots or more through the day.

Tending north-westerly Sunday morning, the breeze will peak from the north at near 20 knots prior to a band of showers and possible storms approaching with the change that afternoon. More showers can be expected Monday, but at least the wind will have turned south or south-east, and should ease quite quickly as the showery weather clears.

A couple more good days can be enjoyed on the bay before the return of northerly winds again later in the week. A mixed scene on the weather front perhaps, but luckily we live here on the Fraser Coast where we have ample options in all but the strongest of winds.

With the full moon in the rear vision mirror, and the moon waning once again, you can expect the big spring tides to ease quite quickly in coming days. The half-moon of the last quarter arrives Wednesday and so too do the minimal tides of the cycle. Happy days thereafter as the tides begin to make again and trigger both a migratory and/or feeding response from our piscatorial friends.

Storms Played Havoc with the Game Fishing Fleet

Hervey Bay Game Fishing Club hosted its annual game fishing tournament last weekend. The scheduled Friday to Sunday event was cut short unfortunately, after a storm Friday night unsettled the fleet moored up near Rooneys Point at the top of Fraser Island. It must’ve been heart-breaking to call the tournament off Saturday due to the forecast of further stormy weather, and even more frustrating when that forecast failed to be fulfilled.

During their brief time on the water, some 110 anglers fishing from 32 vessels, caught a total of 34 fish. In game fishers’ terms this came from 92 strikes that resulted in 60 hook-ups and the subsequent 34 tagged. That total included 6 black marlin, 9 blue marlin, 4 striped marlin, 2 mahi mahi, 2 wahoo, 3 Spanish mackerel, 4 yellowfin tuna and 4 mac tuna.

Game fishing vessel 'Skilltester' found the yellowfin tuna offshore.

Mahi mahi can be found offshore at the moment, revelling in the strong south-bound EAC.

The fishing was certainly best offshore for the boats that made it out there. It’s just a shame they couldn’t settle in for the duration and tally up the usual numbers. All things considered, the crews had a really good time and the club handed out many impressive prizes courtesy of their long list of very generous sponsors. For the records, here are the winners from the various categories from this year’s event:

First billfish: Josh Brazier
Last billfish: Adam Argus
First billfish inside: Zach Finlayson
Champion heavy tackle angler: Matt Collinge
Champion light tackle angler: Debbie Dahl
Champion Female angler: Debbie Dahl
Champion Junior: Ryder Stoll
Runner Up Junior: Indie Zagami
Champion Angler Capture: Alex Becka
Champion HBGFC Angler: Jon Baker
Champion Insider Boat: Reel Adventures
Runner Up Insider Boat: Not Guilty
Champion Insider Junior: Zach Finlayson
Runner up Insider Junior: Koa Brown
Champion Team over 7.5m: Seagull
Runner up Team over 7.5m: Chaos
Champion Team under 7.5m: Mavis
Runner up Team under 7.5m: Onstrike
Heaviest Marlin: Adam Argus

Adam was just one of many winners presented with prizes after the Hervey Bay Game Fishing Club's annual tournament.

Tyler, Tahj & Koa with the spoils of their game fishing tourny success after scoring runner-up insider boat

Hervey Bay’s Black Marlin Captures Remain Rather Random

Such consistent northerly winds this spring have impacted on Hervey Bay’s juvenile black marlin fishery to date. Some fine fish are being caught reasonably regularly, but the numbers are just not there – as yet. No doubt there is a veritable fleet of hopefuls trolling the waters north of Wathumba today, and there is very likely marlin to be caught. Not by everyone, sadly, so fine-tune your set-up and make sure there are no unavoidable failures should you get lucky and hook-up.

Possible distractions should the marlin remain elusive are many and varied. Pesky school mackerel can be found around the schools of herring or yakkas up that way and spaniards, cobia and trevally are a real chance there and out wider too. It will be interesting to see how our bay marlin fishery unfolds later this month. If the northerlies ever ease, then the massive schools of spotted mackerel and mac tuna will arrive, and a fresh pack of baby blacks will be hot on the tails.

In the meantime, those keen for a feed of mackerel from our inshore waters should find plenty. Schoolies have most recently been reported at the close spots such as the Bait Grounds and the NU2. They are likely well-spread throughout our inshore waters, so get out there and either go spinning spoons for them of take a lazy troll and you will undoubtedly find some. Take the kids looking for mac tuna busting up on the surface up the bay and they are assured an exciting day out too.

Shallow Inshore Reefs Remain Ultra-Popular

Strong northerly winds can pound our fringing shallow reefs and seemingly turn the water filthy for a period. Some might consider this a bad thing, yet they may not be aware of the feeding opportunities such turbulence creates thereafter when the weather improves. The shallow reef waters can be awash with morsels of food dislodged by wave action, and the slight turbidity offers predators the element of surprise.

Coral trout are one such predator that revels in post-northerly conditions and they can be highly aggressive. They might move slightly deeper; towards the reef edge rather than up on the flat, yet they remain in the area and keen to take advantage of the boom in feeding opportunities. Trollers will be out and about once again in coming days. Some will read the scene quite quickly and adapt if necessary. That necessity meaning the change to a deeper-diving lure and a wider trolling run if a lack of action closer-in demands it.

Bait fishos anchored over shallow reef country can expect to catch a host of reef and perhaps estuary species. Grassy sweetlip will be the most common for those using cut baits, squid and banana prawns, yet blackall, tuskfish, cod, grunter and the lesser lutjanids such as stripies and moses perch will all have a go at the right bait. Gatakers Bay and the Point Vernon reefs will remain most popular for some, whilst others will put more effort in over the fringing reefs of the bay islands.

The big run in the tide could see an extended bite well into daylight hours in the shallows, but if not, then a shift to deeper waters when the sun gets high will be called for. Sweeties remain the most common catch from deeper inshore reefs and shoal country, but beware the attention of the sharks. Bouncing from spot to spot hopping soft plastic prawn imitations in the face of the deeper reefs could see you connect to coral trout or a few estuary cod. Timing will be important, as the current will deny you success any time other than the tide turns, until these springs lose their oomph.

Have a Go for Whiting Under the Glow of the Moon

Pounding waves from northerly winds and brief flushes of water from storm drains created a ‘filthy mess’ along stretches of our town beaches for a period. This may not appeal to swimmers, but it should be seen as an opportunity for fishos. The so-called filthy waters are not truly dirty, flood-style, but merely slightly turbid, food-laden pantries for the likes of whiting, grunter, flathead and even bigger predators. Weed has been an issue at times though, so assess the situation when next you go – hopefully it has cleared up again.

Whiting fans should be considering a session or two under the glow of the rising moon in coming nights, or perhaps the gentler hours mid-morning as the rising tide approaches its peak. Recent catches from the rock groynes near Shelley Beach, the flats adjacent to the Urangan Pier and the yabby-riddled flats south of the harbour suggest the Torquay-Urangan stretch of beaches is a good starting point.

Garfish kept a few fans busy at the groynes and the jetties prior to the pounding from the recent northerlies. They may well settle back in at some stage if this weekend’s winds don’t get too strong. Large flathead have been a feature from select spots; mostly where they have positioned themselves in ambush of smaller fish disorientated by all the recent turbulence. Storm drains and adjacent waters being an example of such a flathead hotspot.

Lou has been up to her old tricks, catching a nice feed shore-based, with fish such as this fine grunter.

Evan & Liam were very excited to catch mac tuna like this one. Happy days boys!

The impressive run of grunter along our town beaches has had a brief hiatus apparently (or has it?). Maybe more due to a lack of effort in unfavourable conditions than the lack of fish. The big post-full moon tides create a great opportunity to go chase shore-based grunter, so take a suitable flick stick for a walk and hop some soft plastic prawns across the bottom where rocks meet sand. Be prepared for sizable fish too, as some rather inspiring grunter have been caught from our foreshores recently.

Talk of queenfish busting-up on baitfish and swiping small whiting being retrieved by beach fishos is notable. Queenies are a fast-moving and highly nomadic fish that turn up in a huge range of environments here in Hervey Bay. One such environment happens to be our local beaches after storm-water run-off and pounding waves create the cover they need to tear into the hapless fish sheltering close to shore. Be prepared for encounters anywhere this time of year and if you don’t have a topwater option to cast at them, then pick up the pace when working your softies and that might trigger them to bite.

Barramundi Season is Closed

The recent closure (as of 1st November) of the Qld east coast barramundi fishery for three months is a little devastating to hard-core barra fans, but we must respect this closure and leave them in peace until 1st February next year. Obviously, this closure has been in force for eons, and is directly responsible for the healthier state of the barra fishery that we Queenslanders enjoy today. 

Without the closure, commercial harvesting and general pillage of barra gathered to spawn would have been devastating to the species, both short term and long term. The wet season is just around the corner, and it is the onset of the serious rains and subsequent flooding that will see the mature females become heavily egg-laden and the smaller males gather closely for their chance to further their bloodlines.

Simple logic demands that we reduce our impact on such iconic and important fish so that they can spawn in peace. Targeting barramundi during the closure is illegal and frowned upon by all thinking anglers. Occasional encounters will occur, as those chasing jacks or threadies can attest, but quick in-water releases without lifting roe-filled fish from the water can go a long way to ensuring you minimise your chances of negatively impacting that animal’s chances of spawning.

Targeting barramundi is totally prohibited in all Queensland waters, apart from those waters ponded above the dam walls of recognised stocked impoundments. This means all waters below dam walls, above or below weirs, in other ponds, lakes or streams are out of bounds for the next three months. If you want to catch barra between now and February 1st, then head to a stocked impoundment.

Mangrove Jacks Respond to Heat and Storms

Recent stormy weather and the incessant heat have really fired-up the local mangrove jack populations. They are set to rampage-on for months to come, yet there is no better time of year to target jacks than now. Come summer, the wet season rains can impact our waterways and make for more challenging conditions, particularly for lure fishos. For now, though, conditions are perfect and our waters primed for many an assault on the jacks.

The Burrum system of four rivers is home to a very impressive population of jacks and they have been on the chew consistently of late. Hosting such a plethora of potential jack hotspots, the Burrum and its feeder rivers can be daunting to first timers wondering where to start. Rock bars, sunken snags, land slips and man-made structures galore scream ‘jack lives here’, but only some will actually host the red devils at a given time.

Monitoring baitfish movements and water quality can help you decide where to fish and where to ignore. Areas where high current is broken by structure are prime over bigger tides, yet can fail to produce over the neaps. Deeper holes strewn with rocks are more consistent perhaps, as are the biggest and gnarliest of sunken snags. Yet, its sometimes an insignificant away-from-the-traffic location that can turn into your best producer. Be mobile and work on your casting accuracy and success will come.

The many streams flushing in and out of the Great Sandy Straits, including pretty much all of Fraser’s western creeks, are also home to great numbers of jacks. These creeks typically feature less rock and more land slips and sunken mangroves that attract and house schools of jacks. This can actually make fishing these waterways easier than the bigger structure-rich rivers. 

Time your efforts to avoid the strongest tidal flows if you are a lure fisho. Bait fishos will contend with raging currents much easier. High tide can be a challenge in many creeks, as the jacks creep up into the mangrove forest to predate on mullet, prawns and crabs sheltering in the root-infested tangled mess. By all means hone your skip-casting skills and flog some frogs or small paddle-tails beneath the ‘groves at this time, otherwise, time your assault for when the jacks cannot get into the forest. Low tide and the early flood is no time to be elsewhere wondering if the jacks are biting.

Alternatives to Barra in Our Streams

Chasing mangrove jacks isn’t for everyone. It is a darn sight more challenging than chasing barra or threadies, so, with barra off the hit list, the target for many is obvious. Given how well-scattered the threadies have been in recent months, it is both comforting to know you can catch them anywhere from the Burrum to the bottom of the straits, but also frustrating that they aren’t all just schooled up in the Mary system like they so often are at this time.

Having said that, the mighty Mary remains a great option for threadfin salmon fans. Tying on soft vibes and perhaps some small soft plastic prawns will ensure you are armed with the right arsenal when you find them scanning the river. Good water quality means they will be fairly easy to find, so bouncing from likely spot to likely spot until you track them down shouldn’t be too hard.

Trollers can get their game on and troll the deeper waters of the river when the tide is ebbing, from about mid-tide down. The sambos will fall back into deeper holes and along deeper ‘runs’ at this time. The same trollers can then turn around and troll shallower diving lures when the tide floods as the they edge closer to the banks where the highly mobile threadies will be working their way back upstream with the tide.

Similar tactics, along with live baiting, will work equally well down the straits and within the Burrum system. Barra bycatch is possible, if not likely in some parts, so do your best to avoid them or handle with extra care. Chase blue salmon for a bit of extra fun if you wish, or pick up a lighter outfit and target the growing population of grunter in those streams. 

Flathead can still be caught in reasonable numbers by working drains and the like down the straits or in the rivers. Not the same numbers as recent months, but enough for some fun or a feed. Their spawning efforts are pretty much done and dusted for another season. Whiting will be on the chew whilst the full moon still has plenty of pull, and the bream retreating back upstream are bound to feed well in a berley trail too.

The traditionally worst time of year for mud crabbing has had a ‘shot in the arm’ from the recent storms. The threat of heavy rains and their inherent dislike of fresh water have seen the crabs in our rivers develop a burst of activity. The full moon also helped get them on the move and some very impressive catches were enjoyed this week. Handy, when the north wind denied so many the chance to get at the sandies that have been gathering out in the bay.

Tony Perkins with a sample of the local threadfin salmon you can spend the barra closure chasing.

Josh Downing put a solid curve in the fly rod on this little jack. Expect a great bite from the jacks again this weekend.

Mondy Barra on the Move

Recent stormy weather has triggered the usual pre-wet season migration of barra at Lake Monduran. Fish are still well-scattered around the lake, but the vast majority have left the shallows of the bays and backwaters and made their way to the main river and stream courses. This has been a boom for scopers and trollers alike, who have been catching some ripper fish quite regularly.

North-westerly winds at times recently saw a semblance of what will be common scenes in the main basin and the lower reaches of the lake soon - as scores of trollers scour the deep water for takers, working around those using Livescope chasing individual fish around the same locales. Numbers have not been massive in the main basin to date, but they soon will be – and then the ‘trolling season’ begins. If you think Mondy has been busy lately, then look out soon, as a whole new demographic hits the lake and big numbers of fish are caught so easily within cooee of the ultra-busy ramps.

Success at the latest ABT was indicative of the quality of the fishing at Mondy right now. Record-breaking they say, which it should be too, given how many big fish reside in the lake and the tech behind the teams competing. Oh, and it turns out we were ill-informed when we shared the re-stocking numbers recently released by the good people of MASA – it was about 200,000 fingerlings, not the 400,000 we mentioned in the last report. Oops!

Good luck out there y’all …… Jase