Steven & William Harvey took turns battling their first ever marlin. Caught up Wathumba way on a live bait whilst snapper fishing.
Strong Winds Limiting Opportunities
Hopefully you all got out and enjoyed the run of fantastic weather last weekend and early this week. That is but a memory now, as strong winds batter our coastline and relegate boaties to our estuaries or ultra-protected waters at best.
A low-pressure system forming well out to our east is combining with a big high down south and really cranking up the wind offshore. Yesterday’s strong wind warning was cancelled overnight, but looks likely to be reinstated for the weekend. Today’s 20-knot south to south-easter is about as good as we will see for a few days, as winds are going to intensify. It is cold enough now, so the wind chill factor will be rather cutting for true Queenslanders this week.
Expect at least 20 knots from the south Saturday, and even stronger winds on Sunday. Winds to 30 knots are possible, depending on the movement of the low. With any luck, the breeze will stay southerly for the weekend, which will at least limit the number of showers coming ashore. A swing to south-easterly winds will see showers return; most likely to kick off the working week.
Given that this blow isn’t expected to taper off until late next week, you can probably leave the boat parked and make the most of the downtime with a little maintenance or brownie point creation. The tides are nothing to get excited about anyway (until mid-week at least) so you won’t be missing much.
Brett headed wide and chased GTs over the new moon. The offshore topwater fishery can be excellent east of Breaksea in winter.
You can still catch a bucket of prawns mid-winter. It might be chilly, but you will soon forget the cold when your top pocket comes up this full.
Shore-Based Options in a Howling Southerly
If the wind is truly howling then there are very few, if any, options that would appeal to even a frustrated fisho. Clutching at straws, you could consider flicking baits or lures from our town beaches or the rocks surrounding Pt Vernon. Both areas are well-protected, with the southerly at your back.
Those waters contain a host of candidates for light tackle fun, such as bream, flathead and tailor. High winds will make finesse options challenging, but at least you will get some extra distance with your casts. Bait fishos should be tossing unweighted baits over the coral encrusted rocks, and will benefit from a steady berley trail if they make the extra effort.
There were some very nice whiting caught out around Toogoom over the new moon period. Maybe you can tempt some of them to bite again now in less appealing tides. If not, then back to the bream, the flatties or maybe even some passing queenfish.
Urangan Pier will be a windy and cold platform from which to fish this week. Herring numbers beneath are healthy, even though larger ‘portholes’ outnumber the ‘greenbacks’ by a margin. For those that aren’t in the know, portholes are a higher-bodied, stouter version of your standard herring (greenbacks). Few would consider portholes as good a live bait as a greenback, so they are scorned somewhat.
Action has been limited since the massive new moon tides came raging through beneath the pier. Bream have been caught, but that is about it. Local pier regulars will know what to expect this time of year on the pelagic scene, so good luck to them when and if their quarry turns up.
Look for better locations out of the wind if you aim to catch a flathead. Like us, they are not fans of strong winds in shallow waters. River Heads will be a blow-out, and the Booral Flats won’t be at all appealing. Try your luck in sheltered waters up a creek somewhere, otherwise, chalk it up as a no-go and prepare your tackle for better times ahead.
Elliot Fowler's new PB flathead stretched the tape to 76.5cm. Caught shore-based from a local creek.
Fun times for the Ross family on Fraser Island. Excellent surf fishing can be enjoyed before the crowds arrive for the tailor season.
Sharks Tainted a Great Bite Offshore Last Week
A second weekend in a row of excellent weather saw quite a few crews head for offshore grounds north of Fraser once again. The current was minimal well to the north, and much stronger closer to Fraser. It may seem counter-intuitive, but the big moon phases that create our bigger tides and stronger currents elsewhere, tend to have the opposite effect north-east of Breaksea Spit.
Essentially, the out-pouring of such a massive volume of water escaping Hervey Bay during such dramatic ebb tides tends to push the East Australian Current wider, creating a pool (eddy if you like) of slower moving water to the north. Be there when that massive ‘rip’ pours across the bar and beyond and you might become a little alarmed at all the white-water, chaos and raging current. It will be short-lived, but can be scary, especially at night. Have a gander at your charts; there will be references to ‘overfalls’ that denote the region impacted by this phenomenon.
The new moon triggered a very solid bite from red emperor, maintaining the rage after a wonderful red bite only the weekend before. Some very impressive reds were caught once again, yet way too many were taxed by the dreaded noahs. One lucky fisho was concerned to have a great white shark rock up during a session on red grounds, only to haul aboard the fish of the trip without it taking a second glance. Those critters ain’t interested in our fish folks. They are more likely to eat the sharks eating our fish (and any warm-blooded mammal they can get close enough to).
Depredation was largely unacceptable for some crews, which saw them come home with way less fish than they hooked. Notwithstanding, there were some very nice hauls of mixed reefies, that included the likes of RTEs, maoris, big green jobbies, plenty of venus tusk fish and members of the perch clans. Some grounds in waters between 45-80m were particularly ‘lively’, with massive shows that would get any offshore fisho excited. But alas, those shows were magnets for the sharks.
Heading wider to the north and deploying deep drop tackle over the shelf soon had a steady procession of deepwater tasties coming aboard. Peal perch, snapper, flamies and bar cod were the mainstays as usual, whilst schools of big chunky rosy jobfish could be found too. Sadly, heading deep beyond 200m is no guarantee you will totally avoid the noahs these days, but that option remains a darn sight safer than 100m or less.
Deep droppers can fill eskies quickly over the shelf. Tang snapper, pearlies and flamies were just some of the deep water species caught last weekend.
Wayne caught this beaut 'cattle dog' whilst enjoying the magnificent weather.
Bruce Ross headed wide in brilliant weather last weekend and hauled this magnificent 'cattle dog' from prime reef country.
Ash Ross added this nice red to his tally during another great bite last weekend.
Snapper & Pearl Perch Off Limits for a Month
You had the chance to score bigtime on the snapper last weekend, as they bit exceptionally well courtesy of the new moon and their spawn-driven appetites. Snapper schools were easy enough to find in the central bay with so much bait gathered on prime sites, but finding some without attending sharks was a challenge.
It might be frustrating to hear if you were sharked and denied fish like so many others, but there were crews that bagged-out and continued catching and releasing snapper without any issues from the noahs last weekend. Isolated rarely-fished country was key to their success, as was their timing and their recognition of prime gatherings of baitfish at the right level in the water column.
Forget about snapper for the next month now however, as they, along with pearl perch, are fully protected by the annual closed season. The closure kicked off 15th July and won’t conclude until 15th August. This closure is an important one, designed to enable snapper and pearlies to spawn in peace during their deemed key spawning period. Please respect it.
Why dates on a calendar were chosen over moon phases (akin to coral reef fin fish closures) is beyond the likes of me. If you wanted ultimate protection then surely the new moon periods of July and August should book-end the closure. Obviously smarter people than an old fisho like me know better though, eh.
Keira was stoked with this ripper 78cm snapper caught on a softie 2 weeks ago.
Jewfish are a great alternative to snapper for insomniacs in winter. Reece was happy with his latest.
Ways to Avoid Snapper During the Closure
I think I wrote about this once before, but anyway, here we go again. There will be folks fishing our waters during the snapper closure that will purposefully target them, regardless of the rules that prohibit such activity. They might not keep any (you would hope), but they will still target them for ‘fun’, with total disregard for the plight of the species and the very reason the closure is even necessary.
It never used to be after all, as snapper stocks were healthy enough, before technology and tackle developed to such a standard that made them very easy targets. Consider population growth, sounder and GPS tech advancements, the quality of tackle and the incredibly effective range of lures available for a snapper fan these days compared to past decades and you can well imagine how the species ended up needing protective measures. Throw in ever-increasing shark numbers and out-of-control depredation and our poor old snapper need our help. We must do the right thing and at least leave them alone to spawn.
Snapper are very slow-growing compared to other coral reef fish. They are easily tempted by well-presented lures of many genres and are very much clean fighters. Their decline in recent times is not just local. Look at the extreme measures that South Australia (the home of Oz’s biggest knobbies) had to take recently with total fishing bans; along with the demersal fishing bans in the vastly less-pressured waters of Western Australia.
We do not want fishing bans of that nature in Queensland, so make the effort to avoid snapper as best you can during this closure. They will not be totally unavoidable, but you can most certainly lessen your chances of encountering them, particularly here in the bay. There is plenty of fish offshore; it’s the ones with the genetic memory to migrate into Hervey Bay that are extra-precious.
Simple things like not float-lining when bait fishing will help. After all, that technique was custom-designed for snapper, wherein baits are allowed to slowly waft down the water column naturally rather than plunged to the sea floor, bottom-bashing style. Heavier leaders used to target coral-dwelling critters like red emperor, cod and trout are a deterrent to snapper in bay waters, so tend heavier and you will limit your encounters.
Same goes for your soft plastic presentations. You should all know that lighter leaders are more appealing to wary old snapper, so stick to heavier leaders you should be using for trout etc anyway and less snapper will be tempted. Attach heavier leaders to your deep diving lures and that will deter snapper too, whilst bettering your chances of extracting cod and trout that might scrape the coral during a battle.
Most of all though, avoid grounds that are died-in-the-wool classic virtually snapper-only hotspots at this time of year. The 25 Fathom Hole is one such example. Snapper are pretty much the only species worth targeting there at this time (minimal bycatch aside), so just being there would have to raise suspicion. Even more-so if you are fishing soft plastics whilst drifting through the area.
I could go on, but you are probably bored with the lecture already. So, I will conclude by saying - do your best to help our snapper fishery recover beyond this closure. Move on if they are unavoidable, and handle them with care prior to an immediate release should you catch any accidentally. A month from now we can actively seek them again. The elements are there for a great late season at a time when the sharks will be at their least aggressive.
Addie Priala released this chunky cod whilst fishing up north.
Dylan hauled this big cod from the depths after it scoffed a Berserker Meathead jig.
More Marlin Caught Again This Week
As mentioned in recent weeks, there has been an impressive number of juvenile black marlin caught in Hervey Bay waters this winter. Each and every week we hear of more captures, and their origins seem to suggest the little billies are well spread across the eastern bay.
Marlin caught near Rooneys join marlin caught off Wathumba and barely beyond the banks closer to home in a growing tally that must be something like 20 fish by now. More than were caught last spring it seems. Yet another of nature’s wonderful enigmas. Be this run the result of a late spawn locally and/or a simple return of masses of slimy mackerel to our waters, it is a welcome phenomenon.
Adding to the wonders this winter has brought for sports fishos, word of a massive wahoo caught in Platypus Bay recently joins word of mahi mahi elsewhere in the bay. Predators accustomed to munching on slimies no doubt, but nonetheless freakish for our waters. Put it down to an influx of blue water after a decent wet season created a food chain worthy of joining if you like. We have enjoyed visits from mahi mahi before, but a wahoo this side of Rooneys is incredible.
Mall schools of large longtail tuna have been spotted amongst the whale fleet up in Platypus Bay this week. Rampaging across the surface in hot pursuit of mature baitfish you could no doubt mimic with a suitable stickbait on a future mission up that way. Sure, they aren’t always a surface-feeder through winter, but slimies being surface-oriented might have the tuna looking upwards more than usual this year.
Just as likely to intercept a big stickbait randomly danced past a school of slimies or yakkas could be your next big cobia. We have certainly enjoyed a good run of these bruisers this winter. Spaniards have been harder to find of late, but there is bound to some out there somewhere. School mackerel have been rather random lately too, though any we’ve heard about have been larger fish of at least 65cm+.
Broad-barred mackerel are more consistent close inshore. You can still catch them in the shallowest of margins around the bay islands and nearby flats. There will be more down the straits too, and a few are likely to wander into the lower Mary sometime soon. Bonito are absolutely prolific from the local shipping channels to the open waters of the bay. Fodder for larger pelagics and great fun for the kids.
Queenies and golden trevally continue to offer inshore sports fishos plenty of action. Sometimes shallow, sometimes deeper; always more aggressive on bigger tides. Diamond trevally are joining the party in various waters, from up Wathumba way to the bay islands and down the straits. Giant herring are swiping at lures meant for the above species too; burning off at blistering pace when not cart-wheeling through the air. All-in-all, the winter pelagic scene is very healthy right now, we just need the weather to get amongst them.
Worth mentioning as well is the spike in tailor numbers close inshore. Not the annoying hordes of juveniles that drive you nuts over grounds out in the bay such as the 6 Mile, but quality fish worthy of pursuing if you are into your tailor. The Burrum’s clear waters have invited many a school to cruise its lower reaches. They bit well over the darks and will again closer to the full moon. River Heads fishos could continue catching legal models too, but will be frustrated by the wind in coming days.
Steven Harvey landed his first mac tuna whilst snapper fishing in Platypus Bay.
Taka was stoked with this big wintertime thready.
Finesse Fishos Spoilt for Choice
Okay, so the weather is crap and that will make any form of finesse fishing challenging for now, but look ahead to better times and you have some of the best ultra-light tackle fisheries going full steam ahead. Adding extra appeal to those fisheries is the water clarity in our shallows that offers sight-fishing opportunities galore.
Our bream season is well underway and they are spawning all over the place inshore. From our rocky foreshores to the bay islands, Fraser’s western flats, and countless riverine rock bars; there are bream in large schools just daring you to try and dance a tiny topwater offering or manoeuvre a mini diver past them. Sometimes those bream are sharing the very same waters as schools of ‘summer’ whiting, just as intent on intercepting the same offerings if you speed up your presentation.
Our summer whiting season has kicked off with a few locals scoring bag limits of their favourite little morsels during early evening flood tide sessions. Focussing on building new and full moon tides will be the go in coming weeks and months. The lack of inshore gill-netting these days is bound to guarantee success you would think. Weed and wind issues might play havoc with some plans at times, but the bounty should justify the effort this winter and spring.
Just as prolific and about to get even more-so is the humble dusky flathead. Their time to spawn is still ahead, but they are moving into the usual haunts in increasing numbers. There is plenty to be found in the lower reaches of both the Mary and Burrum systems, and oodles over Fraser way. Add the fantastic straits flathead fishery and you are definitely spoilt for choice if you are a flatty fan.
Future fun on the bread’n’butter species mentioned above should not be undertaken without suitable squid jigs on board. Sure, our local tigers copped the usual hammering at all the standard well-known hotspots and are now quite challenging to find in these parts. However, that doesn’t mean they cannot be found elsewhere. Don’t even fish our rivers in such clear cold water without squid jigs handy. Tigers and pencillies both wander some distance up our rivers late winter some years (and this will be one such year).
Not sure that winter whiting qualify in the finesse stakes, but they are certainly ultra-light line targets. Latest gossip suggests there were some caught off Gatakers Bay, better fish caught between the harbour and the bottom of Woody Island, and still fish being caught off the Burrum and down Boonooroo way. They will get a spell during this blow (for all but the Gatakers Bay fish perhaps) and also might scatter towards slightly deeper water. Bound to be found easily enough once the blow passes; such is the quality of this year’s local winter whiting season.
Jacko will be a happy chappy with the flathead season looking prime this year.
Dan with one of many flathead from a recent session with Jacko.
Consider Whales and Sharks Whilst Crabbing
As humpback numbers continue to grow, a relative increase in entanglements with fishing apparatus has been a given. Incredibly sad to see and no doubt an issue all around the globe, we should be doing what we can to minimise any chance of them interacting with our crabbing gear here in the whale watching capital of Australia.
Placing sand crab pots up in Platypus Bay at this time of year would not be advisable. There are pots up there right now, according to whale watch operators, and whale numbers are about to explode. Shift your focus to the waters off the Burrum maybe if you must crab the open bay waters. Less whales transit the western bay than the eastern, by a significant margin.
Better still, keep your pots closer inshore in shallow waters over the bigger tides and score sandies that way; like so many others are doing in the central straits. Or, just stick with the seemingly never-ending run of mud crabs and enjoy the bounty this winter might provide at a time notorious for potentially less productive mud crabbing.
Somewhat conversely, it is the impact sharks are having on our crabbing that is negatively affecting us, rather than our crabbing affecting the sharks. Yes, the odd small one might make its way into a trap and be stranded, but it’s their bigger brethren munching their way into baited pots that are the issue. They won’t be denied a meal just because of a little nylon mesh apparently.
Many a crabber has lamented the destruction of pots courtesy of sharks lately; both mud crabbers and sand crabbers. Unavoidable perhaps, but you can limit their impact by avoiding bloody baits such as tuna. Maybe spike your offerings with a few drops of aniseed oil instead; to enhance your bait’s appeal to the crabs. Illegal in the southern states, but works a treat here in God’s country.
Good luck out there y’all …… Jase
Flats fishing for bream is extra-special this time of year. Jack with a beauty from a recent session.