Andrew forgot his Fisho's Snapper Comp tokens, otherwise this fish would've put him in 2 x $500 draws. Don't be like Andrew!
The Weekend You've Been Waiting for Fishos
After another week offering limited opportunities for boating beyond inshore waters, the forecast for the days ahead looks very encouraging. It may not be quite perfect - with gentle northerlies and the chance of showers in the mix – but that won't deter a veritable fleet of frustrated fishos from hitting the water this weekend.
Today's slight north-easter will barely reach 10 knots in bay waters, and Saturday looks to be every bit as good. Light and variable is the word from the BOM for both Saturday and Sunday, with seas staying well below 1m. Expect mostly light north-easters Saturday, tending east, then south-east into Sunday. Showers are likely under cloudy skies, whilst overall conditions remain remarkably mild.
It is a similar picture offshore, although today's breeze is more like 15 knots from the north-east north of Fraser. A residual breeze Saturday morning could mean a bit of a bash to get to and beyond the bar if you head off early, before the wind drops right out and glassy conditions greet those arriving later in the day. Sunday looks excellent offshore, so overnighting outside or in the far northern bay will be considered by experienced skippers.
Things will cool a tad early in the working week as a gentle southerly takes hold. That breeze is likely to strengthen day by day before tending south-easterly later in the week. Still okay for inshore boating, and even for offshore for those in larger more capable craft until mid-week potentially. The following weekend (with vastly better tides) doesn't look nearly as inviting weather-wise, so make the most of this one folks.
The moon is waxing as the first quarter phase approaches on Monday. This means neap tides again, with a little more residual tidal flow through the wee hours of the morning until then. Slight current under cloudy and darkened skies, with moon above close to sunset – an interesting combination for estuary fishos and those heading out wide chasing reds if nothing else.
Guy Scotney found plenty of muddies during a recent river mission.
Chris and family are feasting on some of Qld's finest this week.
All About the Bream for Pier Fishos
The herring have decided to linger beneath the Urangan Pier this week, yet that hasn't been enough to attract the attention of any major predators it seems. No jewfish, no flathead, and no pelagics is the word from our resident pier expert - for now. Things can change quickly out there, yet it might take making tides beyond Monday to trigger any real return of the bigger fish.
In the meantime, it is bream time big time out there, and plenty of fishos are having fun extracting these scrappy little battlers from between the pylons. The neaps may not encourage a better bite, yet the sullen overcast conditions just might help. Try some live baiting for bigger predators if you wish, but it sounds like lighter tackle and a bit of fun with smaller quarry is on the cards.
Plenty of bream have fallen victim to artificial crab imitations already, and plenty more will yet. Pike are making a nuisance of themselves on other more slender profiles, yet still offer the kids a little fun and practice for better opponents. Squid have been rare to be fair, yet you would be crazy to wander out there without at least one squid jig handy this time of year.
Beach fishos can go seeking bream schools around other forms of structure if the pier doesn't appeal. The fringing rocks from Pialba to Gatakers Bay will be home to many spawning bream schools for weeks to come. The slight onshore breeze might seem counter-productive for light presentations on finesse tackle, but the bream will feel more comfortable creeping closer to shore.
Flats fishing is a fine option for anyone keen to get their feet wet. The Booral Flats should fish well for bream, flathead and blue salmon, with other more prestigious predators a possibility. Whiting will also be worth pursuing down there, yet their appetites will be much stronger when the tide has more oomph. Try local creek mouths and the banks further upstream for flathead, and head even further upstream if you think you can tempt a jack in these mild winter conditions.
Urangan Pier bream are suckers for Cranka Crabs.
Fisho's staffer, Kealan, with a recent flathead capture. No points for guessing where he caught it.
Bream Fishing Over Shallow Reefs
Our shallow reefs may not be as exciting for reef fishos this time of year, yet those same grounds become inundated with masses of spawning bream. So, whilst some might shift their focus to deeper inshore reefs and target their same old favourites, others will stay shallow and retire the trout rods in favour of much lighter bream tackle.
Serious numbers of bream can be caught by anchoring and berleying. Fish drawn to the trail can be tempted with very lightly-weighted baits, and there can be some quality kilo-plus bream in the mix. Larger bream won't be fooled by over-weighted presentations, preferring to monitor the movements of baits that drift back naturally with the tide instead.
A berley trail off Gatakers Bay or Pt Vernon is likely to attract more than just bream. Above the water it will be terns and gulls, that you will need to play the distraction game with, whilst below the water it can be vermin such as 'happy moments' and perhaps more appealing fish like tailor, mackerel or reef fish drawn into your trail.
Distracting the birds is a matter of throwing scraps of bait in one direction whilst you cast an unweighted bait behind the boat. Not doing so can mean bird after bird picking up your baits and you running the risk of hooking one of the poor critters. As far as the 'happies' go; tease baits away from them gently so as not to spook the bream that are watching on. Let that bait sink naturally again and the bream convinced all is okay will come in and snatch it from the happies. Works a treat with practice, but needs a little attention to detail.
Shallow reef bycatch whilst bream fishing can mean bust-offs from unknown opponents, or manageable-sized sweetlip, blackall or even coral trout (if your baits make it close enough to the bottom). Fishing hard to the bottom with light bream tackle is not recommended as snag-ups will be too frustrating. Mackerel and tailor (when they arrive) may not take a strip bait you are offering the bream, but they will be highly visible if they turn up and can be targeted with appropriate techniques.
Bream schools can be hunted around rocky foreshores here in town, or you can head for the bay islands. Round Island has more to offer after dark than in daylight, whereas the Picnics and Woody have deeper shoulders that hold schools during the daylight hours as well. You can find more schools at River Heads, Burrum Heads, and over along Fraser's western ledges and sand/mud flats. With no gill-netting in these waters these days, the bounty should be substantial for those keen for a feed.
If lures are more your thing, then go your hardest over coming weeks. Try the flats and shallowest rocky margins with topwater, and sink other offerings to fish scrounging deeper waters nearby. Daytime lure fishing will typically be more productive than night-time, as those pesky pike will be everywhere after dark, making them very hard to avoid.
Go toss some topwater lures around over shallow rocky country and you can be hauling in bream one after the other.
Lucas was justifiably proud of this wintertime 46cm jack, caught 2nd cast of the morning on an MMD Splash Prawn.
What to Expect from Deeper Inshore Reefs
Given how mild this winter has been so far, it should come as no surprise if you hook into coral trout and estuary cod from our deeper inshore reefs. Some might be bycatch from snapper exploits, though focussed efforts with heavier leaders and stouter tackle will help extract the larger models.
There is plenty of pike and other baitfish available inshore, so live baiting over the turn of tide will appeal to old school fishos. Otherwise, it is the standard prawn imitation attached to a heavy jighead, an artificial squid profile, or maybe a trolled ultra-deep diver that will tempt these species.
A feed of grassy sweetlip and maybe a couple of fat little nannies is possible from inshore reefs if you can avoid the sharks. Deeper grounds that are awash with strong currents on bigger tides can be most productive over neaps such as these. Anchoring seems largely pointless these days due to the sharks, so drift your baits behind you on running sinker rigs sporting just enough lead to stay near the bottom.
Snapper catches to date have been paltry. Small schools of fish have arrived at a couple of the usual inshore hotspots, but guess who has been there waiting for them. You know it – those darn sharks! Moon Ledge has seen multiple fish wasted to noahs, as has the Simpson artificial reef and well-known sites in the south-western bay. Regardless, there will be lots of effort on those grounds again this week no doubt, and plenty more at other shark-infested grounds such as the Roy Rufus, Mickeys and The Channel Hole.
Such good weather would suggest some effort beyond those close grounds, yet it is a little difficult to get excited about snapper over neap tides out in the bay. Having said that, if you hang in there for the after-dark bite, then the 'moon above' at sunset and the 'moon down' closer to midnight might produce. Good luck with the sharks folks. I am truly lost for words.
Oh, and watch out for humpbacks. There have been a couple of recent sightings quite close inshore already, and bound to be many more in coming weeks. Whales were sighted near the Roy Rufus well over a week ago, whilst recent sightings off Arch Cliffs are less surprising. Night travel will be hazardous indeed come late July onwards, but you would have to be incredibly unlucky to bump into one right now. Take extra care all the same, and even more-so if heading offshore.
Logan slipped out before work at Fisho's this morning and scored this nice snapper.
High-flying snapper bycatch for Kealan this morning.
Whiting and Mackerel Feeding Many Family Fishos
Sharks haven't been an issue for winter whiting fishos hugging the sandy shallows and channels close inshore. Their season has been a very good one to date, and should continue unabated for some time. Reports this week suggest schools were found off Pt Vernon, the Burrum, Woodgate and near the NU2.
No word from west of Woody Island, though those grounds might appeal more to folks whilst this gentle north-easter persists. Straits fishos are gathering a handy feed down Boonooroo way, and they are supplementing that catch with sand crabs and the odd tiger squid. There is possibly no better bait for sand crabs than whiting frames either by the way, so recycling will be on the cards for fishos down there (and locally too if you are clever).
Broad-barred mackerel are ranging widely through the most southerly extremities of the bay well down into the Great Sandy Straits. A few are being caught by trolling diving lures across shallow reef and rubbly flats, whilst others are falling victim to spoons spun at speed. Broadies are dedicated hunters that favour garfish and hardy heads, but they are frequent bycatch on live herring and pike baits meant for other quarry too.
School mackerel are scattered, yet quite abundant throughout various waters in the bay. You might find some off the Burrum coast, up Wathumba way, or locally off Gatakers Bay or out across 'the banks'. Snapper fishos will lament their presence as they swipe and/or destroy lures meant for knobbies, whilst a mackerel fan could score a feed by simply trolling high-speed divers or spinning around bait schools with spoons.
Speaking of "up Wathumba way", there is gossip getting around about as many as three marlin caught in the waters of the bay up there this week. Highly unseasonal as that may be, we should remember that random marlin captures have occasionally been recorded by reef fishos out in the central and northern bay in winter. Totally accidental bycatch that may have eaten a hooked hussar or moses perch in the past, these recent captures are reminders that you should be ready for anything when fishing Hervey Bay waters.
Massive cobia spring to mind when considering possible bycatch in winter too. Some beauties have already been caught in recent weeks, and the way they are getting around, there is bound to be even more this weekend. Be ever-watchful of your surrounds when out wide and you might even spot your next big cobia before you catch it. They often cruise on up to boats and readily take all sorts of offerings, so get the kids hooked up to one and be ready for a momentous battle to unfold.
The Kreis family enjoyed a recent session proving you can catch 'summer whiting' in winter.
No doubt several cobia of this size and bigger will be caught during this spell of wicked weather. Saltwater Playground clients with a recent sample.
Inviting Weather for Estuary Fishos
Our waters have cooled to generally below 20°C, yet these ultra-mild conditions and neap tides are very tempting for estuary fishos. You can go chase bream that are migrating to spawn if you wish, or take on the increasing numbers of flathead appearing in our rivers. Or, you could take advantage of the weather and chase barra, threadies and maybe even a mangrove jack before the inevitable chill of winter returns.
The Burrum is home to plenty of bream, in large schools in the lower reaches. They can be found hugging rocky outcrops at times and mooching up onto nearby flats at others. Flathead are quite prolific in the same lower reaches, with a few in the mid reaches as well. Grunter and whiting are a chance come the next full moon, but will be hard to tempt in coming days most likely.
The Burrum and its feeder rivers are hosting schools of barra and threadfin salmon. How hard or easy they are to catch is somewhat relative to how many boats have been livescoping over the top of them lately. Mild weather such as this surely making them a lot easier targets than they were in recent cold snaps.
The Mary and Susan are home to slowly increasing numbers of threadfin salmon, whilst blue salmon are quite prolific. Sizeable barramundi can be found in the Mary with enough effort, and plenty of smaller snag-dwelling models can be found too. Night sessions are likely to produce the better class of fish, as always, whilst good timing will ensure you are presenting your lures when the tide is right during brief daytime bite periods.
Grunter might be caught in the Mary system this week, but it is the waters of the Great Sandy Straits that are the true grunter haven. There are ample threadies down there too, and stacks of blues. Look for flatties in the usual haunts around creek mouths and you won't go fishless, and you could even spend some time chasing bream if so inclined. The neaps will make deeper ledges and high current areas favourable for jewfish fans, with the usual cod bycatch to be expected.
River Heads itself is directly in the path of migrating bream heading to their favourite spawning grounds. The neaps will make fishing those waters easier, whilst they remain forever snaggy. Clever bait presentations will tempt hungry bream, whilst many an artificial option can be tossed their way with confidence. Landlubbers can score well, and could catch flathead, estuary cod or blue salmon bycatch; so be prepared for a do or die battle amongst the rocks down there.
Clive and little Stella Scotney with the makings of a feast.
The Scotneys added banana prawns to their mud crab feast and are living like kings.
Lots to Look Forward to in Coming Weeks
With so many folks gearing up for offshore fishing adventures this weekend, there is bound to be some impressive stories and photos doing the rounds next week. Prime times for big red emperor in particular for those with the knowledge, the better grounds out wide in their repertoire, and the vessels to get there. Ideal conditions for deep droppers to go fill oversized eskies with prime deepwater ooglies, and for serious reef fishos to ply offshore grounds that haven't seen boats for some time.
More prawns for those yet to be satiated by the fantastic run of bananas this season, and even more delicate crab flesh for mud crab fans no doubt. Maybe the bay's sand crabs might even get a touch up with the weather coming good. Let's wait to hear whether the Burrum side fires or whether it is still up the island that is producing the best sandies.
There will be less tiger squid out there in days to come than there is right now – that is a surety. Just hearing of someone getting amongst some decent bay snapper without being hounded by sharks would be pleasant, though we are bound to be hearing about plenty caught from offshore by this time next week. Remember, the month-long snapper and pearl perch closure looms 15th July, so don't waste this opportunity.
And if that's not enough to look forward to; it is only 14 sleeps until the inaugural Hervey Bay Fishing Classic kicks of early in July. That is one major event not to miss fishos, so suss out their latest updates via their website or socials and start prepping for the biggest fishing event on Hervey Bay's calendar.
Stella Meech was happy to help out with the fish cleaning duties when dad got home.
Good luck out there y'all …… Jase