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Topwater explosion
  |  First Published: March 2016



This month we’re set for explosive topwater action! Mangrove jack fire around this time of the year, smashing baitfish on the surface! Not only will jacks be on the list, but flathead, bream, whiting, painted sweetlip and trevally will also be biting.

The best time for topwater jack fishing will vary depending on tides and the amount of bait, but the best time will range from early morning around 4-7am and late afternoon around 4-7pm. Any lure that sprays a lot of water forward and makes noise will catch a jack’s attention. Occasional, random pauses throughout the retrieve will be effective, particularly when you cast your lures close to likely structure including jetties, rock walls, trees (natural structure) and especially retaining walls.

There’s been great signs of flathead throughout most of our large river systems, especially the Logan River, which has been producing some solid models. A lure I will strongly recommend will be a 3” shrimp style soft plastic in a natural colour, and I fish these around mangrove-lined banks and drop-offs. Cast as close as you can to the structure and don’t be surprised to see some line burning from a decent jack!

Trevally fishing is exceptional around this time of the year, mainly in the Broadwater and Jumpinpin, and in the canals. The seaway is another trevally sanctuary, and both surface fishing and burning plastics will work well, but there are times when micro-jigs are effective near the bottom. The top of the high tide, the bottom of the low and also the first part of the change of tides is perfect. If you find a heap of bait, stick to them because the trevs won’t be too far away. A few weeks ago a mate and I had some 60cm+ GT smashing up bait 100m off North Wavebreak Island wall.

Prawns are starting to show up and also continuing to school up through most large river systems. Without doubt the Logan River is most anglers ‘go-to’ system. Our last few seasons have been very successful with people filling bags in no time. Sounding prawns up would definitely be a great idea. They show up on the sounder like soft mud, in other words the bottom is slightly thicker. Rarely they will show up mid water, usually the stuff in there is baitfish.

Over the next month we will continue to see expected showers throughout the day and temperatures slowly creeping down. We will still have hot days, which will bring on the afternoon bite. Fishing rock walls after a hot day will be a good option as the heat will still be stored in the rocks on dusk.

For the bait anglers, live bait is a great option, especially at nighttime around bridges. Mangrove jack, trevally, flathead and the odd mulloway will be keen to scuff down a live mullet, herring, prawn or yakka if you can get your hands on some. Failing that, dead pilchards are always a good bait for just about anything.

In conclusion, March is a fantastic month for a mixture of summer species with a taste of our winter fish! One tip I will share and one to remember through all of your fishing is to stay confident and persist. If you aren’t confident in what you’re using, change up or move spots.

Catch you on the water!

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