"

Simply awesome August
  |  First Published: August 2016



This is one of the best times of year to fish the Jumpinpin waterways, as traditionally the westerly winds kick in, bringing cool clear days and great fishing. The tailor have turned up in good numbers along the beaches of South and North Straddie as they make their way up the coast.

Fishing the gutters of these beaches at low tide, late in the arvo and into the night, has proved fruitful on pillies, gar and bonito flesh. Small schools are coming inside the bar to chase whitebait, and can be seen chomping on the surface with birds circling above. They’re mainly choppers with the odd 2kg greenback showing up as well.

Try using small metal slugs or any lure that looks like whitebait. Troll or retrieve the lure quickly where you see the tailor working. They can appear anywhere and have been seen schooling up as far as Ageston Sands in the Logan River, so try to have a lure handy or float the odd pilly when baitfishing.

This is my favourite time of year as we head into flathead season and the big females start feeding up to breed. All flathead over 75cm need to be released and this is the time of year where your chances of catching these magnificent fish greatly improve. The deep drop offs along the bottom of North Straddie will usually hold bigger fish but getting them to bite is a different story. I’ve been told by a free diver that the bank can hold hundreds of flathead at any time. Not that many actually get caught, so picking the right time of tide is the key.

For the baitfishers, try drifting over the drop offs and deeper holes with small pillies, froggies and white bait. Fish along Kalinga Bank, Cobby Passage, the Stockyards, the bottom of Kangaroo Island, Long Island and in the Logan River near Redbill Island. Bigger fish are being caught in the deeper water, so try jigging bigger plastics in the deeper holes to score yourself a monster lizard. Just remember the bag limit of five flatties each, as you can catch heaps in one session. Only take what you need.

Bream fishers love this time of year. The westerlies kick in around the Ekka and keep the water temperature low, which the big bream love. I always score better quality fish in August and they’re smashing baits rather than just picking. When the bream start to feed in this way, it’s a great time to test your skills at luring with either small plastics or vibes, and around good structure like rocks, jetties or snags.

If you’re looking for a feed of bream try around the Powerlines, Flat Rock, the bottom of North Straddie, the Stockyards or the structures of Steglietz and Rudy Maas. Large mulloway should be on the bite this month in the deeper water off Swan Bay, Marks Rocks, Pitts Rocks, Giants Grave and the eastern tip of Short Island. Big plastics or live baits like pike and mullet will work the best in these spots. Outside, there has been some quality snapper and trag on the close reefs.

• Thanks for all your reports and keep those fish coming in. If you’d like any advice or up to date fishing information drop us a line at Gem Bait & Tackle on (07) 3287 3868 or email --e-mail address hidden--

Reads: 1376

Matched Content ... powered by Google