Fishing Monthly - Latest Fishing Reports


	These reports are updated weekly. Last Edited: Monday, 8 March 2004 Quick Jump Links: Gold Coast, Moreton Bay, Freshwater, Bribie Is & Caloundra, Sunshine Coast, Maroochy/Mooloolaba. Hervey Bay, Bundaberg, Yeppoon, Stanage Bay, Mackay, Whitsundays. Townsville, Hinchinbrook. Mission Beach, Karumba, Cairns, Port Douglas. C ooktown, Weipa, Archived Reports, Weather & Tides.
COMPILED WEEKLY BY GARRY SMITH IN CAIRNS: e-mail: lavallesmith@iig.com.au

Gold Coast

To say that the weather on the Coast last week was erratic does not even begin to do it justice. The beginning of the week was fine with light winds and steamy hot, followed by cyclonic conditions later in the week, which disappeared overnight to leave it fine again. However the swell was one thing left behind after the wild weather and heading offshore will not be an option until mid week at best.

There was no fishing done on the offshore grounds during the second half of last week, though a few boats did head outside early in the week when conditions were more favourable. Once again pelagics were the primary target of most of the boats that crossed the bars. Trolling the 36's and beyond produced some nice catches of small black marlin, yellowfin tuna, Spanish mackerel and the odd wahoo. Trolling live slimies was the most popular of the techniques utilised, while others were successful using small to medium skirted lures such as Hexheads.

On the 50's quite a few schools of dolphin fish turned up along the current lines. These could be targeted by trolling small skirts and live baits, or by casting small metal lures under floating debris.

Down on the Palm Beach and Mermaid reefs some good spotted mackerel and the odd Spaniard and cobia were taken drifting live baits and pillies or casting metal slugs.

The bottom fishing was a little slow at the start of the week, with the strong current making it hard to find and hold the bottom even with heavy sinkers. Most of the bottom bashing was done in close along the 24 fathom reefs east and south-east of the Seaway. The main captures were tailor, squire and parrot fish with a few sweetlip and trag jew thrown in. Fresh fish flesh and pillies were the best baits. Out further the odd snapper and pearl perch was taken, as well as a few yellowtail kingfish and amberjacks on live baits fished on the bottom.

With all the freshwater flooding down the rivers at the moment most of the fishing will be concentrated around the entrances. At the moment the rivers have the consistency of brown sludge and there is that much floating debris that keeping a bait or lure in the water for long enough to catch a fish is very difficult. Earlier in the week the upper and middle reaches of the beaches were fishing well for whiting and bream, with some good hauls taken in the Nerang around the Council Chambers and adjacent to the Carrara stadium. Bloodworms and yabbies were the best all round estuary baits, with beach worms and peeled prawns proving a worthwhile substitute.

There were plenty of flatties about in the Broadwater for those chasing them on baits or artificials. The best baits were frogmouth pilchards and live mullet and herring, while deep diving minnows and soft plastic shads were the pick of the artificials. Most of the fish are reasonable small but what they lack in size they make up for in numbers and taste on the dinner plate.

Further up the rivers the hot afternoons had jacks and estuary cod on the bite, with quite a few of these fish taken during the early part of the week. Deep diving minnows trolled around bridge pylons and rocky stretches of the river worked very well, as did drifting live mullet and herring. A few trevally were also taken using these methods.

The Seaway was the centre of most of the fishing activity at the beginning of the week, with tailor, trevally and bream being taken on baits and lures from the rock walls. The hole at the end of the north wall produced trevally, tarpon, school jew, sharks and the odd yellowtail kingfish, mangrove jack and bonito. Live baits and metal slugs were the go in this spot. Schools of garfish have been showing up over the weed beds north of Wavebreak Island and just south of Crab Island. These fish can be berleyed using bread and caught on either dough or peeled prawn pieces on a tiny hook under a float. As the rough weather abates, try fishing live baits in the channel north of the Seaway, as we should see a few squire, sweetlip and parrotfish in here avoiding the turbulent conditions on the shallow reefs.

The beaches went from practically no swell at all in the early part of the week to being pounded by four and five metre waves last Friday and Saturday. This should have a big impact on the formation of the beaches and there will be a lot of new structure once the waves abate. At the start of last week some nice tailor were taken from the Spit and the sand-pumping jetty on pilchards and metal Raiders. There were also a few large bream and tarwhine about early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Pippies, beach worms and frogmouth pilchards were a good bait when fishing for bream, and also accounted for a few decent flathead in the deeper gutters. A few whiting were also pulled from the shallow gutters along the coast. As usual, dart were the predominant capture and would take almost any offering lobbed into the surf.

The wild weather has certainly given Hinze Dam a healthy boost, with the water rising 20% in just under three days. The dam currently sits at 80% and the boat ramp is back underwater - no more dirt launches for us! The rain also heralded an increase in fish activity in the dam, with some great catches last week. Plenty of bass were taken where runoff streams entered the dams and over inundated trees and grass patches. Surface lures worked well, as did live shrimp and garden worms, as well as deep diving minnows. Saratoga continue to be very active, with some nice fish taken in the western and upper reaches of the dam on surface plastics and flies. There were also a few yellowbelly out for those chasing them, with live baits proving to be a touch more effective than artificial offerings. A few did fall to deep diving lures fished around sunken trees and along steep banks.

John Polson & Paul Revie
The Fisherman Pty Ltd
Sporty's Warehouse
32 Strathaird Rd. Surfers Paradise
Gold Coast. QLD 4217
Australia
Phone: +61 7 5531 6511
Mobile: +61 418 751220
www.thefisherman.com.au