Fishing Monthly - Latest Fishing Reports


	These reports are updated weekly. Last Edited: Monday, 15 August 2005 Quick Jump Links: Gold Coast, Moreton Bay, Freshwater, Bribie Is & Caloundra, Sunshine Coast, 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

Last week started off with light winds and sunny days, which gave way to a cold snap and some falls of rain over the Gold Coast. The seas were fairly choppy all week but picked up significantly towards the close of the week.

On calm days and during the spells of good weather plenty of boats headed through the bars to fish the offshore grounds. The trolling scene has been fairly slow, although there were a heap of mack tuna to keep anglers interested. The odd yellowfin tuna was also taken on the 36s and 50s off Southport and down on the Tweed Nine Mile, trolling Halcos, Mackbaits and small skirts. On the Nine Mile a few decent giant trevally were also taken on trolled minnows. There have been quite a few larger boats trolling big skirts in the hope of a striped or blue marlin, though I didn’t here any reports of these fish being boated during the week. Most of the action occurs along the 36 and 50 fathom lines. There were reports of a few Spanish mackerel taken on trolled lures and baits off the Pin Bar, so hopefully these fish will move south where they are a little more accessible.

The bottom fishing is still excellent and now is probably the best time of year to chase bottom fish from the reefs. The 18s and 24s have been producing good numbers of squire, parrotfish and tailor, as well as some solid snapper early or late in the day. Best baits have been pilchards and strips of tailor or yellowtail fished lightly in a berley trail. Out on the 36s a mixed bag was taken on similar baits. Squire, parrot, tailor, pigfish, snapper and pearl perch were all brought to the boat. The 50s had much of the same, with some great kingfish and amberjack caught on live baits and on heavy metal jigs. Some areas of the 36s and 50s are currently plagued by leatherjackets, so if you get a couple of these fish or are getting bitten off regularly, it is probably a good idea to move spots.

The estuaries have been fishing extremely well with some great fish taken over the past week. The walls of the Seaway have been lined most days and at times you could walk to South Straddie on the drifting boats. There were plenty of bream around on baits of yabbies, whitebait and strips of mullet and tailor. Most of these fish were taken from the rock walls where the boulders meet the sand. There were good numbers of tailor and trevally along the north wall, the end of the south wall and through the adjacent channels on the incoming tide. Soft plastics, metal slugs, poppers and live baits accounted for most of these fish brought to the boat. Live baiting the end of the north wall and along the pipeline produced a few school jewies and some large trevally. Kingfish have been active throughout the week and have turned up in the Seaway and in areas north towards Crab Island. Poppers, soft plastic shads and saltwater flies were the best bet for anglers chasing these fish. The Broadwater has been full of flathead for the past couple of weeks, with quite a few larger fish starting to show up as the water warms. Soft plastics, deep diving minnows and live mullet or herring all worked well on flathead around the drop-offs, sandbanks and weed beds. Some quality whiting have been showing through the Broadwater and the Nerang River. While they are in no great numbers it is a simple matter to pick up half a dozen for the dinner table on yabbies, worms and shrimp. Bream have been common throughout the rivers around bridges, beacons, pontoons, moored boats and canal entrances. These fish can be taken on most baits, small soft plastics and small hard-bodied lures. Small trevally are hanging around most bridges, canal entrances and rock bars in the mid to upper reaches of the rivers and can be tempted with soft plastics, diving minnows, small poppers and small live baits. It shouldn’t be too long until mangrove jack and cod start to appear in the same areas, so keep working them with your lures and baits.

The beaches have fished reasonably well when the swell is not too large or small. Some good deep gutters have formed along the northern end of the coast and these have been producing tailor on dawn, dusk and into the evenings. Whole pilchards and garfish have been great baits for these fish, and anglers throwing metal slugs haven’t been disappointed either. On the southern beaches the points and deep gutters have produced a few tailor as well, mainly in the late afternoons. Some big bream and tarwhine have been patrolling the gutters as well and will bite readily on whitebait, yabbies, beachworms and pippies. Dart have been ever-present and will take most small baits fished in the gutters and holes. The sand-pumping jetty has been popular for tailor and bream after dark on baits of pilchards and strips of fish flesh.

Hinze Dam was fishing well until we experienced the cold snap midway through the week. Before this bass were holding in deeper water adjacent to the rocky points and steep banks. The cold change should see most of the fish move into the shallower inlets and bays where the water is slightly warmer. Here they can be targeted using soft plastics, spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits, although the action may be a little slow. The best bet is probably to try baits of live shrimp and worm as these baits will often be taken by shut down fish in cooler conditions. Expect a few yellowbelly trolling the drop-offs and points or fishing the bay entrances with baits.

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