FISHING REPORT   – 16-02-2013

CRESSBROOK DAM REOPENS

Cressbrook Dam was reopened yesterday for all recreational use, following its closure due to ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald on the Australia Day long weekend. Boating, day use and camping and land-based fishing are now permitted at the dam. The dam was closed to boating when water flowed over the spillway making it unsafe for this pursuit.

However, dam users are advised that any significant rainfall in the catchment area may result in the dam being closed under Council's Emergency Action Plan.

Access to the dam is from the Esk-Hampton Road, via Mount Jockey Road as Perseverance Dam Road is still closed approx 1km from Grape Tree Road intersection. 

Since reopening last Friday, Cooby Dam has produced some decent catches of Yellowbelly, there are a few scattered schools not far from the Loveday Cove boat ramp, these fish have been hitting vertically worked soft plastics and blades, as well as live shrimp. There was also the odd fish landed off the banks, with live worms proving to be effective.

According to the SEQ Water website, all SEQ dams have been reopened. There have been a couple of reports of a few Bass and Yellowbelly being caught in Somerset Dam.

Bjelke Peterson Dam is fairly quiet as far as the fishing goes. Boondooma Dam is very much the same; although there has been a couple of fish caught, but it will be a while before the dam settles and starts to fish well again. The camp grounds have been closed due to some infrastructure damage from the floods, but they are hopeful to reopen them in the next few days.

Glenlyon Dam has produced some decent numbers of Yellowbelly, and also quite a few undersize to just legal Cod, mainly on trolled lures. It’s certainly not easy, but if you put the time in, you should get the rewards. As a matter of interest, this dam has had 150,000 Yellowbelly fingerlings released onto it, since the start of the year, again, well done to all people involved. Not a lot different at Leslie Dam this week, the Yellowbelly are still biting, trolled hard bodies and bait are working at the moment, with live Shrimp and frozen Saltwater Yabbies working well throughout the dam, worms have again produced some decent catches for the land based anglers.

As far as the rivers go, the Dumeresq River is still running, but there has been a few Jewies and a couple of smaller Cod caught downstream of Texas. The Macintyre River at Goondiwindi has seen a few Yellowbelly taking live Yabbies just downstream of the Boggabilla Weir and the Ballone River at St.George is dropping after peaking earlier in the week, targeting the back eddies with live bait has produced a few Yellowbelly and Cod.  

GOLD COAST AND TWEED

Offshore fishing has produced Trag Jew on the 18’s and 24’s, a few Spotty Mackerel are starting to show up out from Mermaid and Palm Beach, while trolled lures have been effective for Wahoo and Dolphin Fish on the 50’s. The Seaway has seen Mulloway around the end of the North wall on the tide change, also Trevelly and Kingies on the morning run in tide, Flathead around Kalinga and Gold Bank’s, Whiting and Dart off the beaches, a few Sand Crabs are starting to show up throughout the Broadwater and plenty of Muddies at the mouths of most of the creeks and rivers.

SUNSHINE COAST

Offshore fishing has seen a few Coral Trout and Sweetlip starting to fire, as the water clears on the closer reefs, however there are a lot of Sharks about, which is making it hard to get the fish to the boat, as far as inshore fishing goes, the Boardwalk at Caloundra has produced big Flathead and the odd Queenfish, Jack’s in the Pelican Waters canals, Whiting around the bar entrance and the Power Boat Club and some nice Muddies are showing up in Bells Creek, while the Noosa River has produced some Trevelly in Woods Bay and plenty of big Whiting from Noosaville to the river mouth.