FISHING REPORT   – 03-05-2013

COOBY AND CRESSBROOK OPENING HOURS

From Wednesday this week, Cooby and Cressbrook Dam’s opening hours changed to their winter times of 7am - 6pm, these opening hours will be in place until 1^st September.

BASS

Cressbrook is producing a few Bass around the edges, early morning and late afternoon and through the main part of the day, try around the points and dropoffs throughout the dam, soft plastics and blades have been the popular lures to use, while live shrimp and frozen saltwater yabbies have been the pick of the baits. The fish are quite scattered at Somerset at the moment, Pelican Point has been about the best spot to target, with slow rolled soft plastics and Fly fishing proving to be the best methods. At Maroon, the weed beds have again produced a few Bass, with blades and smaller spinnerbaits getting the best results. No change at Bjelke Peterson and Boondooma Dams this week, they are still fairly dirty, using bait will give anglers a better chance of landing a fish, reaction lures around the timber in the Stuart and Boyne arms would be worth a try as well, and as far as the Redclaw go, all of these Bass dams are producing good numbers at the moment.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD

Cooby Dam continues to produce good numbers of Yellowbelly, with bait still picking up the majority of the fish, although there are still a few hitting blades, soft vibes and trolled hard bodies, live worms, shrimp and frozen Saltwater Yabbies have been the pick of the baits. Not a lot has changed at Glenlyon over the past month, it has again produced a lot of Yellowbelly around the 35-40cm mark, there’s also been some bigger Silver Perch in amongst them, live shrimp have landed the most fish. The one thing that has changed is the Cod fishing, with some good quality fish hitting spinnerbaits over the past week, the biggest Cod tipped the scales at 48lb. Frozen prawns and saltwater yabbies have been effective on the Yellowbelly at Coolmunda this week, while trolled hard bodies have picked up a few as well. Leslie Dam is still not breaking any records, with a few Yellowbelly and Silver Perch landed, live Shrimp and frozen saltwater yabbies have been the best baits. As for the rivers, the Macintyre at Goondiwindi continues to improve, with some quality Yellowbelly taking frozen saltwater yabbies and also trolled hard bodies, the Cod fishing has really picked up this week, with a lot of fish hitting trolled lures, as well as spinnerbaits worked around structure. The Balonne River at St.George has seen heaps of Yellowbelly taken on saltwater yabbies, while some decent Cod have been taken on spinnerbaits. The Macintyre Brook below Coolmunda has seen plenty of Yellowbelly and Cod taking spinnerbaits and Jackals, and the weirs along the Condamine River have again produced a few Yellowbelly on live bait, frozen saltwater yabbies and spinnerbaits.

GOLD COAST AND TWEED

Offshore, Snapper, Spanish Mackerel, and small Black Marlin on the 24’s and 36’s, Wahoo and Mackerel at Fidos Reef, and the 50’s straight out from Southport has produced some good quality Pearl Perch. Inshore fishing has seen plenty of Tailor and School Jew around the headlands at Cabarita, also plenty of Tailor, Whiting and Dart in the gutters right along the beaches from Kingscliff to Southport, Trevelly, Bream and Mack Tuna in the Seaway and the entrance to the Tweed River, and the Broadwater has seen good numbers of Sand Crabs throughout.

SUNSHINE COAST

Offshore fishing has been good again, with plenty of small Snapper, Coral Trout and Grassy Sweetlip on the closer reefs, Long tail Tuna getting about 12 Mile Reef and trolling lures has produced good numbers of Spotty Mackerel. Inshore, most of the estuaries have produced decent numbers of Whiting, Bream and Flathead again, with the best spots being the mouth of the Maroochy and Noosa Rivers, the Powerboat Club and Wickham Point, plenty of Dart along the beaches, while the Maroochy River and the passage at Caloundra have seen good numbers of School Jew on the run out tide.

HERVEY BAY

The outer reefs have been fishing well for Mackerel, Wahoo, small Black Marlin and Long tail Tuna, while inshore, the creeks have been fishing for Grunter, Bream and a few Threadfin Salmon and plenty of Squid have been caught off the Urangan Pier at night.