FISHING REPORT   – 30-08-2013

FISHING CLOSURES FOR FRESHWATER FISH SPECIES

As of midnight this Saturday 31^st August through to midnight 30^th November, a no take rule applies for Murray Cod, in the Dumeresq, Macintyre and Barwon Rivers. These waterways can still be fished for Golden Perch, but if you happen to catch a Cod, it must be returned to the water as quickly as possible. On the other hand, the closed season for Australian Bass finishes at midnight, this Saturday 31^st August, so it’s all systems go, for those of you that like fishing the Brisbane River.

BASS

Very similar to last week at Cressbrook, with mixed results still coming in, there are some quality fish being caught, the best places to look, are around the points and drop-offs throughout the dam, use a sounder to find the fish and target them with soft plastics and ice jigs, there’s also been a few fish hitting trolled hard bodies around the points. Boondooma has produced a few Bass, on the flats in the Boyne arm, hopping blades and Jackals has been effective, with some quality fish starting to show up. Maroon is much the same this week, with a few Bass taken around the edges and weed pockets on soft plastics, and Moogerah has again produced decent numbers, with the same lures working successfully, including small blades, soft plastics, soft vibes and ice jigs.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD

Cooby Dam is still producing decent numbers of Yellowbelly, fishing mid to late afternoon in the deeper water has produced the best results; blades have been the pick of the lures, while frozen saltwater yabbies and live shrimp have again been the popular baits. Fishing deep has again been the best option at Glenlyon this week, with some quality Yellowbelly taking bait suspended at about 20-25 feet, some quality Cod around the 70cm mark, have been taking spinnerbaits around the timbered areas. Coolmunda has again seen Yellowbelly to 50cm hitting Jackals, Spinnerbaits and bait around the timber. In the Warwick area this week, Leslie Dam has only produced small numbers of Yellowbelly and Silver Perch, off the banks, on frozen saltwater yabbies and live worms. Boondooma Dam has seen some decent Yellowbelly taking Mask Vibes and bait in the Stuart arm, with bag limits being reached fairly easily and Bjelke Peterson has produced some quality fish around Bass Point on live shrimp and trolled hard bodies. As for the rivers, the Macintyre at Goondiwindi has produced good size Yellowbelly on bait and hard bodies, the Balonne at St.George is fishing well for smaller Yellowbelly, also plenty of Silver Perch on bait and a few smaller Cod have been taken on dark coloured hard bodies, while the Condamine River continues to fish well for Yellowbelly and Cod, with most of the weirs and popular holes, throughout the system proving to be quite productive.

GOLD COAST AND TWEED

Offshore fishing this past week has seen Cobia taking live bait on the closer artificial reefs and out wider; the 50’s has produced good mixed bags of Snapper, Kingies and Amberjack and some quality Pearl Perch have been coming off the northern 36’s. As far as the inshore fishing goes, the Tweed River has seen a few Flathead on the edges, taking soft plastics and Tailor around the rock walls at the river mouth. While on the Gold Coast, plenty of Jewies in the Seaway, on soft plastics, around the tide changes, good numbers of Flathead on trolled lures around Crab Island and Tipplers Passage and quality Bream around the bridges and pontoons throughout the Nerang River.

SUNSHINE COAST

Offshore fishing has again seen the outer reefs firing for plenty of Snapper, Pearl Perch, Yellow Tail Kingfish and Sweetlip, while inshore fishing has seen small Snapper off the rocks at Kings Beach, big Summer Whiting have been plentiful throughout the passage at Caloundra and off the beaches a few Trevelly still getting about the Pelican Waters canals, good size Bream in the Maroochy River, Tailor on poppers at the mouth of the Noosa River and also in the Noosa River, Flathead on plastics, working the edges of the mud flats and School Jew have been hitting bigger soft plastics in the deeper holes.  

FRASER ISLAND

Fraser Island is producing plenty of average size Tailor during the day, while night time fishing has seen some bigger fish landed.