Fishing Report 31-03-2016

FISHING REPORT   –   31-03-2016

EASTER WRAP UP
Plenty of people got out to our local impoundments for a bit of camping and fishing over the long weekend. There were mixed reports, with people fishing waterways that they knew, having success, while anyone who went somewhere they weren’t familiar with, did it a bit tough.

BASS
Cressbrook Dam saw a few Bass caught over the weekend, even though they’re getting harder to catch. Working blades through the schooled fish just out from the campgrounds worked well, there’s still quite a few smaller fish with the odd bigger one in amongst them and the Eagles Nest area saw a couple landed as well. Boondooma Dam continues to produce reasonable numbers of Bass, the fish are suspended at 20ft, in 25-60ft of water, throughout the dam; working SMAKO’s or trolling spinnerbaits through these fish has been effective and working spinnerbaits around the timber in the Stuart arm has also worked quite well. Not huge numbers landed at Bjelke Peterson this week, casting Blades and soft plastics to the drop-offs, around the points, at the bottom end of the dam has worked well, while working lures or using live shrimp around the timber has been good also and Moogerah Dam was also very busy with boating traffic, which made it pretty tough, however, there were a few Bass landed towards the back of the dam, in the timber, while Blades and spinnerbaits were the pick of the lures. There was also the odd Bass taken on live shrimp, fished close to the weed banks.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD
A late afternoon/early evening fish has been the go at Cooby Dam, trolling hard bodies along the steeper weed edges has worked well for Yellowbelly and there was a 107cm Cod taken on a spinnerbait, which was released after a quick photo. Boondooma Dam also produced good numbers of quality Yellowbelly, the timbered area of the Boyne arm was the spot to be, with bait and spinnerbaits accounting for the majority of the fish. While at Bjelke Peterson, using bait, or trolling spinnerbaits through the timber has proven successful. Coolmunda Dam fished a little better this week, with a few Yellowbelly taking frozen saltwater yabbies and brighter coloured spinnerbaits, there was also a couple of Cod caught, trolling hard bodies over the old creek bed, just out from the boat ramp. Leslie Dam saw a slight improvement over the Easter break, with some quality Yellowbelly taken on shrimp and frozen saltwater yabbies towards the southern end of the main basin. The deeper parts of the main basin saw the fish holding tight to the bottom and these fish fell for soft vibes, blades and soft plastics rigged with a beetle spin. Glenlyon saw an increase in the numbers of Yellowbelly and Silver Perch taking live shrimp and worms, there was also plenty of Cod taking spinnerbaits. As for the rivers, the Macintyre at Goondiwindi saw low numbers of Yellowbelly and the odd smaller Murray Cod taken on frozen saltwater yabbies, spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits, the Dumeresq at Texas has seen a few Yellowbelly taking bait, while a few Cod have been hitting surface lures and the Condamine saw a few Yellowbelly and Cod taken on both lures and bait, with areas downstream of Tummaville proving to be more productive.

COASTAL FISHING

The Gold Coast has seen plenty of Wahoo taking trolled lures on the 24’s and 36’s, live bait has also accounted for some smaller Black Marlin on the 36’s and Trag Jew have been prominent on the 18’s and 24’s at night. The north wall of the Seaway is producing Mulloway, Kingies and Flathead, on the tide changes; Jewies and Tailor in the deeper holes inside the Pin bar and the southern Broadwater has seen plenty of Sand Crabs getting about. While at the Sunshine Coast, Spanish and Spotty Mackerel are still about, but the numbers are starting to decline, Long Tail and Mac Tuna are hitting metal slugs on Curramundi and 5 Mile Reefs, Sunshine and North Reefs have produced a mixed bag of reef fish, while inshore fishing at Caloundra has seen a few Flathead and Bream taken off the Boardwalk at the top of the tide, Golden Trevally near the Power Boat Club, Trevally and Tailor off Moffat Beach, and the Noosa River has produced quality Trevally, Jacks and Flathead at the river mouth and plenty of Whiting are taking  saltwater yabbies and surface poppers throughout the river.

Fishing Report 24-03-2016

FISHING REPORT – 24-03-2016

EASTER WEEKEND LOOKING PRETTY GOOD

With decent weather forecast for the Easter weekend, our dams and waterways could be fairly busy. If you are going boating over the break, make sure your PFD’s (Personal Flotation Device) are in good condition and up to the latest Australian Standards, you must have a PFD for all persons in the boat and all children under the age of 12 must wear a PFD at all times, while the boat is underway. A boat is classed as being underway, most of the time, apart from when it is anchored or nosed onto a bank. Boat ramp rage is another issue that arises at these busy times of year. There are a few things we can do to avoid these situations, make sure you have your boat ready for launching before moving onto the ramp, offer to help, if someone is launching on their own, or even having difficulty backing the trailer. There will be a lot of boats, kayaks, canoes and people on the water, so make sure you stay alert, if everyone does these few simple things, we should all have a safe and happy Easter. Good luck to everyone heading out for a fish this Easter and make sure you send your photos to info@tackleworldtoowoomba.com.au, post them on our Face Book page, or drop them into the shop, and you never know, your photo could end up on WIN News.

BASS

Cressbrook has again seen some bigger Bass around this week, there are still smaller fish holding just off the camp ground point and in the left branch past the toilet block in the Bull Creek arm; but the bigger fish have been on the flats, near the eagles nest. Working blades, tailspinners and spoons, or using live shrimp have picked up the most fish. Boondooma Dam has again produced some decent catches of Bass, although it has quietened a bit; trolling natural coloured 5/8oz spinnerbaits has worked well at The Narrows, Leizagangs and The Junction. Casting blades and soft plastics in the same areas has also worked, but hasn’t produced as many numbers. A little quieter at Bjelke Peterson as well, try trolling shallow diving, darker coloured hard bodies on the flats out from Bass Point, as well as along the old creek bed, out from the boat ramp for some decent fish and Somerset Dam has produced some quality Bass over the past week, but they have been hit and miss. There are some good shows of fish on the spit side of Pelican Point. Deep diving hard bodies and live shrimp have been more consistent options; however blades and spoons have also picked up a few.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD

Liam Newberry picked up this 60cm Murray Cod
near Dalby recently.

Cooby Dam has produced low numbers of Yellowbelly and the odd smaller Cod on trolled lures and frozen saltwater yabbies, working the deeper weed edges and the rock wall, should give the best results. For Boondooma and Bjelke Peterson, use the same tactics as with the Bass and you will also pick up some decent Yellowbelly. Coolmunda Dam has been pretty quiet, with only a few Yellowbelly and one reported Cod being landed; let’s hope things improve over Easter. Leslie Dam didn’t break any records over the past week; bait anglers managed to land a few Yellowbelly, as well as some reasonable sized Silver Perch, live shrimp and worms proved to be the most successful bait to use, while the lure anglers had success casting blades and soft vibes at deeper fish in the main basin. Glenlyon has had another slight improvement this week, with reasonable numbers of Yellowbelly and Silver Perch taken on live crays and spinnerbaits, there were a few Cod about again, with Spinnerbaits accounting for most of these. As for the rivers, the Macintyre River at Goondi has improved, with some decent Yellowbelly and some quality Cod to 90cm, taking lures in the town reaches and the Dumeresq at Texas has produced good numbers of Cod on spinnerbaits and surface lures, while bait again picked up a few Yellowbelly.

COASTAL FISHING

Offshore fishing at the Gold Coast has been limited, but there’s still quite a few Spanish Mackerel from Diamond Reef to Casino Reef and a bit wider on the 40’s has produced a few Marlin on trolled skirts. The Seaway has seen good numbers of Jewies and Kingies, GT’s off the pipeline, plenty of good sized Whiting out from the Council Chambers, in the Nerang River, plenty of Jacks around the pontoons in the Nerang and Coomera Rivers, Flathead on the flats at Crab Island and the Pin Bar has produced some quality Jewies. At the Sunshine Coast, Spanish Mackerel and Long Tail Tuna are taking trolled lures, good numbers of Snapper on the northern reefs, while inshore fishing at Caloundra has seen plenty of Whiting on the flats and Bream in the deeper holes in the Passage, Trevally and Queenies in the Pelican Waters canals, Maroochy and Noosa Rivers have seen some quality Jacks getting about, plenty of Flathead and Queenies at the mouth of the Noosa River and good numbers of Jewies off the beaches at night.

FISHING REPORT – 17-03-2016

BASS

Cressbrook has seen a few bigger Bass around this week, there are still some smaller fish holding just off the camp ground point and in the left branch past the toilet block in the Bull Creek arm; however the biger fish have been in the Eales nest area, hopping blades and soft plastics, or using live shrimp have again been the best methods. Boondooma Dam has again produced some decent catches of Bass; there is a few smaller fish about, with Ice jigs, soft plastics and tailspinners working well at Leizagangs, Pelican Point and The Junction, while bait and spinnerbaits accounted for a few in the timbered area of the Boyne and Stuart arms. Bass are still fairly active in Bjelke Peterson, casting Jackals, Blades and Spinnerbaits around the timbered edges has produced quality fish, it’s also worth a look on the flats out from Bass Point, while trolling hard bodies on the drop-offs has seen a few landed as well. Somerset Dam has produced some quality Bass over the past week, the start of the timber at Kirkleigh and Pelican Point were the hot spots last weekend, while trolled hard bodies and live shrimp worked the best and Moogerah saw some quality Bass landed towards the back of the dam, with blades, tail spinners and plastics all working well.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD

Cooby Dam has seen the odd Yellowbelly taking Ecogear ZX blades, just out from the dam wall buoy line; trolled lures and frozen saltwater yabbies have also produced a few decent fish along the right hand bank, just out from the buoy line. Boondooma and Bjelke Peterson continue to produce good numbers of quality Yellowbelly, the Stuart and Boyne arms have been the spots to target the fish in Boondooma, with live shrimp and trolled hard bodies picking up the best numbers, while at Bjelke Peterson, the points and timbered areas have provided the best catches. Coolmunda Dam has seen some good quality Yellowbelly taken in the timber on saltwater yabbies, Jackalls and spinnerbaits, good size Silver Perch on live worms, but the Cod have been a bit quiet. Leslie Dam has seen Yellowbelly being landed on both lures and bait, most of the fish are holding close to the bottom and Blades and Mask Vibes have been working the best on these fish, there’s good numbers holding in the rocky structure across from the dam wall and frozen saltwater yabbies have accounted for some quality fish around the Black Boys. Glenlyon has improved this week, with reasonable numbers of Yellowbelly and Silver Perch taken on frozen saltwater yabbies and live worms, there have also been a few Cod about, with Spinnerbaits accounting for most of these. As for the rivers, the Macintyre River at Goondi has been a bit quiet this week, with only a few Yellowbelly taken on bait in the town reaches and the Dumeresq at Texas has produced reasonable numbers of Cod on spinnerbaits, while bait accounted for a few Yellowbelly.

COASTAL FISHING

Offshore fishing at the Gold Coast has continued to produce Mackerel on trolled lures and drift baits from the front of the Seaway right through to Mermaid Reef and a bit wider of the 50’s has produced heaps of Blue Marlin on trolled skirts. The Seaway has seen good numbers of Jewies on the incoming tide, on live bait, there’s also been a few Kingies in amongst them, plenty of good sized Whiting in the Broadwater, and Flathead have been taking soft plastics at Kalinga Bank. While at the Sunshine Coast, Spanish and Spotty Mackerel are about in big numbers, right along the coast, trolling lures has been the best method, while inshore fishing at Caloundra has seen plenty of big Whiting on the flats in the Passage and Flathead and Bream off the boardwalk, Trevally in the Pelican Waters canals, the Maroochy River has seen a few Threadfin and Blue Salmon getting about, Jacks around the bridge pylons, plenty of Flathead, Trevally and Jewies at the mouth of the Noosa River and good numbers of Jewies off the beaches as well.

Fishing Report 10-03-2016

FISHING REPORT – 10-03-2016

BASS

Jackson and Mason Brennan had a
productive day, on a recent trip to Cooby Dam.

Much the same at Cressbrook this week, the fish are still scattered throughout the dam, in the morning, look in 25-35ft of water just out from the boat ramp and late afternoon has seen the fish holding just off the camp ground point and the left branch past the toilet block in the Bull Creek arm; most of these fish are smaller Bass, while hopping blades and soft plastics, or using live shrimp have been effective in these areas. At Boondooma, the Bass seem to be holding around the junction and towards the buoy line in the main basin; slow trolled spinnerbaits seem to be working well, with 40cm plus fish being caught regularly. Bjelke Peterson hasn’t changed much either, Bass have again been hitting spinnerbaits and blades in 20-25ft of water around Treasure Island, Bass Point and out from the quarry and Moogerah Dam has again fished reasonably well, with anglers landing some quality Bass on live shrimp in the main basin just off the weed banks, spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits have also picked up some solid fish in the timbered area.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD

Very similar at Cooby Dam this week, working lures over the top of the weed, in deeper water has picked up a few fish, also using bait and trolling lures just out from the weed has been effective, there has been a few Cod landed as well, so it’s definitely worth the trip. If you’re chasing Yellowbelly in Boondooma, looking in the same areas and using the same methods as with the Bass, will see you pick up these fish as well. Very quiet at Glenlyon this past week, there have been plenty of anglers heading here, for fairly poor results; trolling deep would be the best option. Fishing has again been slow at Coolmunda this week, with only a few Yellowbelly, smaller Cod and Silver Perch taken on bait and trolled lures. The winds have again affected the fishing at Leslie Dam this week. There’s still a few nice Silver Perch falling for live worms and shrimp off the banks. There were some Yellowbelly taken in the deeper water on mask vibes and trolled hard bodies. As for the rivers, the Macintyre at Goondi is producing Cod, Silver Perch and Yellowbelly in the town reaches, most of the popular weirs and holes throughout the Condamine have seen a few Cod and Yellowbelly taking frozen saltwater yabbies and spinnerbaits, and at Texas, the Dumeresq has again produced Yellowbelly and Cod on Spinnerbaits and surface lures, with early morning/late afternoon proving to be the best time to target the fish.

COASTAL FISHING

Conditions still haven’t been great for offshore fishing this week, at the Gold Coast, Palm and Mermaid reefs have produced good numbers of Spanish Mackerel, while Dolphin Fish and smaller Marlin have been prominent on the 50’s. Inshore fishing has seen the Southport Seaway producing Kingies along the north wall, Jewies on live baits at the pipeline, a few Flathead around the Aldershots, Crab Island and Kalinga Bank and the Jumpinpin Bar has seen plenty of Jewies getting about, while at the Sunny Coast, the outer reefs have been fishing well for Spanish Mackerel and small Black Marlin, while the closer reefs have been good for Spotty Mackerel. Inshore fishing has produced Bream and smaller Golden Trevally off the Boardwalk, Jacks in Bells Creek and around structure in the Maroochy River and at Noosa, the river mouth is fishing well for large Flathead on the run out tide, good Whiting around Munna caravan park and the beaches are producing Dart, Whiting and Bream from the gutters.

Fishing Report 03-03-2016

FISHING REPORT – 03-03-2016

BASS

David Jago got this 92cm Murray Cod on his first
trip to Glenlyon Dam.

Cressbrook Dam has seen a few fish suspending in the deeper water throughout the dam, looking along the buoy line in the main basin, out off Deer Island and just out of the non-boating zone in the Bull Creek arm are good options, while trolling hard bodies, working TN60 Jackalls or using live shrimp have been effective in these areas. At Boondooma, the Bass are holding in deeper water here as well, trolling hard bodies or working TN60’s and spinnerbaits through these fish will provide good results, while looking around the junction and the narrows are good options. Bjelke Peterson has seen Bass hitting spinnerbaits and blades in 20-25ft of water, Treasure Isdland, Bass Point and out from the quarry have been good spots to target again and Moogerah Dam has been fishing reasonably well, with anglers landing some quality Bass on live shrimp in the main basin just off the weed banks, spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits have also picked up some solid fish in the timbered area, with a lot of boat traffic on weekends, so if you can, a mid week fish is definitely a better option.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD

Jason Clark with a quality Golden Perch taken in
the Stanley River, downstream of Somerset Dam.

Very similar at Cooby Dam this week, working lures over the top of the weed, in deeper water has picked up a few fish, also using bait just out from the weed has been effective as well. The Yellowbelly are also holding in the deeper water at Boondooma, if you look in the same areas and use the same methods as with the Bass, you should pick up these fish as well. Glenlyon has picked up this week, Yellowbelly and Silver Perch have been taking frozen Saltwater Yabbies, live shrimp and trolled hard bodies out off the weed edges and a few Cod have been getting about, with spinnerbaits picking up some decent fish, the biggest being 92cm. Fairly quiet at Coolmunda this week, with only low numbers of Yellowbelly and Silver Perch taken on bait. Strong winds had a big effect on Leslie Dam this week. There has again been some nice Silver Perch landed off the bank in the main basin on shrimps, some of these fish measured up to 44cm.  There were some Yellowbelly taken in the deeper water on mask vibes and trolled hard bodies. As for the rivers, the Macintyre at Goondi is producing Cod, Silver Perch and Yellowbelly in the town reaches, the upper reaches of the Condamine has again seen a few Cod and Yellowbelly taking saltwater yabbies and spinnerbaits, and at Texas, the Dumeresq has produced Yellowbelly and Cod on Spinnerbaits and surface lures, with low light conditions proving to be the best time to target the fish.

COASTAL FISHING

With slightly improved conditions this week, a few anglers have finally been able to venture offshore, at the Gold Coast, the 18’s and 24’s have produced good numbers of Spanish Mackerel, while Pearl Perch and Kingfish have been prominent on the 50’s and  inshore fishing has seen the Southport Seaway producing good sized Jewies along the north wall, around the tide changes, a few Flathead around the Aldershots, Crab Island and Kalinga Bank and the Jumpinpin Bar has seen plenty of Jewies and Dart getting about, while at the Sunny Coast, look for Mackerel along the dirty water line, about 6 mile out, while Murphy’s and Sunshine Reefs have produced quality Snapper and Sweetlip. Inshore fishing has seen Grunter Bream off the Boardwalk, Jewies at Military Jetty, plenty of Jacks and Flathead in the Noosa River and most of the estuaries are producing good numbers of Whiting and Bream.