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.