FISHING REPORT   – 07-07-2016

BASS

With near perfect winter conditions last weekend, Cressbrook Dam produced some good quality Bass on spoons, tailspinners and blades, the deeper water in the main basin, across from the boat ramp and the steeper points in the Bull Creek arm have been the best spots to target. A few fish are starting to show up at Somerset Dam; the flats and the timbered area at Kirkleigh have been the spots to target, with live shrimp and soft plastics picking up most of the fish. Ice jigs have been working well in 25 to 35ft of water at Boondooma this week, it’s also worth running mask vibes, blades and soft plastics through these fish, there’s still the odd one taking suspending minnows and live shrimp off the edges as well, at Bjelke Peterson; trolled hard bodies and TN60’s picked up a few fish, however live shrimp fished in the deeper parts or around the timber produced good numbers and at Maroon, the Bass have mainly been around the edges and weed pockets, with soft plastics and small suspending minnows proving to be the most effective.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD

Cooby Dam is producing a few Yellowbelly on frozen saltwater yabbies, looking in about 40ft of water will give you the best chance. Still a few Cod taking spinnerbaits at Glenlyon this week and some decent numbers of Golden and Silver Perch are taking worms and frozen saltwater yabbies. A slight improvement at Leslie Dam this week, with a few decent Yellowbelly landed on blades and mask vibes in the deeper water throughout the main basin, live shrimp and frozen saltwater yabbies have been the best bait, with land based anglers landing some nice Silver and Golden Perch off the bank, while spinnerbaits accounted for a couple of legal sized Cod. Boondooma Dam has seen plenty of Yellowbelly taking soft vibes and ice jigs in the main basin and also the timbered area of the Stuart arm, reasonable numbers of Yellowbelly at Bjelke Peterson, these fish were picked up in the same areas, using the same technique as with the Bass. As for the rivers, the Macintyre River has seen good numbers of Yellowbelly falling for bait and spinnerbaits, the Dumeresq River, downstream of Texas has only produced low numbers of Silver and Golden Perch on live shrimp and cray tails, and the Warwick reaches of the Condamine River have produced a few Cod and Yellowbelly on spinnerbaits, hard bodies and frozen saltwater yabbies, while the lower reaches are still a bit dirty.

COASTAL FISHING

Offshore fishing has been fairly good again at the Gold Coast this week, with the 36’s and 50’s producing good numbers of Pearl Perch, Snapper and Kingies; there’s also a few Snapper and Cobia in a bit closer on the 18’s. Inshore fishing has seen the north wall of the Southport Seaway producing Jewies, Tailor and the odd Kingy; and Flathead and Bream have been prominent throughout most of the estuaries. While at the Sunny Coast, offshore fishing has been pretty good again, with the inner reefs producing plenty of Snapper and Cobia and fast worked soft plastics have picked up good numbers of Mack Tuna when fished through the bait schools. Inshore fishing has produced plenty of Bream off the Boardwalk and around Military Jetty at Caloundra and throughout the Noosa River, Flathead on plastics, blades and live baits in the passage, Noosa River and Maroochy River; Jewies on live baits and heavier soft vibes along the ski run at Noosa, Tailor, Dart and the odd Flathead from the gutters along the northern beaches and Mud crabs have been on the move after the rain, with fresh mullet proving to be the best bait.