Fishing Report 20-03-2014

FISHING REPORT   –   20-03-2014

BASS
Cressbrook Dam has produced some quality Bass this week, out from the boat ramp and across to the buoy line has been good, while the Cressbrook Creek arm is still worth a look as well and working Blades and Spinnerbaits through these fish has provided the best results. Boondooma Dam has again produced some decent catches of Bass, casting towards the edges with Spinnerbaits, Soft Plastics and Blades has been effective, while live shrimp have worked well in the Stuart and Boyne arms. Bass are still fairly active in Bjelke Peterson, casting Jackals, Blades and Spinnerbaits around Bass Point has produced quality fish, while trolling hard bodies on the drop-offs has seen a few landed as well. Somerset Dam has again produced some quality Bass over the past week, with the biggest reported at 59cm, the start of the timber at Kirkleigh and Pelican Point were the hot spots last weekend, while Soft Vibes and Spinnerbaits were the pick of the lures and again, there were some quality Bass landed at Maroon, where working Spinnerbaits and Strada minnows around the weed edges were the best options.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD

Cooby Dam has seen the odd Yellowbelly taking Ecogear ZX blades, just out from the pontoon, trolled lures and frozen saltwater yabbies have also produced a few decent fish on the right hand side of the dam, 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 Yozuri 3D Cranks 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, good size Silver Perch on live worms, but the Cod have been a bit quiet. Things are still a little slow at Leslie Dam, Cod have been fairly quiet, there have been a few Yellowbelly taken on frozen saltwater yabbies and live worms, just out from the buoy line at the dam wall has been the most productive area. Glenlyon is still producing good numbers of Yellowbelly on frozen saltwater yabbies and Jackalls, the Cod have been a bit quiet, but there were a few caught at Stockyard point on Spinnerbaits. As for the rivers, the Macintyre River at Goondiwindi has been a bit quiet this week, with only a few Yellowbelly taken on bait and spinnerbaits in the town reaches and the Dumeresq at Texas has produced reasonable numbers on frozen saltwater yabbies and live worms, although the Cod were a bit hard to come by.

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 few small black Marlin and Pearl Perch have again been landed on the 50’s. The Seaway has produced stacks of Jewies on the incoming tide, on live bait, there’s also been a few Kingies in amongst them, plenty of good size Whiting in the Broadwater, and Flathead have been taking soft plastics at Kalinga Bank. While at the Sunshine Coast, Spanish and Spotty Mackerel are still about in big numbers, right along the coast, trolling lures has again 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 13-03-2014

FISHING REPORT   –   13-03-2014

BASS

Cressbrook Dam is still a bit quiet, so use your sounder to find the fish, out from the boat ramp and across to the buoy line would be worth a look, the Cressbrook Creek arm is still worth a look as well and if you find the fish, try casting blades, spinnerbaits, Jackals, and hopefully you might pick up a few.  Boondooma Dam has again produced some decent catches of Bass, with the biggest reported, being 58cm. Most of the fish have been caught around the points in the Stuart and Boyne arms of the dam, mainly on Jackals and Blades, but you could also try trolling hard bodies in about 15 - 20 feet of water. The Bass continue to be active in Bjelke Peterson, casting Jackals, Blades and Spinnerbaits around Bass Point and on the banks below the Wineries has produced quality fish, while trolling hard bodies has seen a few landed as well. Somerset Dam has produced some quality Bass over the past week, these fish have mainly been taken in deeper water on Soft Plastics and Blades and there were some quality Bass landed at Maroon over the past week, where casting Spinnerbaits and Strada minnows around the weed edges was the best option.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD

Cooby Dam has been a little quiet also, but there is the odd Yellowbelly and Silver Perch about. Try targeting these with live Worms, and trolling lures around the rock wall area could also prove fruitful. Boondooma and Bjelke Peterson have again produced good numbers of quality Yellowbelly, the majority of fish are being caught on bait, but casting Jackalls, Blades and Spinnerbaits, or trolling hard body lures should pick you up a few fish as well. The Macintyre River at Goondiwindi has again fished well for Yellowbelly over the past week, live Shrimp and frozen Saltwater Yabbies have again produced the most fish, but trolling hard bodies and Spinnerbaits should still get you a few. Coolmunda Dam is fishing quite well for Yellowbelly with some quality Cod in amongst them. Frozen Saltwater Yabbies and live Worms seem to be the best bait, but also try casting Jackalls, Spinnerbaits and hard bodies around the timber if you want to chase Cod. Things have been fairly slow over the past week at Leslie Dam, Anglers have managed to land a few nice fish but they have had to work hard for them, there’s been reports of a few nice Yellowbelly landed in the main basin on frozen saltwater yabbies, one local angler landed a few legal sized fish, while casting soft plastics to the edges. There was also a nice 82cm Murray Cod caught and released, and  it was caught on a spinnerbait while casting the rocky structure and Glenlyon is still producing good numbers of Yellowbelly on bait and Spinnerbaits, plenty of Silver Perch on worms, the Cod have been a bit quiet, but hopefully this will improve with a full moon on Monday night.

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 few small black Marlin and Paerl Perch have been landed on the 50’s. The Seaway has produced stacks of Jewies at night, on live bait, plenty of Whiting in Nerang and Coomera Rivers, Jacks around structure throughout the estuaries and the southern Broadwater has produced good numbers of Sand Crabs, while at the Sunshine Coast, if you can get out, Spanish and Spotty Mackerel are still about in big numbers, right along the coast, trolling lures has been the best method, while inshore fishing has seen plenty of Whiting on the flats and good size Bream around the pontoons in the Passage at Caloundra, plenty of Jacks in the Pelican Waters canals, and there are plenty of Flathead and Whiting throughout the Noosa River.

Fishing Report 20-02-2014

FISHING REPORT – 20-02-2014

BASS

The South Burnett dams have continued to produce good numbers this week, at Boondooma, trolling hard bodies from the main basin through to Pelican Point and up the Stuart arm have produced good quality fish, the edges are also holding fish and Blades have worked well on them. At Bjelke Peterson, trolling hard bodies and Spinnerbaits in the timber has been good, and Bass Point has produced good quality fish on spinnerbaits and blades. Cressbrook Dam has seen a few fish around the Eagles Nest and into the Cressbrook Creek arm of the dam, where working spinnerbaits tight to the bottom has been very effective. Not a lot has changed at Somerset Dam, it has produced good quality Bass again this week; Pelican Point and Queen Street have been the areas to target, there are some fish suspended in 40ft of water and plastics have worked well on these, but working spinnerbaits tight to the bottom, in 25-30ft of water has picked up the better quality fish and although there have been some fish caught in the mornings, afternoon is still the better time to fish, and Moogerah Dam produced a few Bass on the weekend, with trolled Jackalls being the best method down there.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD

Cooby Dam has seen a few fish holding in deeper water and trolled hard bodies, vertically worked blades or frozen saltwater yabbies have been effective. Boondooma and Bjelke Peterson have continued to produce good numbers of Yellowbelly, working the same areas as with the Bass, will see you pick up some quality Yellowbelly also, and these fish will fall for the same tactics as used for the Bass. Glenlyon is still producing good numbers of Yellowbelly, live Shrimp, live worms and frozen Saltwater Yabbies have all worked quite well, while trolling hard bodies and spinnerbaits about 5-6m behind the boat has picked up a few as well, there’s a few Cod about, with the biggest this week, being an 82cm fish. Coolmunda has seen the odd fish taking frozen saltwater yabbies and trolled hard bodies, on the drop offs to the old creek beds and also along the wall area. Leslie Dam has produced a few Yellowbelly on frozen Saltwater Yabbies, in front of the Washpool camping area, good size Silver Perch on live worms and there were a couple of Cod taken on Jackalls near the boulders, just out from the buoy line. As for the rivers, the Macintyre at Goondiwindi has seen a few Cod and Yellowbelly taking saltwater yabbies and spinnerbaits, there are some quality Cod getting about at the moment, with the biggest reported, tipping the scales at 68lb, the Goondiwindi Fish Restockers recently released 80,000 Yellowbelly and 3500 Murray Cod into the river and the fund raising is done by raffles conducted at local hotels on Friday nights.

COASTAL FISHING

Offshore fishing at the Gold Coast has continued to produce plenty of Mackerel and Wahoo on trolled lures, at Palm and Mermaid Reef, and out wider there has been quite a few Black Marlin and Dolphin Fish taking live baits. The northern wall of the Seaway has produced Jewies, Cobia and Trevally on the run in tide, Whiting in the middle reaches of the Nerang River, Flathead at the Pin and Kalinga Bank and a few Jacks are getting about the structure, in the Coomera River, while at the Sunshine Coast, there are plenty of Spanish Mackerel throughout and they have been taking trolled lures, inshore fishing has seen good size Trevally and Queenfish taken off the Boardwalk at Caloundra, Jacks under the bridges at Pelican Waters, Flathead at the Bar entrance and at the mouth of the Maroochy River and the Noosa River has seen Jacks, Jewies and Trevally at the river mouth and the lakes have produced some decent Mud Crabs.

 

Fishing Report 13-02-2014

FISHING REPORT – 13-02-2014

BASS

With the wind easing a bit this week, the fishing has been pretty good around the local area. The South Burnett dams have continued to produce good numbers, at Boondooma, trolling hard bodies from the main basin through to Pelican Point and up the Stuart arm have produced good size fish to 49cm, using Ice Jigs on the fish hugging the bottom in the same areas produced as well, while working blades and spinnerbaits around the timber in the Stuart arm, has been good also. At Bjelke Peterson, working Blades and Spinnerbaits in the timber has been good, soft vibes have also worked around Bass Point and Treasure Island, while trolling dark coloured hard bodies in about 12ft of water has again produced some good fish. Cressbrook Dam has again been on the quieter side this week, but it’s still worth a look for suspended fish in the main bay, out from the boat ramp and picnic area and the Eagles Nest area would be worth a look also. If you find fish, try hopping soft vibes or blades, trolling smaller profile hard bodies, or working spinnerbaits tight to the bottom. Somerset Dam has produced good quality Bass again this week; Pelican Point and Queen Street have been the areas to target, hopping Soft Vibes, blades or plastics has been effective, but working spinnerbaits slow and tight to the bottom has picked up the better quality fish, while afternoon has been the best time to target these fish, and Maroon has again seen good numbers landed on spinnerbaits and surface lures worked around the weed edges.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD

Boondooma and Bjelke Peterson have continued to produce good numbers of Yellowbelly, working the same areas as with the Bass, will see you pick up some quality Yellowbelly also, and these fish will fall for the same tactics as used for the Bass. Glenlyon is still producing good numbers of Yellowbelly around the structure that is now visible, live Shrimp and frozen Saltwater Yabbies have been the pick of the baits, while trolling hard bodies and spinnerbaits about 5-6m behind the boat has picked up a few as well, there’s a few Cod about, with the biggest this week, being a 110cm fish, which fell for a trolled spinnerbaits. Coolmunda has improved a bit this week, there has been the odd fish taking frozen saltwater yabbies and trolled hard bodies, on the drop offs to the old creek beds. Leslie Dam has produced a few Yellowbelly on frozen Saltwater Yabbies, in front of the Washpool camping area, good size Silver Perch on live worms and there were a couple of Cod, around the 70cm mark, landed as well. As for the rivers, the Macintyre at Goondiwindi has seen a few Cod and Yellowbelly taking saltwater yabbies and spinnerbaits, the Cod are ranging from 60-85cm, the Dumaresq from the Bonshaw Weir downstream to Yelarbon has fished alright for Yelowbelly and Cod. These rivers should improve in the coming weeks, as the water releases from Glenlyon and Pindari Dams slow down and this should make for some good Cod fishing as we head into autumn.

COASTAL FISHING

Offshore fishing has improved with slightly better conditions this week. At the Gold Coast, still plenty of Mackerel taking trolled hard bodies and pillies, on all of the close reefs and out wider there has been quite a few Black Marlin and Dolphin Fish taking live baits. The Seaway has produced Tailor and Trevally on the run in tide, Whiting in the middle reaches of the Nerang River, and at the mouth of the Coomera River, Flathead at the Pin and Kalinga Bank and Sand Crabs have been about the southern Broadwater, while at the Sunshine Coast, there are a few small Black Marlin and Mackerel at 12 Mile Reef, the Boardwalk at Caloundra is fishing well for Bream and smaller Trevally, School Jew at night, in the passage, Jacks throughout most of the estuaries, Trevally in the Mooloolah and Noosa Rivers at night and the beaches have seen some good quality Dart and Tailor getting about.

 

Fishing Report 30-01-2014

FISHING REPORT – 30-01-2014

BASS

Due to the strong winds, the fishing has settled a bit this week, although the dams in the South Burnett have continued to produce good numbers. At Boondooma, good numbers of big bass up to 55cm have been landed all week, with trolled hard bodies working the best. The fish have moved from 25-30ft, into about 10-15ft, so shallower diving lures have been the go this week, while working sround the points of the dam, has been the best spots to target. At Bjelke Peterson, working the edges with spinnerbaits and Jackalls has been good, while trolling dark coloured hard bodies through the deeper parts of the dam has produced some good fish as well. Cressbrook Dam is still fishing well for Bass, blades and spinnerbaits have worked well this week, around the eagles nest and into the Cressbrook Creek arm of the dam has been the best area to target, and while the numbers haven’t been as good, the quality is still there. Somerset Dam is very similar this week; Bay 13 and Queen Street have been popular spots for the anglers, where hopping Soft Vibes and plastics or working spinnerbaits fast and close to the bottom, has been effective and again the numbers are down a bit, but the quality is still there.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD

Bait has been a good option for Yellowbelly this past week, however, Cooby Dam has still seen a few Yellowbelly taking Blades and Spinnerbaits this; Cressbrook has again produced good quality Yellowbelly in amongst the Bass, with Spinnerbaits working the best on these fish. Glenlyon is still producing good numbers of Yellowbelly, live Shrimp have again been the pick of the baits, while trolling hard bodies has picked up a few as well, there’s still a few Cod about, and fishing late afternoon has been the best time to pick up a few, the fish are fairly scattered, but there is plenty of structure at water level, due to it dropping to 45%. Coolmunda has produced fairly good numbers of Yellowbelly in the deeper parts on trolled hard bodies and frozen Saltwater Yabbies; there has also been some Silver Perch and a few smaller Cod taking the Yabbies as well. Leslie Dam has produced a few Yellowbelly around the Washpool area, on frozen Saltwater Yabbies and a couple of just legal Cod were caught using Spinnerbaits around the boulders, near the buoy line. In the South Burnett, Boondooma and Bjelke Peterson dams continue to produce good numbers of Yellowbelly, in both dams, working the same areas as with the Bass, will see you pick up some quality Yellowbelly as well, and trolled hard bodies has been the method also. As for the rivers, the Macintyre at Goondiwindi has seen a few Cod and Yellowbelly taking bait in the town reaches, and the Dumaresq at Texas has fished alright for Cod, with surface lures and Spinnerbaits working well, particularly in low light conditions. Both of these rivers are flowing at the moment, due to water releases from dams.

COASTAL FISHING

Offshore fishing has been almost non-existent this week, due to the windy conditions and this hasn’t helped much with the inshore fishing either. At the Gold Coast, the Seaway has produced School Jew and Kingies on live bait, still a few Whiting near the Council Chambers, in the Nerang River, Jacks in the Coomera River, Mud Crabs in the deeper creeks and Sand Crabs at the southern end of the Broadwater, while at the Sunshine Coast, the Boardwalk at Caloundra is fishing well for Bream, Jacks throughout most of the estuaries on live bait and soft plastics, Whiting and Flathead on the sand flats near the Power Boat Club, and big Flathead on drift baits in the Noosa River.

 

 

Fishing Report 23-01-2014

FISHING REPORT – 23-01-2014

BASS

Cressbrook Dam is still fishing well for Bass, blades and spinnerbaits have worked well this week, looking along the buoy line close to the picnic area and around Deer Island, is still a good option, however the eagles nest and into the Cressbrook Creek arm of the dam have been the most productive, and working your lures close to the bottom will give the best chance of landing a few. Somerset Dam is very similar this week, it has again seen some good catches over the past week; Bay 13 and Queen Street have been popular spots for the anglers, where hopping Soft Vibes and plastics or working spinnerbaits fast and close to the bottom, has been effective. At Boondooma, good numbers of big bass up to 55cm have been landed all week, with trolled hard bodies working the best. The pick of the spots has been through the “Narrows”, where the fish are suspended at 30ft, in 60ft of water and the Stuart arm has again produced some decent fish as well. Bjelke Peterson continues to fish well, working the edges, leading into the timber, with spinnerbaits has been good, while trolling dark coloured hard bodies has started to work again; Ice Jigs and Blades worked tight to the bottom, through the main parts of the dam has produced some good fish as well.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD

Cooby Dam has seen good numbers of Yellowbelly taking Blades and Spinnerbaits this week; Cressbrook has again produced good quality Yellowbelly in amongst the Bass, with Spinnerbaits working the best on these fish. Glenlyon is still producing good numbers of Yellowbelly and stacks of Eel tail Catfish, live Shrimp have again been the pick of the baits, while trolling hard bodies has picked up a few as well, there’s still a few Cod about, and fishing late afternoon has been the best time to pick up a few. Coolmunda has again produced fairly good numbers of Yellowbelly throughout the dam, with bait and lures both working effectively. Leslie Dam is still fishing fairly consistent with anglers reporting some nice catches, trolled hard bodies are accounting for a lot of the fish, there has been quite a lot of Cod landed this past week, with the biggest reported, being a huge 130cm, early morning and late afternoon has been the most successful time to try. In the South Burnett, both Boondooma and Bjelke Peterson dams have again produced good numbers of Yellowbelly, in Boondooma, bait and trolled hard bodies have worked well, from the junction through to the timber in the Stuart arm, but Pelican Point has produced the majority of the fish this week, while at Bjelke Peterson, casting Spinnerbaits around the timber has been effective and working Ice Jigs and Blades tight to the bottom through the main bays of the dam has produced good quality fish again.

GOLD COAST

Offshore fishing was good last weekend and into the start of this week, Palm and Mermaid Reefs were firing for Spotty and Spanish Mackerel, as well as the odd Cobia, floating pillies has been the best method and out wider, the 50s have produced quality Snapper and also Black Marlin on live Slimy Mackerel. Inshore fishing has seen Tailor and Trevally inside the North wall of the Seaway, School Jew and Kingies at the Pipeline, heaps of Whiting near the Council Chambers, in the Nerang River, Jacks in the Coomera River, Mud Crabs in the deeper creeks and Sand Crabs at the southern end of the Broadwater.

SUNSHINE COAST

Offshore fishing has seen Spotty and Spanish Mackerel around Sunshine Reef, Cobia and Snapper on Chardons Reef and there’s also been Black Marlin and Dolphin Fish getting about as well. The Boardwalk at Caloundra is fishing well for Bream, plenty of Jacks throughout most of the estuaries, Whiting and Flathead on the sand flats near the Power Boat Club, big Flathead at the Bar entrance and the northern end of Bribie Island, School Jew in the deeper holes in the Passage, Trevally and Bream in the Maroochy River and the mouth of the Noosa River has been firing, with plenty of School Jew, Trevally and Tailor getting about.

 

 

 

Fishing Report 16-01-2014

FISHING REPORT – 16-01-2014

BASS

Cressbrook Dam is still fishing well for Bass, soft vibes and spinnerbaits are still working, looking along the buoy line close to the picnic area and around Deer Island, is still a good option, it’s also worth a look near the eagles nest and into the Cressbrook Creek arm of the dam, working your lures close to the bottom will give the best chance of landing a few. Somerset Dam is very similar this week, it has again seen some good catches over the past week; Bay 13 and Queen Street have been popular spots for the anglers, where hopping Soft Vibes and plastics or working spinnerbaits fast and close to the bottom, has been effective. At Boondooma, good numbers of big bass have been landed all week, with all techniques working, but hard bodies seem to be the best, working the deeper water from the junction into the start of the Stuart arm has been good. There have been a lot of 10-20cm fish caught, which is good for the future, but these fish need to be put back, as they are under 30cm, which is the minimum length for Australian Bass. Bjelke Peterson hasn’t changed much this week, working the edges, leading into the timber, with spinnerbaits has been good, while trolling hard bodies has gone a bit quiet, working Ice Jigs and Blades tight to the bottom, through the main parts of the dam has produced some good fish as well.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD

Cooby Dam went a bit quiet this week, with only the odd fish landed, but Cressbrook has produced a few quality Yellowbelly on Spinnerbaits. Glenlyon is still producing good numbers of Yellowbelly and Silver Perch at the moment, live Shrimp have again been the pick of the baits, while trolled Jackalls and Spinnerbaits have been a good option, there’s also been a few Cod about, which have mainly been around the 70cm mark although there have been a few bigger fish getting about. Coolmunda has produced good numbers of Yellowbelly throughout the dam, with bait and lures both working effectively. Leslie Dam is fishing fairly consistent with anglers reporting some nice catches, lures are accounting for a lot of the fish, particularly up around the Black Boys, Jackalls have been very effective while being trolled in approximately 4 metres of water. There were also a few fish landed in front of the boat ramp, with frozen Saltwater Yabbies and live shrimp again proving to be the best bait, and early morning has been the most successful time to try. In the South Burnett, both Boondooma and Bjelke Peterson dams have again produced good numbers of Yellowbelly, in Boondooma, bait and trolled hard bodies have worked well around the junction, while casting spinnerbaits in deeper water, sinking them to the bottom and then working them back to the boat has been effective, while at Bjelke Peterson, casting Spinnerbaits around the timber has been a popular method and like the Bass, working Ice Jigs and Blades tight to the bottom has produced good quality fish as well.

GOLD COAST

Offshore fishing has been fairly quiet this week, due to the strong South Easterlies, but there has been a few Spotty and Spanish Mackerel as well as the odd Yellowfin Tuna getting about Palm and Mermaid Reefs. Inshore fishing has seen Tailor and Mulloway, early morning on the run in tide, in the Seaway, Whiting and Bream are around in reasonable numbers, throughout the Broadwater and most of the estuaries, some decent sized Dart off the Beaches and Jumpinpin is still producing some quality Flathead.

SUNSHINE COAST

Offshore fishing has seen the numbers of Spotty Mackerel decreasing, but the Spanish Mackerel are starting to show up, Brays Rock has produced some nice Grassy Sweetlip and out wider there has been some decent Black Marlin on the move. The Boardwalk at Caloundra is fishing well for Bream, Jacks around Bells Creek and in the Noosa River, Whiting and Flathead on the sand flats near the Power Boat Club, School Jew in the deeper holes in the Passage, Trevally and small Queenies in the Pelican Waters canals and the upper reaches of the Maroochy River has been fishing well for Bass.