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.

Fishing Report 25-02-2016

FISHING REPORT – 25-02-2016

BASS

Cressbrook Dam has seen a few fish around the Eagles Nest and into the Cressbrook Creek arm of the dam, where working spinnerbaits and Blades tight to the bottom have been very effective. At Boondooma, trolling spinnerbaits out from the rocky bank, on the left, before you head up the Stuart arm has produced good quality fish, from 40 to 50cm. At Bjelke Peterson, trolling hard bodies and casting blades around Bass Point, Treasure Island and the quarry has picked up good numbers, however there is quite a few smaller fish getting about. Somerset Dam has produced good quality Bass again; Pelican Point and Kirkleigh are the best spots to target, hopping mask vibes in 15-20ft of water has been effective and morning seems to be the better time to fish. Working soft plastics around the weed edges has picked up some nice Bass at Maroon and if you like your Redclaw, head up into the timber at Somerset as there are big numbers filling the traps at the moment.



Quality Yellowbelly!! 57cm specimen caught by
Joseph Theaker at Wivenhoe Dam recently.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD A little quiet at Cooby Dam this week, working lures over the top of the weed, in deeper water has picked up a few decent fish again. Cressbrook has also produced some quality Yellowbelly this week, the Eagles Nest area has been the best spot, while hopping Blades has been the best method. Boondooma has produced good numbers around the timbered area of the Stuart arm; live shrimp, spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits have given the best results. Trolling hard bodies have been effective around the points and drop-offs at Bjelke Peterson. Glenlyon is also a bit quiet at the moment, with low numbers of Yellowbelly taken on frozen Saltwater Yabbies, a few Silver Perch on worms and a couple of Cod, up around the 100cm mark were caught on the night before the full moon. Frozen Saltwater Yabbies have been the popular bait at Coolmunda this week, with good numbers of Yellowbelly and Eel-tailed Catfish landed on these, there’s also been a few Cod taken on spinnerbaits around the timber. Leslie Dam saw low numbers of fish landed over the past week; live shrimp and trolled hard bodies accounted for a few Yellowbelly on Sunday afternoon in the main basin, on the southern side of the wall, the land based anglers also picked up a few legal sized Yellowbelly and Silver Perch off the bank on worms and shrimp. As for the rivers, a few Yellowbelly on Spinnerbaits in the Balonne at St George, the upper reaches of the Condamine has seen a few Cod and Yellowbelly taking saltwater yabbies and spinnerbaits, and the Dumeresq at Texas has produced Yellowbelly downstream on bait, while heading upstream towards the Bonshaw Weir has produced some Cod and Yellowbelly on Spinnerbaits.

Dal Green with a PB Bream, caught on a recent trip
to Noosaville.

COASTAL FISHING

Offshore fishing at both coasts has basically been non-existent, due to wind and now a big swell. At the Gold Coast, the Seaway has produced Jewies, Jacks and Trevally on the run in tide, along the north wall, also a few Spangled Emperor on Mullet strips. Plenty of Jacks in the Nerang and Coomera Rivers, 50 – 70cm Flathead in Tipplers Passage, Sand Crabs at the southern end of the Broadwater and the Coomera River has produced good numbers of Muddies, while at the Sunshine Coast, inshore fishing has seen good sized Trevally and Queenfish taking live Herring off the Boardwalk at Caloundra, Jacks under the bridges at Pelican Waters on live Mullet and soft plastics, the Maroochy River has seen quality Whiting taken on surface poppers, plenty of Bream and small Trevally on soft plastics and the Noosa River has seen Jacks and Trevally taking live bait, Whiting and Flathead on soft plastics and the river mouth has seen Trevally, Tailor and Queenies taking surface lures, as well as mullet strips and Hardy Heads.

 

Fishing Report 18-02-2016

FISHING REPORT   –   18-02-2016

BASS

Dave Burke with a couple of Cania Dam 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 51cm. Most of the fish have been caught around the points and timbered areas, in the Stuart and Boyne arms of the dam, with a variety of lures including Jackals, Spinnerbaits and Blades working well, but you could also try trolling hard bodies in about 15 - 20 feet of water. At Bjelke Peterson last weekend, there were plenty of fish showing on the points but they weren’t very active, a few smaller fish were caught on spinnerbaits and tailspinners, while trolling hard bodies saw 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 spinnerbaits, soft plastics and blades. Moogerah produced low numbers of Bass on live shrimp, blades and trolled hard body lures, mainly in and around the timber and there were some quality Bass landed at Maroon over the past week, casting Spinnerbaits and minnows around the weed edges worked well and spinnerbaits and Jackalls picked up some decent fish around the timber.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD

Son Matt, with a couple as well.

Cooby Dam has been a little quiet, but there is the odd Yellowbelly and Silver Perch about. Try working smaller hard bodies over the top of the weed beds for the best results, while late afternoon, right on sunset, has been the best time for fishing. 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. 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. Leslie Dam saw an increase in numbers this week, with a few Silver Perch taken on bait, from the bank just north of the concrete boat ramp, there was also some good quality fish taken on live shrimp in the shallow water up near the “Black Boys”, while trolling hard body lures along the eastern bank in the main basin, picked up some decent fish as well. 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 as we run into the full moon on Tuesday and the Macintyre River at Goondiwindi has fished well for Yellowbelly over the past week, live Shrimp and frozen Saltwater Yabbies have produced the most fish, but trolling hard bodies and Spinnerbaits should also get you a few.

Matt also landed this Saratoga. Not a bad by catch.

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 been landed on the 50’s. The Seaway has produced stacks of Jewies at night, on live bait, plenty of Whiting in the Nerang and Coomera Rivers, Jacks around structure throughout the estuaries and the southern Broadwater has again 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 11-02-2016

FISHING REPORT – 11-02-2016

BASS

What a catch!!! Mark Reinbott landed this cracking GT
on a recent trip to 1770.

With the rain finally clearing and the wind easing as the week progressed, the fishing has been pretty good around the local area. The South Burnett dams are still fishing quite well, at Boondooma, trolling hard bodies through the narrows and around the junction and just into the start of both arms has 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 to the edges 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 fairly good numbers landed on spinnerbaits, soft plastics 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 and trolled spinnerbaits have accounted for a few Cod as well. 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 keep improving as the water continues to clear up.

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 Whiting getting about.

 

Fishing Report 04-02-2016

FISHING REPORT – 04-02-2016

BASS

David Barrett landed this nice Murray Cod on a
recent trip to Coolmunda Dam.

The South Burnett dams have continued to fish quite well this week, at Boondooma, trolling hard bodies and working Silent TN60 Jackalls and spinnerbaits in and around the timber and weedy edges has worked well from the junction into both the Stuart and Boyne arms. At Bjelke Peterson, casting Blades and plastics to the edges has been successful; while trolling hard bodies around Bass Point and Treasure Island has also produced some reasonable fish. Cressbrook Dam has been pretty quiet this week, working the edges with spinnerbaits early morning/late afternoon has produced a couple of fish, and working the rock wall at the Eagles Nest with spinnerbaits and smaller profile hard bodies has picked up the odd fish as well. Somerset Dam has produced good quality Bass again this past week; Pelican Point and the start of the timber at Kirkleigh have been the areas to target, rolling spinnerbaits and blades through suspended fish in the deeper water has been effective and working the same lures tight to the bottom has worked well in 25-30ft of water, while afternoon has been the better time to target these fish. Moogerah has fired up as well, the flats out from the timber on the western end of the dam and the ridge out from the camp ground boat ramp have been holding good numbers, while tailspinners and Wasabi spoons have been the best lures to use and Maroon has again seen good numbers landed on spinnerbaits and surface lures worked around the weed edges.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD

Cooby Dam has seen the odd Yellowbelly being caught off the steeper banks running out from the dam wall buoy line, while jigged blades, Jackalls, worms and live shrimp have all been effective. Boondooma and Bjelke Peterson continue to produce pretty good numbers of Yellowbelly, working the same areas and using the same tactics as with the Bass, will see you pick up some quality Yellowbelly also. Glenlyon has been a bit quieter this past week, trolling hard bodies and spinnerbaits have picked up a few Cod, with a 110cm fish caught last weekend, while shrimp have been the best option for Yellowbelly. Coolmunda is still a bit patchy, with the odd fish taking frozen saltwater yabbies and live worms on the drop offs to the old creek beds, while working green and yellow lures around the timber has produced a couple of Cod. Leslie Dam has seen low numbers of fish landed over the past week, due to the windy weather conditions. Bait seemed to work a little better than lures, with live shrimp working the best, but trolled hard bodies did pick up a few Yellowbelly and a couple of Cod. There were also reports of a few quality Silver Perch taking worms, fishing from the bank towards the northern end of the dam. As for the rivers, the Condamine produced fairly good numbers of Yellowbelly and Cod on bait and darker coloured spinnerbaits, the Macintyre and Dumeresq had flows through them this week; this has made them pretty quiet; the best bet would be targeting back eddies with live baits, as the natural bait would be accumulating in these areas.

COASTAL FISHING

The Gold Coast has been fishing quite well when conditions allow, Black Marlin are on the 50’s, while Mahi Mahi, Spotty and Spanish Mackerel are getting about the 24’s as well as Palm and Mermaid Reefs. Inshore fishing has seen the Seaway producing School Jew and smaller GT’s on live bait, a few Whiting in the Nerang River, Jacks around Sovereign Island and Flathead at Kalinga Bank and Crusoe Island, while at the Sunshine Coast; those lucky enough to get out in a window of fishable weather have been rewarded with good numbers of Spanish mackerel around North and Sunshine Reefs and the rain has stirred up numbers of Coral Trout on Sunshine Reef. Inshore has seen Whiting taking live worms and live yabbies throughout, the sandbanks near the river mouths have produced flathead on the run out tides. Jacks have been firing at night on fresh mullet, along the rock walls and the rain has stirred up plenty of Mud Crabs.

 

 

 

Fishing Report 28-01-2016

FISHING REPORT – 28-01-2016

Jack Gordon landed his first Mahi Mahi
off Mooloolabah recently.

BASS

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 has produced good sized fish, working TN60 Jackalls and blades on the same fish will work 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 around the timber has been successful; blades have also worked around Bass Point, while trolling dark coloured hard bodies in about 15 to 20ft of water has produced some good fish. Cressbrook Dam has seen decent numbers of Bass this week, working the edges with spinnerbaits early morning/late afternoon has produced some good quality fish, and as the day warms up, look for suspended fish in the main bay, out from the boat ramp and also the Eagles Nest area, to entice these fish, try hopping soft vibes or blades, trolling smaller profile hard bodies, or working spinnerbaits tight to the bottom, there has been a lot of undersize fish, with some decent 40cm plus fish in amongst them. Somerset Dam has produced good quality Bass 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 seen good numbers landed on spinnerbaits and surface lures worked around the weed edges.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD

Darcy Ryan landed his first Mahi Mahi
off Mooloolabah recently.

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 producing good numbers of Yellowbelly around the structure, trolling hard bodies and spinnerbaits about 5-6m behind the boat has worked well, there’s a few Cod about as well, with spinnerbaits picking up the majority of these. Coolmunda has been a bit quiet, there is the odd fish taking frozen saltwater yabbies on the drop offs to the old creek beds, while working lures around the timber has produced a couple of Cod. Leslie Dam has been a bit quiet, but anglers did pick up the odd Yellowbelly on frozen Saltwater Yabbies and trolled 3D Cranks in the main basin, there was also some quality Silver Perch landed in various spots off the bank, with live worms proving to be the most successful bait. As for the rivers, the Macintyre at Goondiwindi has been quiet, with only the odd Yellowbelly caught; the Dumaresq River from Texas downstream to Yelarbon has fished alright for Yelowbelly and Cod, with spinnerbaits and hard bodies proving to be effective.

COASTAL FISHING

The Gold Coast has been fishing quite well for Black Marlin on the 50’s and Spotty and Spanish Mackerel on the 24’s as well as Palm and Mermaid Reefs. The Seaway has produced School Jew and Kingies on live bait, a few Whiting near the Council Chambers, in the Nerang River, Jacks around Sovereign Island and Flathead at Kalinga Bank and Crusoe Island, while at the Sunshine Coast; Sunshine, North and Chardons Reefs have been the go to spots for Spanish Mackeral, on trolled hard bodies and live baits and North Reef has also produced mixed bags of reef fish, including Cobia up to 15kg. Inshore has seen the passage at Caloundra fishing well for Flathead, Jacks throughout most of the estuaries on live mullet; also plenty of Bream and Whiting throughout and Trevally have been hitting metal slugs and surface poppers just inside the mouth of the Noosa River.

 

Fishing Report 21-01-2016

FISHING REPORT – 21-01-2016

BASS 
The pick of the dams have been in the South Burnett again this week, there’s still plenty of 40cm plus fish sitting fairly deep, in the main basin at Boondooma, these fish are taking trolled hard bodies, blades , tailspinners and soft plastics, while working 5/8oz spinnerbaits close to the bottom, around the timber in both arms has also produced a few again. Bjelke Peterson has also fished well again, the fish are throughout the dam, in about 15-20ft of water, trolling shallow diving hard bodies and TN60 Jackalls has worked well, while working blades and soft vibes through them has also been effective. Some good shows of fish at Somerset Dam, however getting them to bite has been a bit of a challenge, the odd fish has been taken on soft plastics, blades and spinnerbaits. Closer to home, Cressbrook Dam produced quite a few undersize Bass this week, with blades picking up a few in the main basin and Moogerah Dam has produced a few nice Bass in the timbered area, where TN60 Jackalls have been the most successful, the majority were caught while trolling with a few being landed while casting the structure. There are plenty of fish showing up on the sounder in various spots around the dam, however the heavy boating traffic has made it quite hard to target these fish.

YELLOWBELLY AND COD
The South Burnett dams have again been productive for Yellowbelly, in Boondooma, bait and trolled hard bodies have been effective around the junction, while casting spinnerbaits around the timber, sinking them to the bottom and working them back past the trees has worked well, while at Bjelke Peterson, trolling brighter coloured hard bodies around the points in the main basin and also through the timber, has seen good numbers of fish caught. Cooby Dam has been going alright as well, with good numbers of Yellowbelly and a few Cod getting about, again the Northern bank, from the dam wall buoy line through to the north arm of the dam has been a good area to target, while trolled hard bodies, blades and TN60 Jackalls have worked well. Glenlyon is producing good numbers of Yellowbelly on live Shrimp and frozen saltwater yabbies, while trolled hard bodies and Spinnerbaits have worked well on the Cod. Coolmunda is still a bit quiet; however there has been a few Yellowbelly taken on bait and hard body lures, just working around the creek beds. Leslie Dam has continued to be quite productive, with some nice Yellowbelly landed on blades and hard body lures, while it has been a little quiet for the bait anglers, with only a few legal fish caught, and the rivers and creeks around the local area have been fishing quite consistently over the past few weeks, with some nice Yellowbelly landed in the Condamine, mainly on lures, while the Stanthorpe area has seen some nice Cod landed.

GOLD COAST 
Offshore fishing has produced Black Marlin and Mahi Mahi on the 36s east of Southport, Cobia on the Artificial Reef off South Straddie and Spotty Mackerel on Palm Beach and Mermaid Reefs, while inshore has seen Dart and Whiting in the gutters at night along the beaches, Yellowtail Kingfish on top of the tide on surface stick baits in Southport Seaway, Jewies on the tide change around the Pipeline and Mangrove Jack have been hitting deep divers in the lower reaches of the Coomera River.

SUNSHINE COAST 
Offshore fishing has seen a few Spanish and Spotty Mackerel taking slow trolled live baits on most reefs, good numbers of Mahi Mahi around the FAD and there's been the odd smaller Black Marlin getting about Caloundra Wide, while inshore fishing has seen sand whiting opposite the Power Boat Club and Gemini Towers at Caloundra and Munna Point and the Frying Pan at Noosa, Bream and Flathead along most of the beaches, Jewies along the rock walls at the Mooloolah River mouth and good numbers of Jacks are hanging around structure in most of the canals.