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Fishing Report – 22 February 2023

It was a bit windy during the week with the cooler south-easterly hanging around. The good news at the time of writing my report is the weekend ahead is looking very favourable for fishing with light north easterly winds and a decrease in swell and Sunday being the pick of the days for me so far.

Let’s have a look at what’s been caught on the Gold and Teed Coasts this week.

WHITING

Some great catches of tasty Whiting have been landed this week with Brett Van Latham getting amongst some top-quality fish in the Nerang River last weekend. It has been a good season for Whiting so far this summer with good numbers of solid fish being caught. Fishing at night time has consistently produced the best fish out fishing the daytime trips. Some of the better spots to fish have been the Tweed River, Tallebudgera Creek, Currumbin Creek, Wave Break Island, Coomera River, Pimpama River, North Bedrooms, Tiger Mullet Channel, Jacobs Well and the Logan River. When looking for a spot to try you need to pick an area that gets a good amount of run in the tide. This helps to stir up the bottom and assist the schools of Whiting feeding. If you have a sounder try to look for an undulating bottom rather than flat ground, a water depth of between 1 to 3 metres is ideal. On high tide you can even target the tops of sandbanks quite successfully in extremely shallow water. As the tide runs out, fish the edges of the banks and spread your rods out over a few different depths of water until you find the best depth to fish in. If an area goes quiet just keep moving around until you start to find the school of fish, as they can move around a fair bit when searching for a feed. Keep you tackle as light as possible, I recommend a light estuary outfit around 7 to 9 foot long with a sensitive tip matched with a small alvey or spin reel spooled with 6 to 9lb mono, a long 6lb fluorocarbon leader, size 3 to 5 ball sinker current dependant and a size 6 or 4 baitholder hook depending on what bait you are using. The best bait is live blood worms, Beach worms and yabbies.

 The Spanish Have Returned

The conditions have been pretty good for getting offshore the past week which is a welcome change for all the below average conditions so far this summer. Good news for those fishos that like to chase Spanish Mackerel, the first of the two closures ended on the 21^st of February giving you a chance to target a feed off southeast Queensland. Last weekend we were blessed with some great weather for heading offshore. Spotted Mackerel seemed to be busting up on a few of the closer reefs making a welcome target for a feed. This weekend you will be able to target both Spanish and Spotties. Try trolling lures around the 18 and 24 fathom reefs off the seaway, Mermaid Reef, Palm Beach reef, and the Gravel Patch at first light, whilst keeping a keen eye on the sounder for signs of fish schooling and bait fish that would hold predators. Bottom fishing has also produced some nice Snapper, Jewfish, Moses Perch, Tusk Fish, Maori Cod, Trag Jew and Cobia from the 18 and 24 fathom grounds. Boats trolling skirted lures on the 36 and 50 fathom lines are still finding some good-sized Black Marlin, Dolphin Fish and Wahoo. If the current is a bit slower and the trolling is quiet it will be worth having a drop for some Snapper, Pearl Perch, Tusk Fish, Yellow Tail King Fish, Samson and Amberjacks on the wider reefs.

 

QUOTES FROM THE BOATS 

 

Brad from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“Once again the deeper holes provided the best fishing with Flathead, Mangrove Jack, and Trevally caught on Ecogear breamer and zx vibes. Fish feeding activity has increased as we get closer to the new moon and associated bigger tides. The rock bars of the Tweed River have been holding fish in the mornings before the water heats up.”

 

Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“We’ve been lucky to have some good weather lately, and more to come next week. During the small neap tides the deepest areas in the Broadwater were fishing best with a variety of species. Ecogear ZX40’s, Ecogear breamer vibes, and live yabbies were once again working well, on Flathead, Flounder, Tarwhine, Bream, Tuskies, Squire, Tailor, Whiting, and even Squid. There were a few Blue Swimmer Crabs too. I just fish where the flow is best during each stage of the tides. Close to the changes, I fish the deeper open channels and on top of sand flats. During the hardest run I fish anywhere that has protection from the strong flow like side channels and edges. The big tides drop off and tides come around to morning lows, the Whiting have been quiet so hopefully they return. ”

 

Gavin from Sea Probe Fishing Charters reports:

“There has been some good catches of Spanish Mackerel since the first of two southern Queensland closures has finished in on the close reefs using live bait and also spinning with slugs. Out wider still some Snapper, Pearl Perch and Kingfish.”

 

LINKS & INFO

If you have any great catches or photos you would like to share, please email us and let us know how you went. brett@coomerahouseboats.com.au or brett@fishotackle.com.au     

Stay up to date with all fishing regulations in Queensland https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries

Fisho Tackle and Coomera Houseboat Holidays now have Hire  follow the link to view http://www.coomerahouseboats.com.au/our-fleet-type/hire-tinnies/     

Seabreeze is a great website to access a local forecast http://www.seabreeze.com.au/graphs/  

Good luck with the Fishing. Brett     

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Fishing Report – 17 February 2023

Good news as we head into the weekend with a break in the weather seeing lighter E/NE winds and a drop in swell at the time of writing my report, giving fishos the best weather window we have seen for a while to hit the water. Just make sure you have the most up to date forecast before planning a trip.

Let’s check out a few options for the weekend and the week ahead.

Offshore

The weather is looking favourable to finally head offshore in search of a feed. Given the current shallow state of the Seaway even a small swell may see waves breaking on a run-out tide, just use caution and common sense if you are planning to go offshore.

The recent swell would have stirred up the closer reefs – fingers crossed there will be a few nice fish on offer. The 18 and 24 fathom grounds off the Gold Coast will be well worth a look. As always try to get an early start and take advantage of the sunrise bite time. Have a good look on the sounder for signs of fish and bait holding in the area. I prefer to anchor up a get a burly trail going and try to pull any fish down current closer to your boat for you to target, drifting will also work although the closer reefs are a bit smaller making the drift runs fairly short. The main species to target will be Snapper, Spangled Emperor, Moses Perch, Tusk Fish, Trag Jew, Silver Jew and Cobia.

Amberjack

Out winder and current dependant, the fads on the 36 and 50 fathom grounds may be worth a look for a Dolphin Fish, given the recent weather they would have been left alone for a while and are hopefully keen to hit a lure or bait. You will also be in with a shot at a small Black Marlin trolling the same depths. Keep a keen eye on the sounder, the sky for bird life, and on the horizon for surface splashes and action from feeding fish. If the current is slower having a drop will be worth a go for a feed of Snapper, Pearl Perch Tusk Fish, Trag Jew, Moses, Yellow Tail Kingfish, Amberjack and Samson Fish.

Mangrove Jack

Inshore the warmer weather and humidity has seen the feisty Mangrove Jack being caught in better numbers the past week. When looking for an area to target you are basically looking for somewhere that has some current flow, a bit of structure for the Jacks to hide in, and a supply of baitfish to feed on. Areas that have Bridges, Pontoons, Moored Boats, Rock Walls, Rock Bars, Snags and fallen trees will all be worth a go. Some good spots to have a look are the Tweed River, Nerang River, Currumbin Creek, Tallebudgera Creek, basically all canal Systems, Runaway Bay, Paradise Point, Coomera River, Jacobs Well and the Logan River. For the lure fishos, try a mixture of soft plastics in paddle bait around 4 to 5 inches long rigged on a heavy-duty jig head, shallow diving hard bodies and surface lures will also do then job. Live baits like Herring, Mullet, Pike, Garfish, Silver Biddies and Winter Whiting either unweighted or weighted depending on the structure you are fishing are very affective when the Jacks are switched on. My favourite dead bait is Mullet Fillet or half a small poddy Mullet  lightly weighted – the Jacks just seem to smash these baits well with a good hook up rate. My normal outfit is either a medium to heavy rod, size 4000 spin reel spooled or bait caster with 30lb braid and 40 lb leader with a size 5/0 or 6/0 hook depending on what bait you are using. You will normally get a bit of bycatch such as Bream, Trevally and Cod in the same areas.

 

QUOTES FROM THE BOATS 

 

Brad from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

 

“Fishing was difficult this week with the low barometer and high temperatures typical of February. Cyclone Gabby is quickly moving away from the East Coast, thankfully we won’t be influenced much, apart from some bigger swell and moderate wind. We still managed to catch Whiting on MMD splash prawns at Tallebudgera creek, and Flathead on Ecogear ZX40 and breamer vibes in the deeper areas at Tweed River. There are also a Trevally and School Jew to be caught but it helps to get on the water early before it gets too hot and fish any holes that are showing bait on the fish finder.”

 

Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“The fishing has been tough. Like Smithy said the barometer has been low and the water temperature hot which affects estuary fishing in a not so positive way. Night fishing works well this month, and we caught a few Mangrove Jacks. During the day the deeper channels in the Broadwater can still produce a variety of fish. We fished the wrecks and reefs once again for some Moses Perch, Slateys, Squire, Spangled Emperor, Dusky Flathead, Bartail Flathead, Sand Whiting, Winter Whiting, plenty of Tarwhine, Bream, and small Flounder. Best lures have been Ecogear ZX’s, Ecogear breamer vibes, and live yabbies never fail to attract attention. New moon is coming up on Monday 20 February and like January we will see some king tides again. Before then this week’s daytime neaps are small. Easy to fish but probably not great for a hot bite. Get out there early to chase Whiting on the flats and the usual mix in the Seaway and Broadwater.”

 

LINKS & INFO

If you have any great catches or photos you would like to share, please email us and let us know how you went. brett@coomerahouseboats.com.au or brett@fishotackle.com.au     

Stay up to date with all fishing regulations in Queensland https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries

Fisho Tackle and Coomera Houseboat Holidays now have Hire  follow the link to view http://www.coomerahouseboats.com.au/our-fleet-type/hire-tinnies/     

Seabreeze is a great website to access a local forecast http://www.seabreeze.com.au/graphs/  

Good luck with the Fishing. Brett     

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Fishing Report – 9 February 2023 

The full moon this week combined with big tides and a persistent moderate to strong South Easterly wind has made conditions a bit tough for everyone fishing on the Tweed and Gold Coast. As we head into the weekend the swell is tipped to jump, making offshore conditions bad – especially with the current state of the Gold Coast Seaway. Sunday looks like the pick of the days with the wind tending from a strong SE to a moderate N/NW, giving you a nice little window to have a look in sheltered water for a feed. Let’s have a look at what’s been happening this week.

Given the conditions for the weekend, chasing a feed of Whiting from the protected rivers, estuaries and canals from the Gold and Tweed Coast will be a great option with some fantastic quality fish being caught the past week. Some sheltered areas to have a look are the Tweed River, Tallebudgera Creek, Currumbin Creek, Nerang River, Coomera River both South and North Arms, Pimpama River, Jacobs Well and the Logan River all offer spots to fish with protection from the wind.

Time to Fish

I normally find that the fishing is at its best either a few days before, or a few days after the full moon. The weekend will be a good time to try your luck. Try to time your trip for after a tide change, Whiting will bite best when the water has plenty of tidal flow. The water flow tends to stir up the bottom and assists the fish to expose their food source helping them to feed for longer periods in a certain area. It pays to have a good hunt around when you are chasing Whiting, the schools will tend to move around a bit, spend 15 to 30 minutes in each spot until you can find better numbers of fish to target. Sometimes you don’t have to move far to find the school if they move on, it’s quite common to find them just 50 to 100m meters away.

Bait, What?

Quality bait is a must have when targeting bigger fish, live bloodworms, beach worms and yabbies all make great bait. During the warmer months I still think the better sized fish are more commonly caught at night, if you are willing to put in the effort it’s worth it when you land a 40+cm fish. Another tip is not to strike at the fish too early, especially when using worms for bait, Whiting will tend to chew on the worms for much longer I just let them hook themselves majority of the time. A light estuary outfit with a sensitive tip will work best, matched with a small alvey or spin reel spooled with 6 to 9lb mono, a long 6lb fluro carbon trace, sized 6 or 4 bait holder hook depending on what bait you are using and a size 3 to 5 ball sinker to keep your bait on the bottom depending on the water flow.

Mangrove Jack and Jewfish

Once the swell eases try the Gold Coast Seaway entrance, the area has been fishing well the past week or so producing some great sized Jewfish and some quality Mangrove Jack, that have been schooling up before they head out offshore and make a new home on the reefs. Live baits have been working best, Pike, Herring, Mullet, Yakkas, Winter Whiting and Silver Biddies will all do the job. The best time to fish is the last 2 hours of the run-in tide, and the first 2 hours of the run out. Have a good look around on the sounder to locate bait or fish actively schooling. You will usually find activity on the pipeline and around the hole at the north wall. You will also find some Trevally and Tailor in the same area.

Bull Shark Fishing

Bull Sharks are another option to target until the weather eases, they will inhabit all waterways on the Tweed and Gold Coast. A few good spots to try the Tweed River, Nerang River, Coomera River, Pimpama River and the Logan River all hold good numbers of Sharks. Fresh water Eel is the best bait followed by Pike Eel and Mullet, I prefer to use dead baits over live bait. Try cubing up WA pilchards as a berley trail. Don’t use too much, just a few small cubes in the water at a time to get the smell going through the water column. A nylon coated wire trace between 50 to 100lb, a size 6 to 8 hook rigged on a medium to heavy outfit spooled with 20 to 30lb line will handle most of the average sized Sharks you may encounter.

QUOTES FROM THE BOATS 

Brad from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“This week started well with plenty of Giant and Bigeye Trevally caught on MMD splash prawns on the surface around the middle reach of Tweed River. There were also School Jew and Flathead in the deeper holes upstream, Ecogear Breamer vibes and Ecogear ZX40’s worked well. Fishing got tougher as the week went on, it paid to get out there early to catch fish and concentrate on finding any bait in the drop offs.”

 

Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“Mixed results this week with the hot water, but on Wednesday some cooler water moved in from the ocean bringing it down from 29 degrees to 22 degrees, then back up to 25 degrees in the Broadwater by Friday! It was quite amazing to see lots of Flathead appear with the cooler water then disappear as quickly as they had arrived in the shallows and drop offs. There was some Sand Whiting on the banks, but they were hard to find. In the channels around the reefs and wrecks we caught Moses Perch, Snapper, Tuskfish, Slateys, Flathead, Flounder, and masses of Tarwhine/ Bream. Best lures were Ecogear ZX40 in 440 colour, and Ecogear Breamer vibe in 06 colour, and Zman 2.5 inch Prawnz in Opening Night and Beer Run colours. Live Yabbies were the best bait. Best areas this week were the deep hole, Carter’s reef, and Crab Island channels.”

 

LINKS & INFO

If you have any great catches or photos you would like to share, please email us and let us know how you went. brett@coomerahouseboats.com.au or brett@fishotackle.com.au     

Stay up to date with all fishing regulations in Queensland https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries

Fisho Tackle and Coomera Houseboat Holidays now have Hire  follow the link to view http://www.coomerahouseboats.com.au/our-fleet-type/hire-tinnies/     

Seabreeze is a great website to access a local forecast http://www.seabreeze.com.au/graphs/  

Good luck with the Fishing. Brett     

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Fishing Report – 2 February 2023   

The hot weather continued this week on the Tweed and Gold Coast with warmer Northly winds and a few showers hanging around.

At the time of writing my report, the weekend was looking ok to start with – Saturday morning being the pick of the days – seeing much lighter Northerly winds before a Southerly change moves through later in the day, increasing on Sunday. This will make conditions a bit unpleasant for being on the water, unless you can find some shelter up the rivers.

It seems the holiday season went by very quickly.  Let’s check what’s been on the bite this week.

 

Mangrove Jack

Some quality Mangrove Jack have been landed around the Gold and Tweed Coasts during the past week. The Coomera River has produced some quality fish with canals and marina entrances around Hope Island and Coomera holding some big fish and a fair bit of bait.  The western reaches of the Coomera have also fished well up past the highway bridge with plenty of natural structure including; the big rock bar behind the old koala town, and the channels behind the quarry that have several deep holes close to structure.

Bait fishing is my number one go to when chasing Jacks, if you can manage to cast net or catch some Live Herring, Mullet, Silver Biddies, Garfish and Pike they all make fantastic bait. Mullet fillet or half poddy Mullet are my favourite dead bait that seems to attract the big Jacks but is tough enough to put up with little pickers like Bream until a Jack shows up. Fishing with bait is a great way to temp a big Jack, but also plenty of Estuary Cod and Trevally will respond to this method.

You can also try casting or trolling lures along the rock walls, bridge pylons and pontoons scattered throughout the Gold and Tweed Coast. Some good spots to look around are the Tweed River, The Nerang River, Runaway Bay Canals, Paradise Point bridges, Ephraim Island and Sovereign Island, Coomera River, Jacobs Well, Cabbage Tree Point and the Logan River to name a few. Jacks will tend to hit hard so having a fairly tight drag will give you the best chance of a solid hook up, and limit your chances of being bricked back into the nearest snag that the fish can find. Jacks are dirty fighters and will make you earn each fish on most occasions.

My normal outfit will be a medium to heavy rod 5 to 10kg rating with either a bait caster or spinning reel spooled with 30lb braid and either 30 to 60lb leader depending on how tentative the fish are and the type of structure you decide to fish.

Prawns

It’s that time of year to dust off the cast nets and start having a look around for a feed of Prawns on the Gold Coast. They usually start to appear from February and most years run until May or June. I have seen a few reports where fishos have been scoring a feed from up north around the Pine River, but some of the Prawns have been a little on the smaller side. We have not had as much rain as last year so it will be interesting to see how this season will go – last year was a cracker with plenty of great feeds on offer for those willing to put in the time.

This time of year, Banana Prawns are well spread out so having a hunt around a few different areas on the sounder will be worth a go. Try looking around The Powerlines, Rocky Point, Logan River, Russell Island, Macleay Island, Cabbage Tree Point and Jacobs Well.  When choosing the right net, I recommend using a top pocket cast net as it is the best option. When casted, as the net sinks the prawns are pushed into a catch pocket in the top of the net. When you have casted, and you can feel something kicking in the net just pull on the rope a few times and that will make the prawns head into the top pocket. The top pocket makes emptying the prawns from the net an easy task then you can go straight back into casting at the school a lot quicker. An easy way to know if there are Prawns around just keep a keen eye out for other boats throwing nets that way you know you are in the general area.

Tide changes are important when timing your trip, top or bottom of the tide will work for most areas. When the tide slows the Prawns will pop up from the mud to schools and feed, this is the prime time to target them. As the tide starts to flow and more boats start casting the schools tend to break up, then you only get a few at a time, which can be hard work. I will normally take a fishing rod this time of year it can be a bit quiet and cast some soft plastics and vibes around for a Flathead, Snapper or Bream.

 

 

QUOTES FROM THE BOATS

Brad from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“It was extremely hot on the water this week, so I started all my trips very early to finish up before the midday heat. This worked out well as we were in time for the first of the early morning run out tides which saw for the first hour a heap of small, Big Eye and Giant Trevally busting up on the surface everywhere. We quickly took advantage and started casting MMd Splash Prawn lures across the surface and the Trevally smashed them. Although the Trevally were only small it is so exciting to watch how much fun my clients had seeing the fish attack surface lures. We also took the opportunity to jig some Ecogear ZX 40 lures in the deep holes that had a ton of bait showing on the sounder. Deep jigging through the bait schools produced some Flatties, Bream, Whiting and small School Jew.”

 

Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“The water heated up this week to 29 degrees in some areas in the Broadwater, and higher up the rivers and creeks. It’s best to fish the shallows early in the morning then venture deeper, as most fish can’t tolerate too much heat this time of year. This includes the Sand Whiting who like to explore the sand flats as the tide flows in. The good thing is that cooler water comes in from the ocean with the run in. There have been good numbers of legal size Whiting when we fished the shallows. With the neap tides and the heat, I have been sticking to the deeper areas on drifting charters. While the fish have down in size there has been lots of numbers and variety including Slateys, Snapper, Tuskfish, Moses Perch, Flathead, and many  good size Tarwhine and Bream. Ecogear breamer vibes and yabbies once again are   working great. Best areas have been the deep hole wrecks, Carter’s reef, Southport main channel, and the holes up from Capri bridge.”

 

Gavin from Sea Probe Fishing Charters reports:

“The Dolphin fish have been very quiet around the fads but with the less current bottom fishing has been ok with Snapper and nice size Pearl Perch on the chew. Trolling has been good outside on the shelf and in close around the 60 to 80 m with Black Marlin, Blue Marlin and Striped Marlin being caught trolling lures.”

 

LINKS & INFO

If you have any great catches or photos you would like to share, please email us and let us know how you went. brett@coomerahouseboats.com.au or brett@fishotackle.com.au     

Stay up to date with all fishing regulations in Queensland https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries

Fisho Tackle and Coomera Houseboat Holidays now have Hire  follow the link to view http://www.coomerahouseboats.com.au/our-fleet-type/hire-tinnies/     

Seabreeze is a great website to access a local forecast http://www.seabreeze.com.au/graphs/  

Good luck with the Fishing. Brett     

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Fishing Report – 18 January 2023   

The wind hung around this week and was stronger than initially forecast, along with a few showers on the Gold and Tweed Coasts giving fishos some pretty average conditions to deal with on the water. Those that could find a nice spot tucked away from the wind, managed to have some fun and land a few nice fish. The Gold Coast Gamefish Club is holding the light tackle masters comp this weekend.

Looking at the forecast at the time of writing this report conditions on Saturday are looking less than favourable with the wind up from the South to Southeast and the swell increasing, making the Seaway most suited to experienced boaties looking to head offshore. Let’s see what’s been biting this week.

Whiting and Crabs

Heading up the rivers and canals has been a great option to get out of the wind this week, fishos have managed to land some great catches of Whiting, which is great news for anyone keen for to catch a great feed. The best spots to try your luck have been the Nerang River, Coomera River, Pimpama River, Wave Break Island, Jacobs Well, Tiger Mullet Channel and the Logan River. Fishing during the daytime has been consistent, with some nice fish being landed. Fishing at night has certainly produced the bigger quality fish and also better numbers caught. During the summer months Whiting will tend to feed better at night, and more often than not, they will be in fairly large schools of fish. It is always worth fishing each area you have in mind for around 15 to 30 minutes to see what’s around, if you have not caught any legal fish I would move onto the next spot to. Whiting tend to move through an area when feeding, if you catch a few then they go quiet it might be worth hanging around as they won’t move too far and will come back to feed again in the same area. Tidal flow is a big factor when it comes to catching fish; the saying “no run no fun” defiantly applies to Whiting, as they rely on the current stirring up the bottom to expose the worms, small crabs and yabbies they feed on. I find most areas fish well on either the run out or run in tides. Live bait is very important to catch quality fish, with bloodworms, beach worms and yabbies being the best option. A nice light estuary rod and reel set up will get you started. I normally use 6 to 9lb mono main line, a long 6lb fluro carbon trace, a size 3 to 5 ball sinker (depending on current flow) to keep the bait on the bottom. A size 6 short shank bait holder hook for worms, or a size 4 long shank baitholder hook when using yabbies. It’s always worth throwing in a few crab pots whilst you are having a fish, there have been some nice hauls of both Sand Crabs and Mud Crabs lately.

Offshore Fishing

It was good to see a few boats venture out offshore the past week and take advantage of one of few weather windows we have seen so far this year. Young Bailey had a great day recently trolling with his Dad Ben on the 24 fathom line off the Gold Coast, scoring a quality Spanish Mackerel. It has been a pretty good start to the Mackerel season so far with several boats managing to put together a great feed. An early start is key: getting the lures and troll baits in the water on first light will increase your chances of success. Depending on the amount of Spanish in the area, they will usually go off the bite by mid-morning and sit deep closer to the bottom, trolling live baits on a down rigger is a good option when the surface bite slows up.

A few good spots to look for a Spanish Mackerel is the bait grounds, 18 and 24 fathom reefs, Gravel Patch, Palm Beach and Mermaid reef. Like any fishing having a sound around whilst trolling is extremely important to try to locate and mark bait schools in the area that are likely to hold predatory fish. Black Marlin have also been a great target species for anyone keen to tangle with these aerial speedsters of the ocean. They are still pretty wide spread at the moment and are being caught in water depths from 30m to 80m off the Coast, with most boats reporting multiple numbers of fish hooked and landed per trip. Try trolling a spread of small and medium sized light tackle skirted lures and cover ground particularly concentrating of local reefs in the water depth you choose to fish. Always keep and eye on the sounder for bait, an eye on the sky for bird activity, and surface action including splashing or birds hitting the surface. These are all signs of predatory fish actively feeding, tide changes are a great time for a hook up as they are known as a bite time. Bottom fishing will still produce a feed of Snapper, Moses Perch, Tusk Fish, Jew Fish, Trag Jew and Cobia current dependant.

Mangrove Jack

Mangrove Jack are a good target with the humidity we have had the past week or so with a few nice fish being caught. The Tweed River, The Nerang River, Runaway Bay and Paradise Point canals, Coomera River rock walls and rock bars. Bridges in the above area that hold bait, natural snags in the Logan River and also Marks Rocks will be worth a try. Estuary Cod and Trevally and a common bycatch and fun to land, live baits work well especially at night, Herring, Mullet, Pike, Winter Whiting and Yakkas all make great bait. My favourite dead bait is Mullet Fillet, it’s keeps the pickers like Bream at bay long enough for a Jack to show interest.

 

QUOTES FROM THE BOATS

Brad from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“This week I started my charters as early as possible, as it has been getting too hot through the middle of the day and a bit uncomfortable for my clients. The early morning starts have also been the most productive bite periods, which is not uncommon for this time of the year with the quickly rising water temperatures. Working the deeper holes in the Tweed River still produced the best results but I rigged up a couple of extra rods with some MMD Splash Prawns and cast them at some random surface action from schools of Big Eye and Giant Trevally. The species caught this week were Flatties, Bream, Whiting, School Jew and the mentioned Trevally..”

 

Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“A nice mix of fishing this week. We caught mangrove jacks, mulloway, giant trevally, grunter, flathead, big whiting, flounder, and endless amounts of bream and tarwine. It looks like the relatively dry weather will continue here on the coast and the water near the seaway is getting very clean. It pays to find a bit dirtier and deeper water where bait is hiding. Ecogear ZX40 blades have been getting smashed and catching lots of variety. Best areas have been Curlew island, Benowa, North Currigee. This coming week we have neap tides with morning highs getting bigger through the week as we move towards new moon on 22 January. There are high low tides during the day which are good for some whiting spots, or drifting the broadwater channels with vibes and yabbies.”

 

LINKS & INFO

If you have any great catches or photos you would like to share, please email us and let us know how you went. brett@coomerahouseboats.com.au or brett@fishotackle.com.au     

Stay up to date with all fishing regulations in Queensland https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries

Fisho Tackle and Coomera Houseboat Holidays now have Hire  follow the link to view http://www.coomerahouseboats.com.au/our-fleet-type/hire-tinnies/     

Seabreeze is a great website to access a local forecast http://www.seabreeze.com.au/graphs/  

Good luck with the Fishing. Brett     

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Fishing Report – 15 December 2022    

It was a bit of a warm and windy start to the week on the Gold and Tweed Coasts, but as the week progressed we saw a few nice days giving everyone a good weather window to get out on the water an try your luck. A drop in swell was good to see. There has been a few little Black Marlin showing up in close off the Gold Coast this week, with local fishos getting out to try their luck. Let’s have a look at a few options for the weekend and week ahead.

Marlin

At the time of writing this report, the forecast was looking pretty good for heading offshore on the weekend with lighter S/SE winds and smaller swell on the cards. The water quality offshore has been pretty good the past week along with plenty of bait schools on both Yakka’s and Slimy Mackerel hanging around. This has given predatory pelagic specials like Dolphin Fish and Little Black Marlin a great reason to hang around offshore on the Gold Coast. Reports of several boats hooking multiple Marlin this past week is great news for anyone interested in chasing these exciting game fish. The majority of the Dolphin Fish have been coming from the fads on both the 36 and 50 fathom lines with some bigger fish amongst them. As we head further into to summer bigger Dollies will be mixed amongst the Marlin feeding on bait schools on the local reefs, from North Stradbroke Island to the Tweed. Like all forms of fishing, finding the right area to fish can be hit and miss. It pays to keep a keen eye on the sounder for bait schools and looking for bigger fish hanging around the general area and keeping an eye on the sky for bird activity. Birds that are very high in the sky working a particular area usually means that the bait is siting fairly deep. If the birds are working low and hitting the water it means that predatory fish like Marlin, Dolphin Fish, Tuna or Wahoo have pushed the bait school to the surface whilst feeding, giving the birds a target to dive in for a catch. Trolling Skirted lures at 6 to 7 knots is a great way to cover large areas whilst always keeping an eye out for tell tail signs, if you get a hit or hook a fish mark the spot to return to fish it again. If you find an area holding both bait schools and fish it may be worth dropping down a live bait if the fish are not responding to lures just to cover all bases. Most of the fish you will encounter from the bait grounds out to 50 fathoms will be anywhere from 10kg to 80kg in size, I usually run a leader size between 80 to 120lb when targeting smaller Black Marlin. Marlin is an exciting fish to hook and land, capable of stripping line of the reel in seconds and jumping multiple times trying to throw the hooks. When fishing always consider that safety is very important for all on board given the fast speeds, big jumps and a long sharp beak can do all sorts of damage if not treated with respect. Some good areas to start looking are the 18 to 24, 36, 42 and 50 fathom grounds off the Gold Coast, Sullies, Cottons and drilling tracks off the pin and Kirra, Gravel Patch and Nile Mile or fidos off the Tweed. I always recommend having the latest forecast on hand before heading out on the water.

Flathead

Flathead have been around in pretty good numbers so far this month. As the water temperature heats up the fish will tend to move back up the rivers or into deeper holes to find some cooler water. Throwing 3-to-4-inch soft plastics with either quarter ounce or three eighth ounce jig heads around the edges of sandbanks and drop offs can be productive. Working soft vibes in the deeper water is a great way to temp a strike or trolling hard body lures in the shallow water or tops of sandbanks around high tide will usually produce a few fish. The run-out tide is normally the easiest tide to find fish, as the water level drops out of creeks and off sandbanks, the Flathead will make their way out and sit at the entrances to creeks and the edges of sandbanks and wait for the bait to swim past to ambush. Some good spots to try are Wavebreak Island, Crab Island, Coomera River, The Neverfails, Bedrooms, Tiger Mullet Channel, Jacobs Well, Crusoe Island, Russel Island and the Logan River.

Bream and Whiting

There has been some good catches of Bream and Whiting around the Gold and Tweed Coasts this past week. When targeting Bream, look to fish structures like Jetty’s, pontoons, bridges and rock walls in your local area: Mullet Fillet, Prawns, White Pilchards and Squid all make good bait. For Whiting most sandy beaches along the Broadwater should produce a feed of Whiting. Also try the tops of sandbanks on high tides, or fish the edges as the tide runs out. Best bait for Whiting is live Bloodworms, Beachworms or Yabbies.

 

QUOTES FROM THE BOATS

Brad from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“On the days that were fishable there were more Jewfish, Flathead, Big Eye Trevally, and Bream caught on Ecogear ZX40 and Samaki soft vibes in the deeper holes now that that the water is warming up.”

 

Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“The Gold Coast Broadwater this week produced some Flathead, Bream, and Tailor on soft plastic and vibe lures. Bigger tide sizes around the full moon filled some of the flats that are normally very shallow, and it was these areas that were the best spots to catch fish. The water is getting crystal clear, so it pays to target weed edges that fish use to hide and ambush prey. There has been massive schools of white bait which sometimes makes it hard to catch fish as they are so well fed. We always get these tides around Christmas, and it does make it tricky to find fish. The fishing is up one day and down the next, unsurprisingly with such extremes. Nerang river is fishing quite well, as normal for Sand Whiting on worms and yabbies, and Mangrove Jacks on lures and live bait. This will continue until there is flooding rain. This coming week the tide sizes drop off and revert to morning lows, great for chasing Sand Whiting in the Southern Broadwater. Don’t worry about the almanac, if they’re hungry the fish will eat.”

 

Gavin from Sea Probe Fishing Charters reports:

“This week there are plenty of Black Marlins in the close grounds in 30 to 80m of water trolling lures has been doing the best trolling 6 to 8 knots and looking for bait schools, also fads still working a treat out there for Dolphin Fish.”

 

LINKS & INFO

If you have any great catches or photos you would like to share, please email us and let us know how you went. brett@coomerahouseboats.com.au or brett@fishotackle.com.au     

Stay up to date with all fishing regulations in Queensland https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries

Fisho Tackle and Coomera Houseboat Holidays now have Hire  follow the link to view http://www.coomerahouseboats.com.au/our-fleet-type/hire-tinnies/     

Seabreeze is a great website to access a local forecast http://www.seabreeze.com.au/graphs/  

Good luck with the Fishing. Brett     

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