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Fishing Report – 16th September 2022    

Tt was good to see a bit more sunshine this week with just the odd shower of rain around, which has been a nice start to Spring. Looking to the weekend (at the time of writing), we will see some stronger northerly winds on Saturday which will ease off by Sunday afternoon. Fingers crossed the northerly winds don’t hang around too much as they tend to ruin the water quality and cause the snot weed to increase, which are the two things we don’t want before the Flathead Classic.

Let’s check have a look at what’s been biting this week.

The Flathead Classic

With the Gold Coast Sport Fish Club Flathead Classic getting close (starting on the 27th and finishing on the 30th of September), all keen Flathead fishos have been spending as much time on the water as possible chasing these great fish. The water quality has been pretty good this week with some nice clean water on offer to target Flathead on the incoming tide with the better-quality water pushing a fair way into the Broadwater and Jumpinpin. Fingers-crossed the dreaded northerly winds predicted don’t hang around as it doesn’t take long to reduce the water quality, making it quite murky, and also tends to push snot weed around most people’s favourite fishing grounds.

How to fish for Flathead on the Gold Coast

Flathead seem to pretty well spread out throughout the Gold Coast waterways at the moment with some big fish being landed in both deep water and extra shallow water, depending on the area you are fishing. Fishing the shallows on the incoming tide when the water quality has been at it’s best has been very productive, throwing a mixture of hard body surface lures, large unweighted soft plastics and lightly weighted prawn imitations along the edges of mangrove islands and the tops of sandbanks. Always keep an eye out for baitfish activity in the shallows as the Flathead will usually be feeding nearby, it is always worth a cast near any activity you spot.

The deeper areas such as the Gold Coast Seaway and Jumpinpin Bar have been producing some great sized female fish, with plenty of smaller male fish hanging nearby as we head towards spawning season. Fishing the deeper water can be quite challenging with a strong tidal flow to contend with. For deeper water make sure you adjust the size of the jig head you choose when working soft plastics, and also a heavy soft vibe is recommended to keep contact with the bottom as much as possible to attract a hungry predator. When fishing the average water depth from 1.5 to 4m metre a 1/4 or 3/8 jig head matched with a 3-to-4-inch plastic is a great match, or a 12 to 20 gram soft vibe will also work well in those water depths.

Flathead normally feed head into the current, I always recommend if you are trolling hard body lures, to troll with the tidal flow to increase your chances of hooking a fish.

Where to fish for Flathead around the Gold Coast

Some good spots to try your luck are Wave Break Island, Crab Island, Currigee Channel, Brown Island, Rat Island, Aldershots, Tipplers Passage, Never Fails, Pandanus Island, Bedrooms, Crusoe Island, Jumpinpin Bar, Kalinga Bank, Tiger Mullet Channel, Russel Island and the Logan River.

 

Gold Coast Offshore Fishing

Weather permitting, the offshore fishing grounds have been producing some pretty nice catches of reef fish for fishos who are keen to get out for a session. With the sunrise getting earlier each day as we head into spring the earlier you get out on the water the better your chances are of scoring the prime sunrise bite window. Try to give yourself enough time to make it to the area you are planning to fish, and have a good look around the area on the sounder until you can find enough life worth fishing on. You will usually know how the spot is going to fish within the first 15minutes, if you are getting shows but not getting the bite you may have to move on and find another area to try your luck.

Both the 18 and 24 fathom grounds have been fishing well with local fisho getting stuck into some great quality Snapper on a recent trip. Bait presentation is always very important on the shallower reefs, along with trying to use the lightest gear possible, but that will still get the job done if you hook a decent sized fish. The more natural you can make the bait look as you drop the line, the more chance you have of getting the bite. Float lining is the best option in my books. Anglers have been catching a good mixed bag of Snapper, Tusk Fish, Trag Jew, Moses Perch, Jew Fish, Cobia and Maori Cod.

QUOTES FROM THE BOATS

Brad from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports :

“This week was not much different to my usual week. I worked around the middle reaches of the river working and exploring the deep holes and channels of the river. When I work the deep holes I always use a mixture of deep water jigging lures with Samaki and Ecogear ZX 40 vibes which are my go to lures. When working the channels, I drift fish with these lures combined with a switch of techniques, trolling some slam and pontoon lures to mix things up, which my clients love as they are gaining knowledge. The species caught were Flatties, Bream, Trevally, Tailor and a heap of gorgeous little Jewies that were carefully released for the future.”

Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“Another varied week with some trips to Jumpinpin and the Gold Coast Broadwater. We had some challenging conditions, but the weather is warming up now. The Arrow Squid numbers are now tapering off as the water suddenly warms. They are present all year around here, but not in the same size and quantity as the cooler months. Flathead seem to be widespread everywhere right now, it’s just a matter of moving until you find actively feeding fish. They are gorging themselves on small bait fish in the shallows, so cast and hop no bigger than 3 and 4 inch paddle tail plastics rigged on 1/6 or 1/4 oz TT jigheads with 2/0 and 3/0 hook sizes. Use soft plastics such as ZMan, Ecogear, Knockin Tail, Fish Arrow, and Gobbler. White is a go to colour in most conditions. When drifting areas three metres and deeper, use Samaki vibes and Ecogear ZX’s to jig. Best areas have been the Southern end of South Stradbroke island, the Eastern side of Curlew island, and Whalleys gutter, Pandanus island, Dux, Tipplers areas. The snot weed has not turned up in mass yet, but that could change very quickly as soon as we get warmer weather and Northerly winds.”

Gavin from Sea Probe Fishing Charters reports:

“Fishing has still been very good with plenty of Mahi Mahi on the fads. Also plenty of Snapper, Kingys , Ajs, Samson Fish, Pearlies on the 50 fathoms. On the 36s still Snapper, Trag Jew, Tuskies and Dolphin Fish also around the fads. ”

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 – 9th September 2022    

It has been a bit of a wet start to September on the Gold and Tweed Coast with a few showers persisting throughout the week. The wind has finally eased a bit also giving everyone some nicer conditions to get out on the water. Good news as we head into the weekend at the time of writing my report with Saturday tipped to be the best day with light winds and plenty of sunshine on the way making it a great day to get out on the water for a fish.

Looking at the forecast for Saturday at the time of writing my report the weather is looking good for fishos that are keen to head offshore and chase a feed. Anglers that were lucky enough to find a weather window to head out the past week were rewarded for their efforts like Ben White (see photo in report) who had a good day out on the 36 fathom grounds land some great quality Snapper for the table. It’s always a bit of a gamble when planning a trip as to what water depth will be best worth targeting on the day. September is a good month for chasing the popular species Snapper for a feed, both the 18 and 24 fathom reefs off the Gold Coast have fished well over Winter and should also be holding good numbers of quality fish to target during September.

EARLY STARTS

Getting an early start will increase you chances of finding the better-quality fish, I always recommend allowing yourself enough time to have a good sound around and try to mark a show of bait or fish feeding to target your efforts on. I do prefer to anchor up and get a burly trail going when fishing the closer reefs as this will help to attract any fish from the surrounding reef and then keep them active in you strike zone. A burly trail will also tend to make the fish rise in the water column and this is great when float lining as you will quite often get hit halfway down on the drop which is a great feeling when reef fishing. As well as Snapper you will have a good chance a finding a feed of Tusk Fish, Moses Perch, Maori Cod, Spangled Emperor, Trag Jew, Jewfish and Cobia. The 36 and 50 fathom reefs have also been producing some great catches of the past couple of weeks current dependant. Fishos have reported good hauls of Snapper, Pearl Perch, Trag Jew, Tusk Fish, Cobia, Amber Jack, Samson Fish, Yellow Tail Kingfish and even a few Dolphin Fish have been taken off the local fads. Best baits are WA Pilchards, Whole Large Squid, Bonito Fillet, Mullet Fillet, live or dead Yakkas and Slimy Mackerel.

WHITING

Now that the days are getting longer, and the weather is starting to warm up chasing a feed of Whiting will be a great option. Good quality Whiting are on offer pretty much all year round on the Gold Coast including Winter with the warmer months generally producing better numbers of bigger fish. Whether you are fishing from a boat or land based there are plenty of spots to try your luck. Basically, you are looking for an area with a sand or mud bottom or mixture of both with a few undulations in the bottom that gets a fair bit of tidal flow running through to stir the bottom-up which intern attracts schools of Whiting to feed in these kinds of areas. A light estuary outfit is all you need, I recommend a rod around 7 to 9 ft in length, with the reel spooled with 6 to 9lb mono, a long trace of 6lb fluro carbon leader and usually a size 4-ball sinker to keep your bait on the bottom where the fish feed and a size 6 bait holder hook. Best baits are live blood worms, beach worms and smaller sized yabbies. If you are land based you can try your luck along the Broadwater foreshore around Southport, Labrador, Biggera Waters, Runaway Bay, Paradise Point, Hope Island, Jacobs Well Cabbage Tree Point, Tallebudgera Creek and Currumbin Creek. If you are fishing from a boat, try the Nerang River, Wave Break Island, Crab Island, Coomera River, Pimpama River, Jacobs Well, Cabbage Tree Point, Bedrooms, Gold Bank, Tiger Mullet Channel and the Logan River.

QUOTES FROM THE BOATS

Brad from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports :

“Once again we had some great weather and some good fishing through the middle reaches of the river. Combining a mixture of trolling Pontoon 21 and Slam minnows and jigging with Samaki vibes produced a variety of nice fish. The species caught were Flatties, Bream, Whiting, School Jew and a couple of nice Giant Trevally. It appears that the GT’s might start moving around the river a bit earlier this season which is great as they are so much fun on light gear. It is important to note that there is still a lot of logs and debris floating around the Tweed River and I witnessed a boat smashing into a floating log and doing a fair amount of damage so take care and always keep an eye out.”

Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“We had some really good fishing at the Gold Coast Broadwater this week. Plenty of Squid, Flathead, Flounder, Tuskfish and Whiting kept us entertained. Best areas were South Currigee and Southport, best lures were Samaki vibes in whitebait and uv squid colours, Ecogear ZX40 in 440 colour. The water has suddenly got crystal clear and warmer on the run-in tide so it now pays to find slightly dirtier water to find the better fish and even the Squid. The snot weed that had started to appear has gone again but I’m sure it’ll be back in force with the next Northerly winds. Flathead are plentiful in the shallows out to the deep, feeding hard on baitfish. Soft plastics in pearl colours are working well. There were also good numbers of Sand Whiting up to 40cm on the Southern Broadwater banks this week.”

Gavin from Sea Probe Fishing Charters reports:

“There has been plenty of Snapper still getting caught on the 50 fathoms line also with some Pearlies, Tuskies, Amberjack and Yellow Tail Kings and also Dolphin Fish still hanging around on the 50 fathoms taken on pilchards.”

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 – 1st September 2022    

Hi Everyone, hope you are all having a nice week, as we say goodbye to winter and transition into springtime we have seen a few showers hanging around on the Tweed and Gold Coast this week. Let’s have a look at how the fishing was this week. 

FLATHEAD

Fishos reported some nice catches of Flathead again this week with good numbers of fish being landed throughout the Broadwater, Jumpinpin and adjoining rivers and estuaries. Unfortunately, there has been a bit of the dreaded snot weed starting to show up in some areas just to make anglers lives a bit more difficult when fishing. When targeting Flathead in the Broadwater and Jumpinpin systems the two main things you should look for is water quality especially on the run-in tide and the other is bait including bait fish and prawns being the main sources. Finding clean water will normally increase your hookup rate as the fish will tend to spot your lure or bait much easier rather than just swiping at it when the water is dirty. Any bait activity is important when you are fishing and that applies to Flathead, keep and eye out in the shallow water for bait fish and prawns jumping around trying to escape from predators and also keep an eye on the sounder in the deep water as the bait schools will attract Flathead to feed in these areas. My favourite tide to fish is the run-out tide when chasing Flathead, you can choose to target the edges of sandbanks, creek mouths, drains and river mouths are all good spots to find Flathead laying in wait. As the water level drops and the bait moves towards deeper water the Flathead will be waiting to head into the tide ready to pounce on anything that swims past. 

LURES

When using lures trying a mixture of trolling hard body lures, casting soft plastics or working soft vibes are all worth a go to see which method the fish are best responding to on the day. When trolling lures, you are best to troll with the tidal flow to increase your hook up rate. The same applies when casing plastics try and retrieve with the flow of water. 

GOOD FISHING SPOTS

Some good spots producing fish at the moment are Wave Break Island, Nerang River, Currigee, Crab Island, Brown Island, Coomera River, Tipplers Passage, Bedrooms, Kalinga Bank, Crusoe Island, Tiger Mullet Channel, Logan River, Tweed River, Tallebudgera and Currumbin Creeks.     

We have been lucky enough to have a pretty good run of weather the past week giving fishos plenty of opportunities to head offshore and chase a feed from the local reefs. Once again quality catches of Snapper have been the standout with good numbers of fish being caught. Once the strong wind and swell predicted for the weekend settles down, getting an early start and hitting the 18 and 24 fathom grounds off the Seaway will be a good option with some great quality fish being landed in these areas. Make sure you get out as early as possible to allow enough time to have a good sound around between 18 to 24 fathoms reefs and find a show of fish and bait to target on the sunrise bite time. 

RIGGING

Fish as light as possible, sometimes you can get bricked on the bottom, but you find the lighter set up will always out fish the heavy gear and you will catch a lot more fish in the long run. A float line rig set up is again my first choice when fishing either live or dead bait as you have all the control on how quick you drop your baits making them present as natural as possible producing a hit on the drop. 

WHAT ELSE IS BITING?

There has been a good general mixed bag of Snapper, Moses Perch, Jew Fish, Cobia, Trag Jew, Maori Cod and Tusk Fish on offer. As you head out wider the 36 and 50 fathoms grounds are also fishing well current dependent with good numbers of quality Snapper, Pearl Perch, Tusk Fish, Trag Jew, Yellow Tail Kingfish, Amber Jack, Cobia and Samson Fish being landed. Best baits are WA pilchards, Whole large Squid, Mullet Fillet, Bonito Fillet or live or dead Yakkas.   

FISHING CHARTER REPORTS

Brad from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports,

“I only did a couple of days work on the Tweed River this week, and had a sensational day with Clint travelling to Brisbane to meet our new sponsors. We met up with Gareth the owner of Tackle Tactics and we are both now proud users of Okuma Australia reels and TT rods. Okuma makes a fantastic reliable range of reels and I could not wait to get back to the Tweed to use them. The best fishing for us this week was to once again jig vibes in the deep holes and channels where we caught Flatties, Bream, Tailor, Big Eye Trevally and Jewies. We also caught a few Australian Bass and of course released them very quickly and carefully as it is closed season for them in tidal estuaries at this time of the year. It is well worth noting that the Bass have moved well down the river this year due to the ridiculous amount of rain we have received this year.”

Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports,

“Once again this week the Squid were keeping us entertained, and there were plenty of Flathead on the chew. We are blessed to have an abundance of Squid in our waters over winter, and they are so much fun to catch and absolutely delicious to eat. Some days they will aggressively attack Ecogear Australia Dartmax squid jigs, other days the Ecogear and vibe lures we use daily are the best offering to tempt them. Flathead have been everywhere, shallow to deep, the key to finding them is looking for bait fish. In shallow water keep an eye out for birds diving and the actual small fish in the clear water. In deeper water look for patches of bait on your fish finder then dropping lures under them. Water temperature has been hovering around 18 degrees, there has also been some decent Flounder, Winter Whiting, Tailor, Bream, and Trevally hunting in the 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 Tinnies 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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