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“CLARKIES” GOLD COAST FISHING REPORT – 2 November 2022

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Fishing Report – 2nd November 2022    

It was great to see some good weather last weekend on the Tweed and Gold Coast after such a bad run of wind and rain. The sunny conditions were very well received, seeing plenty of happy people throwing in a line and spending some quality time outdoors. We have had a bit more wind and rain during the week but conditions have been ok if you stick to sheltered waterways. I always recommend checking the latest forecast before heading out on the water.

Flathead Fishing

Jackson Ford caught and released this impressive Flathead at Jumpinpin on a soft plastic

The Flathead fishing has been great the past week with local fisho Jackson Ford  having a great trip on Sunday landing good numbers of quality Flathead fishing around the Broadwater and Jumpinpin. When it comes to tides you can find good numbers of fish on either the run in or run out tides depending on the aeras you choose to fish. On the run-in tide Flathead will tend to move onto the tops of sandbanks, up close to the shoreline and get amongst the mangrove tree bases searching for bait fish and prawns to feed on. On the run out tide the same fish will then tend to move as the water recedes and then sit on the drop offs waiting head into the tide for the bait to be washed off as the water get shallow. In the deeper water like the Jumpinpin Bar or the Gold Coast Seaway, on either the run-out or run-in tide, keep an eye on the sounder and locate an area that is holding bait. If the bait is there the Flathead usually will be feeding nearby. This time of year is when the big trophy breeding females are around in good numbers accompanied by lots of smaller male fish fighting for their attention. If you manage to catch and release a big fish there is usually good numbers of male fish around, which are the perfect size to keep for a feed, or just great fun to catch and release. I have seen pictures over the years of up to 20 male fish hanging around one female.

It pays to have a few different options when it comes to lures until you can find the right size and colour that switches the fish on to bite, when it comes to soft plastics generally anything from 3inch all the way to 7inch will do the job, just match the jig head size and weight to suit the plastic size, current and the depth of water you are fishing. Prawn imitation lures are also very popular and very affective given the number of prawns that school up in the area. These can be fished weedless or with a standard jig depending on what brand you choose. I also like using soft vibes, with Zerek fish traps being on of my favourite lures. The action on these lures tends to fire the fish up and get the bite. If you prefer to use bait, drifting is the most productive method. Try using live yabbies, white pilchards, WA Pilchards, Blue Bait and strips of mullet fillet. Some good spots to try are the Gold Coast Seaway and rock walls along South Stradbroke Island, Wave Break Island, Crab Island, Tipplers Passage, Never Fails, Jacobs Well, Bedrooms, Jumpinpin Bar, Kalinga Bank, Crusoe Island and the Logan River.

Scott Kempton has been catching some fantastic Snapper off the Gold Coast recently

The weather was great last weekend giving fishos a good opportunity to head out offshore to try their luck at chasing a feed. Scott Kempton was one of these anglers and he came up trumps with a nice big Snapper for his efforts. The 18 and 24 fathoms reef off the Gold Coast have continued to produce some great quality fish for those keen to put in the effort. An early start is very important as first light will often produce some top-quality fish such as trophy sized Snapper. Getting an early start can also see a lot less boat traffic from putting pressure on the fish. I always recommend you have a good look around on the sounder for any signs of bait and fish archers before choosing a spot to fish. If you are anchoring up, a burley trail will also help to fire up any fish around your boat to feed. When fishing the shallower reefs, a light set up is best, you will still be able to catch some extremely big fish on the gear but the lighter you go the better chance you have of getting the bite from a quality fish. I normally use a 5 to 10kg outfit spooled with either 15 to 20lb brad and a 20lb mono leader. This will make your bait present much more naturally, which in turn results in a much better catch rate. Lately, catches have consisted of Snapper, Moses Perch, Maori Cod, Trag Jew, Spangled Emperor, big Jew Fish, Tusk Fish and the odd legal Pear Perch.

Quality bait is also a must.

Try using IQF WA Pilchards, large Squid, Bonito Fillet, Mullet Fillet, Tailor Fillet and also live or butterflied Yakkas.

 

QUOTES FROM THE BOATS

Brad from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:Plenty of Snapper on the chew for Sea Probe Fishing Charters and their happy customers off the Gold Coast

“It was another tricky week on the Tweed River due to the rain event. The upper catchment areas of the Gold Coast and Tweed received over 200mm of rain in which quickly travelled downstream turning our rivers to mud. It was lucky that we had some good early morning run-in tides that allowed me to fish close to the entrance of the Tweed River with some cleaner oceanic water. The species caught were Flatties, Bream, Whiting and a couple of Giant Trevally with the best lures being pontoon 21 crackjacks and zx 40s.”

 

Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“The water is now clearing again after the big rain the weekend before last, but still dirty up the rivers especially on run out tides. You can see the colour changes along the Southport section of the Broadwater. The fishing has been tough with low air pressure and tricky big tides making the fish finicky. The last two days has seen an improvement though, we caught around 30 fish a day on lures and yabbies, with Sand Whiting, Winter Whiting, Flathead, Tarwhine, Bream, Moses Perch, Tailor, Emperor, Luderick, Grunter included. Best areas have been Southport and Sovereign Island, best lures Ecogear ZX40, Ecogear Breamer vibes, and Zman 2.5 ST Grubz in houdini and midnight oil colours. I’m looking forward to next week with better tides to chase big Sand Whiting and Flathead in the shallows. The estuary water is finally and suddenly warming up. After being stuck on 22 degrees for seemingly ages it is now climbing to 24 in places.”

 

Gavin from Sea Probe Fishing Charters reports:

“The past week the weather was beautiful, but it has been a little tough on the fishing front. Still some Dolphin Fish around the fads. Bottom fishing was a little tough but some nice Pearl Perch made up for it and few Amberjacks.”

 

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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“CLARKIES” GOLD COAST FISHING REPORT – 27 October 2022

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Fishing Report – 27th October 2022    

The Week Ahead 

We just can’t seem to get a break from the wind and rain lately with the Gold and Tweed Coasts copping another drenching over the weekend with hundreds of millimetres of rain being dumped into the system along with a massive swell offshore. The good news is we are finally in for some great weather with light winds, plenty of sunshine and small swell forecast for the weekend. Just remember to always check the latest forecast before heading out on the water. Let’s check out a few options for the weekend ahead.

With a favourable weather forecast for the weekend at the time of writing my report I’d say the offshore grounds will be very busy with everyone taking advance of a long-awaited weather window to get out for a fish. The closer reefs around the 18 to 24 fathom lines should be

Seaprobe Fishing Charters with a pair of good sized Jewfish landed off the Gold Coast

holding some nice fish with very little fishing pressure from the past month or so due to bad weather. As always, I recommend getting an early start and try to be anchored up or drifting in a good area for the dawn bite period. Make sure to have a good hunt around on the sounder keeping a look out for signs of life being either bait schools or predatory fish showing up giving you a good starting point to drop on. Majority of the time I do prefer to anchor up and get a burly trail going which will help to draw fish in from around the general area you are fishing increasing your chances of a successful day on the water.

Reef Fishing

The close reefs should be holding some quality Snapper, Spangled Emperor, the odd legal Pearl Perch, Moses Perch, Trag Jew, Silver Jew, Tusk Fish, Maori Cod and Cobia. Current dependant, out wider on the 36 and 50 fathoms grounds you will find a feed of Snapper, Pearl Perch, Trag Jew, Tuskfish, Yellow Tail Kingfish, Amberjack, Cobia, Samson Fish. The local FADS will be worth a look for a Dolphin Fish now the current will be starting to pick up and the water temperature is on the rise, you may have to try a couple of different methods to get the bite, if you can see fish in the water its worth a go. For Dolphin fish you can troll skirted lures near the FADS, cast soft plastics, metal slugs, surface lures, WA Pilchards pieces or the ever-reliable live baits. When I find fish on a FAD I will always throw a few bits of cubed WA pilchards in to keep them in the area and looking for a feed. Just remember to have the latest forecast before heading offshore.

Gold Coast BroadwaterTom was happy with catching some Flathead on the Tweed River with Brad Smith Fishing Charters

Thanks to the latest rain fall received water quality is very average is due to the amount of freshwater run-off the past week, bait fish will tend to head to these areas looking for some cleaner water and the predators will be on the hunt no far behind.  With this in mind, try fishing closer to the open ocean entrances and timing your trip to catch the last couple of hours of the run-in tide and the first hour of the run-out tide, to increase your chances of landing some quality fish. Jumpinpin Bar entrance and adjoining channels have been producing some good quality Tailor on trolled hard body lures, metal slugs and surface lures. Just keep your eyes peeled for fish busting up on the surface and birds diving ay the water chasing bait fish and scraps. Some quality Jewfish have been landed on a mixture of larger soft plastics, soft vibes and live baits fished in the deeper water around the bar mouth. There have also been some extra-large Flathead being caught and in the same areas around the pin. The Gold Coast Seaway has also been the go-to place for the same reasons, seeing plenty of bait fish siting on the edges of where the fresh water meets the salt. Try the North Wall and Pipeline for some good sized Jewfish, Trevally, Tailor and also drift the edges of the rock walls for Flathead which have been around in good numbers during breeding season.

If you are going for a fish try dropping in the crab pots and try your luck for a Mud Crab. There should be a few on the move after the rain.

 

QUOTES FROM THE BOATS

Brad from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“It has been a bit of a rollercoaster week with the weather, but I still managed to do a few days on the water. For some reason the best bite periods came on the run-in tides and that was regardless of whether we were fishing the flats or the deep holes. The fish caught this week were Flatties, Bream, Whiting and once again some small School Jew. The best lures this week were the ever-reliable zx 40s in the deep holes and pontoon 21 crackjacks worked across the shallows. I am still puzzled of why the run in tides fished so well in places that normally fire up on the run outs, but that is the intriguing part of being a guide and working in with good old mother nature.”

 

Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:Colin landed this great Snapper offshore on the Gold Coast on a recent trip

“We fished the Broadwater channels on the smaller tides, catching three types of Flathead, Sand Whiting, Winter Whiting, Tarwhine, Bream, Tuskfish. Yabbies as usual scored lots of fish, and I used Ecogear breamer vibes for the first time, catching over 20 fish per session on them. These little lures have an impressive strike rate and I’ll be using them a lot more, in tandem with the ever-reliable Ecogear ZX40’s and Samaki Vibelicious. If you haven’t tried the new Zman 2.5” ST Grubz and 2.5” Prawnz, give them a go. We love small lures because they get a lot of bites from small to big fish. As a charter guide, we try to keep rods bending as often as possible. On all our lures we like to smear some scent on too for added effect, our favourites are Sax scent uv prawn fot prawn imitation lures, and Pro Cure saltwater inshore for minnow and grub style lures. We also fished some of the shallows this week, wading for Whiting. The Whiting weren’t as big as usual, the bigger ones could be in the seaway getting ready to spawn. They should be back on the flats this coming week. There were also plenty of Flathead on the flats this week, I landed a 60cm on 3 lb fluorocarbon line. It put up quite a fight.”

 

Gavin from Sea Probe Fishing Charters reports:

“The fads have been still fishing well for Dolphin Fish also on the bottom some Snapper and Pearl Perch on the 18s there also have been some nice Cobia and Jewfish using live bait.”

 

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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“CLARKIES” GOLD COAST FISHING REPORT – 20 October 2022

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Fishing Report – 20th October 2022    

The Week Ahead 

Last weekend and early in the week were pretty good days for getting out and about and trying your luck at catching a fish. It looks like we are going to see the rain return and the wind and swell pick up for the weekend with some stronger N/NE winds forecast for the Gold and Tweed Coasts. If you are keen, try to stick to the rivers and sheltered waterways when getting on the water this week. It always pays to have the most up to date weather forecast before deciding to go. Let’s see what’s been on the bite this week.

Whiting Are Biting

Brett hooked this nice Whiting on a soft plastic lure last weekend

With the wind tipped to increase over the weekend and rain on the forecast finding a sheltered area out of the wind will be the best plan if your keen to go fishing. Whiting will be a great target this time of year, quite good numbers of nice fish have been caught lately and they go pretty well on the table when is comes to a great feed of fresh fish. A few spots to try your luck that will give you a bit of respite from the wind are the Nerang River, Coomera River both South and North Arms, Pimpama River, Jacobs Well and the Logan River will all hold nice schools Whiting. Both the incoming and outgoing tides will produce fish, it’s just a matter of having a good look around and try a few different spots until you can find better numbers of fish on the bite. I will usually give each spot about 15minutes before deciding to move on.

Whiting will tend to feed best when the tide is flowing well, this stirs up the bottom and makes feeding a lot easier for the fish. When the tide goes slack, they will disappear and all you usually catch is Bream, once the tide turns and picks up the fish normally come back on the chew. Up the rivers you are looking for a mixture of sand or mud bottoms with plenty on bumps with high and low spots as this is prime Whiting territory, water depths can differ from 1m to 4 metres deep. You can also mix it up bit a and have a look around the tops of shallow sandbanks and wade around. The best banks to choose are ones with plenty of yabbie holes and these will hold better numbers of fish looking for a feed.

When choosing a rod and reel combo a light estuary outfit around minimum 7ft long rod with a soft tip action matched with a 1000 to 2000 sized reel spooled with 6 to 9lb mono will work well. A long 6lb fluro carbon leader, size 4 to 6 bait holder hook and a sinker size to keep your baits on the bottom, usually size 3 to 4 ball will do the jobs. If you are targeting the shallow flats on foot, you will normally just be casting unweighted yabbies for the most natural bait presentation possible. Best baits are live bloodworms, Beachworms and Yabbies.

Flathead

Raul from Tasmania was on a charter with Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters and caught this great Flathead

Flathead have been around in good numbers again this week with some very nice fish being caught from around Jumpinpin and the Broadwater. The water quality has been pretty good lately, fingers crossed we don’t get too much rain and the system doesn’t get too dirty. Most of the larger quality fish have been caught around and closer to the open ocean entrances, the larger female fish tend to attract good numbers of smaller male fish making a good target if you are chasing a couple of Flathead for a feed. If you are catching plenty of smaller fish, this means there is usually going to be a bigger fish in the area to target. Fishing the deeper water can be hard work when the tide is running quick, you will have to run a lot heavier jig head on the soft plastics or more up to a bigger heavier soft vibe to make sure these are keeping in contact with the bottom keeping you in the strike zone. Always keep an eye on the sounder for bait fish as the hungry Flathead won’t be far away. The best spots to try are the Gold Coast Seaway, Currigee Channel, Wave Break Island, Crab Island, Jumpinpin Bar, Kalinga Bank, Green and Gold Bank, Crusoe Island, Tiger Mullet Channel, Canaipa Channel and around the western side of Russell Island.

 

 

QUOTES FROM THE BOATS

Brad from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“This week’s big tides produced some excellent fishing particularly on the early morning making tides. The deep holes were on fire with ZX 40 lures doing some real damage worked along the bottom in 8 to 14 metres of water. The big tides also allowed me to get high up onto the flats with trolled Pontoon 21 lures doing the job in these areas. The species caught this week were a heap of Flatties and School Jew as well as the odd Bream, Whiting and Giant Trevally. ”

Noel was absolutely thrilled to catch his first ever Jew Fish on the Tweed River with Brad Smith Fishing Charters

 

Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“The Nerang River and canals fished quite well this week but the numbers are now tapering off. A mix of Flathead, Bream, Jewies, and Trevally on Ecogear ZX40, Samaki vibes, Pontoon 21 crackjacks, Zman ST Grubz  and 6th Sense soft plastics. There are also plenty of good size Whiting widespread throughout the system. Bloodworms work best up the river, yabbies best from Sundale bridge and North. You can usually buy live bloodworms from the bait shop at Arundel. This coming week we have some excellent tides for fishing the Broadwater banks. I’m looking forward to chasing some hard fighting big Whiting, Bream, and Flathead on 3 lb line. Sport fishing at its best and I still have some days available.”

Sea Probe Fishing Charters with a horse of a Dolphin Fish landed on a recent trip off the Gold Coast

 

Gavin from Sea Probe Fishing Charters reports:

“With the weather being all over the place we are still managing to get out and getting amongst some great Dolphin Fish around the fads and on the bottom some Snapper, Trag Jew, Tusk Fish. In close still few Cobia to be caught with plenty of Mac Tuna on live baits.”

 

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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“CLARKIES” GOLD COAST FISHING REPORT – 13 October 2022

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Fishing Report – 13th October 2022    

The Week That Was

Mark scored a nice Flathead on his holiday with Coomera Houseboat Holidays recently

Hi Everyone, hope you are all having a nice week, at least last weekend was much better than forecast with Sunday turning out to be a great day to hit the water and chase some fish with lighter winds and plenty of sunshine from lunchtime onwards. Unfortunately, the South-easterly kicked in and made conditions pretty hard going during the week with offshore off limits due to large swell and strong winds. The sheltered rivers and canal systems were the best option to get some respite from the wind and try your luck.

The Week Ahead

At the time of writing my report the wind looks like it may back off for the weekend ahead which would be nice. At this stage Sunday is looking like the pick of the days to get out on the water. Just make sure you have the most up to date forecast before heading out. Let’s check have a look at some options for the weekend ahead.

Fish About

It’s good to see some nice sized Tailor being caught around the Jumpinpin and the Broadwater after the water quality has cleared up a fair bit since the last lot of rain. Majority of the Tailor have been caught on the last 2 hours of the incoming tide when the water quality is at its best. There has been plenty of bait schooling up around the open ocean entrances including big schools of slimy mackerel in the Gold Coast Seaway which is like ringing the dinner bell a hungry school of Tailor. Start looking in the deeper channels around the mouth of the Jumpinpin Bar, Whalleys Gutter, Tiger Mullet Channel, the Gold Coast Seaway and Currigee Channel, keep and keen eye on the sounder for signs of bait. It also pays to keep an eye on the water for fish splashing as they attack the bait and also birds diving pick up bait pushed to the surface. Trolling hard body lures is a great method to cover more area when searching for a school of fish, I recommend using a combination of shallow and deep diving lures to help find the depth of water the fish are active in. Once located you can then target fish using either surface poppers, stick baits or metal slugs of various sizes until you can match the hatch of the size of boat they are feeding on. Tailor is pretty good to eat fresh, just remember to bleed any fish for the table and ice them down as soon as possible.

The Gold Coast Seaway

Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters caught these two quality 40cm Whiting in the Broadwater

The Gold Coast Seaway has been fishing pretty well since the last lot of rain we got for Jewfish which is good news if you are keen to put in the time to land one of these great fish. The Seaway has been holding a good amount of bait lately which intern attracts predators like the Jew Fish that frequent the area. The only downside is that sharks can be a big issue if the fish are biting. When you hook a fish you must get it up as soon as possible before the sharks appear on the scene to ruin your day. Live baits are best when targeting jew Fish, Pike, Mullet, Herring, Yakkas or if you are lucky and find some Slimy Mackerel which have been also hanging around the Seaway you should be in with a good chance. The best times to fish are the last 2 hours of the run in tide and the first 2 hours of the run out, this will also allow you to fish the turn of the tide which is usually a good bite window for bigger Jew Fish in the area. Drifting around the pipeline and also the North Wall are the usual areas to find a school of Jewfish, they will tend to move around to feed on the bait schools so remember to always keep an eye on the sounder for sign of life to maximise your chances. A twin hook stinger rig will work for most normal sized live baits rigged on 20 to 40lb mono, you will need a fair bit of weight if the tide is flowing to get your baits into the strike zone.

From The Broadwater to Jumpinpin

Some nice sized Whiting have been caught as the water starts to warm up around the Broadwater and Jumpinpin. You can pretty much have a go for  Whiting on most sandbanks or sandy beaches throughout the above areas, I do prefer to look for yabbie holes or something to attract the Whiting to the area to increase your chances. A light estuary rod will get you started spooled with 6 to 9lb mono, a 6lb fluro carbon trace and a size 4 to 6 bait holder hook, best baits are live blood worms, beach worm and yabbies. Good spots to try are Nerang River, Wave Break Island, Crab Island, Coomera River, Bedrooms, Jacobs Well, Tiger Mullet Channel and the Logan River.

 

QUOTES FROM THE BOATSValentino caught some Flathead and Whiting on the Tweed River with Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters

Brad from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“Fishing this week for some reason was a little bit tough and although we caught fish every day, I did not get the big numbers of fish on the scoreboard that I am used too. At the end of the day my clients were thrilled and learnt a heap about lure fishing and can’t wait to come again. The good old Ecogear zx40 lures were without a doubt the best lure worked in both the shallows and the deep holes of the river.  The fish caught this week were Bream, a few small Giant Trevally, School Jew and some quality Flatties being the stand out species. ”

 

Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“This week was a bit all over the place, with the weather and fishing inconsistent. We caught some good numbers of big Whiting in the shallows where the water was clean enough, but the channels and edges had a lot of snot weed floating around. The Bream seemed to love the browner water of the run in tides. They were that thick from Sundale bridge to Capri bridge it was hard to catch anything else, and there were many big Tarwhine amongst them. Further upriver there are some Whiting, Giant Trevally, Spotted Grunter, and Flathead. Yabbies were working extremely well as were small soft plastics like Zman ST Grubz and 6th Sense paddletails”

 

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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“CLARKIES” GOLD COAST FISHING REPORT – 6 October 2022

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Fishing Report – 5th October 2022    

It was good to see the wind ease and some more sunshine around earlier in the week after a windy and wet long weekend on the Gold and Tweed Coasts.

As we move towards the weekend, it looks like the showers are tipped to hang around, with an expected wind increase from the North Easterly direction bringing a rise in swell. With the forecast in mind, it will be a better option to stick to more sheltered waters if you are keen to wet a line over the weekend, and wait for the weather to ease before heading offshore for a look. Hopefully we don’t get too much rain and the water quality continues to improve throughout the Broadwater and Jumpinpin.

Let’s check out what’s been biting this week.

The Gold Coast Sport Fishing Club’s Flathead ClassicRaylene landed and released this 66cm Flathead on the Broadwater with Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters

Finishing last Friday, the Flathead Classic was a massive event, seeing 618 anglers, consisting of 250 teams, catch and release a massive total of 7,012 Flathead. Conditions were pretty tuff at times with plenty of wind and a bit of rain around to test everyone skills and patience. We are very blessed on the Gold Coast to have such a great Flathead fishing on our doorstep giving anyone who’s keen to have a go at catching one of these great fish.

Looking towards the weekend ahead at the time of writing my report conditions are looking a bit average so far with stronger NE winds tipped to kick in for the weekend. It will pay to do your research and find some areas out of the wind that are protected from the NE winds if you are keen to chase a Flathead.

Flathead Fishing Techniques

A mixture of techniques are worth a go when you are looking for fish, you can try trolling hard body lures, casting surface lures in the shallows, casting soft plastic lures and prawn imitations or working either soft or metal vibes which work well in the deeper water. Flathead have a very ruff mouth and tend to swing their head from side to side when hooked. I always recommend using a fluro carbon leader to reduce the chance of being rubbed off and loosing fish. I normally use 12lb trace but when working bigger lures, I will tend to change up to 20lb leader just in case you encounter a big fish that eats your lure. The water quality has been on the improve since the rain, snot weed has been annoying in some areas it pays to move around to avoid it.

Flathead Feeding GroundsBen White scored a good feed from a recent trip out to the 50 fathom grounds of the Gold Coast

Some good areas to look for a Flathead are the Gold Coast Seaway, Currigee Channel, Wave Break Island, Crab Island, Brown Island, Rat Island, Tipplers Passage, The Never Fails, Jacobs Well, Cabbage Tree Point, Jumpinpin Bar Mouth, Kalinga Bank, Crusoe Island, Pandanus Island, Tiger Mullet Channel, Canaipa Passage and the Logan River Mouth.

Coomera Houseboat Holidays customers have had some great fun during the school holiday break catching some nice Bream and Whiting around Jumpinpin and the Southern Broadwater. Yabbies, worms and prawns have been the best baits producing some quality fish. Some good spots are Canaipa Passage near the mouth of Cobby Passage, Short Island Huts, Slipping Sands, Crusoe Island, Gold Bank, Eden Island, Tiger Mullet Channel, Coomera River, both North and South Arms, Paradise Point, Crab Island and Wave Break Island.

Reports of quality Whiting have been coming in this week with local fishos landing some nice feeds of Whiting in the Nerang River, which is great news as we head into summer. The recent rain will be a good thing for the local rivers and estuary systems giving them a bit of a flush out after such a dry spell. Other spots to try will be Wave Break Island, Crab Island, Coomera River, Pimpama River, Jacobs Well, Cabbage Tree Point, Currumbin Creek, Tallebudgera Creek and the Logan River are all known as good producers of quality Whiting. Live Worms and Yabbies make great bait.

 

QUOTES FROM THE BOATS

Brad from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:Brads nephew Spencer with one of the big Tailor they caught on the Tweed river with Brad Smith Fishing Charters

“I decided to plan my trips around the entrance of the river on the run-in tides to try and gain some salinity and a bit of clarity in the water. It was also important to produce the goods as I have had kids on board due to the school holidays. As it turned out we smashed some great fish with the pontoon 21 crackjacks trolled around the 2-metre mark working well and the good old reliable zx 40s, performing to perfection in the deeper sections.  To mix things up a bit for my clients, I broke out some MMD Splash Prawns and we cast them around the shallows on the top of the tide and caught some Bream on surface. The species we caught this this week were Flatties, Bream, Whiting, School Jew, Whiting, Grunter and a couple of small Giant Trevally.”

 

Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:Brett Doolan caught and released this massive Flathead using a soft plastic lure on the Gold Coast

“The annual Flathead classic was held here last week, with over 7000 Flathead caught and released over the three days! Quite amazing what great stocks of fish we have here. Congrats to all the winners, but it will be nice to see less crowds on the water this week (ha ha). The Flathead will be quiet this coming week, so I will chase some big Whiting in the Southern Broadwater. Hopefully the water warms suddenly now, it did get cool after the rain event. It has been a great Flathead season so far, and we have been catching good ones every day on 6th Sense, Gobblers, and Zman soft plastics, and on Samaki vibes, Ecogear ZX40’s, and yabbies. There has also been some nice Tuskfish, Flounder, Sand Whiting, Winter Whiting and Tarwhine in the deeper channel along South Stradbroke Island. Nerang River is clearing quickly after the rain and is now a good colour although still quite dirty on the last of the run out tides. There has been lots of Mulloway around, we caught eight in the last two days, all little schoolies. Full moon is on 10 October, we will see some great fishing leading up to that.”

 

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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“CLARKIES” GOLD COAST FISHING REPORT – 29 September 2022

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Fishing Report – 29th September 2022    

It was good to see plenty of sunshine and light winds earlier in the week giving everyone some nice conditions to get out and throw a line in. It’s also been good to see plenty kids out making the most of school holidays trying their luck at catching a fish. As we head towards the long weekend, unfortunately it looks like we are in for some strong southerly winds and a big increase in swell offshore. If you were thinking about heading offshore it would be best to wait until next week and keep an eye on the weather to ease. With a large amount of fresh water still moving through the local system after last week’s excessive rainfall, finding some clean water to fish in will improve your chances of scoring a fish. Let’s have a look at how the fishing has been this week.

Offshore Snapper

Ben White landed this quality Snapper fishing the 36 fathom line on the Gold CoastFor those lucky enough to have some time off during the week managed to get a few nice weather windows to head offshore for a fish. Ben White did just that and came up trumps with some top-quality Snapper after a great session on the 36-fathom line. Current dependent, both the 36 and 50 fathom grounds have been fishing well. You will still need to have a good search around to locate a patch worth fishing but if you put in the time and effort there are some great quality fish on offer.

The 36 and 50 fathom reefs have been producing a good mixed bag of Snapper, Pearl Perch, Yellow Tail Kingfish, Amberjack, Samson Fish, Trag Jew, a few Cobia and the odd Dolphin Fish can be found hanging around the fads. In closer the 18 and 24 fathom reefs have seen some pretty good fishing in the past week for those keen to get a early start and have a good look around on the sounder. Fishos have reported some nice Snapper, Tusk Fish, Moses Perch, Trag Jew, Maori Cod, Silver Jew Fish, Cobia and the odd legal Pear Perch. As it can get a bit busy in closer, it pays to spend the time having a good look around on the sounder trying to locate the best shows of either bait or fish to drop on. I will normally try not to sit in amongst too many boats, as the extra fishing pressure and sounder noise can quite often shut the fish down. If you are planning to anchor up getting a good burly tail on the go will again increase your odds and landing the better-quality fish in the area. Just make sure you have the latest weather forecast before planning your next trip offshore.

Quality Fishing in the WaterwaysShaun was on his first ever fishing trip and caught big Flounder with Brad Smith Fishing Charters

The water quality in the Broadwater and Jumpinpin is slowly getting better after the large amount of rain we received towards the end of last week saw a massive amount of run off from the local catchments, seeing the Coomera River and Logan River water levels rise considerably, putting a lot of fresh water into the local area. Finding clean water is often the key to success when conditions are very average. I always try to look for the distinct current lines where you can easily see where the fresh water meets the salt, as this is usually where the predators will be on the hunt. Bait fish that gets washed out of the rivers will tend to school up on the current lines in search of some cleaner water.

The best spots to try your luck are the open ocean entrances of the Jumpinpin Bar and Gold Coast Seaway. Try to plan your trip to fish the last 2 hours of the run-in tide and the first hour of the run-out tide when the water quality will be at its best and you will also get the tide change bite period. Fishos have been landing some great quality Jewfish, Trevally, Tailor and some big Flathead in the deeper water. Either live baits like Pike, Mullet, Herring and Yakkas or soft plastics and soft vibes have been doing the job. Always spend the time to have a good look around on the sounder for signs of bait and predatory fish.

Gold Coast Flathead Classic CompetitionKen landed a great sized Flathead using a soft plastic from a gutter on South Stradbroke Island

The Gold Coast Sportfish Clubs Flathead Classic has been in full swing this week, seeing just over 600 anglers trying their luck and catching and releasing as many Flathead as they can over a 3 day fishing period. There has been plenty of pre fishing going on earlier this week to try to re locate fish, as the rain and freshwater flush would have dispersed a lot of fish that anglers had found before the rain. Most teams spend weeks on the water before the comp trying top work out where the fish are and then follow their movement through the Broadwater and Jumpinpin. A good number of large breeding female fish can be found closer to the ocean entrances in the deeper water lying in wait for an easy feed to swim past. Both the Jumpinpin Bar and Gold Coast Seaway and the adjoining channels will be a great spot to look, especially after the rain, as there should be a good number of bait schools hanging around these areas. The flush has caused a fair bit of snot weed to more around the area. You may have to move around a bit to suit your style of fishing. Try using larger heavier weighted soft plastics and soft vibes to target these areas. Once the water cleans up a bit more the fish will spread out a bit wider again and will be found in the usual areas like Brown Island, Aldershots, Tipplers Passage, Jacobs Well, Cabbage Tree Point, Tiger Mullet Channel, Kalinga Bank, Canaipa Passage and the Logan River to name a few.

 

QUOTES FROM THE BOATS

Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

reg with a nice Giant Trevally he caught on the Tweed River with Brad Smith Fishing Charters

“Well what a change since last week. The water went from being too clear to muddy overnight on Thursday, with a deluge of rain falling over the Nerang and Coomera River catchments. I went for a look yesterday, there was some nice-looking water on the top of the tide, and colour lines which will fish well next week. After flooding I always look for bait fish activity, if they’re there the bigger will be as well. I caught about 30 Whiting yesterday up to 40cm. This changes the game as far as estuary fishing plans go, with the deeper holes and areas near river mouths being the best to target. The Flathead classic is on this week, and anglers can probably expect some dirty water to contend with, especially on run out tides. Stock up on uv and dirty water lure colours like pearl/ white, gold, red, and other dark and flashy shades, and scent will help too. On the high tides the Flathead will get right up on the shallow banks and inside mangrove areas, then on the big run outs they’ll sit in deeper holes and drains out of the main current. We have been catching heaps of fish in the Broadwater on lures and yabbies, with the best areas being along South Stradbroke Island from the Seaway to Browns inlet, and the main channel from the Seaway through to Sovereign island. Flathead, Flounder, Tarwhine, Bream, Winter Whiting, Tuskfish, and Sand Whiting have been widespread from 0.5 metres deep out to 7 metres deep. Best lures have been Samaki vibes in ghost bait and whitebait colours, Ecogear Zx’s in 411 & 440 colours, and soft plastics such as 6th Sense, Gobblers, Ecogear Balt, and Zman. There is plenty of snot weed around now, if it gets too thick to fish just move a few hundred metres and you can find clearer sections. Tricky tides this coming week with bigger run outs, but the rivers will be muddy so find places that don’t run overly hard near the mouths and that have cleaner water, such as on edges of the shallow flats, and along the edges of 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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“CLARKIES” GOLD COAST FISHING REPORT 22 September 2022

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Fishing Report – 22nd September 2022    

It’s been a good start to school holidays on the Gold Coast with some nice weather to get the kids out and about to enjoy the great outdoors and some quality time fishing. At this stage, the weekend is looking pretty good, Saturday being the pick of the days with light South Westerly winds on the way, and Sunday is looking ok but will see an increase in the winds from the South around 15 to 20 knots at times. Let’s see what’s been on the chew this week.

September Holidays

September School Holidays are underway here on the Gold Coast – this a great opportunity to get the kids out of the house and have some fun fishing with family and mates outdoors. Kids of all ages should have a fun time learning the basics of fishing, even if it’s their first time casting the rod and waiting for a bite and the looming possibility of catching their first fish. You can also take the kids and try collecting your own bait like pumping yabbies and catching soldier crabs. This is great fun and something the young ones will enjoy doing. Just remember to keep it simple and as fun as possible while the kids are younger. If they’re having a good time they will be keen for the next trip and once they have landed a few fish you can take them on longer trips knowing they will be happy and will enjoy the day.

When it comes to tackle just keep it simple is the key, a basic light estuary outfit will do the job for most of the fish species you will expect to find whilst fishing on the Gold Coast. Try rigging with 9lb main line, 8 to 10lb trace, 3 to 4 ball sinker and a hook size between size 6 to 2 to suit your bait of choice. There are plenty of land-based spots to take the kids with toilet facilities and even playgrounds nearby if the fishing is slow. A few areas to look at are Paradise Point, Runaway Bay, Labrador, Hope Island, Currumbin Creek, Tallebudgera Creek, Nerang River and Jacobs Well and the Tweed River which all offer public jetties, parks or sandy beaches which make good fishing spots. Some of the fish species you may catch are Bream, Tarwhine, Whiting, Flathead, Moses Perch, Tailor, Flounder and Trevally just to name a few. When it comes to bait try Prawns, Squid, While Pilchards, Worms and Yabbies for the above species. Another option is to put on a soft plastic lure on for the kids then wind their rod back in as soon as you cast it out, they will have a good chance at a quality Flathead or Trevally jumping on. If you get any nice catches make sure to email in your photos for me to put in the paper.

Offshore Fishing on the Gold Coast

Ben White had his arms stretched by this solid Samson Fish caught on the 36 fathom line

The fishing offshore has been good for fishos keen to put in the time and effort traveling in search of a feed, both Paul Wilshire and Ben White have done just that scoring some quality Snapper and Samson fish (see photos in report) when sounding around the 36 fathom grounds. The close reefs have been fishing ok, but the fish seem a bit further spread apart than normal meaning you will have to have a good look around on the sounder before finding a spot worth a look on the 18 and 24 fathom reefs. The water temp will be slowly on the increase and the current will also be picking up as we come into Springtime weather pattern so putting in the mile to get the smiles will be the effort for those keen to do so. The 18 to 24 fathoms reefs do see a lot of fishing pressure when the weather is good so I always recommend to fish smarter in the higher traffic areas, basically this means to use lighter gear, lighter and longer traces, good bait presentation and to spend a bit of extra time sounding around to locate the best spots to try your luck. You should find a feed of Snapper, the odd Pearl Perch, Moses Perch, Trag Jew, Silver Jew, Maori Cod and Cobia still hanging around. Out on the winder reefs the current has started to pick up a bit on the 50’s this week, but it is a bit slower on the 36 fathom line. The current speed cab change at any given time in either depths, but when its running too hard fishing can be very painful making it difficult to land your bait onto the fish you can see on the sounder. The wider reefs have produced feeds of quality Snapper, Pearl Perch, Yellow Tail Kingfish, Amber Jack, Samson Fish, Tusk Fish and a few Trag Jew. Best baits are WA Pilchards, Squid, Mullet Fillet, Bonito Fillet and live Yakkas.

Flathead Fishing Around the Gold Coast

The Flathead fishing has once been great once again this week with plenty of lucky fishos landing good sized in the 70 to 80cm range, which are a fantastic fish to hook and land, making for an exciting day on the water. The Gold Coast Sports Fish Clubs Flathead classics gets underway on the 27th of September, and everyone seem to be out on the water getting in as much fishing time as possible before the comp starts. At the moment the fish are still pretty well spread out throughout the Broadwater and Jumpinpin area, some good fish have been caught and released around the Gold Coast Seaway entrance, north towards Currigee and the Jumpinpin Bar and Kalinga bank have also seen plenty of big breeders lying in wait for a bait fish to swim past. There has been a bit of snot weed around at times which can be annoying, but you just need to move around a bit to avoid the worst of it. A few more spots to look are Wavebreak Island, Brown Island, Aldershots, The Never Fails, Tiger Mullet Channel, Crusoe Island, Jacobs Well, Canaipa Passage and the Logan River and mouth.

 

Gold Coast Offshore FishingPaul Wilshire with an awesome Snapper he landed offshore on the Gold Coast

 

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. 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.

 

QUOTES FROM THE BOATS

Brad from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports :

Ricky with a nice Shovel Nosed Ray from his recent holiday with Coomera Houseboat Holidays

“I decided to move well up the river this week and check out some of my old haunts that I haven’t fished for quite a long time. This worked out very well for me and my lucky clients, who were amazed by the surroundings and, of course, the great fishing. Following the deep channels that lead into the deep holes in the upper catchment of the Tweed River produced some wonderful fishing. The species we caught were Flatties, Bream, Whiting, Giant Trevally, Grunter and once again some fantastic juvenile School Jew.”

 

Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“I have never seen more clear and blue oceanic water inside the Broadwater. Yesterday we could clearly see the bottom all around the seaway area. This makes it hard for baitfish to hide and they move deeper and out into the ocean, and it seems the fish follow them. Until we get more rain, strong wind, and snot weed arriving, the best time to fish is during the run-out tides or at night. I have been finding Flathead, Squid, Tuskfish, and Winter Whiting, but it does take a lot of moving and covering ground to find them. The day tides this week perfectly suit fishing the shallow banks for Whiting, Flathead, and Bream. Just a couple of weeks until the Flathead classic now, and it is definitely looking like the Jumpinpin area will clearly be the place to find the most and biggest Flatties. The snot weed hasn’t spread yet, but it will come. ”

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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“CLARKIES” GOLD COAST FISHING REPORT 15 September 2022

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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.Jackson Ford has been finding plenty of nice Flathead around Jumpinpin

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.

A great mixed bag for Sea Probe Fishing Charters and their customers taken off the Gold Coast

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.”Wayne Young scored a nice sized Pearl Perch on the 24 fathom reef off the Gold Coast

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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“CLARKIES” GOLD COAST FISHING REPORT 8 September 2022

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Fishing Report – 9th September 2022    

Ben White had a great trip offshore on the Gold Coast nailing a couple of quality SnapperIt 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.

Callum with a quality 40cm whiting caught on the shallow flats with Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters

QUOTES FROM THE BOATS

Brad from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports :Sea Probe Fishing Charters scored a great feed of Snapper from the 50 fathom line off the Gold Coast

“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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“CLARKIES” GOLD COAST FISHING REPORT 1 September 2022

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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

Nathan caught this nice Flathead with Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters on the Broadwater webFishos 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. 

Wayne Young has a great trip offshore landing some quality Snapper and a good sized Jewfish webRIGGING

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,

Dan caught and released this lovely Jewfish on a charter with Brad Smith Fishing Charters on the Tweed River web“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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