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

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.

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:

“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