Fishing Report

Hi Everyone, hope you are all having a nice week, the year seems to be flying by fast with school holidays in full swing and Easter upon us. The weather has been pretty average to start school holidays with strong winds from both the south and north, making conditions hard for fishing on the Gold and Tweed Coasts. At the time of writing my report Good Friday was looking like the pick of the days for getting out and catching some fresh seafood. Easter Sunday is not looking too bad when it comes to wind, with some light to moderate unseasonal westerly winds on the forecast. No rain around at this stage, it is looking pretty dry if you are planning to spend Easter outdoors fishing, camping or boating.

I hope everyone has a great and safe Easter break. Let’s check out what’s been on the bite this week.

Easter School Holidays

This year seems to be flying by fast with Easter School Holidays in full swing this week. Holidays are always a good time to get the kids motivated and out of the house and have a crack at catching a fish. It’s great to see kids out having a go off the local jetties and beaches. If you are new to fishing and keen to get the kids involved, I recommend dropping past and see your local tackle store as they will be more than happy to help you get started from the right gear, bait selection and even a few spots to try your luck with the kids.

Keep it Simple

All you need is a basic light estuary combo with 6 -9lb line, a running sinker rig with a size 3 to 4 sinker, and a size 2 to 4 bait holder hook should do the trick on most species you may find of a local jetty or beach like; Bream, Flathead and Whiting. A few spots to try your luck land based are Tweed River, Currumbin Creek, Tallebudgera Creek, Nerang River, Marine Stadium, Broadwater Parklands, Main Channel near Seaworld, Grand Hotel Jetty, Lands End, Runaway Bay Canal Entrances, Paradise Point Jetty, Coomera River and Jacobs Well. Bream should be around in good numbers, just use a bit of burly if you are fishing off a jetty and drop the line over the side. The fish will be sitting under the jetty using it for shelter. If you cast out a mile you may not do as well. If you have a boat, try having a look around Wavebreak Island, Sovereign Island, Coomera River, Pimpama River, The Never Fails, Jacobs Well, Bedrooms, Tiger Mullet Channel, Crusoe Island, Cabbage Tree Point, Canapia Passage and the Logan river for a feed of Bream, Whiting and Flathead. Kids will have fun pumping yabbies and they make great bait, also try using Prawns, Worms, White Pilchards, Squid or Mullet Fillet.

Muddies

Mud Crabs have been pretty active the past few weeks with some nice feeds being caught. We haven’t had much rain so far this year to flush them out – the big tides seem to have done the trick. Trying further upriver will be worth a look, the Tweed River, Coomera River, Paradise Point, Aldrshots, Pipmpama River, Jacobs Well, Cabbage Tree Point, Logan River and Russell Island will be worth a try. Fresh Mullet, Fish Frames and Raw Chicken make the best baits.

There were plenty of boats out chasing Banana Prawns last weekend with mixed success. If we get a bit more rain (but not too much), it should help to flush them out in better numbers. Some of the Prawns were a pretty decent size (which is a good sign) – being in the right spot at the right time is the key to success. Most of the usual spots are producing Prawns such as Jacobs Well, Cabbage Tree Point, Little Rocky Point, Powerlines, Logan River, Karragarra Island and the Salt Works at Mac Leahy Island. Fingers crossed you can locate the Prawns and get a few good casts in before the crowds arrive. Best to look around a tide change and use the biggest legal sized top pocket net you can successfully cast.

At Sea

Spotted Mackerel were around in big numbers again last weekend with boats having success fishing from Mermaid Reef north to Jumpinpin again finding multiple schools of fish to cast on. They have started to quieten off this week by the sounds of the reports coming in. With the weather not looking too bad over Easter, it may be worth heading out to try your luck. Always make sure you have the most up to date forecast before hitting the water. Most fish were located by keeping a keen eye out for surface action like water splashing and birds diving into the bait schools. There has also been a plenty of Tuna swimming with the Mackerel. Casting metal slugs from 25 to 40 grams has worked well. You can try using a bit of wire when the fish are thick, if a strike is hard to come by just use a plain mono leader for better lure presentation. Fishos also scored a few nice Snapper, Tuskfish, Trag Jew, Moses Perch, Maori Cod and Jewfish on the 18 and 24 fathoms reefs the past week.

The local waterways and boat ramps are always a busy place during peak holiday times, just remember everyone is out to have a good time. Be patient, have fun and be safe during Easter.

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