Fishing Report 

For all you fishing enthusiasts out there, listen up! Last weekend’s weather on the Gold and Tweed Coasts provided some of the best conditions for fishing in a long time. It was a joy to see so many boats out on the water trying their luck. However, it looks like the good run of weather has come to an end with the S/SE winds expected to pick up and rain on the forecast. So, make sure to check the latest weather forecast before heading out on your next fishing trip.

Now, let’s talk about what’s been biting this week.

Tailor

If you’re a fan of Tailor fishing, then you’re in luck. The cold start to the week did wonders for the Tailor fishing on the Gold Coast with some nice fish showing up along the surf beaches while the westerly winds were blowing. The rising tide during early mornings or late evenings is the prime time to fish the local gutters. Throwing metal slugs and surface lures during daylight hours is a great option, as it allows you to cover much more ground than fishing with baits. However, if you’re fishing in the evening or at night, using bait is the way to go. My go-to choices are WA Pilchards, Bonito Fillet, and Mullet filet. You can expect to catch a variety of fish like Jewfish, Bream, Tarwhine or Flathead, which are commonly caught as bycatch when targeting Tailor on bait.

Once the S/SE winds ease and the Westerly winds kick in, it’s time to hit the beaches. You can catch fish anywhere from Tweed Heads in the south to Stradbroke Island in the north, depending on your location. To find the best gutters to fish, take a walk along the area you’re targeting at low tide. Look for an area where the water pools up at low tide and has a sandbank behind it and an entrance for the water at either end of the pool of water.

Flathead

As the weather cools down, the Flathead catches are starting to increase. The Broadwater and Jumpinpin have been holding good schools of baitfish, mostly whitebait, for the past couple of months. Keeping an eye on the sounder by locating the bait will increase your chances of finding fish. Flathead have been widely spread out at the moment and are being caught in both shallow water and deeper channels throughout the Gold and Tweed coasts. In deeper water, using heavier jig heads and soft vibes are the way to go. When trolling or casting lures, make sure to cast with the current flow for better success.

Jewfish & Snapper

If you’re up for a challenge, it’s worth targeting Jewfish offshore. Some quality fish have been caught lately from the 18 and 24 fathoms reefs and also the blocks off Stradbroke Island. As the weather starts to cool off, the quality and number of Snapper will get better during winter.

So, there you have it folks, some fantastic fishing opportunities await you on the Gold and Tweed Coasts. Just remember to check the weather forecast before heading out and to always have a great time!

Quotes from the Boats

Brad from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“My clients caught an unbelievable number of quality Flathead matched with some small School Jew and Bream. The water temperature has now dropped with the oncoming winter months and unlike through our summer when most of the Flatties were in the cooler water on the bottom of the deep holes they are now moving up onto the shallow flats. The shallow water warms up with the sun and the Flatties were up there basking and feeding on the shallows. Casting samaki vibes and zx 40s up onto the shallows and hopping them back into the channel worked a treaty. Trolling pontoon 21 crackjacks and slam lures on the run-out tides along the edges of the channels where the warm water was draining of the flats also worked well for the flatties. Don’t be scared to fish super shallow as well as some of fish we caught came from fishing water that was only 1 to 2 feet in depth.”

Clint from Brad Smith Fishing Charters reports:

“The fishing improved close to the full moon, it was good to see more Flathead on the chew and the average size increasing. The best bite period was the last two hours of the run-out tides in the smaller channels and drains. Best lures were definitely vibes with the MMD prawn vibes and Ecogear ZX40’s catching lots of fish. When they went off one colour we kept changing until they fell for that tactic. We got reasonable numbers of Arrow Squid and some good size, and some good Flounder, and a few Tailor on the flats on Zman 3 inch minnowz. ”

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