Warm water options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Sean Thompson

Light breeze and surf are ideal to chase whiting in low tide beach gutters.

Sand crab pots set in a line along a drop into deeper water.

A nice feed of tiger prawns from the shores of Moreton Bay after a hot day and calm night.

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Bass are a warm water option on live bait in the big dams and lakes in southeast Queensland.

Warm water options

SADLY, for we keen beach fishos, the winter and early spring season is finishing up.

However, at the time of writing – nearly the middle of October – there are encouraging signs that tailor are continuing on, with great catches at Fraser Island and by Brad Smith’s Fishing Charters in the Broadwater estuary.

Flathead are another fish that will slow down as the water temperature rises, but November should still see a few good catches.

Keep an eye on the water temperature and as it heads into the mid 20C and beyond, consider an early morning fish for these species or deeper water during the day.

The good news for a range of species and seafood delights is that things are only just starting to heat up!

Crabs and prawns

As the late afternoon storms pick up, along with the water temperature, mud crabs will be on the move.

In late spring, I prefer to set my pots in the warmer shallows and at the entrances to drains, alongside deeper muddy banks, among fallen trees and on the deeper bends of creeks and rivers.

Be aware, if we don’t get much rain crabs may head further upstream, so take account of that when setting your pots.

If you’re unsure where crabs might be in your local estuary, spread the pots out to try to cover your bases on where they might be concentrated.

Sand crabs have also made an encouraging start in north and south Moreton Bay.

Try and line your pots up along a contour line on your GPS maps – sign of a drop-off – and so that the scent of your bait will be carried to other pots.

If you have a couple of people on your boat, you could start with four pots in shallower water at 4-5m and four deeper at 6-8m and move them according to the crab catch rates.

My old favourite of tiger prawns from the shore will also be firing up towards the end of November if conditions suit.

Sadly though, the past couple of years have seen either strong wind around the best times or huge patches of blue green algae, which I didn’t want to wade in close to shore.

But if we get a few very warm days and light wind around when low tide is a couple of hours after dusk, it will be a good time to be out wading with prawning nets and a powerful headlamp to spot their red beady eyes in the shallows of less than 1m deep.

Interestingly, catches of banana prawns have also started to make an appearance, though the ones I’ve seen are * continued P38

Fishing Tips by SEAN THOMPSON

The author’s son Josh with an awesome barramundi caught in October from the Bli Bli Barra Park.

A bright headlight and prawn dip net will catch tiger prawns from the shallows.

A decent haul of sand crabs caught on mullet bait.

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* from P36 still small to medium, which means hard work when peeling them.

Let’s hope it’s a bumper season – so check your nets now for any repair needs or, if you haven’t tried before, pick yourself up a net and start practicing using many of the techniques on YouTube so you’re ready to go when the season is in full swing.

Summer fish targets

Of course, one species that will fire through summer on beaches and estuaries are summer whiting.

These great little fighters are best targeted using live beachworms from the beach or live bloodworms or yabbies in the estuaries.

Keep your line and leader light – around 4-6lb – and you will definitely catch more fish.

When it comes to beaches, better catches of summer whiting will come in spring tide periods, in the four days leading up to and a couple of days after both a full and a new moon period.

Wind and swell are other critical factors.

Ideally, look for light southeasterly breezes in light and light to moderate swell so fish come in close to shore to feed.

Look too for shallower gutters close to shore rather than deeper gutters that tend to hold more dart.

In the estuaries, late afternoon to night and very early morning will deliver best results, again around a full and a new moon.

Mangrove jack are another well-known warmer water fish.

These fish are tough angry fighters so strong leaders of 30-40lb are recommended around their very snaggy homes of fallen trees and bridge pylons.

Live bait of mullet and winter whiting are a great option at anchor around these spots.

During the middle stages of a tide, consider trolling diving lures under bridges and along rock walls with tight drags too.

Barramundi are also another well-known late spring and early summer option in southeast Queensland.

While numbers of wild fish increase the further north you go, these are a great local option for those who want to catch one close to home, or just work on your lure or live baiting techniques for barra for a trip north later in the season.

Bli Bli Barra Fishing Park is a great option from the newbie angler to the experienced.

These are strictly catch and release fish, so they can be pretty cunning which makes the challenge all the more exciting.

This is a great place for a bit of a fun and fishing variety.

When you visit, speak to the staff about what’s working, but live bait of prawns or baitfish were firing at the time of writing, as well as a few slim minnow soft plastics.

Pilchard and pellets are other standard fare.

Finally, for the freshwater enthusiast, bass are another great summer option, and southeast Queensland is blessed with great stocked dams for this species.

Hinze, North Pine, Somerset and Wivenhoe dams are only a few of the many stocked impoundments to target bass and other native species over summer.

Live bait of freshwater yabbies, shrimps and big earthworms are great options among drowned timber or old riverbeds.

Check out the video on my YouTube channel Ontour Fishing Australia for a nice session on bass at Somerset using live shrimp under a float.

So, there you go – a few late spring early summer options to try as the water warms… and I didn’t even touch on reef species!

So, good luck and as always, please follow along and feel free to reach out to me with any questions or your own reports via my social media platforms of Facebook, Instagram and YouTube at Ontour Fishing Australia.