Southern
OLD
Pearls and reds are off the table GOLD COAST
David Green
With the upcoming one-month closed season for snapper and pearl perch beginning this
month, anglers will have to change their tactics as two of the most popular species will be off the menu from the 15 July until the 15 August. So far this season the offshore fishing has been
excellent, with a lot of big pearl perch turning up on the wider grounds. The closed season will be a good time to explore other options, such as deep dropping out beyond the 200m line and chasing
Big mulloway have been caught at night using live mullet around the eddies in the Seaway.
kingfish, amberjack and samsonfish. It is also a good time to target striped and blue marlin with the chance of catching good yellowfin on the wider grounds. Cobia are another good target this month and recently a 44kg fish was caught on the close reefs off Southport. Cobia always turn up at the same time the hump back whales arrive off the Gold Coast. To catch cobia on a reliable basis, nothing beats a good berley trail and a large live bait. They aren’t overly fussy when it comes to what type of live bait you use. I’ve caught them on tailor, slimy mackerel, tarwhine, goat fish, snapper and teraglin. The key is to have a sizeable offering that is quite active, and to berley using pilchards or chopped tuna. Cobia are a great fighting fish on light tackle, as they are extremely strong. They also respond to soft plastics and drifted strip baits. Good areas to try this month are the 18 fathom reef off Surfers, the Blocks (artificial reefs in 23m of water just north of the Seaway), 27 fathoms north-east, and
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Ross McCubbin with a tasty flathead.
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JULY 2021
