Last chance to catch warm weather species

TOOWOOMBA

Jason Ehrlich

fishability1@bigpond.com

For some fishers it will be the last month to target our warm water loving species. Golden perch and barra will slow down due to the colder water temperatures. Switched on anglers will be able to work them out and continue catching, but even they will need to plan trips around the warmer, more stable weather periods.

South East Queensland

CRESSBROOK CLOSEST TOWN: CROWS NEST

Bass numbers are still very hard to find in Cressbrook. A few anglers have managed to find fish within sight of the boat ramp and are catching them on G2 Spoons. I spent a whole morning sounding the dam a while ago and failed to find anything of significance even when running live sonar over any potential areas. What was great to see was the number of golden perch.

Goldens can be found all over the dam. The points out from the campground and all the way down the southern side to the toilet point opposite the Eagles Nest rock wall up Cressbrook Creek held some fish.

The cooler weather will see these golden perch slow down a bit but you can still expect to catch a few on frozen saltwater yabbies, live shrimp or small blades. I’m a big fan of using blades on them. Slowly sound an area on your electric motor and as soon as you spot fish, hit spot lock and park the boat on top or right next to them. Short casts and vertical presentations can then be used to get the bites. Small hops with blades like the ZX40 are ideal. Most of the time, I let my lure fall all the way to the bottom between hops but it does pay to do a few hops keeping the lure off the bottom as well. The golden perch have ranged in size from tiny to well over 40cm.

Redclaw crayfish have been prolific all over the lake. These critters will get a bit harder to find once it gets really cold. If you are after a feed, now would be the time to head out to the lake and try your luck. Baited opera house pots set in 4-6m of water should produce a feed. Since the water temperature is getting colder you may have to work a little harder and move pots around to find the best depth.

• Fish’n’Bits in Toowoomba has all the gear and tips on how to chase the Cressy fish. They are an excellent store specialising in all freshwater lures and tackle. The access gates to the ramp and day use area will be open from 7am to 6pm.

SOMERSET CLOSEST TOWNS: ESK, KILCOY It’s going to be an interesting lead up to winter this year. It is usually a tough time to get the bass to bite at Somerset and it isn’t until the end of winter that we see dramatic change and the bass start to feed up hard on small bony bream. The water is now very clear and this will see the fish spread out through the water column and go deep over the winter months. They will be harder to catch then, so if Somerset is on your radar, you should hit it this month.

I hope I’m wrong but I think July and early August will be very tough before we see the sudden change late August.

The reason I say it will be an interesting lead up is the fish were still chewing a range of lures last month. This transition period can see them change their minds as to what lure presentations they prefer and for the remainder of this month, I think a little bit of everything will work. There will still be standout lures but I think catching numbers is more about the approach

The rest of our freshwater species mix will be more than willing to crunch a lure. Bass change habits, going shallow in some lakes and deeper in others. As the core water temperature equalises, it gives fish the ability to comfortably spend time at a huge range of depths.

Murray cod will be the one to watch over the coming months.

The Queensland lakes are set for a great winter season of cod fishing. Coolmunda and Leslie Dam are prime for cod fishing and, if rain stays away, Glenlyon will also be a great option. The cod will soon start thinking about mating, finding nesting sites and feeding more often prior to their breeding season. These fish venture into shallower water where they can be targeted with big swimbaits and topwater offerings. If water is dirty, try using a big chatterbait or spinnerbait. Until next month, buckled rods from the Colonel. pretty good option. A tiny blade on a beetle spin rigged plastic would also be one of my go to offerings up in the shallows.

MOOGERAH CLOSEST TOWNS: BOONAH, ARATULA

Moogerah fish can be tricky to find but once located, they provide great entertainment. The schooling bass are still roaming the lake. They tend to frequent the same areas but it’s hard to rely on set spots as they move from day to day so you’ll need to spend a bit of time on the sounder.

Moogerah Dam has been fishing well for bass and will be a good option this month. Some of the fish are fat and chunky models.

and how you handle your spots than lure choice. The fish are very quick to shut down when boats arrive on spots. Fish on the first casts aren’t uncommon and then things just go dead. Moving frequently, boat positioning and long casts can all help. If you don’t mind how you catch them, trolling at 1.5km/h or more while working your lure behind the boat is deadly.

Best lures for this are 5/8oz chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, soft plastics, 18g tail spinners and 1/2 and 3/8oz blades. If it sinks fast enough it can be used so you can even do this with spoons but it is a little bit harder to manage the depth of your presentation. When the wind blows hard, you can forget trolling and just rely on wind drifting to achieve the same result.

is another option. While lure trolling can be slow, cranking hard bodies down gives more ability to change their speed and get a reaction. Drawing lures along so the dig into the bottom gains the attention of fish and then during the pause they float up to be belted while paused or as soon as they move again. Wind drifting and longlining with heaps of line out are the best way to get hard bodies down deep enough when relying on the cast and retrieve approach.

MAROON

CLOSEST TOWNS: BOONAH, RATHDOWNEY

Plenty of bass will be on offer this month but you will need to change your approach. Chatterbaits and reaction style lures will start to slow down. Soft plastics, blade baits and spoons will be more likely to produce numbers of fish. I am also a big fan of a soft plastic rigged on a beetle spin frame. The bulk of fish will remain in schools but a few of the better quality ones are likely to start making their way into shallow water nearby. Early and late in the day, crankbaits and suspending jerkbaits can be fished around the weedy margins of the lake to get these fish to bite.

Topwater presentations will still get a bit of interest too. Soft plastics rigged on 1/8 to 1/4oz jigheads are also a

Good starting spots are in front of the houses opposite the day ramp, the points in the timber on the north western side and the flats either side of The Palms. Bigger fish are likely to be up in shallower water and your run of the mill 30-40cm bass will be out a little deeper and more likely to suspend.

Cranks and chatterbaits were great choices last month but the cooler weather might see them respond best to lipless cranks, blades, spoons and soft plastics.

• The lads at Charltons Fishing at Redbank are all over the fish activity at Maroon and Moogerah. Call in and grab your supplies and hit them up for tips on where the fish are biting. It is recommended camping be booked at least a couple of weeks in advance and you can also organise your day use barcode for the gate with Lake Moogerah Caravan Park (07) 5540 5600.

Crankbaiting