Northern Bay

NORTHERN BAY

Tackle World

Lawnton Haven’t we had some great fishing this past month! With snapper season back on the cards there have been some great catches reported; it’s probably one of the better years we have seen for snapper in a while.

In the estuaries, flathead have also been on the chew, with excellent numbers and some good average sizes hitting the decks as well. Trevally have also been a common catch among the normal bread-and-butter species with juvenile GT’s regularly caught in the creeks and rivers.

For those fishing the beaches, tailor have been around good numbers, with the better-sized fish being caught further north.

On the freshwater front it’s been pretty slow over the last few months. However, recent reports indicate that the fish are starting to bite again, so let’s hope not too many bass went over the dam walls during the flood earlier in the year, and we can start seeing some good fish caught. ESTUARIES

As we enter the mid-spring period and the water warms up, we should see a few changes in the estuaries and it’s going to be interesting to see how the floods earlier in the year have had an effect on the normal cycles the estuaries have.

We should continue to see excellent catches of flathead in the in the rivers and creeks. The larger females we start to become more active as well. Its always fun trying to catch a good-size flatty and this time of the year is the best time to give it a crack! Flathead readily take lures of all shapes and sizes as well, so if you’re keen to give lures a go, then they are a great species to target. You can’t really go wrong with soft plastics – just make sure your jighead is weighted correctly so the plastic gets to the bottom!

Warmer weather means mangrove jacks will become more active. They love the warmer weather and take most baits. For best results, a livebait in distress (like a poddy mullet) works

Adam Latham with a nice diamond trevally. Bikrant was straight back into some quality snapper when the season opened.

exceptionally well. Get ready and be prepared, because when a jack hits that bait, they hit hard and fast.

We should also see summer whiting numbers increase in the shallows. They are great fun to catch and are excellent eating. The most popular rig for summer whiting is a running ball sinker to a swivel, then a leader running to a long shank hook. Beachworms and bloodworms great baits to use, and whiting also love a live yabby. If you want to mix it up a bit, try catching a whiting in the shallows on a surface lure. Talk to your local tackle store and see which lures are working best at the time, but a good starting point is the Bassday Sugapen or MMD Splash Prawn. OFFSHORE

Snapper continue to be in good numbers for those fishing offshore, and this should continue into October, all being well. Grassy sweetlip and grunter will also be around those same inshore rubble grounds and wrecks where you would target snapper.

In the coming weeks we should also start to see the pelagic numbers start to increase as the water temperature drops. Zane Austin with a bream caught on an Atomic 38 Crank.

There have been some XL Spanish mackerel being caught for those putting in the hard work off the tip of Moreton, and hopefully these fish should become more regular as we head into the summer months. DAMS

As mentioned before, the dams have finally started to produce some more regular catches of bass. Normally we would have an excellent winter school bite, but the floods earlier in the year have made it hard. As the weather warms up we should see numbers of fish move towards the edges. Chasing them on spinnerbaits and chatterbaits will be a great way to target them. Also suspending hardbody lures with big pauses between jerks, to bring those inquisitive bass out to play. Hopefully we will see some saratoga being caught with the warmer weather as well. Time will tell, but the best way to find out is to get out there and have a go! • For more up to date information on fishing in and around Brisbane call into the guys at Tackle World Lawnton and they can point you in the right direction. The friendly staff at Tackle World Lawnton cater to all levels of experience and offer the widest range of brands at the best prices. They are located at 640 Gympie Road Lawnton (07) 3205 7475 or find us on Facebook and Instagram.