Freshwater

TOOWOOMBA Jason Ehrlich

fishability1@bigpond.com

Where do I start after what we received at the end of February? The relentless rain in Queensland’s South East had to be seen to be believed. Even up on the hill near Toowoomba it didn’t let up for days. As I write, dams are overflowing and rivers are still in flood.

It’s almost a month on but this report will be a little different this month as we discuss what’s going on, what to expect and look at some of the best options for April and in the future.

With hundreds of millimetres of rain widespread between the coast to the range from the Burnett through to Northern NSW, big changes have taken place in the lakes and rivers. The major flooding has dirtied up our waterways to the point it will be some time before they become productive again. Often a rise in level in the lakes is a good thing and can fire fish up, or at least give them new feeding areas over freshly flooded ground. This time round, it has just been too much water.

The dirty water will have stained all our lakes to the point they will be tough to fish with lures. If you are into bait fishing or just want to get out for a day fishing off the bank, you are in luck. The fish will need to adapt to their new environment and flooded banks provide a lot of new food for them and the smaller fish they feed on. This will see good numbers of fish move up closer to the edges where they can be caught on baits fished from the shoreline. Usually I would say live shrimp are the best bait but under these circumstances, even worms are effective. Think what they would be feeding on as they explore this flooded country. The edges do get quieter as the flooded grasses and vegetation die off, the water is less attractive. There is only a brief window left to get into this action. Look for the areas with less dying vegetation.

With such intense flooding causing dams to spill or be released, fish can escape or at least try. Some will be lucky enough to have a safe ride to the water below the dam wall but others will not make it alive. It’s sad to see these fish get out after all the work done by stocking groups but try to take a positive look at this and consider all the new great fisheries it will create. Fishing the creeks and rivers below the dams will be red hot. Be sure to stay safe and follow the rules. Stay out of restricted zones and don’t go where you are not allowed. Making the effort to gain access to private property can give you some of the best access points. The dirty water will slow down lure fishing for a while but we are likely to see some of the systems below the dam clear up enough this month; more on that later.

If you don’t want to worry about heavily affected waters this month, there are still spots around the edges of the flooded areas and beyond that are fishable. Warwick was on the edge of the rain band and initial reports right after the rain were very positive. Good numbers of fish were caught last month. Glenlyon missed the bulk of the rain so is worth considering if you want to head away for a golden perch or cod fish. To the north, Monduran had a slight rise. Boondooma only had a small inflow and Waruma and Cania missed out. If you’re spot is inside that big semicircle there’s a pretty good chance it was smashed with water. I’ll cover some good options towards the end of this report.

So how long will it take for the fishing to come good? This will change for each spot based on the amount of suspended sediment in the water brought down from the catchments. The sandier or heavier soils will settle faster. As soon as visibility reaches 30cm the fish will be catchable on lures and will only improve as it gets better. While the waters are stained, flashy and vibrating lures are a good option. Hopping blade baits close to the bottom and in front of fish is a good way to get a response. Lighter blades around 1/4 or 3/8oz are perfect for this as they are easier for the fish to find as they pulsate through the water and fall a bit slower than heavier blades. Another good lure option is a spinnerbait. These lures are great for peppering the edges of the dams around flooded grasses, trees and bushes. Usually smaller spinnerbaits work well but I don’t mind something with more size when the water is dirty. The extra flash and vibration will make the fish aware of its presence and they are quite willing to feed on bigger foraging bait fish for the same reason. Spinnerbaits in the 1/2 and 5/8oz weights are well suited to the job when fished on 10-20lb braided line.

I won’t cover the South East Queensland lakes in this month’s report but some of the first to be ready to fish will be Maroon, Somerset, Cressbrook, Leslie, Borumba and Gregory. Keep an eye on these lakes as they should be producing fish as you read this. If lures aren’t pulling them, bait will be. As much as the floods damage what is in their path, they bring life back to these systems. The flush of nutrients will kick off the food chain including algae and planktons for smaller fishes and crustaceans to feed on. This smorgasbord kick starts their breeding and soon there will be ridiculous amounts of new food for the bigger fish. We are now set for many years of great fishing to come.

Until next month, buckled rods from the Colonel.

Gary’s Marine Centre

3201 6232

217 Pine Mountain Road, BRASSALL

Syd Collins landed this 51cm golden perch at Boondooma Dam while trolling a golden Smak lure at around 3m.

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• Minimum 3 night stay • BBQ areas • Saltwater pool

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From page 50

REDCLAW HEAVEN

One of the first critters to make their presence felt after a dam rise is redclaw crayfish. These tasty crustaceans love a good inflow and they will be up in the shallower areas over newly flooded ground. Redclaw are introduced to SE Qld waterways so there are no bag limits but there are strict rules about catching them so make sure you are up to date on this.

The correct style of traps baited with rockmelon, parboiled potatoes, cat food and all manner of smelly vegetable and meaty offering will lure them in. Some people like to boil their crays in salty water but I am a fan of butterflying the tail and cooking the beautiful white meat on the barbecue in a marinade of honey, soy and garlic. Yum!

GRANITE BELT REGION

LESLIE CLOSEST

TOWN: WARWICK

Leslie Dam was on the edge of the big rain. The area copped a good drenching but it did little to change the fishing on the dam, which was already full. The golden perch fishing has been next level

BURNETT REGION

this year. The majority of fish are on the smaller side but there are some big ones mixed in. Jigging dark coloured blades like the ZX40 or ZX43 is producing good numbers of fish. The smaller fish won’t hold back on these little offerings. If you want to upsize your lure and reduce the number of smaller fish caught, try jigging or hopping a soft vibe. Lures like the Jackall Mask Vibe or Zerek Fish Trap are ideal for this.

If you are chasing a cod, try trolling a spinnerbait or chatterbait in 4-6m of water around structure and drop offs. Electric motors are the go for this style of trolling to control boat speed and present lures at the correct depth. GLENLYON

CLOSEST TOWNS: STANTHORPE, TEXAS

The golden perch have fired up. Glenlyon missed the bulk of the last lot of rain so the water is great for luring. Murray cod have been a bit quiet but there are heaps of small goldens on the move. A lot

BOONDOOMA CLOSEST TOWNS: PROSTON, KINGAROY

Boondooma had a small run last month but the dam was already full so the new water did little to change

CAPRICORN REGION

CALLIDE CLOSEST

TOWN: BILOELA

Giant barramundi just keep popping up. If you take a look at Lake Callide Retreat’s social media you will soon see what I am talking about. Every now and then anglers have a the fishing. Casting spinnerbaits has been a great way to get into some fish with action coming from the basin and up both rivers. The flooded banks have plenty of features to target with fish coming from smaller schooling bunches. A lot of the fish are smaller but there is the occasional good one mixed in. When the schools are found, smaller blade baits hopped through them have brought hem undone. Some of the best lures last month were the 5/8 Midget Spinnerbait in white and ZX40 in black.

good run on the fish. The big barramundi are quite mobile in Callide and this makes them not only difficult to find but even harder to catch. When you have them dialled in and expect to catch more, they can just move on and take up residence somewhere else and the search starts again.

Trollers using the 3m Classic Barra have been successful. The most active fish seem to like this depth and you can also troll soft plastic swimbaits like the Molix shad 140 or 5.5” Zerek Live Mullet. If trolling these sinking plastic lures, alter the amount of line out and the boat speed to get them tracking at the right depth. I like to base my troll at around 2.5 to 3km/h with a full cast out.

Quite a few barra will be hugging the tree line about half way up the lake in the Pelican Point area. These fish sometimes take soft plastics when they are out

ISIS BALANCING STORAGE

CLOSEST TOWNS: CHILDERS, BUNDABERG

The Isis Balancing Storage (Lake Gregory) gets topped up from the Burnett River. The Burnett has been dirty for ages so waters pumped in are also dirty. The colour of of these fish are undersized so make sure they go back safely to grow a bit more. Jigging with blades and vibes has been receiving most attention.

A lot of the action is in shallower water around 3-4m deep. • The Glenlyon Tourist Park will have you covered for accommodation. They have powered and

the water in the dam may not be too appealing but the fish are still managing to have a good chew.

Bass are loving chatterbaits and spinnerbaits fished around the deeper weed clumps. You can also work suspending lures around the weed faces. These lures seem to attract bass and a few saratoga as well. There

and cruising but suspending hard bodies will pick them off when they are tighter to the structure. The Jackall Squirrel and Samiki Redic are good lure choices. Make sure your gear is up to the task and fish 50lb braid with a minimum of 60lb leader. • You can stay close to the dam at Lake Callide Retreat. The park has basic unpowered campsites and a bunch of comfortable cabins. Brian and Debbie also carry a great range of lures and fishing gear in the kiosk. You could spend an hour just checking that out and I’m sure they’ll share some info on where to find the fish. You can call the kiosk for information and bookings on (02) 6737 5266.

is a growing population of these sportsters and they are a fish best released. The saratoga isn’t known for its eating qualities and they are a prize catch worth sharing over and over again. • Call in at Tackleworld Bundaberg for your fishing supplies and info on this dam.

camping, powered sites for camping and vans and also self-contained cabins. There is a well-equipped camp kitchen and toilets and showers up in the main part of the park near the office. Make sure you bring all of your fishing tackle. The kiosk has a limited amount of fishing gear but it is well suited to the lake.

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Now with sharper resolution, reduced noise, and Garmin’s clearest images, it’s easier than ever to see structure, bait and fish around the boat in real time, even while stationary. With three modes – Forward, Down and Perspective – the LiveScope Plus System also includes the popular Perspective Mode Mount.

“LiveScope truly transformed the world of fishing by delivering live images and movement so clear and precise that anglers could actually distinguish between species of fish,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of global consumer sales. “With the adjustments we’ve made to the screen clarity, transducer sensitivity and target separation in LiveScope Plus, you can even see your fishing line now – not to mention your lure and how the fish are responding to it.”

IMAGE DEFINITION LIKE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN

Optimised for precision and accuracy, the new design of the LiveScope Plus transducer not only delivers 35% improved target separation, it’s also capable of identifying and separating targets as small as 14” at distances 100ft from the boat. With brilliantly clear sonar returns – available with seven vivid colour options – anglers can see exactly what they need to with improved image stitching, reduced noise and fewer on-screen artefacts that impede the picture of fish and structure. LiveScope Plus is also equipped with additional sensors that allow it to constantly adjust the sonar beams to compensate for boat motion, so even in rough conditions, anglers will still see a steady sonar image.

THREE MODES IN ONE SYSTEM

The LiveScope Plus System delivers three unique vantage points with one mount that can be easily adjusted to fit an angler’s fishing techniques and preferences, no tools required. Simply turn the transducer forward for a live look at what’s out in front of the boat; point it down to see directly beneath the boat; or turn it sideways with the included Perspective Mode Mount to enable the ‘top down’ perspective mode to see a wide view of what’s in front of the boat up to 50ft away. Select the LiveScope mode that best fits that fishing spot, and the view will automatically change on a compatible Garmin chartplotter2 screen.

UPGRADE TO THE LIVESCOPE PLUS ADVANTAGE

The LiveScope Plus System includes a compact GLS™ 10 black box with a LiveScope Plus LVS34 transducer, along with a trolling motor barrel and shaft mounting kit, perspective mount bracket and a simple plug-and-play Garmin Marine Network connector for easy installation and integration with a compatible chartplotter. With a free software update, the LVS34 transducer (sold separately) can be added to an existing LiveScope System black box for customers who want to upgrade.

Both the LiveScope Plus System and the LiveScope Plus LVS34 transducer are expected to be available next month, with suggested retail prices of AUD $2,699 and $1,899 respectively. LiveScope Plus is compatible with a wide range of Garmin GPSMAP® and ECHOMAP™ chartplotters and combo units; click here for the full list of compatible devices.