Southern
OLD
Chilly water brings options GOLD COAST
David Green
August usually sees westerly winds and the waters cool down considerably, dropping to less than 20ºC on the inshore grounds and to around 17ºC in the estuaries. The closed season for snapper and pearl
perch runs until the 15th of the month and this means offshore anglers need to focus on other species while the ban is in effect. It is a good month to chase mulloway on the close reefs and kings, amberjack and samsonfish on the wider grounds. There may also be a few striped marlin around this month and the 36 fathom
reef is a good place to look for them. Out wider beyond the 600m line there may be good numbers of yellowfin tuna, but you need to be very careful travelling well offshore if even moderate westerlies are forecast. The 36 fathom line reef is probably the most reliable area to target snapper after the snapper ban is lifted. Low
Susan Sullivan with an unusual catch on a micro mullet – a big luderick.
AUGUST 2021
This huge mulloway was caught from the Jumpinpin bar on a live bait.
Manning River Marine
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tide changes around dawn and dusk generally provide the best fishing, and in August quite a few big snapper over 6kg are caught. By this time, most of the snapper have spawned and feed hungrily as they put back on condition. Fish as light as you can, with only as much lead as you need to get down to the lower part of the water column. As well as snapper, expect a few parrotfish, teraglin and tailor. For big snapper try a more picker-resistant bait, like mullet heads or tailor frames. These often account for the biggest fish. Jigging with soft plastics and Octa style jigs is also effective. There should be some good mulloway around on the inshore reefs and also on the artificial reefs in 23m located north east of the Seaway. These fish are at their best just on dark, and live tailor, slimy mackerel and yellowtail are all effective. If you catch any pike they are deadly. Circle style hooks work well on mulloway. Fish your live baits close to the bottom and leave the reel in gear. In general the fish will hook themselves. Out on the 50 fathom line there should be amberjack and kingfish this month. Jigging and deep live baits are quite effective and the addition of
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