Freshwater

Unprecedented weather means unpredictability

TOOWOOMBA Jason Ehrlich

fishability1@bigpond.com

I’ll open this month’s report with a disclaimer. As I write, rainy weather is predicted for next week but it is unclear how much is on the way and where it will fall. Based on the fact the meteorologist can’t agree on what we are in for, I reckon I get an exemption from getting things spot on for this month’s report.

If all goes well, the rain will stay away and things will be more predictable and waterways will be clearing up and getting more fishable over the winter months. For the past couple of decades of writing for Fishing Monthly I’ve never had such a tough time working out what’s going on in our favourite freshwater spots. The continuing rainfall across different areas is changing our lakes on a regular basis, making some dirty and the fish are changing all the time.

Winter is one of my least favourite times on the freshwater. Things get a bit slower, especially this month but we should see signs of change and there are still plenty of options out there. With full lakes in the South East corner, the fish will have plenty of food and be getting bigger and fatter. With more water to explore it can take a little longer to find them but it amazes me how they still seem almost as easy to find in a full lake compared to a really low one.

There should be a few bass edge bites going on and in some lakes we It’s a good time to go exploring in a kayak. Just remember you need to be above a weir as it is bass closed season in tidal waters.

Golden perch tend to turn up as by-catch over the winter months. This one ate a Spectre but opt for a hopped blade unless you find them really chewing. will start to see schooling bass loving their winter spoon bite.

On the barra scene, the cold days will be tough but winter can dish out some warmer gems and these are the ones to be on the water. I have a good feeling the cod are going to go off in our Queensland lakes this winter. Don’t be fooled, it will be hard work with many fishless days but that’s the nature of cod fishing. It is also just a short skip over the border into NSW to experience the cod on Pindari and Copeton. If the water is clear, I’d be throwing my favourite swimbaits. If it has a bit of colour about it, try something noisier and easier to track down, like a chatterbait or spinnerbait.

Until next month, buckled rods from the Colonel.

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

CRESSBROOK

CLOSEST TOWN:

CROWS NEST

June is a surprisingly good month to hit Cressbrook Dam. The last couple of years have been great provided you can find the small schools of big bass. It is going to be a lot tougher this year with the dam now full. Old spots will be totally different and the fish will find new locations to frequent.

Putting in the time to locate fish and work out what time of day they want to feed will pay off with bulky fat bass on offer. The longer points and any flats around 7-10m deep could hold the big bass. The old flooded weed and grass can be annoying on your hooks but if you find fish just outside this it won’t be a problem. Casting spoons is one of the best ways to entice the winter schooling bass. Bait size can dictate spoon choice. Smaller offerings like the Gang Banger G2, Wasabi, and Halco Twisty 20g are ideal when the fish are chasing smaller bait profiles. If they are after bigger bonies, switch to Raptor Jigs or Palm Slow Blatts in the 30g size. Both hopping and winding can be effective so mix it up to see if they prefer a certain retrieve style.

The lake edges will definitely be worth a look. Water quality should have improved and the bass and golden perch will be back in the shallows.

You can drop the electric

Gary’s Marine Centre

3201 6232

and set off casting at kilometres of banks and hope to encounter a few fish.

Alternatively, try fishing around schooling fish. The more active ones will venture up into the shallows and chase a feed.

The slow nature of suspending jerkbaits and crankbaits will suit the mood of the fish and work well in clear water conditions.

Soft plastics will also be worth a flick. With the numbers of redclaw around the edges it may also pay to hop skirted jigs. Look for shorter grassy banks or the steeper rocky areas for this style of fishing. • 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 dam is on winter hours so the gates will be open from 7am to 6pm. SOMERSET

CLOSEST TOWNS: ESK, KILCOY

Somerset has been fishing very steady since the rain. Lure anglers have struggled due to the dirty water but we should see a notable change in the clarity over the winter months.

In the dirty water, fish schools have been difficult to find.

Even though the water clarity will be okay this month, the fish are always pretty tough to target at the start of winter. Schools can move away from the deep water, open flats that they usually hold on for most of the year. More fish can be found closer to the edges in schools. These bass don’t always bite well but will sometimes fall for a spoon or soft plastic.

If they are close to the bank, try working the shallower water with a big spinnerbait, lipless crankbait, chatterbait or suspending jerkbait.

Golden perch will be quiet for the winter months. A few will be caught as bass by-catch but unless you target them with bait or hopping small blades around the timber structure, you will struggle to find them. Tilapia numbers are likely to increase later in the year so go hard on them now to try to thin the population out.

They are fond of worms and can be caught from the bank around most of the boat ramp areas. • Somerset Fishing has their store based at the area above the day use boat ramp. The store is open over holidays and otherwise from Thursday to Sunday. Orders can also be made online via the website www. somersetfishing.com.au . They have an excellent range of gear suited to fishing for bass and golden perch.

SUNSHINE COAST

BORUMBA CLOSEST

TOWNS: IMBIL,

NOOSA, GYMPIE

Things are shaping up for a great edge bite at Borumba.

The schools of bass have been hard to find with numbers of fish spread out all around the lake edges.

Last month they responded well to a range of techniques but cooling water temperature will make them a bit tougher. I have a feeling they will stay on edges until the end of winter when they will return to big deeper schools.

The Junction area is a great starting point but bass can be caught right around the lake’s edges.

Saratoga will be slower but can be encountered in better numbers from The Junction upstream into the feeder arms. Suspending hardbodies and skirted jigs will be ideal this month.

Longer pauses and smaller movements are key if the water is clear.

There has been talk of

DARLING DOWNS AND GRANITE BELT

GLENLYON

CLOSETS TOWNS:

TEXAS, STANTHORPE

Pack your warm clothes if you are heading to Glenlyon. June should start the run of big Murray cod as they prepare to spawn later in the year. It is not uncommon to see several big fish holding together at this time of year. Topwater paddler style lures can get the bites early in the morning or even in the dark.

Swimbaits cast to likely areas work well during the mornings (the afternoons are usually slower). The water still has a bit of colour in it and the clearer it is the better swimbaits will work. If it remains coloured it will help your boat stay hidden from the fish. In this case trolling swimbaits slowly on the electric motor could be an option. Winter does tend to settle suspended particles in the water and clear it up so take a good look at what you are faced with and use more stealth if it turns very clear.

Golden perch numbers were high for the last few months. Winter will make their numbers drop off but jigging blades or soaking a shrimp or saltwater yabbies should get a few bites. These fish have been on the smaller side with only the occasional one around 40cm. COOBY

CLOSEST TOWNS: HIGHFIELDS,

TOOWOOMBA

Cooby has reopened and has been very busy over more rain so this may not be the case.

If there is still colour in the water, then I’d suggest trying the Spectre Vibration Jig.

These chatterbaits have a clear plastic blade and make a lot less commotion than a metal blade chatter.

The bass love this and they will be ideal even if the water is a bit coloured. There is a new yabby range of colours out and the bass have been loving the olive craw colour in Borumba.

Oops! Was that meant to be a secret?

the last couple of months. After constant pressure, the council updated their out-dated guidelines around algae levels, which saw the lake closed more often than it was open. We should now get a good chance to fish this lake year round.

Since the gates opened, the golden perch have been chewing well. Most fish have been caught trolling with hardbodies and TN60 Jackalls in 4-5m of water. I’d expect the trolling action to taper right off now things have cooled down. Jigging blades or fishing with live shrimp or saltwater yabbies will continue to get a few fish. Fishing off the banks will be a good option. You can try near the boat ramp or the steep wall and pontoon

CAPRICORN REGION

AWOONGA

CLOSEST TOWNS: BENARABY,

GLADSTONE

Barra fishing is still a possibility over the winter months. All you need to do to find success is chose a nice run of warmer weather and locate the fish. Winter barra tend to slow down a bit but will bunch up in big numbers in locations where they are most comfortable. At the start of winter this is likely to be windblown bays in the main basin where they can be spotted on side image or live sonar. These fish will still be a bit deeper in 1-4m allowing for soft plastic and hardbody presentations. Slowing down the retrieve to suit the fish will pay off. Longer pauses with suspending hard bodies will draw more interest. With plastics fish lighter weights and wind them more slowly. Slow presentations make it even more important to find good patches of fish. If the numbers are there, the bites will come when they are ready to chew. Don’t expect as Rhys Branson caught this 46cm Borumba bass off the surface. The fish was one of many taken in a hot session on a Jackall Pompadour.

on the walking tracks.

The Murray cod have been very quiet. Hopefully we see a few more caught during the winter months. LESLIE CLOSEST

TOWN: WARWICK

The golden perch numbers have been great so far this year. Hopping small blades like the ZX40 will get the bites over the winter months. A lot of these fish are small so make sure you treat them well and release them quickly if they aren’t keepers.

Try working lures in 4-7m of water around any drop offs or structure.

Bait fishers will also do well on the goldens when using live shrimp or frozen saltwater yabbies. Drop these baits straight

much fish movement as in the warmer months. Find the fish! • Justin Nye from Gladstone Fly and Sportfishing runs fishing charters on the lake. He caters to the needs of the angler and can do fly or conventional tackle trips to target the lake’s barramundi. He successfully guides clients onto fish right through the year and has a good understanding of fish movements. It is hard to beat time on the water and this is a great way to learn more about this lake and its fish. You can contact him on 0429 223 550 or visit the website gladstoneflyandsportfishing .com.au. • Mark from Awoonga Gateway Lodge always has a few productive secret spots to share. The Gateway lodge is on the way in to the dam after turning off at Benaraby. The accommodation is great with plenty of boat parking space right beside the comfortable air conditioned, selfcontained cabins each with its own veranda. To book in a stay give Mark or Lyn a call on (07) 49750033.

over the side of the boat and keep the line tight or almost tight so the bait is near the bottom.

A running sinker all the way to the hook or a paternoster rig with the hook 30cm above the sinker on the bottom is ideal. I like wide gap (J) style hooks for using shrimp. Baitholder hooks, which have the small barbs on the shank are good for the saltwater yabbies.

The cold mornings will see the bigger Murray cod roaming the shallows in the lower light. You can fish towards the shoreline or out wider on any shallow flats near the drop offs to deeper water. Running side image or live sonar will let you know if there are any fish in your areas. Swimbaits, like Jackall Ganterels or the even bigger Giganterel are great for long casts over these shallows. The cod are likely to vacate the flats around mid-morning and hold around structure or drop offs.

They can be tougher to catch when they do this but it’s worth a shot with deeper presentations like spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. Shore-based anglers can try casting around the rocks just before to the dam wall buoy line. • The local blokes at Warwick Outdoor and Sport in Palmerin Street can point in you in the right direction and hook you up with the good gear and bait to catch the fish at Leslie.

AWOONGA GATEWAY LODGE

“Right on Awoonga’s doorstep. All set up for fishos, with tranquil surroundings.“