OLD
Make the most of the mixed species TOOWOOMBA
Jason Ehrlich fishability1@bigpond.com
I dread the cold months. Living on top of the hill near Toowoomba
it’s not as pleasant as the lower altitudes or further north. The real cold won’t set in for a while yet so make the most of this month. There will be a large mix of species on offer, so get
SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND CRESSBROOK CLOSEST TOWN: CROWS NEST Cressy is still a tough lake to find a bass. The golden perch have chewed well over the past few months but they will start to slow down a bit. If you want to continue catching them you will need to
forget bass and change your focus making them your target species. Live shrimp and saltwater yabbies are the best baits for golden perch. These can be fished directly below the boat in 5-8m of water. Lure fishers will need to slow it down and use presentations that stay in their face. Small blades
out now while you can. Even those species that are more affected by cold, like golden perch and barra, will still be catchable this month. You’ll find it’s time to change things up to
suit the season, as the fish will react differently to a variety of presentations. There are plenty of options out there. Until next month, buckled rods from the Colonel.
and tiny vibes are ideal. The ZX40 blade is a standout for this type of work. The points from the campground all the way up the dam to opposite Eagles Nest rock wall have held good numbers. The bass are ridiculously hard to find. A few have been reported well up the dam in the Cressbrook Creek arm around structure. These fish can be caught on crankbaits
and suspending jerkbaits. Back in the main basin, some bass have been caught on G2 Gang Banger spoons fished around the northern points opposite the boat ramp. Redclaw crayfish numbers have been great over the last few months. You can still take advantage of them over winter but expect the numbers to be lower. To counter this, move unproductive pots every 2-3 hours and be prepared to work harder. • Fish’n’Bits in Toowoomba has all the gear and tips on how to chase the Cressy fish and the redclaw. 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 The dam has fished reasonably well for this time of year. As expected, the fish have been responding to a mixed bag of tricks. Spoons have been taking their share of fish but once they wise up to your presence they can be hard to fool. Constantly moving and rotating areas is the key to keeping the bites flowing. Spectre Vibration Jigs worked very well last month but the action on these should start to slow down considerably. Still it would be worth a drift or long line over any good schools. The 5/8oz model in darker colours will get the bites. Deep cranks, such as the Rapala DT20 and Imakatsu IK800 can also be used with extra-long casts or long lining. Unlike diving lures which are trolled, these deep divers can be cranked down to the bottom and fished in a stop/start motion back to the boat. It is the mixture of the ploughing action into the bottom and the pauses between them that triggers bites from stubborn fish. Both the Spectres and deep cranks will be effective on the large model bass, which seem to like holding a little shallower and close to the bottom. There is a good chance bass schools will move about in winter. Schools will be common around the Pelican Point area this month but as it gets colder and the water becomes isothermic they will have free range to explore the water column and move into new areas. I don’t think I’d bother venturing too far from the area between
Top and Above: Nick De Giusti found quality Somerset bass. These fish will really start to put on condition over winter months.
Gary’s Marine Centre
3201 6232
217 Pine Mountain Road, BRASSALL 46 JUNE 2023
Cressbrook bass have been very hard to find. Danny Stuart fooled this fish with a G1 Gang Banger spoon. Beams Creek and Bay 13 when searching this month. Smack bang in the middle, both North and South Pelican Point have been very reliable. MAROON CLOSEST TOWNS: BOONAH, RATHDOWNEY The cooler water temperatures in Maroon will create change in bass habits. They will be more responsive to jerkbaits, soft plastics and spoons. Chatterbaits and topwater, which usually perform so well, will slow down as the fish get used to the cooling temperature. There were some good catches by anglers thinking a little differently last month. Quality bass were taken from the deeper trees on suspending jerkbaits. Deeper lures like the OSP Power Dunk SP 57 work well in this environment. On the edges, fish numbers will increase and an assortment of jerkbaits can be used. Jackall Squirrel 67, Halco TB55, Samaki Redic DS60 and Rapala Jack Deep 7cm are some of the trusted and readily available offerings. Schools can still be found and these fish can be caught on soft plastics and smaller sized spoons and metal jigs. The area directly opposite the boat ramp, the points on the right as you head to the timber and just off the edges at the start of the timber will all be places worth searching for schooling fish. MOOGERAH CLOSEST TOWNS: BOONAH, ARATULA Moogerah is shaping up to be one of Queensland’s best bass lakes. Excellent numbers of fish are spread throughout the dam. The timbered area from the Moogerah Lake Houses Point to the Old Caravan Bay has held good numbers of fish. These bass have ranged from undersized to 50cm with plenty of mid 40s amongst them. It seems they are quite
willing to take a range of lures. In the shallower water (3-7m), vibes, blades, crankbaits, chatterbaits and spoons have all scored fish. Out in around 10m, spoons and metal jigs standout when the fish form up into suspended schools. I had a red hot session and boated 60 bass for the morning and at one point had gone 40 bass in 42 casts. The gun lure that day was a 30g Raptor Slow Fall Jig hopped high off the bottom. More bass can be found up in the southern timber of Reynold Creek arm. Most of these bass are well out of the creek itself holding just after the 6 knot zone in deeper water (6-8m). Holding around the trees, the fish can be caught on suspending jerkbaits, vibes, lipless crankbaits, blades and spoons. The cooler water should also see them respond well to soft plastic paddle tails. There are still some big fish mixed in with these bass but most are 40cm or under. Suspending jerkbaits should come into their own over the winter months. Bass will be found close to the timbered areas in both shallow and deep water. I am keen to have a crack at targeting them using live sonar when good weather conditions make lining them up easier. • 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.
