Succulent species on the cards

BRISBANE Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

As we get towards late summer, anglers will continue to be spoilt for choice fishing Moreton Bay and surrounding waterways. The prominence of some fish species has been unusual over the last few months and I feel many species are a little late this year.

Occasional downpours and frequent winds have created somewhat murky conditions for inshore waters. This isn’t always a bad thing however it does minimise activity of many pelagic and with better water clarity we should see improved numbers. Anchoring around the Measured Mile beacons whilst deploying ganghook rigged pilchards will commonly reward with screaming drags. A pilchard floated aft around the bay islands, artificial reefs or even whilst drifting the bay flats chasing whiting is often a successful ploy. Trolling spoons along the edges of prominent banks in the Rous, Rainbow, Pearl and Small Ships Channels is likely to reward. These same areas can be drifted with pilchards or trolled with deep diving minnow lures especially at the start of the run-in and most of the run-out tide. any moment.

Longtails commonly range from around 8kg to 15kg in Moreton Bay but specimens to over 25kg are caught every season. Longtails are exceptionally hard-fighting fish, and minimum 10kg is recommended when chasing them. Heavier is advisable if you want to shorten the fight and if you want to release any unwanted fish in decent condition. Shortening the fight will often decrease the chance of a shark taking your hooked catch, which is a common occurrence at times.

Fly fishing for longtails is a lot of fun and often gives you the upper hand when they are eating small profiles. It prevalent during March, often being found in large surface feeding schools. Both Watson’s and Australian bonito can be caught by spinning small chromed slugs to surface feeding schools. Small baitfish profiled flies can also work a treat and you will have a lot of fun on this species with a #5 or #6 weight fly outfit. The Australian bonito have a similar flesh to mac tuna and are mainly suited for bait but the Watson’s bonito have a much whiter flesh and are good when lightly grilled on the barbie or smoked. Let’s hope we see an increase in baitfish and pelagics in the bay during March which results in some exciting surface feeding schools.

Estuary Brawlers

Both mangrove jacks and estuary cod should be around in good numbers over the coming months for those who make the effort to specifically target them. The only damper on this action will be flooding rainfall which will greatly lower the salinity in the estuaries and force many species further out into higher salinity areas. Both species are commonly caught around structure such as mangrove snags, rock walls, bridge pylons, pontoons and other submerged structures in the rivers, creeks, estuaries, harbours and canal developments. Both hunt in a predatory manner and will adopt ambush locations where they can dart out to engulf any morsel that passes by.

of mud island. Working lures so that they bang and rattle across the rocks or other structures will quickly get their attention.

have been caught in some of the land-locked lakes.

species such as mackerel and tuna which prefer somewhat cleaner conditions. Many demersal species and predatory estuarine species have flourished in such conditions and great reports have filtered in over recent weeks for species such as mangrove jack, estuary cod, threadfin salmon, mulloway, snapper and sweetlip. There has even been some decent catches of squid, crabs and banana prawns at times. Let’s look at a few species that should be on the catch cards over the coming month.

MACKEREL

Both mackerel and tuna species should increase in prominence during the coming months. Although it has been a little slower than usual over the warmer months, baitfish presence should increase and inshore water clarity should improve providing we do not have any serious downpours. During February anglers began to notice increased numbers of school mackerel around the shipping channel beacons and vertically spinning these with chromed slugs and slices would often produce a bag limit with a bit of effort. This should continue to improve

Surface feeding schools are also possible to locate at times but as yet the numbers have been minimal. Both school and spotted mackerel will roam close to the surface looking for bait, often indicated by a V-shaped wake. There were a few reports of spotted mackerel being randomly caught during February. However, I have not heard of any surface busting schools, probably due to lower bait concentrations and water clarity. I feel a lot of species are a little late this year so hopefully March will see some mackerel mayhem.

TUNA Longtails have been conspicuous by their absence for most of the summer period, however as we move into cooler times, numbers should hopefully flourish. A few quality fish have been taken on live baits fished around the shipping channel beacons, current lines and artificial reefs, but the surface-busting schools have been limited. However, it is always worth having a rod ready rigged with a chromed slug, pencil popper, stickbait or jighead rigged jerkshad plastic whilst transiting the bay, as schools can pop up at is easier to cast a minute fly utilising the weight of the fly line than it is to cast a 5g or 10g slug on a spin rod. The 1:1 ratio of a fly reel provides real hand-tohand combat with the fish- a great challenge. The coming months should see an increase in the prevalence of longtails within Moreton Bay but every year is different so we will just have to wait and see.

Mac tuna numbers should also be on the increase with larger surface busting schools common in areas such as the Kianga Channel, Pearl Channel, Paddock area, inside the South Passage Bar, Rainbow Channel and possibly the Naval Reserve Banks. They are often harder to hook than longtails, being very profile orientated when feeding on schools of baitfish. Whilst lacking the eating quality of longtails they still give a great fight and are fun to catch. The salted fillets from mac tuna make exceptional baits for reef fish, tailor and even bream when cut into strips or cubed. Even when fresh, mac tuna fillets are excellent bait with plenty of blood and oil to bring fish in from a distance away.

Bonito will also be

Estuary cod can also be caught out into the bay around the artificial reefs and the retaining walls on the eastern and northern sides

Jacks will often hold in calmer spots adjacent faster flowing water that will bring forth food items such as baitfish and crustaceans. They are lightning fast in their attack, often hitting the lure on their way back to the snag which gives them the upper hand in escape. It is advisable to use 7kg to 15kg line, have a sturdy drag setting, a good thumb-lock on the spool plus some luck on your side to subdue the better specimens. Any jack over 40cm will give a good account of itself, and the 50cm plus models are a real challenge. Specimens to well over 60cm have been caught recently in the saltwater environs, and even bigger

Live baits of mullet, herring, pike, prawns and biddies make great fare for targeting both species. Small rock crabs can also work, especially for estuary cod. Baits are fished close to the structures, generally pinned on a suicide or kahle pattern hook with just enough sinker weight to keep it in the desired location. The action for jacks and cod will taper off a bit as the water temperatures cool so get out and target them now.

Squid

During February many begin to notice increased numbers of squid in eastern Moreton Bay locales such as the weed beds north of Tangalooma, Amity Rock Wall, Rous Channel, Comboyuro and Rainbow Channel. Whilst generally not a prime time for squid, the warmer months can still produce for those who search out weed, reef, rubble and rocky areas that have good quality, crystal clear water running over them. There have been a few caught in certain areas on the western foreshore of the bay, but dirtier water conditions have limited opportunity much of the time.

If water conditions continue to improve during March, squidding could be rather productive in many areas of the bay. Often at this time of the year the squid are quite large as they are last years hatch (most only live for 12 months to 18 months). If conditions are right, March squidding will definitely pay dividends.

Prawns

At the time of writing we hadn’t seen any decent numbers of quality prawns in the SEQ area. This will likely improve during the coming full moon (February) or even throughout March. The Pine and Caboolture rivers are usually the first to produce, however the Brisbane and Logan systems can also hold good schools. Banana prawns are most noticeable on the sounder around the changes of the tide when they lift from the mud and silt to feed and move location. On marine electronics, they will often show as a haze of blue or green (dependant on your colour palette) across the bottom. Large schools can be several feet deep at times.

A 12ft drop top pocket only net is the ideal weapon for chasing prawns as it gives maximum legal coverage and the prawns will be trapped in the top pocket where they are easy to extract. The lack of a bottom pocket saves a lot of time as you won’t be stopping after every cast to remove the mud clumps, jelly balls, shells and other debris. The best prawning is yet to come but you should hopefully be able to score a feed or two during March.

CRABS

Mud crabs and sand crabs (blue swimmers) are all available for those setting a few baited safety pots in the coming months. March can be one of the better months for sandies but every year is different. Setting pots at varied depths will allow you to determine where they are mainly running. Taking note of the depth where the pros have set theirs will give you some indication but do not set yours in the same area. Find a similar spot to try your luck.

Fish heads, frames, chicken carcasses and whole mullet are prime baits. I suggest checking pots every couple of hours, but some will soak them overnight.

Mud crabbing in the rivers, creeks and estuaries should also be productive especially if we have a few decent storms to flush crabs from the upper reaches. Set pots along collapsed mangrove banks, deeper holes and at the mouths of creeks, drains and gutters leading out of the mangrove expanse. Remember that legal requirements exist for floats (size and type) and the labelling of crab pots. Failure to comply can result in your pots being removed and confiscated by fisheries and possibly a fine. Differing sizes, bag limits and methods of measuring exist for the various crab species so ensure you have a reliable measuring device and know the different crab species that these limits apply to.

Threadfin Salmon

The Brisbane and Logan rivers have produced some quality threadfin in recent months with anglers scoring on both baits and lures. Larger schools are often located around the mouth of the Brisbane River, especially around the swing zone, adjacent the International Cruise Ship Terminal, Oil Pipeline and along the mud ledge on the northern side of the river entrance. Anchoring and deploying live baits is a relaxed way to get into the action. Herring, mullet, banana prawns, pike and biddies can all work when fished close to the bottom.

Lures such as soft vibes, numerous soft plastics, blades and even micro jigs can be used to tempt threadies. The new Samaki Hardlicious Vibes have been popular with anglers and fish of late.

Threadfin salmon can be fickle and will often ignore your attempts, only coming onto the chew at certain times, like around a tide change. If you find them in a cooperative mood then good numbers can be caught in a session. Fish destined for release are best kept in the water whilst the hook is removed to maximise survival rates.

BAY DEMERSALS

Anglers fishing around the bay islands and wrecks have been catching snapper, sweetlip, mulloway, tuskfish and grunter (javelin fish) over previous months. Both baits and lures have worked, despite often murky conditions. Javelin fish have been getting a lot more prevalent in the bay, which is great as they fight well and taste awesome. These are sometimes found in schools, and several can be caught in a session. The wrecks out from the Brisbane River and around the leads markers are reliable spots, it seems.

Mulloway can also be found in these zones, but the artificial reefs throughout the bay are generally more reliable.

Snapper can be caught almost anywhere there is a bit of structure and are great fun to chase on lures such as soft plastics, soft vibes and micro jigs. Sweetlip can be caught on lures but are a more serious proposition on baits such as mullet and gar fillets, salted tuna strips, fresh squid and banana prawn chunks. Fish the edges of the reef and rubble areas where the sand and seagrasses start and you are a shoe-in to score.

Conclusion

A great array of aquatic angling options exist for anglers during March. Whether you fish for sport or to grace the dining table with some quality seafood, March should be a great month for you. Moreton Bay and the adjoining rivers, creeks and canals should all fish well providing we don’t receive any torrential rain. With cooler weather looming over the coming months, get out and enjoy the warmth of SEQ whilst you can.