Brisbane

Back to normal for the bay

BRISBANE Gordon Macdonald

masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

With warming temperatures during the coming weeks, September promises some varied fishing for those venturing out on the water. With the snapper closure over, fishing routines will be back to normal for most in Moreton Bay.

Pelagic numbers will be increasing and there will still be numbers or squid and cuttlefish about. Crabbing will be improving as water temperatures rise and a great mix of demersal and pelagic species will be on offer.

Let’s look at more of your Moreton Bay options. SCHOOL MACKEREL

Numbers of these tasty speedsters will be increasing over the coming month, especially in the major channel systems. The Rous, Rainbow, Kianga and Pearl channels are all viable options over the coming weeks. Mackerel are often in considerable numbers in these areas and getting a full bag limit of ten fish over 50cm can often be fairly easy. As the tide starts to rise, the schoolies will roam through these channels until the water rises and they can proceed onto the adjacent bank’s areas to feed. As the tide starts to fall, the school mackerel will again move into the channels, often patrolling the edges awaiting the baitfish, cephalopods and other morsels that are forced from the flats by the receding waters.

Catching these fish is often easy and can be achieved with both baits and lures. Drifting the channels with a gang-hook rigged pilchard aft is a fun way to score a few schoolies and allows you to fish fairly light line. Small, deep diving minnow lures can be trolled on light line to entice a few strikes. More commonly, anglers troll spoon lures behind paravanes for good results on school mackerel and other species.

The paravane is responsible for getting the lure down into the strike zone and is usually deployed 20-30m behind the boat. The spoon is a further 4-5m behind the paravane and a swivel (preferably ball bearing) is essential in front of the spoon to eliminate twist with the rapidly spinning lure.

This rig is generally trolled at speeds between 4-6 knots and can be set up on a 40-60lb handline or a heavy (minimum 30lb) rod and reel outfit. Once a strike is received, the paravane will flip over and plane towards the surface. Common spoons to use include the Halco No.3 and No.4 Barra Drone and Kimberley Spoon and the Macka Spoons. I have also used the Aussie made 35g and 50g Flasha Lures with success.

The various beacons scattered throughout the central and northern bay will also hold decent numbers of fish at times during September. These can be fished by dropping pilchards adjacent to the structures and then drifting away, or by vertically spinning with chromed slugs and slices. Once the lure is allowed to sink close to the bottom adjacent to the structure, it is then wound back to the surface flat out. You cannot wind too fast. If the mackerel are following yet not striking then you are not winding fast enough. The occasional bout of surface activity may be found, however it is more common that the mackerel will be located deeper in the water column in the channels, around the artificial reefs and the bay island surrounds. A couple of mackerel will guarantee a tasty feed so having a pilchard drifting aft whilst fishing any of these spots can be well worthwhile. SNAPPER

After the snapper closure finished mid-August many anglers were back out targeting their favoured table fare and sportfish. Both the quantity and quality of snapper encountered this year has been excellent, mainly due to regular rains, which have flushed valuable nutrients into the system. This has not only promoted healthy baitfish and crustacean numbers but has also decreased water clarity resulting in larger fish feeling comfortable to enter and feed in the shallower bay waters.

Anglers have achieved great results around the artificial reefs, bay island margins, lower reaches of the Brisbane River and the numerous wrecks and other structures scattered throughout Moreton Bay. Although there has been numerous 80cm+ specimens caught, it is the number of 40-60cm snapper that has been surprising. These are a great eating sized fish and are less wary than the larger specimens in general. I prefer to eat mulloway than snapper but they remain one of the more desirable table fish for many. The artificial reefs provide anglers with plenty of opportunity to score a few quality specimens, however, like many spots they can shut down with excessive boat traffic.

The Harry Atkinson, Coochiemudlo, Peel, Curtin and Bill Turner artificials are all great places to score snapper and numerous other species. For anglers into lure fishing, these depths provide opportunity to use soft vibes, numerous soft plastics, blades, micro jigs and even trolled minnow lures. Any quality baits will entice snapper including pilchards, fillet baits, large banana prawns, slimey mackerel, yakkas, herring and pike. These baits are best fished lightly weighted and with hooks well hidden with just the points proud. Quality snapper fishing should be experienced for several months yet so you have plenty of opportunity to get amongst them.

CEPHALOPODS

Although water temperatures are starting to rise, there will still be plenty of quality tiger and arrow squid to be caught. If water clarity is good inshore (not too much rain) then the foreshore areas will still hold squid for the land-based fraternity to chase.

Further out in the bay, the shallows around the bay islands, weed beds north of Tangalooma, the discoloured edges in the upper Rous Channel and other locations where clean water flows over weed beds, reef, rock or rubble are likely to produce. Even in the middle of the main channel squid can often be found, especially arrows.

Casting egi in shallow areas and working them back to the boat in a series of hops or a stop and start retrieve will usually work well. In deeper areas, drifting an egi or baited skewer under a float, even whilst targeting other species, will produce a few squid, especially big tigers.

The deeper channel running from the Ormiston area to the front of Green Island is a good bet for a few cuttlefish. This area is best drifted with egi, however you will need to add weight or present them on a paternoster rig to get them close to the bottom. This same presentation will work in areas such as the outer edge of the Harry Atkinson and also the area where the Small Ships Channel meets the western end of the Rous Channel. FLATHEAD

September is a great month for anglers to target flathead, especially duskies that are congregating in the estuaries getting ready to breed. Commonly one large female is surrounded by several smaller males, who are all biding to be the chosen one. Commonly several fish can be taken in a small area with consecutive casts. If you are trolling and hook a fish then a second, third or fourth pass over the same ground is advisable as it is highly likely that several others will be in attendance. Understanding a flathead’s movements will greatly increase your catch rate.

On the lower stages of the tide flathead will reside in and move through the channels. As the tide rises, they will take up spots along the edges of the channels and then move up onto the flats once the water level is

With warmer water temperatures, pelagics such as school mackerel will be readily caught. This one ate a Kimberley spoon trolled behind a paravane.

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Chris with a trophy class mulloway taken while casting lures near Mud Island.

sufficient. The smaller fish will go up first and then the larger specimens. They will feed on tops of the flats and in the shallows for quite some time, often taking up ambush spots in small gutters, recesses and drains. As the tide begins to fall, they will again move to the edges of the bank, to await the baitfish, crustaceans and other morsels that will be forced from the flats with the receding tide.

The larger fish commonly take up the best ambush spots but there will also be plenty of smaller specimens in the general vicinity. This stage of the tide offers the easiest fishing for those casting or trolling lures. Working your way along the edge of a bank either assisted by wind and tidal flow, or an electric motor, whilst casting lures such as soft vibes, blades, minnow lures or soft plastics (curl tails, paddle tails, crustacean profiles and many others will work) is a great way to effectively cover this zone.

An electric motor with spot-lock will allow you to hold in an area and present numerous casts after an initial flathead is located. Trolling can be done under power of electric motor or petrol outboard and allows you to cover a good distance. Small, brightly coloured minnow lures are ideal and will stand out in the often murky water flowing off the flats. Lures that dive deep enough to occasionally bang and rattle across the bottom, stirring up puffs of mud, silt and sand are ideal choices. As banks are sloped, a shallower diver is often used closest to the bank and a deeper diver worked from the boat on the other side where there is greater depth. A browse around a good tackle store will quickly reveal several good lures for this pursuit.

The main type of flathead encountered in the estuary is the dusky however fringe-eye, tiger and bar-tailed species are also encountered. Dusky flathead have a size slot between 40cm and 75cm with a maximum of five per person in possession. There should be plenty of flathead around in the estuaries, creeks, rivers and bay shallows for a few months although they are a species that can be caught all year round.

BRISBANE RIVER

As the warmer weather becomes noticeable, anglers will see better numbers of threadfin salmon in the lower reaches of the Brisbane River. These will often school in good numbers and are quite obvious to those with decent electronics and a good knowledge of their workings. However, getting them to bite is not always easy and several lure and retrieve changes will often be necessary. Even then they will often be elusive. Some resort to live baits to get the bites however it is sometimes just a tidal stage issue.

As the current slows before the change or increases just after the change the switch will flick and rods will bend. Often several fish can be caught in a session. Whilst there is nothing wrong with taking one or two for a feed careful handling will help to guarantee that released fish actually survive. Removing hooks whilst they are still in the water and using line heavy enough to allow you to subdue them quickly is advisable. Good lures for threadfin will include soft vibes, blades, silent hard vibes, micro jigs and numerous soft plastics. Live baits of herring, mullet, banana prawns, pike and biddies will all get the bites when fished lightly weighted and close to the bottom along the declines into the main river basin, the fronts of jetties and deeper holes.

There has been decent numbers of snapper caught in the Brisbane River in recent months with specimens to over 80cm recorded. Many of these have been taken by anglers targeting threadfin and mulloway. Some specifically target them along the retaining wall at the mouth, Caltex Reach, Clara’s Rocks and the rock walls where the tugs tie up at the northern end of Boat Passage.

Casting small blades and soft plastics around the pylons and eddies along the rock walls and other structures will likely reward with bream, cod and snapper. Working the bottom close to the structures will also produce a few flathead. Better numbers of flathead will be taken on the flats at the mouth of Boggy Creek, the mud ledge leading away from the sewerage shoot and the sandy bank near the Pinkenba Boat ramp. The land-based anglers will often score on the northern side of the Boat Passage bridge. CONCLUSION

With so many piscatorial options, anglers will often have a hard time deciding where to go or what to target on any given day during September. The warmer conditions and longer days will also make a trip out enjoyable. Higher water temperatures will see pelagic activity flourish and there will be a good chance of scoring bonito, mac tuna, school mackerel or perhaps even a longtail or cobia. Crabs, squid and cuttlefish will be on the menu and there may even a be a few prawns to be taken for those doing night sessions in the Brisbane River. September has plenty to offer so get out there.

Mark scored this quality flathead while casting a Samaki Thumpertail and hopping it across the bottom.

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