Fisho's Weekly Fishing Report - 20th December 2024
by Fisho's Tackle World Hervey Bay 20 Dec 07:38 UTC
20 December 2024
Yet another big nanny from a reef mission that produced many impressive fish for Aiden and his crew © Fisho's Tackle World
Clear skies welcome after a wet week
The heavens opened up and gave us a serious drenching here on the Fraser Coast last week. You don't need us to tell you the stats, as the news crews have been all over it. Suffice to say, we received at least 200mm over the past week in parts of Hervey Bay township, whilst our neighbours copped even more.
Watching the radar during the event, it looked as though our hinterland catchments enjoyed lengthy periods of widespread rain, whilst the central sector of the Great Sandy Straits and southern Fraser Island copped the brunt of the heaviest falls at times. It is no surprise that our rivers are overflowing and that flood warnings have been issued.
A moderate flood warning remains current for the Mary River. The Burrum and Cherwell rivers had their warnings downgraded from moderate to minor yesterday. Every creek in the district received sufficient rain to create stream rises from run-off, including our local creeks, which continue to flow strongly with life-giving nutrients flushed from both urban and semi-rural surrounds.
Lake Lenthalls overflowed in no time when the rain started. Luckily, Lakes Monduran and Awoonga were not impacted in any serious fashion. Monduran rose by a mere 1% to be sitting at just above 90% capacity. Bullet dodged on this occasion, but I am sure all keen impoundment barra fishos will be getting anxious as we head into the summer wet season with soaked ground, high lake levels and weather gurus keen to spruik an extra hot and extra wet summer.
The cool change that blew the rain away was certainly welcome yesterday. The strong south-easterly blow triggered a strong wind warning, but it has already eased dramatically. Expect at least 15-20 knots today, and much better conditions for the weekend. Something more like 10 knots from the south-east initially tending easterly mid-morning seems likely Saturday through Sunday in the bay, and closer to 15 knots offshore.
If there is any merit to the latest forecasts, then the days leading up to Xmas eve should be excellent for boaties and holidaymakers alike. Another burst of stiff south-easterly wind Xmas eve should cool things nicely and make for pleasant conditions onshore for Xmas day.
You were lucky if you even got a glimpse of the full moon last Sunday due to the inclement weather. The moon is waning now of course, and the tidal flow is diminishing daily. A return of neap tides this weekend is associated with the last quarter phase on Monday. Whilst there will be minimal tidal flow in areas beyond the reach of the recent flooding, our creeks and rivers remain filthy, if not swollen, and are best avoided for now.
Post-flooding considerations
As good as it is to get significant rains to replenish our waterways, I doubt that anyone is overly happy with the timing of this event. Flooded rivers and filthy creeks mean many will have to change their plans for the Xmas break and look beyond the brown water. Crabbers can rejoice, as they have been, whilst the rest of us should look forward to the opportunities early wet season flood waters can bring.
Before looking at your fishing options post-flooding, perhaps a moment to consider the inherent dangers. The most obvious (yet so often overlooked) is the flood debris issue for boaties. Already, there are masses of logs, whole river gums, and serious aggregations of flotsam being flushed out of our rivers. Boaties need to be extra cautious, particularly in low light conditions.
The main hazards will be largely inshore for the time being, but it won't take long and debris will make its way out into open waters. The flood waters from the Mary are currently lapping Big Woody Island, and this plume will extend further in time. Waters off the Burrum Coast should also be navigated with extra care at present.
Dirty water at a time when our waters are very warm can mean any crocodiles in the area have the opportunity to relocate. We can all hope there are none here anywhere, but the truth is likely very different. Sightings in our estuaries over recent years (including this year) keep the warier locals on their toes, but everyone should just take a little extra precaution at this time. Avoid swimming or wading in waters too dirty to see bottom in the shallows in remote areas, particularly estuarine waters.
Sharks too should be a serious consideration for those inclined to wade whilst wetting a line. Dirty waters in our shallow margins offer sharks the opportunity to hunt beyond their usual realm. No-one should be swimming at night in these parts, and you might think twice about swimming too far from shore in dirty water. It is easy to be safe, and to keep the kids safe.
Spear fishos will be forced to seek cleaner waters up the bay or beyond the floodwater influence this summer. Such a thought might raise a cheer from our shallow inshore reef fishos that can enjoy much-improved fishing at some time because of this. Let's hope we get some of that magic summer doldrums-style weather that can enable fishos, spearos and all to venture beyond the confines of the bay.
Untimely dirty water at the pier
The fishing from Urangan Pier was just about as good as it gets pre-Xmas - until this weather event changed all that. The long list of pelagics that were making regular raids on the pier's herring population are the first to be negatively impacted by dirty water. The GTs were just starting to show signs of consistency, but it looks as though they have gone to join their brethren elsewhere in the southern bay.
This soon after the rains, it is challenging to predict how much the Mary's influence will affect Urangan's waters. There is dirty water there already, so high tide periods, that see a flush of cleaner water, are already favoured for the die-hards. Pencil squid can handle a surprising amount of freshwater run-off. One would expect the squid to wander off into the deeper shipping channels or up the bay, but there may be some that linger. Time will tell as to how many and if pursuing them is a viable exercise this Xmas period.
Pelagic predators such as mackerel, tuna and trevally may not favour the dirty post-flood pier waters, but they are often replaced with recently-displaced estuarine predators. It shall come as no surprise to hear of jewfish, grunter, blue or threadfin salmon being caught from the pier in coming weeks. They won't ever be there in the sort of numbers the pelagics might be, but this just makes their capture all the more meritorious. Large tarpon are a late spring/summer staple, so they are often an entertaining distraction for the kids.
Bait might be impossible to catch should the herring vacate the pier altogether. We will let you know should this happen. Luckily, when the water is dirty, baits such as large frozen prawns, small whole squid, and baits you sourced elsewhere can be deployed to catch fish such as grunter, jew and salmon. Lure fishing remains a very viable option, with soft vibes and prawn imitation plastics leading that charge.
There is always a place for some 35gm Flasha Spoons in your kit if heading for the deep end of the pier. The water might be too dirty for mackerel, but that doesn't mean a few queenfish or even the odd golden trevally might not wander by. Should any number of blue salmon turn up, then a spoon is all you will need to snare one of them. Polished gold-coloured spoons were all the rage in dirtier waters back in the day. Not sure if that is still a thing (?).
Landlubbers look to the flats
Floodwaters in our rivers displace many fish. Everything from mullet and herring to the biggest of our river predators can be part of a mass exodus that you can capitalise on. Already, some intrepid fishos have enjoyed red letter days chasing quality whiting on local mudflats. Bream fans might also find their favoured quarry feasting on small morsels washed out of nearby streams.
So, instead of wandering the banks of accessible creeks like you have been in recent weeks, now is perhaps the time to put the same effort in on the adjacent flats. Creek mouths will remain a hot spot at times in coming weeks, but looking beyond those overly obvious spots might be warranted amongst the impending holiday crowds. Luckily, our district offers vast flats; some muddy; some sandy; that you can wander looking for a range of species.
Take the lightest of tackle and target whiting and bream if you like. Go next level and flick lures or baits for grunter, flathead, salmon or queenfish. Keep your eyes out for those nasty pests of our freshwater - the much-maligned tilapia. There are very large specimens happily thriving in just every freshwater pondage in our area, and they have invaded our rivers and streams too. These dastardly fish use flooding events such as this one to spread into other waterways, so if you get a chance to stem the flow, then please do so. Kill them and dispose of them away from the water as required by Qld law.
Jelly prawn flushed from our streams will recoup in coming weeks and school in seething masses in the shallowest dirty fringes. Witnessing such events from the vantage point of River Heads is a regular post-flood experience for many locals. Yet, somewhere beyond the gaze of the masses, along some largely untraversed stretch of mudflat, is the motherlode of jellies. Or so might be the case in weeks to come. Should you be there when such a jelly prawn aggregation is discovered by its predators, then you are in for a mind-blowing session.
The Booral Flats will probably bear witness to such events in the near future. So too, stretches of beach near Pulgul, Eli, O'Regans and Beelbi creeks. In the meantime, those very same waters might give up a few quality grunter, some flathead or whiting. Don't be surprised to see threadfin and blue salmon working the shallowest of flats this summer, and ensure you have the right lures in your arsenal if you do.
Shark fishing appeals to many visitors
As warned above, wading the shallows should be done with a little extra care while our waters are dirty. Bull sharks are of greatest concern, but so too are stingrays that you cannot see in the dirty water, cranky mud crabs and ooglies such as stonefish. All those things aside, the current scenario has created an opportunity for shark fishing fans to get into some serious action.
Even without dirty floodwaters, Hervey Bay is overrun with sharks every summer. Masses of pelagics rock into the bay to gorge themselves on the tiniest of baitfish and the sharks are hot on their tails. Boaties have nightmare sessions trying to avoid the noahs, so those keen to actually catch one won't have the slightest problem getting hooked up. Indeed, many local shark fishos talk of multiple hook-ups for an evening's effort - and that is shore-based!
You won't even need to berley if you are a boatie and you head for popular fishing spots. The sharks will already be there just waiting for another fisho to arrive and pop a tasty morsel free of the reef for them to devour. Set out a large bait, and you won't be waiting long at all. Rules apply of course; you are only allowed to keep one shark per person (or two per boat if two of more people on board). The maximum size for any shark to be kept is 1.5m.
Those favouring a shark session from terra firma can head for Urangan Pier, or simply send a bait out from a local beach. Scarness jetty has been a popular night-time shark-fishing platform in the past (when the tide is in at least). A bait suspended via a float off the rocks at Pt Vernon or Gatakers Bay after dark isn't likely to last very long. If past summers are anything to go by, then even the stretches of beach in the heart of town could see sharks hauled ashore after dark. Obviously berleying or using over-sized baits should be avoided within cooee of popular swimming areas.
So, should you be camping at one of our beachfront caravan parks or kicking back in an esplanade resort, and the kids are bored one night, you can always take them for a short walk and get them seriously stretched on a noah's ark. You don't need to go armed for bear either, as a bait as simple as a whole squid or flicker mullet sent seaward from the beach on standard medium tackle is all it will take to get the kids hooked to a cruising shark. Stingrays and shovel-nosed sharks might get in on the act, but that is all part of the fun and the learning.
Inshore fisheries boosted by run-off
The water might look dirty inshore for some weeks to come, but don't forget that freshwater floats above the salty stuff, and our fish are well-attuned to handling flood events such as these. Grassy sweetlip in particular, will be feeding ravenously in both shallow and deeper waters all summer. If anything, the flow of dirty water will just shift some from flood-affected shallow reefs and create feeding opportunities for them elsewhere.
Coral trout can handle a bit of the dirty stuff too, and as mentioned above, they get a reprieve from the spearos by default. Shallow water trolling tactics will remain popular this summer, even if the quantity and quality of trout doesn't improve. Look to the deeper reefs if you want quality trout, and be prepared for a few surprise packages if live baiting or jigging lures near gnarlier reefs.
No doubt the estuary cod are licking their substantial lips at the banquet this flooding provides, yet it is the likes of mangrove jacks, jewfish, and even fingermark that might materialise boatside attached to your latest coral trout offering. This only being possible of course, if the bull sharks and their cousins let you get the fish to the boat. Watch out for the big GTs that haunt our inshore wrecks and ledges at this time too. They are a handful on heavy tackle, yet a few folks get lucky on lighter gear every summer.
Queenies and golden trevally have been making a comeback on our inshore flats since gillnetting efforts were reduced earlier this year. There is every reason to expect further action from these fish, and a little interesting bycatch as well. Grunter will feature in catches from the flats, as will blue salmon. Grunter will become the number one target species for many folks now, as many quality fish have already exited our rivers and are schooling inshore.
Deeper reefs in the shipping channels can host mobile schools of grunter briefly. The fringes of the Pt Vernon - Gatakers Bay shallow reefs are most popular though. Urangan Channel will see its share swim by, and numerous reefs, both natural and man-made out near the 'banks' will come alive with their usual summer run of large grunter. Expect to enjoy, or at least hear of, some very impressive grunter bites in the very near future.
There will still be plenty of school mackerel inshore. Sure, they will head for deeper waters, where they will undoubtedly be cursed by folks trying to catch pencil squid without attracting their attention. You might look for your next mackerel fix anywhere north of Woody Island, with time spent scouting the reefs amongst the outer banks likely to be time well spent. Over Moon way, reefs such as Mickeys could be worth a look for now, otherwise head up towards (if not beyond) Coongul.
Spotted mackerel fans get your spin gear ready
Heavy rain and inshore flooding can only improve the potential of this year's spotted mackerel season. So far, two runs of larger fish during the neaps close inshore have had a few folks excited, but consistency was lacking when fish couldn't be found mere days later. This week just gone, when the weather permitted, keen spotty fans headed for the northern bay and intercepted schools north of the 25 Fathom Hole.
There were schools of spotties from there to the Gutters and beyond, whilst their absence elsewhere is notable. Catching the spotties once found hasn't been a problem; a metal slug cranked at speed past the school soon sees them hooked up and arcing off fairly tight drag settings. Landing the spotties has been the problem; as the sharks are rarely far from the action and quick to pounce (hence the heavier than usual drag settings).
There may (should) be spotties over Rooneys way too, but it is the longtail tuna in the area that had a few crews excited between rain events this week. Their excitement soon changed to disappointment when they realised how many sharks were shadowing the tuna. You can imagine the scene.
There are mac tuna schools all over the northern and eastern bay otherwise, and with any luck, this little burst of south-easterly might bring the spotties in closer too. Undoubtedly there will be many crews heading up the island this weekend. The weather looks mint for such a trip, and the bright sunny skies should make finding surface-feeding mackerel and tuna dead easy.
Big swell pounds Fraser's surf beaches
Significant swell has been pounding the Fraser Island surf beaches, and shifting plenty of sand in the process. Word is that the "second beach" that was in place in recent months has been eroded away. The big tides have washed right up into the dunes at high tide in recent days and large stretches of beach are impacted by foam. This foam can be a major issue when it builds up at the access track to the island's resorts. The foam will be history as soon as the wind eases and the swell abates.
Eli Creek was impassable in recent days within 1.5 hours of high tide. We are unaware If exposed rocks are an issue at this time, so give yourselves extra time just in case. The island's inland tracks are soggy, and you can imagine the odd exaggerated wash-out after such heavy rain. Bogging won't be an issue with such hard-packed sand, but track speed might.
On the fishing front, there isn't a lot to report. Legal jewfish have been landed in the central sector, and quality whiting to 40cm or so were a feature of at least one crew's catch near Happy Valley recently. Pippies and worms can often be scarce after a big blow and a big wet, so keep that in mind and stock up on bait and lures so you aren't stranded without fishing options.
Crabbing Bonanza
As if the mud crabbing wasn't red hot before this week's rains, the whole scene has gone next level now. Muddies are not fans of freshwater, so pretty much every crab in the system is on the move right now. Many folks have already capitalised on this run and caught their limit of muddies. Others will do so in coming days too no doubt, so it looks like some folks will be enjoying a feast of Qld's best this Xmas.
Be wary of placing your pots in swollen rivers. Extra weight can be required to anchor them to the bottom, and even then, flotsam floating by might entangle your rope and drag your pot away. Best to focus on the slower-flowing backwaters in the lower reaches of the rivers, or try the flats and channels beyond the river proper. Muddies are going to turn up in unusual spots in coming weeks. Beach-walkers and those wandering our rocks might even encounter the odd one.
Whilst the muddies have been going off inshore, the sandies have been amassing in the bay. The pros are into them bigtime and a few recreational crabbers have had a crack recently too. The sand crabs are in great numbers, so there will be some folks that won't even need an overnight soak to secure a limit. There may indeed be sandies caught not far from our local boat ramps; being crabs flushed from the straits by the rains. It is the open bay waters where the mother lode awaits though, so get the pots ready and you can add crabs to the festive feast if you take advantage of the upcoming weather.
It is probably a little premature to talk about banana prawn as yet, but still worth mentioning how much this recent rainfall has boosted our chances of a good season. We have missed out miserably for a couple of years now, but this week's rains are well timed, and follow good soaking rainfall in past months too. All going well, late summer to early autumn is looking good for prawn fans.
50,000 bass fingerlings destined for Lake Lenthalls
If you are a local bass fan, then you might consider offering your assistance to the good folks of the Fraser Coast Fish Stocking Association this Saturday. They are planning to release another 50,000 bass into Lake Lenthalls, and could always do with a hand. Vessels will be manned with volunteers and sent on their way to the far reaches of the lake to deposit the baby bass in sheltered waters.
Lenthalls is overflowing as you read this, and has been since the heavy rain started. There goes the best of the lake's barramundi once again. The local lads that fish it frequently were doing very well too, catching numbers of solid barra with little fuss. It must be frustrating to see these rain events set that fishery back so regularly. Lenthalls will bounce back - it always does - but for now, it looks like it will be lean pickings out there on the barra front, and a smaller class of fish in future catches.
Lake Monduran didn't rise much, yet no doubt the barra schooled in such large numbers in its lower reaches still had high hopes for an escape. The barra went off their nut when the weather approached, so those lucky enough to be there enjoyed some exciting sessions. It is still the main basin fishery that has the trollers and scopers fixated, and rightly so, as that is where the biggest biomass of barra is hanging out.
Monduran will be popular over the Xmas break no doubt, and not just with fishos. Water skiers also enjoy the summer break at the lake; sometimes making themselves real popular when using the immediate fringe of the main boat ramp as a launching point. Awoonga is fishing very well too apparently, so impoundment barra fishing options are still open for those disturbed by the state of play in our rivers.
Good luck out there y'all and Merry Xmas from all the crew at Fisho's... Jase