Fisho's Weekly Fishing Report – 14th February, 2025

Fisho's Weekly Fishing Report © Fisho's Tackle World Hervey Bay

Happy Valentine's Day Fishos

Romance is on the mind of many of you today no doubt, as you celebrate Valentine's Day with your someone special. At the same time, there is bound to be a few fishos out there sneaking in a day on the water in mint weather conditions hoping to be back in time for their 'obligations' later this evening. Today's weather is as good as we might see this week, so at least your fellow fisho's will understand, even if the other half doesn't!

There will be a change in the air this weekend. A light northerly breeze will greet early risers Saturday morning, before that breeze stiffens to 10-15 knots early afternoon. It looks like being a bit damp, with showers likely throughout Saturday and into the wee hours of Sunday morning. A drier south-west change could clear the air early, or the showers may linger. Either way, you can expect up to 15 knots from the south-west at some time Sunday morning, that should ease a little from lunchtime onwards.

This weekend's change signals the passing of the trough that has dominated our weather and cranked the heat this past few days. The eastward passage of high-pressure systems south of the continent will combine with a weakening monsoon up north to see a ridge form along the Qld coastline once again, and the resultant onset of onshore trade winds. Nothing too dramatic, but up to 20 knots from the south-east most days for the upcoming working week.

It has been mighty warm again these past few days, and the humidity and high evening temps won't be missed when next week's south-easter cools our climate a tad. The tides are on the slide as the moon has started to wane. The next notable phase is the third quarter this time next week, so expect less and less tidal flow daily between now and then.

Plenty of Options for Landlubbers

Urangan Pier remains closed for restoration works, so only the beach end can be accessed by fishos keen to fish the high tide. The main attraction along that little strip has been garfish this week, which have also turned up in decent numbers at the rock groynes to the west, and also around the other Jetties at Torquay and Scarness.

Catching gar is a very simple style of fishing that can be a real hoot for the kids. Light rod and reel combos (the lighter the better) can be used, with floats attached to short leaders and tiny hooks baited with small pieces of prawn or yabby. The kids can watch the floats and will soon learn when to lift the rod when they see their float drawn down (or sideways).

A light berley trail will draw the garfish into the trail quite quickly and hopefully keep them there. Be careful not to overfeed them. Use a berley bucket dispenser or similar home-made device. If you aren't keen to try gar on the plate, then you can always chill them down for use as bait another time, or simply let them go. The first of the ebb tide (just after high) is often the most productive time for gar fishing.

With the deep end of the big pier out of reach, our foreshore waters clearing, and the moon beginning to wane, you might try the other jetties at night time for pencil squid. High tide is best for any such caper, and the less moon the better. Chuck a squid back out with a hook in it - well beyond your lights - while you are there. You never know what might latch on - a grunter or a queenie maybe?

Shark fishos are sometimes tempted to use those very same jetties as their platform from which to launch baits out into the darkness. There is no shortage of shark action anywhere in the bay these days, so they shouldn't have to wait long for a bite. Anyone considering a shark session from those jetties is encouraged NOT to deploy any significant berley trail to attract the sharks. Such a strategy might be sound elsewhere, but certainly not from our town beaches where kids and others will be swimming the next morning.

Those seeking grunter from our town beaches have encountered more small models than large fish of late, so it seems the boaties fared much better than beachgoers over the full moon. Interestingly, by the way, I asked a regular that fishes the stretch of beach now fronted by the green zone out off Pialba to walk out with his phone at low tide to see if he could cast into the green zone. It turns out that he could - just. The Marine Parks app tells you when you enter a green zone and his phone lit up in knee-deep water. This was just after low tide on a big 'out'. Food for thought, and worth ensuring you stay clear of that no-fishing zone.

Given how quickly our local creeks have cleared recently, efforts around the creek mouths and further upstream have been somewhat rewarding. Grunter, flathead, whiting and queenfish have been possible out the front, with mangrove jacks and barra a chance a little further upstream. Indeed, beach barra are possible right now for those that know where to look, and quite sizable fish at times too.

The Booral Flats could warrant some exploring by those that can handle the mud, the oysters and the hike. Heading eastwards to meet the first of the incoming tide can see you tangling with whiting and flathead, with grunter, salmon and bull sharks making their way up onto the flat as you are pushed back with the rising tide. Carry something you can scoop up a mud crab with too and you might enjoy a bonus feast when you get home. Oh, and I would probably have a cast net in the car, just in case some prawns appear.

Beach Whiting and Algal Blooms

Beach fishos that headed for the beaches fronting Dundowran and Toogoom were confronted with a weed issue that made fishing baits very frustrating. The whiting were there, and on the chew bigtime over the past week, but conventional efforts proved challenging. Not so, for those cunning folks who favoured topwater lures. They avoided issues with suspended weed and found the whiting particularly ravenous. The average size was great too, so there was plenty of giggles and some light-hearted fun on the finesse gear for those fishing the right stretches of beach.

Now, before you race off to attempt repeats of others' efforts last week, you might want to click on the linkhttps://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-07/new-species-of-toxic-algae-found-in-hervey-bay/104900718 and assess for yourself as to whether you deem fish caught from waters currently experiencing algal blooms safe to eat. The article in the link raises many concerns regarding toxic algae in Hervey Bay waters, which all water users should consider. Locals will be able to recall many an algal bloom in the past, but these recent studies finding new toxic species are mildly alarming.

The whiting fishery up Woodgate way continues to entertain a few beach goers, and as far as we know of at least, no-one has fallen ill from eating fish from those waters (nor anyone here in the bay for that matter). Fish grazing over algal blooms might ingest pieces of algae as they siphon other morsels from beaches elsewhere and move on, so avoiding high risk areas - whilst prudent - may not guarantee non-exposure to the threat. Community evidence at this time fails to reflect the concerns of those studying the bay's waters, so we trust we will all be duly informed should any local instances of poisoning occur.

Barra, Salmon and Bull Sharks in the Mary

There have been many fine barramundi caught from local waters since the season opened. The majority have been released to maintain the rage, but of course, a few won't contribute further to the local populations. As the full moon is now passed, and the tides diminishing, those seeking their next barra fix might need to change strategies from those that worked so well last week.

The Mary River remains the main stomping ground for those seeking true trophies, but the highly nomadic nature of barra might see monsters turn up in any given estuary. Many schools exist within our rivers and beyond, so don't limit yourself to the tried and proven tricks of the trade that have served you so well for decades when you can seek alternative hotspots and barra fisheries in prime times such as these. Flats fisheries being just one such alternative.

The Mary system is absolutely lousy with bull sharks from one end to the other. Pro netters working the upper reaches are putting a dent in their population, but it is only a small dent. The netters only target the smaller bulls for human consumption, as the larger fish are not acceptable. All sharks, regardless of species, are fully protected once they achieve a length of 1.5m in Qld waters these days anyway.

Larger female bull sharks will be nearing the end of their gestation period right now. They will give birth to maybe a dozen live 'pups' around April again, so consider the current population and times it by half a dozen. Bull shark population growth quickly becomes exponential without any extraction.

If you want to try your hand at fishing for river bulls, it is very easy. Park the boat somewhere handy to deeper water (a couple of metres or more) and throw a large bait out the back. It can be something as simple as a dead mullet, a fish head/wings or a large squid, or perhaps a large mullet as live bait. It could be something as 'fancy' as a chunk of freshwater eel that some bull shark fans consider primo. A bit of berley won't hurt of course.

Your tackle need not be any heavier than your reef fishing or heavy barra gear for the regular run-of-the-mill sized bulls. Wire trace can be a good idea, but is by no means mandatory. You can even try this caper from numerous land-based access points on the river if you can get to them. In fact, going on feedback from a local river fisho that favours live baits, it sounds like the abundant bullies are happy to eat all forms of live bait nowadays, even prawns. Sound like it wouldn't be too hard to get the kids into a battle with a toothy critter in our rivers right now.

Fishos scanning for barra and threadies occasionally sight bull sharks on their sounder screens. At times this is downstream of a string of crab pots. The fresh baits therein being the drawcard for the sharks. Those river regulars accustomed to trophies being stolen by larger bulls are also inclined to glance back at their screens mid-fight to monitor any sharky shapes threatening their latest big barra or big threadie hook-up. The threatening shape has also turned out to be large groper a couple of times this summer too, apparently.

Large threadfin salmon were caught within the Mary system over the past week, and more will be caught this week. You can chase them with vibes in the deeper waters or seek them out around drains and creek mouths with small lures or live baits (bull sharks permitting). The river's waters are cleaning up, but the full moon tides created its own turbidity, so the drain-bashing option remains a very good one for this weekend. Low tide timing is a nuisance at this time unfortunately, but that is when you will need to focus your drain fishing efforts.

Great Sandy Straits is Clearing Quickly

Flushed by big incoming tides from the bay, then dirtied again by big ebbs out of the creeks and the Mary, has the waters of the Great Sandy Straits in a constant state of flux. This being said, the water quality in general is improving dramatically with so little rain in recent weeks. Time now to switch your focus from targeting displaced predators, to seeking out the very same fish mooching back into the feeder streams.

There is an abundance of baitfish within the main shipping channels of the straits. Small herring amass in large numbers along select deeper ledges, whilst garfish, mullet and a plethora of other fodder species skirt the shallows and wander in and out of the creeks. Prime tucker for so many estuarine predators. And that is without mentioning the major drawcard that will be the focus of many predators in coming weeks and months - the prawns!

Mangrove jack fishos can pit their skill against the maroon marauders of the mangrove-lined creeks, or seek schools of the same brawlers out in the channel. There are many ledges and rocky structures that jacks temporarily call home at this time of year, making them more accessible than usual. Don't go in under-gunned when attempting to extract trophy jacks from gnarlier terrain in these parts. Fish bettering the 60cm mark are more common than most might suspect. Such fish are a serious challenge on decent barra gear for lure fishos and even quite heavy reef fishing tackle for the bait brigade.

Being an old jack fan myself and someone that has caught serious numbers, whilst still having met his match way too many times in the past, I have asked the question of my younger colleagues as to why we see so few jack photos these days. I understand that barra and threadies have their own major appeal (for me too), and that they stand out like the dog's proverbials on modern sounder screens. I also understand that it takes a heck of a lot more effort to get amongst numbers of jacks versus numbers of the other species.

Are we fishos getting lazier and less inclined to put in the extra effort (I know I am nowadays) or is the focus on the other major estuarine predators simply another facet of the modern-day reliance on technology? Trust me - you will only need one good jack session, with a brace of trophy red devils in your hands to invigorate future efforts and refocus your attention on the most vicious estuarine combatant you will encounter pound-for-pound (and then some). Give them a go while it is still warm, and feel free to share your photos with the Fisho's community when you succeed.

Otherwise, seek out your usual fix from barra, threadies and grunter whilst you wander the straits. You are likely to pick up the odd flathead or maybe some blue salmon, and you might even encounter a few queenfish or small GTs. Ensure you have squid jigs with you if you are likely to be spending time in the cleaner waters.

Make sure you have lots of Bushmans on board too. The sand flies are nightmarish within the creeks if there is no breeze, and the mozzies will drive you nuts at dawn and dusk. Fraser's march fly population is on 'roids too, so be prepared for those little demons. Fork out a few bucks and discover the significant advantage of Thermacell technology and your options to stay beyond the comfort zone of others just went next level. Ask anyone who has experienced the Thermacell advantage - it's a game changer!

Longtails Finally Arrive in the Bay

There won't be any such bug issues for those heading for the wide-open expanse of the bay of course, and its appeal just heightened for many with the arrival of numbers of longtail tuna. These robust barrels of muscle are highly-sought after sports fish for many folks these days and their return has many excited. Just these past few days, the Arch Cliffs 6-Mile area was central to plenty of longtail action, with some guys catching half a dozen fish with relative ease.

The mac tuna are not nearly the problem they were in recent weeks, which helps, and in some areas, sharks haven't even been a problem. Enjoy fishing for these early arrivals while you can, as more will follow, and the sharks will be hot on their tails. Whilst some might be hoping that the arrival of the tuna will draw some of the dreaded noahs away from our reef fish, the realities of the past decade suggest they won't. Indeed, it seems the tuna arrive with their own entourage of apex predators and add to our local shark issue.

Right now, you can opt to be throwing your exier stick baits at feeding longtails and hopefully stand a reasonable chance of landing that fish whilst getting your lure back. That may not be the case in coming weeks. Ensure you have a good arsenal of metal slugs, jerkshads with matching heavy jig heads or perhaps some of the more affordable stickies. Add a few of the new swish-looking Vexed Jig Wigs to your collection for upcoming trips - these things have tuna lolly written all over them. Assess the shark situation on the day, as well as the likely source of prey, and switch to alternating outfits or lures as necessary.

Should you make it out onto the bay before the trade wind limits your scope you can head wider or further north in the search of more tuna. Otherwise, focussing your efforts within a few miles of the Platypus Bay coastline will see you within reach of not only the tuna, but many schools of queenfish, plenty of golden trevally and mackerel. Remember, the spaniards are off limits until the 22nd and release them a.s.a.p. if caught accidentally.

Plenty of Fish Biting Inshore

Many folks plied our inshore waters over the full moon period and some took home a handy feed. Not everyone was able to avoid the sharks though, and the usual frustrations raised tempers in the heat. Fishing shallow was a common strategy which helped avoid the noahs to some extent. Those bigger tides earlier this week were more favourable for the shallows than those ahead of us right now, so opt for evening sessions should weather permit this week.

Grassy sweetlip continue to feature most heavily in local reef fish catches. Coral trout and estuary cod are on the chew too, as are blackall and nannygai. There are schoolies cruising the shipping channels and lingering anywhere there is a reasonable abundance of herring. The Fairway was popular again this week. Not sure if the grunter turned up for the full moon as such, but they were certainly due.

The improving water quality inshore has drawn in more pelagic species. Queenies have been abundant for months, and they turned up at many of the usual hotspots prior to the full moon. The bay islands hosted schools of mid-large sized queenies, as did select stretches of Fraser's western ledges. Mid-sized GTs seem to be getting around these days too. Any of their clan, be they small or monstrous, would have bitten well over the full moon offering anyone so inclined an option to get amongst them. Photos of the usual brutes that terrorise our inshore reef inhabitants at this time of year appear not to be forthcoming. Are they out there? It is hard to believe they aren't!

Excellent Fishing on Board Double Island Point Fishing Charters

With no offshore fishing to report on from north of Fraser, a quick call to Greg Pearce from Double Island Point Fishing Charters was very enlightening. Greg relayed accounts from recent charters where he parked the boat over incredible numbers of snapper - the best he has seen in the summer months in many years. This recount mirroring the fantastic aggregations of pearl perch he has found in previous trips.

Pulling quality snapper from these schools has been a very quick affair. Quick to get the bites all round the boat, then quick to get them into the boat before the sharks moved in. Greg is just as quick to move on once the noahs find him and is minimising the wastage by doing so. He has found it necessary to avoid the bigger aggregations of fish some days when the sharks are at their worst. Opting to fish smaller, more isolated rocks etc, where quality fish in smaller numbers can be found without the taxmen above.

One day, after landing a few snapper, then getting taxed, Greg decided to deploy one of his deep drop outfits in waters typically deemed way too shallow for such equipment. First drop was a success, with snapper hauled unceremoniously to the surface quicker than the noahs in hot pursuit. Next drop - no such luck - bitten off immediately after hook-up. Oh well, worth a try - on to the next hotspot.

Greg has had to head wider to avoid the spanish mackerel that are quite thick in close. His clients enjoyed catching some fine red emperor, various cod species and very nice pearlies as well as plenty of snapper and other mixed reefies. The swell and departure/return timing have dictated which bar crossing Greg has opted for, alternating between the main channel and the fisherman's gutter when necessary.

His observations from the lower straits are also enlightening. Their waters clear faster down there than up at our end, so they are enjoying very good quality water at present. The flatties are on the chew, there are ample bream about, and excellent schools of whiting can be found on the bigger tides. He says the muddies have been on the march, and his young bloke, Ollie, and his mate even picked up a couple of quality crabs whilst walking the flats!

Mixed Seafood Platter Anyone?

Local mud crabbers were out in force for the full moon period. Mighty feasts are still being enjoyed by those that made the effort and slipped their pots in the way of the mobile muddies. From what we know, the Burrum is giving up a feed, the Mary is too, and Fraser's western creeks are ripe for the picking if you choose carefully. Crab quality remains good, with enough A-graders to brag about and enough B-graders to make up the numbers if necessary.

Sand crabbers are still hauling sandies from the open bay waters, whilst a couple of locals snuck pots in close for a handy feed. The pencil squid remain abundant and are widespread throughout the local shipping channels and the southern bay. Thera is plenty of squid up the island as well, and even a few schools not far out from Pt Vernon.

Prawns are a hot topic for many folks right now. Waiting for the prawn run proper doesn't appeal to everyone, and that is quite understandable. It has been a couple of years since we have enjoyed a decent run of prawns in our neighbourhood and all fans of these tasty crustaceans are keen for a feed. Yes, the quality and abundance will improve in a few weeks' time, as will the ease of capture, but there is nothing like bringing that big feed of prawns home to the family in summer.

You can catch your next feed from the Burrum system, from the lower Mary system or from a local creek or mudflat. Fraser's western creeks are likely to drag the chain a bit, so focus on mainland creeks down the straits if heading that way. Don't expect large prawn in anything other than minimal numbers anywhere as yet, and settle for the smaller or perhaps medium-sized prawn on offer.

Good luck out there y'all... Jase