Fisho's Weekly Fishing Report – 23rd January 2026 - Awesome Australia Day Long Weekend
by Fisho's Tackle World Hervey Bay 23 Jan 06:09 UTC
23 January 2026
After a week of mixed weather that limited access to open waters, we couldn't ask for a much better forecast for the Australia Day long weekend. It will be hot - very hot - but the wind should be gentle enough to spread the massive fleet of fish-hungry crews far and wide.
The brief northerly of the past day or so will tend easterly this morning and barely blow more than 10 knots until the late afternoon sea breeze kicks in. It will be a race to the boat ramps Saturday morning as a huge number of boaties head out into a light 10-knot east to south-easterly zephyr. Again, the sea breeze might kick in to 15 knots late in the day, but it should only be brief and ease during the evening.
Sunday looks even better. A light and variable breeze sub-10 knots that could originate from either side of easterly means a potential glass-out when only a burst of speed from the skipper or a dip in the briny will offer relief from the building heat. Tending north-easterly late in the day, yet still quite light, this will be a precursor to a day of light northerlies Monday.
Forecasts for the rest of the week changed overnight (like always). They are now claiming light south-easters for the working week in lieu of northerlies that they were spruiking just last night. Let's see how it unfolds.
Offshore is looking just as good as the bay this weekend, with the best days being Sunday and Monday after Saturday's easterly loses its oomph. Saturday is well within the capabilities of larger offshore vessels or experienced skippers in smaller craft, but the days thereafter look substantially better.
It doesn't look like precipitation will be an issue, unless you are venturing out west to cross paths with the storms. Tidal flow is fast diminishing daily as we approach Monday's first quarter phase. These neap tides will make life easy for those fishing deeper waters out wide or within our river systems. Making tides thereafter will be great - for just about everything.
Nocturnal Activity Peaking at Urangan Pier
With the new moon now passed and the tides dropping again, pelagic activity around Urangan Pier has tapered off. There is still plenty of herring out there, but not as much as there was in past weeks. No talk of mackerel, and GTs only being mentioned under hushed breath, it has been the acrobatics of the local queenfish that have created the most excitement this week.
Drawn to the pier's waters by the prolific pencil squid and other food sources, the queenies have been suckers for a live bait at the right stage of tide. They can turn up anywhere from the first channel to the deep end, and even over the sandbank while the tide is high. Often sight-fished, they offer an exhilarating strike followed by high-flying antics rarely matched by any other fish caught at the pier.
The same familiar faces can be seen out at the deep end almost every night chasing pencil squid, whilst new faces galore investigate the phenomenon and 'cash-in' on the abundance too. Little consideration is given to possession limits by some it seems, whilst others do the right thing. Make the most of the run of squid over coming nights, as it won't be long and the moon will be too big and bright for productive sessions.
Sharks are creating havoc occasionally after dark along the full length of the pier. Some are being hooked by folks targeting them, whilst others are simply devouring hooked fish. This is a sad scene, there and everywhere else, but even worse when the fish being devoured are prime breeding stocks of a species in full-blown spawn mode that are supposedly protected by law.
Beach Fishos Should Consider an Evening Session
Neap tides and increasing nocturnal activity near-shore suggests that beach fishos would be well-served considering an evening session this weekend. Not only might the fishing be better, but the cooler conditions and lack of bathers etc will be a bonus.
Fish such as whiting had a little spurt of activity along beaches such as Dundowran and to a lesser degree, in town, over the new moon, but they won't be nearly as keen with so little run in the tide. Hence the reason that only the insomniacs will be catching any quality whiting this week.
Those keen to catch a grunter from our beaches can do so by targeting them during the earliest stages of the flood tide. Wading out a little ways and casting into any subtle gutter formation or alongside nearby rocky outcrops can be productive, especially if you are offering them prawns of some kind (either artificial or the real thing). Being another species inclined to be more active with more run in the tide, it is the insomniacs once again that will shine on the grunter front this week.
If wandering our beaches, then keep an eye out for passing queenfish. They can be easily spotted when they are active, as they crash-tackle garfish, small whiting and other morsels in skinny water, often a mere stone's throw from shore. They are easily tempted with a softie, a stickbait or even a spoon, so long as you have said options in your arsenal. Be prepared, or be prepared to be frustrated!
Reef Fishing Options Galore this Weekend
Great weather and small tides will appeal to many folks keen to stock up on fresh reef fish fillets for the table. Not all species will bite their heads off, but some will. Target number one inshore will be the ever-popular coral trout. They will be a better option in deeper waters than in the shallows over these tides, yet both remain an option if you are on the water at dawn.
Trout bite really well this time of year, and are highly aggressive. Their inquisitive and domineering nature makes them first to investigate items of interest in their neighbourhood, and if these items are your lures or your live baits, then happy days! Assuming the sharks are not within striking distance that is, of course. One might expect sufficient numbers of boats probing the inshore hotspots that the sharks will be pre-occupied by others while the odd fisho or two sneaks a feed over the gunnels unmolested. Lucky for you if you are the latter.
Estuary cod will be even more common and just as aggressive. Lures jigged near their lairs at low tide will be met with a crushing strike. Prawn or squid impersonations are best, yet ultra-deep diving lures trolled past slowly will also get the same response. Some will find blackall with baits, and maybe numbers of sweetlip. A few early season nannies might even grace us with their presence. All are possible, yet the risk of shark depredation can destroy an otherwise potentially productive session. Do what you must to lessen their impact, please!
The sharks won't be the only apex predator denying you a fresh feed either, as the big GTs and spaniards are lurking around shipwrecks and other prominent artificial reefs and ledges. The GTs are particularly fond of select live baits and will no doubt be handing out a few thrashings this weekend. Expect to hook them deep in the water column most of the time, though they will chase anything edible all the way to the boat too. Some of these GTs are huge and virtually unstoppable in the nastiest of terrain, whilst fish to 25kg or so are more manageable on the right tackle.
The Gutters will be Popular
Whilst many of us have moved on from our days of fishing the Southern and Northern Gutters due to the persistent predation from sharks, many others continue to try their luck out there whenever the weather is good enough. That is certainly this weekend, so overnighters will be on the cards for some no doubt, whilst others just run the big miles for a day trip.
Active fish won't be hard to tempt, unless it glasses out and the breeze tends from the north-west. Trout will once again be the main target, and no doubt some quality specimens will be caught. Will that be by those jigging lures or drifting live baits across isolated patches of reef, of by those that anchor or drift the gnarlier commonly-known ledges? Regular readers, or those that fish those grounds will know the answer to that question, as will the resident sharks!
Avoid those noahs, and a varied and colourful mix of reefies is possible across much of the northern bay. Drab colours will be in the mix, in the form of grassy sweetlip, cod, blackall and spangled emperor, but hues of orange, pink and red are possible. The Gutters will be a somewhat risky option for those overnighting if they are keen to avoid the sharks, so consider burning more fuel and scanning wider for better options whilst you have the weather and the tide on your side.
Offshore and Out Wider Will be Better
It is rare to venture out fishing in these parts and enjoy a shark-free day - but it can happen. This weekend's conditions enable the option to cruise beyond the reach of those with smaller craft and limited fuel range. Fish-rich waters that see vastly less traffic than elsewhere are very likely primed with abundant reef fish, and hopefully no sharks.
Those waters might be the hallowed grounds beyond the Breaksea Spit light or up Lady Elliot way. Those waters might be well north of the Gutters, or just out in the middle of the paddock somewhere in between. Prime grounds for chasing red emperor and big nannygai, that often house large trout, plenty of cod and various other reefies to boot.
The current offshore over the Breaksea Spit will be challenging for bottom-bashing, so consider taking a selection of heavy slow-pitch jigs to work the depths in a fast drift. The sharks are also likely to be vicious out there anywhere from the 100m line to the shoal country too, so be prepared to do some high-speed deviations to avoid them. Luckily the amount of ground out there is boundless, so, so are your options.
Faster drifts can mean more tusk fish and other fringe dwellers in the esky in lieu of RTEs and other species that hug the harder reefs. Stronger current can send some crews shallower too, where sessions after dark are vastly more productive than sessions in broad daylight. Deep droppers might get a crack at the deep waters in such light winds, even if the current is a challenge. Expert skippers will manage it fine, so long as they didn't scrimp in the lead department.
Our Fraser Coast FADs are Back
The man in charge of the Qld Fisheries FAD (Fish Attracting Device) program advised that the three surface FADs off Fraser Island were deployed last Friday. The two buoys offshore from Fraser - one 8 miles from Sandy Cape and the other 11 miles from Waddy Point - are both in 54m of water, and should already be attracting fish such as mahi mahi in the prevailing current. Perhaps you can tell us what size those fish are, as reports of tiny dollies further south not long ago were less appealing than what is likely to be out there right now.
The FAD off Rooneys Point is back in action, but doesn't enjoy near the success in attracting passing pelagics like the offshore models do. It does, however, offer our governors remarkable 'science' in the form of feedback from devices on board that pick up passing sharks sporting electronic tags. Remarkable how many of those creatures cruise into Hervey Bay waters apparently. No surprises there eh!
An all-water submerged FAD off Bundaberg was also deployed last week, adding to the host of options fishos have in open waters. To find information on the FADs, simply google Qld Fisheries FADs and scan the website for data. The exact whereabouts and other info is published for all to read and take advantage of. The same data can be gained from your Fisheries 2.0 app on your phone, but you will need to allow an automatic update to enable the recently-added data to appear.
Heat Will Enhance Pelagic Activity
Those without the vessel or the range to head offshore might consider a run up the island or out into the central bay looking for spotted mackerel. They have been relatively scarce this season, showing up in decent numbers only rarely so far. This weekend offers vastly better conditions for pursuing these toothy speedsters, given the greater percentage of sunshine and the increasing heat.
Spotties love the heat and will hopefully be easier to find as they push baitfish to the surface and give their location away. Scanning the horizon for signs of bird activity will help you find them as you cruise north at speed. They may not be up and feeding early though, so don't write them off just because you cannot find them in the first few hours of the day. They often 'pop' with the peak heat of the day and can be an easier option in the afternoons at times.
The only whispers we have heard this week have been of small numbers of spotties somewhere off Wathumba, and of random schools not far from Urangan. So, it will be up to you to find them, and hopefully you do. If not, then surely you can entertain the kids with a little fun with the mac tuna, that are also scattered loosely across the vast expanse of the bay.
Spaniards offer a reasonable alternative, as they too are turning up randomly around the bay. Monsters close inshore and school-sized models in the bay offer the same challenges. Finding them can be the hard part, as catching them is much easier. Troll for them if you like, spin for them vertically with spoons, or simply deploy a live bait on a set of heavy-duty gang hooks. No need to complicate things, even if folks up and down the coastline elsewhere tend to.
Queenies are well scattered inshore as well at present, and can be a real hoot on lighter tackle in the shallows. Respect them if fishing for them in deeper water as they are magnets for bull sharks and will continue to feed, even when the sharks are knocking off their brethren. Add the chance of GTs of all sizes, goldies on the flats and in deeper waters and perhaps some supposedly scarce school mackerel and you have ample pelagics to pursue closer inshore if the spotties don't turn it on.
Rivers and Creeks Ripe for the Picking
The lack of breeze might have the sandflies and mozzies in overdrive, but that won't deter keen estuary fishos from probing their favourite stream/s this weekend. The Mary system and the Great Sandy Straits will see plenty of traffic, but likely nowhere near what the Burrum system will.
Word is out about the abundant prawns in the Burrum, which are drawing their own crowd. Add the threadfin salmon and the first-class mangrove jack fishing; the odd grunter or flathead, plus the chance of a feed of muddies, and it is no surprise those waters are popular. No doubt they will be even more-so soon, when the barra season opens on 1st February.
Hopefully some of our barra population got a chance to do its thing and spawn in relative peace this summer. Anyone cruising our streams will know many didn't, as they have been molested persistently by a measurably increased population of fishos throughout the closed season. But, with any luck, enough got to spawn unmolested to overcome that issue. The rains haven't arrived as yet, so late spawning may still be on the cards perhaps. Whatever the case, our region is about to be inundated with hordes of barra-hungry fishos in a week's time, so enjoy your peace and quiet while you can.
Good luck out there y'all... Jase