▲TopFishing Report - April 24th 2008

The winds are dropping off again for the next few days and it looks like a great Anzac Day weekend ahead. With lighter winds spots like the Arti, Wathumba and Roonies are accessible with quite a few anglers heading that way. Whiting are being caught around the deeper water in Urangan as well as the mouth of Eli Creek. The best baits have been live yabbies and bloodworms fished on a long shank hook and light sinker.

Around Torquay rocks and the close reefs that run along the esplanade good painted sweetlip have been caught as well as school and broad-barred mackerel. Yabbies have been the best bait for the sweetlip with 3 or 4 threaded on the hook being the best method as to create a yabbies ball. Mackerel have been taken on 35gm spoons, white snapbacks and live herring fished under a float.

The pier has again been producing good catches of mackerel with both schoolies and broadies caught over the past week. 45gm mack special spoons have been the lure of choice as the mackerel seem to be sitting a bit further out. These lures also have a great flutter as they sink which imitates a wounded baitfish or fleeing baitfish. Live herring fished unweighted and under floats have also been producing mackerel as well as the odd mac tuna. Big bream are being caught at night time on hardiheads fished close to the pylons with heavy sinkers to hold them in position.

Gataker’s is fishing well for catches of mixed reef species with fresh bait working best. Herring, hardiheads, pillies and prawns have been the best baits when fished unweighted or with a light ball sinker. This allow the bait to drift down more naturally and looks more enticing to the fish. Good cod and coral trout are being caught on the troll with gold deep diving lures working best. Fish a heavier leader when trolling around the rocks as it doesn’t take long for one of these fish to bury you in the reef.

Anglers have reported good catches of snapper and grass sweetlip on the artificial reef during the early morning and late night periods. Strips and cubes of pilchards lightly weighted and fished down a berley trail have worked well. Remember not to use too much berley as this may attract the sharks. During the day soft plastics have also been working with lures in the 4 and 5 inch size fished on a ¼ ounce head or lighter being the go.

The mouth of Wathumba creek has been fishing well for big whiting on the incoming tide. Live yabbies and prawns have been the baits of choice with small poppers twitched on the surface also working. Out further on the reefs in Platypus Bay and around Roonies good sized snapper are being caught on cube and strip baits. Berkley gulps in the seven inch sizes fished on ½ heads have also been another method producing fish.

▲TopFraser Island

Fishing report courtesy of Sailfish Apartments - Happy Valley Ph (07) 4127 9494 With the strong winds and tides over the last week not much fishing has been done however this weekend should turn things around. Expect to catch good sized whiting and bream on worms and pippies as the tides subside. At present there is no weed along the beach and there are some good gutters.

Rainbow Beach Report courtesy Rainbow Beach Fishing Charters - www.rainbowbeachfishing.com.au Ph: 07 54868666 Hello once again from Rainbow Beach, only more wind and rough conditions to report offshore this week, but at last things are looking great for this weekend. Next week should be a big report as we have 4 Trips booked starting tomorrow (Friday). The Beach conditions are improving with a lot of sand returning, but caution is still needed at the rocks area. Local info should be obtained first, but at present you can probably pass 1Hr either side of low tide. Our new Council are working on the Access Ramp, and from all reports I hear it will be a big improvement.

Our Vessel has just had a full service 40 Hrs early mainly because some careless individual lost a Fish NET which we hit in the main channel near Ida Island last week, at 6am in the morning. It was not a good experience & I was lucky to sustain only minor injury. This net stalled our New STBD Motor and pulled us to a sudden stop. Any inboard vessel with a leg would have been in more trouble.Anyway we are OK , so hopefully someone will be caught over this incident. 2 days later we picked up about 5 Metres of plastic on the port motor while at sea, NOT GOOD. Anyway have a great weekend on the water, hopefully they are hungry.

▲TopFreshwater Report

▲TopLake Lenthalls Report

Bass have been caught out at Lenthall’s on Squidgy pro range fish with the grasshopper colour working best. These can be fished on light jig heads or weedless and when teamed with the s factor included in each pack, combines for a very effective lure. During the morning and afternoon sessions Bassday lipless sugar minnows have also been working well as they can be twitched on the surface or can sink to the desired depth.

▲TopLake Monduran Report

Fish are being caught in B bay in the shallow water casting sand vipers in the gold and ghost colours. Around the weed beds Squidgy pro slick rigs have been the best lures as they can be burned over the top of the weed as well as fished on the edges. B52’s are again producing fish on the edges and points.

▲TopLake Awoonga Report : Courtesy Jason Wilhelm Charter Operator

The dam has been a bit patchy this week with fishing good one day and average the next. Most of the fish have been caught around the weed beds and dirty water on slick rigs and stiffy boney breams. Try and fish around the 10ft and keep switching tactics to see results whether it be colour, size or lure change. With the dam fishing like this put in the effort and hours and you should see a few fish caught. Jason has started his charter operations at Awoonga now. Visit his website at www.barramadness.com for bookings and tour information.

▲TopFishing Report from Local Guide, Mark “Bargy” Bargenquast

This last month has a great run of hervey bays famous golden trevally, I have had over ten charters in a row where clients have landed between 3 and 12 goldys in a session on soft plastics, hardbodys and fly. The best fish was over 12 kilos which is good goldy and fought well, after being hooked on the flats, the fish was finally landed in 70 feet of water 30 minutes later.

If you would like to book a trip with Bargy just give him a ring on 0427 230 261 or visit www.fraserguidedfishing.com.au