Inshore
This time of year we get a lot of bait schools showing up along the coastline and last week definitely had plenty of pelagic action that followed.
Normally the bait are quite small around the 5cm mark so sometimes it takes a bit of work to trick the pelagic fish that are feeding on them.
In order to get these fish to bite you need to be using a lure that matches what they are feeding on, even if they are busting up all around your boat.
The good thing about the pelagics turning up is even if you don’t have a boat you can catch them from the rocks off Innes Park, Elliott Heads and Burnett Heads.
If you want to match the hatch the Arma Anchovy 18g to 25g metal slug or a Flasha 20g spoon are two great options as they are identical to the bait these big pelagic fish are feeding on.
Offshore
A lot of the offshore reefs and wrecks have been producing quality fish this week, early mornings and late afternoons have been when these fish have been feeding.
With the lead up to new moon on Monday the 26th the reefs will be the place to be over the weekend providing the weather plays ball.
There has been some great catches of big queenfish, trevally and cobia that have been hanging around the wrecks over the last few weeks.
The bottom fish like coral trout, red emperor and big tusk fish have been caught around natural structure towards Lady Elliot with pilchards working best when rigged on the new Buku Hybrid Bait Rigs.
Kolan River
The Kolan River’s summer species are continuing to chew with this warmer weather.
This week more jacks have been caught up river with rock walls still being the place to be.
Live poddy mullet or whole prawns have worked best for these fish.
Towards the mouth has seen some great numbers of flathead caught on the flats with soft plastics doing the damage.
Some solid grunter are still around, soft vibes have worked really well on these fish over the last few weeks so definitely give them a go when chasing these big grunter.
Lake Monduran
With the past few weeks being consistently warmer anglers have had some cracking session on the dam.
Big barra between 80 and 110cm have been the most common catches with these fish really liking small soft plastics in natural colours.
The key this week has been to find the fish as some spots which have been producing a lot of fish have become empty due to wind direction changes.
This doesn't mean the barra have gone far with often times the fish have just moved within the bay to another point. This is very common when the bay they are in gets wind from numerous directions.
Lake Monduran's Family Fishing Classic is scheduled for Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd of October, as the weather warms further and the winds become consistent the barra are going to chew their heads off.
Now is a great time to get out on the dam and catch a few fish before the crowds show up in preparation for the comp.
Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory is really starting to turn it on with this warmer weather heating the water up which has got the bass on the move.
Most of the fish have now made their way into shallower sections of the dam that have plenty of structure.
These fish are actively hunting and have been smacking soft plastics ripped through the weed imitating a fleeing bait fish.
The Original Sliders Grub has been the soft plastic getting the job done best when rigged with a conventional jig head.
Light fluorocarbon leaders have helped get more bites, leaders around 8 and 10lb have worked best.
The big saratoga have taken a break this week with none being reported caught, but it is worth a shot to fish the heavy timber in case it is your lucky day.
Top water lures cast deep into the trees and weed where other lures couldn’t be used is a great way to target these fish.
The team at Tackle World Bundaberg
